SOA Groceries, How do you do it.

Ames

Mrs Tine, could you do the soup by just chucking everything in a slow cooker for a while?

MrsTinks

Mmmmmm i guess you could... if it has a "high" setting After all you do stews in it and the veg goes soft there... Then just blitz it when it's cooked - might take a little longer

Ames

Thanks, I'll give it a go - I can't stand and lift pans and things, so a sc is fab for me.

DarkConvict

Wow, got alot of comments on this topic Ill make a bold note on the top that i was just interested in how people do it, as i said i don't have the experience of lowering costs like most of you. Thankfully im not in the position that this is something i need to do asap.

I will certainly try a few things whilst i am still at home with Mum to get in some practice before I finally leave the nest again.

Reading though the comments, i can see many of the mistakes i made last year. Buying in bulk and stuff not getting used, overspending on lunch at work, buying he same food again and again so not looking for alternatives, and worrying that i had bodged up the cooking by missing out steps or doing it wrong. By far my best example was not opening the bag of sugar in the 12 months i was away
The best thing is for the few of dozen of times i cooked, i never got ill. Although i did only cook diced chicken and mince beef, which is dead easy to cook as i found out.

I lived with a flat mate, this was his first job after finishing uni, and he was a great cook. He would make a pizza from almost scratch (inc. the dough) regularly, made his own pasta, and pretty much cooked every night but then again his GF was a regular visitor.

I can certainly see rooms for improvement that i had not seen before, and i thank you all for your inputs. Added to favourites for some certain future use!

p.s. Gingerbread men did go wrong, it said 1/2 a cup of suger. I work in grams so my GF said a cup is 250g. So i added 250g, opps that's a full cup. Plus a cup of sugar is actually 190g so much too much it was fun though.

Me - Snowman, Angry Man, Cyclops, Naked man
GF - Hoola Girl, Footballer, Affro Man, Clown

Ames

Ooh yes, don't fall into the trap of having things in because you think you 'should'! I don't drink tea or put sugar in anything, so I don't buy any. There's no point having a full fruit bowl because you know you should eat it, if you know you never will. Stuff like that.

Chicken's easy to cook, but it's also easy to get ill from, so you're already doing great!

And don't worry about recipes, I'm a great fan of 'chuck everything together and see if it works'. I use recipes as a basis, but if I don't have or like something in it then I change it. My sister, on the other hand, sticks to a recipe to the letter, and she spends a lot more on food than I do.

DarkConvict

I prefer meat to be medium/well to well cooked. So i certainly ensure the chicken is well done. Mind you i have made mistakes cooking ready meals, 4 mins in microwave, 2 hours later the smell comes into the computer room.... mmm... food.... damn!

miggy

Ames wrote: »

One of my new year resolutions is to start labelling what goes into the freezer!

This was my New Year's Resolution a few years ago, and I'm very pleased to say I've mostly managed to keep it. It has saved soooooooooooo much trouble!
(Even if you break the resolution, just start again - it's worth it!)
OP, I'll second what's been said about menu planning - I just wrote down what I had for a while then I had a ready-made plan that just needed rejigging a bit. It saves panic buying. Also, make a list when you go shopping, and try to stick to it. I can't tell you how to remember to take it with you, because I don't know that myself, but it does limit what you buy.
Good luck with it, and remember pennies saved are pennies earned!

Snow_White_5

Wow, lots of valuable advice in this thread.

I've kept costs down by getting a freezer. Every few days I have a look through the fridge and anything that's in danger of not getting eaten soon gets frozen. Today it was 1 1/2 pepers and half a leek. I just chopped them, bagged them, chucked them in the freezer then will get them out next time I make a stir-fry or similar. I also freeze and portion bread and cake after baking so it lasts longer.

I just used to let the bread and veg go mouldy then I'd bin it. What a waste.

Sometimes it's difficult to resist eating the lot if you've batch-cooked something delicious - my solution is to portion it up and bung it in the freezer asap. Out of sight, out of mind!

Butti

Like Ames I have started to do a large shop. Hopefully the last one will last a fortnight.

First I have a look at what I have in. Plan meals round this and staples in the cupboard like rice, pasta and potatoes. Google recipes for ingrediants you can't work out what to do with (Today for lunch I have had a leek, spring onion, garlic and parmasan risotto - so it's a good job I'm on my own this afternoon!) As others have said write a list and stick to it.

Then unfortunately to really save you will have to cook. If you cook large quantities you can split the meal. Supermarket magazines are good for recipes on this when they run budget features.

So for this week its looking a bit like this in order; breakfast, lunch / dinner

Porridge / muesli & cold porridge with blueberries and yoghurt (Phil Vickery)

Risotto
Chorizo with tomato and pasta
Fish finger butty
cauliflower cheese
Roast chicken (* can be used for)
* chicken sarnies/chicken curry/chicken and ham stroganoff/chicken salad
Fish lasagne/ Fish pie
Lentil and veg soup*

you'll have to do some cooking though (sorry!)

B

p.s. I'd just like to reiterate other people's comments about the amount of help from Dark Convict

Horace

I can remember when I moved into my current home having previously lived with husband who could cook (although I could manage spag bol and I once made a christmas cake), my then work colleague spent a few hours at night writing up her favourite recipes that are quick and easy. I have used a few of them since e.g. cheese & potato pie, quiche lorraine (using a ready made savoury pastry case because life is too short), wedges,risotto, lasagne.

I admit that I dont make lasagne - I go to Lidl and get theirs. With regard to recipes then if there is something in the list of ingredients that I don't like then I leave it out.

I admit that I dont label stuff in the freezer and will drag out whatever is in there (sometimes its easily identifiable and sometimes not), so one night I ended up having steak (from the out of date shelf at Tesco) with some spuds and gravy. I like surprises