Lots more Sneaky Ways to save the pennies

zaxdog

I get the cheapie frozen pizza at Aldi if we fancy one and just tart them up with a few extra toppings :-)

consultant31

ljonski wrote: »

After tea in the evening, with the nights drawing in, soak all dishes overnight and wash up in the light next morning(hand wash only!)

While this may save a few pennies by not putting the lights on, the very thought of coming down to a sink full of dirty dishes in the morning depresses me so much

Primrose

consultant31 wrote: »

While this may save a few pennies by not putting the lights on, the very thought of coming down to a sink full of dirty dishes in the morning depresses me so much

Me too! When I go to bed I like to go with the mental attitude of "all jobs done" otherwise I'd wake in the night and fret about what faced me in the morning. I like to begin every day with a fresh start but if O P find this works for her, that's fine. Everybody finds their own way
of working, especially when having to cope with a disability

Frugalsod

Primrose wrote: »

The stock produced from ham hocks here is usually used as the base for a pan of tasty lentil and vegetable soup which is very inexpensive to make, and healthy too.

Lentils have seemingly shot up in price so not so cheap now.

Primrose wrote: »

It somewhat surprises me that people claiming to be hard up buy pizzas at £8 a throw but Don't realise they can make a filling and tasty home made soup for little more than pennies if they know how to go about it. I suppose it's a product of being part of the wartime generation!

I reckon I can make a good soup from fresh for about 50p a meal. Which is about the same as a can on offer in the supermarket. Though cheaper than normal prices. The other advantage is that you can cut out additives and ingredients if you have allergies.

I can make pizza for between £1 and £2 depending on toppings, which is better than even the £5 premium versions in the supermarket.

Though they do take longer to make and are not as easy to cook as simply opening a packet and heating or ordering over the phone. The reason I do it is because of the additional additives in many manufactured foods can be avoided if you do it yourself.

I cannot make pasta as cheaply as the dried varieties in store, but then I have fresh pasta which costs 6 times as much in the store. I treat this as a lifestyle boost rather than a money savings trick. Though if you eat fresh pasta regularly it could be a money savings tip to make it yourself.

Anne_Marie_2

Frugalsod wrote: »

Lentils have seemingly shot up in price so not so cheap now.

Split yellow (or green) peas are a great cheaper alternative in recipes where you would use lentils, and don't need soaking.

Rainy-Days

Arhh good to see this thread of Penelope Penguin's still going strong :T

I think the pulses and lentils etc creeping up in price has some essence to do with the fact that Greg Wallace (on his recent programme can't remember the name of it, but some kind soul will enlighten me) bulked out a Shepherds Pie using the lentils and showed that it was a really good cost saving measure. Delia also devoted an entire show to using pulses as well!

Stuff like getting back to basics with cooking such as using different cuts of meat that needs longer cooking times are becoming very popular again. Also slow cooking has seen a resurgence as well.

Things like Bake Off and the myriad of cooking shows is also helping to push people to getting them in the kitchen more! I am flipping lucky I know as I have my beautiful AGA and I would not want to be without it and TBH I can muster up some pretty spectacular dishes out of not allot. The fact we are becoming more aware of our food, how it's sourced and grown can only be a good thing. Saving pennies along the way adds up to pounds!

Wombatchops

Martin's show starts again tonight on ITV1 at 8:00.

[Deleted User]

To bulk out mince I do what my late Mum did ,chuck in a handful of oats:) I save lentils and pulses for other things,pate's stews etc

I too make soup from almost anything.I save the chunky parts of the broccoli stems (lately they seem to be more stem than heads)in the freezer and they help to'bulk' out veggie soup sliced up,along with dried pasta.

Can't remember when I last bought a tin of soup,must have been about 30 odd years ago Looking in the supermarkets they charge anything up to a quid for what's basically 2 small helpings I can make a whopping big vat of the stuff for half of that.I made enough parsnip and apple for lunches all this week from four parsnips and a couple of windfall apples and stock cubes ( run out of HM stock from the freezer)cost 39p for parsnips zero for apples and probably about ten p for a couple of stock cubes, made three litres which I had some today at lunchtime and will have enough in the fridge to last until Friday.I accompany my soup with some cheese and crackers or plain yogurt and chopped up fresh fruit.

I'm not a pizza eater at all as I never feel as though I have eaten much

marmiterulesok

consultant31 wrote: »

While this may save a few pennies by not putting the lights on, the very thought of coming down to a sink full of dirty dishes in the morning depresses me so much

I hate that too.

[Deleted User]

I do my washing up once a day in the evening after I have had my dinner that way I only use one bowl of hot water and one squirt of washing up liquid.Being on a meter makes you think before washing up several times a day My water bill is now around £15 per month which I think is reasonable for one person