How on earth do you do it???

Mrs_Sparkle

You're right Queenie- I seem to accumulate odd tins on impulse which sit in my cupboards not being used for any particular meal. I will do a stock take of my freezer and cupboards... for a start I know that I've got a chicken in the freezer which I can make into 3 meals if I use the carcass for stock... every little helps, right?

lynzpower

Absolutely. the trick is having a good old look at what youve got in. If you dont know what to do with something (pinto beans anyone ) then ask on OS, someone will tell you something yum to do with what youve got.

If you know eg you have the chicken, even if you dont use the stock straight away, make it then freeze it. Trick is, dont waste anything. If youve got veg on the way out, quick make something with it then freeze it

I turned out all of the cupbards and found spare soaps, body lotion, and under the sink all manner of cleaning stuff for every single different job. I am STILL on a use up from when I started back in March, although of course there are a few bits Ive had to replenish ( not pasta though, enough in my flat to sink a ship )

Queenie

lynzpower wrote:

... If you dont know what to do with something (pinto beans anyone )

:shhh: Refried beans :drool: :silenced:

:rotfl:

lynzpower

OMG are refried beans made of pinto beans- I never knew!!!!

I keep meaning to ask on the OS board about those, I love refried beans!!!!!!

Cheers Queenie!!

Annie_Fanny

Yeah pinto beans - yummy!

Maybe you could have a Mexican theme night Lynz!

Mash 'em up and stick 'em in a burrito with grated cheese, guacamole (sp?), salad and rice! YUMMY!

lynzpower

Oh, I love mexican food, but usually buy refried beans already done, and always balk a bit at the price, considering its proper peasant food in mexico and usually costs about 5p in mexico.

YUM YUM YUM!

Ali-OK

Have to promote Stardrops and microfibre cloths!! That is likely to be my biggest saving on the supermarket shop - not buying the multitude of a cleaner for this, that and the other.

Oh and not buying fruit/veg/meat there, but at markets and butchers.

Plus shopping around for household/bodycare items, again the supemarkets are not normally the cheapest - Wilkinsons, Savers and Bodycare seem to be my regular haunts these days!

And as it's just me and DS, I use fresh vegetables from the day of purchase for all meals until they've run out, then go onto cupboard/freezer items. No waste that way.

And I often buy BOGOFs as stock - this has noticably decreased the shopping bill over the longer term, as my weekly need has gone down.

Annie_Fanny

Ali-ok what are microfibre cloths and where do you get them from?

I understand you can get stardrops from Sainsburies?

Cheers

Annie

CosmoCat

you see, i love beans, very good in caribbean cooking!!

microfibre cloths are great washable, reusable cloths that you can get in tesco and some good pound stores.

i've been looking for some for ages (don't have a tesco's near me and the pound stores around here aren't so great!)

dinkylou

I find only buying what I need to eat and not buying loads of things 'cos i fancy them'.

Little things like taking a shopping list and sticking to it and not going to the shops when hungry.

Helped me loads and now I'm down to £70 per month for me and the cat.