New and in need of help.

slowandsteady_2

Hi Ellie, so sorry things are a bit hard at moment-definately in the right place for advice though!

Just a thought, if you have a Morrisons nearby they do big 10kg sacks of potatoes for £2.49, they are decent quality, last our family easily a month. Supposedly 'seconds' but they are fine. You could fill everyone up on plenty of potato based meals.

Might be worth going to your local fruit and veg market stall, if you are planning to get some, at the end of the day as they usually try and get rid of stuff really really cheap, i got quite a lot the oher day for £2.40

Trying, like you are doing, to stretch the meat is always a good plan, have you tried the recipe index and the 'Rubber Chicken' Thread. I have no idea how to do links but sure someone cleverer than me will be able to.

Good luck x

BitterAndTwisted

Sounds like Ellie is well on her way now. Love, if you still have that sad cabbage and the spring onions still hanging about I'd make those both into soup with some cubed potatoes thrown in. Lovely with some parsley added. Fresh is perfect but dried will do fine.

jexygirl

Hi Ellie,
Sounds like you are doing great - you go girl!
Perhaps with the leftover gammon, as well as making full meals to freeze, you could just cube it into "portions" and freeze it. That way if you want a chicken and ham pie when doing your rubber chickens, with all their bits you pull off, or if you have some mushrooms and spaghetti, or ham and tomato quiche, ham and mushroom pasty, etc its a grab bag for a quick meal - carbonara, pie, pasty, homemade pizza (recommend Jamie Olivers Pizza dough) , quiche etc. They take less time to defrost and could help bulk out something "less interesting" towards the end of the month - the pizza is also a good way of using up literally ANYTHING left over when it gets towards the end of the month, and also makes you feel like you arent struggling, but instead having a takeaway - that tastes WAY better than anything you can buy!.
Keep at it, you sound like you are secretly enjoying it (using what oyu have I mean, not the situation
Jex

wssla00

a quick tip on tax for you OH. See if he can claim any tax back as he will have only worked part of the year. If he speaks to his local tax office he can get a claim form for it

EllieA_3

Oh thanks i would never haven tought of claiming tax back, tbh i didn't even know you could. i will make sure he looks into it thanks.

I just feel really overwhelmed right now, im not a bad cook but im a creature of habit and simple things are throwing me, i went out yesterday and spent £12 on some bits we needed (milk,break tinned toms, beans etc) but when i open up the cuboards and see the food even though there is plenty there im struggling to see meals.

Im not too bad for evening stuff because i know i have thoses chicken but breakfasts /packed lunches the things i would normally do arn't there and i can't seem to work out how to replace them.

Kazipoo

Porridge is good for breakfast, or toast, get yerself down to the supermarket and look in the reduced section, I picked up some fresh bread (now frozen) reduced to 15p, hot cross buns 15p, 18 large breadbuns 15p and the cheapie bread is great for toasting. We defrost a breadbun each for packed lunches the following day. Also, with your banana's, try making some muffins.... just made banana and chocolate chip cake for the hubby with some banana's that looked worse for wear (but were actually lovely inside). These will also freeze and can be taken out in the mornings to include in packed lunches. Another idea for packed lunches is pasta mixed with tea from the night before, my daughter regularly does this for her lunch, or a tuna pasta mix.

You really do have plenty to feed the family for the rest of the month, why not try cooking a chicken and using it for sandwich fillings? Definitely get a sack of spuds from Morrisons, I only go through one of these in around a fortnight and there are 6 of us!! Also, stews are an excellent way of using up odd veggies.

I have also been batch baking recently and doubling up our meals so that I only use half and freeze the other half, so when it comes to making meals, I just pull something out of the freezer... its much easier!!

We too had a reduction in the hubbys wages last year, we do live to our means, but it has taken the best part of a year to get used to the reduction. It has been made easier by turning OS over the past few months! Now I just love being OS and can't imagine being any other way!

exlibris

If you do get a big bag of spuds sort through it. You may have some large ones there which will be good for jackets. I fill these with left-over bits and sometimes baked beans. They make another meal.

HTH

Primrose

The other small economies you might be able to make are in the way you use your mobile phones and your domestic fuel. Turning down the thermostat, having the heating on for a shorter period, wearing an extra layer of clothes, turning down the gas/electricity & putting on a saucepan lid, and turning your oven off 10 minutes before the end of cooking time and letting things continue to cook in the residual heat all heap. Also perhaps not using your dishwasher or tumble drier if you have them, will reduce your electricity bill. They all seem small things in themselves but overall, will help to keep the fuel bills down. And if you have a water meter, put a brick or Hippo water saving bag in your toilet cistern. (Water companies often supply these free of charge).

lindens

EllieA wrote: »

Oh thanks i would never haven tought of claiming tax back, tbh i didn't even know you could. i will make sure he looks into it thanks.

I just feel really overwhelmed right now, im not a bad cook but im a creature of habit and simple things are throwing me, i went out yesterday and spent £12 on some bits we needed (milk,break tinned toms, beans etc) but when i open up the cuboards and see the food even though there is plenty there im struggling to see meals.

Im not too bad for evening stuff because i know i have thoses chicken but breakfasts /packed lunches the things i would normally do arn't there and i can't seem to work out how to replace them.

It's easy to be overwhelmed and if that's how you are feeling, cut everything down into little chunks and set yourself small targets rather than over burdening yourself. Look at your ingrediants list again and just plan the next 4 days meals rather than weeks ahead.
Well done for the Sky reduction, if MArtin says GO now would be a good time to change energy suppliers and maybe get your monthly utility bills down.

EllieA_3

Eek...

I 've use my winter veg pack, and a packet of mince to do a great big pan of stew, enough for 2 days i think (maybe a couple of lunches too) but i've just got the potato's out to go with it, ready to peel and mash and i don't think i'll have enough.

Any idea's of something else i can use to pad it out, the stew it's self could be eaten alone and be quite filling but if i do that i'll only get one meal from it.