Lots more Sneaky Ways to save the pennies

Brambling

you can't beat home grown tomatoes especially if you pick and eat when still warm from the sun the problem of tomatoes and soft fruit grown overseas out of UK seasons is it is picked unwipe to travel and loses that sun ripen taste.  Also a lot of shop brought veg is too big, for example runner beans which taste so much better when picked small and young.

I was once told the best way with corn on the cob is to have your water boiling and to go out and pick your corn and drop it straight in the boiling water

PipneyJane

Brambling said:

you can't beat home grown tomatoes especially if you pick and eat when still warm from the sun the problem of tomatoes and soft fruit grown overseas out of UK seasons is it is picked unwipe to travel and loses that sun ripen taste.  Also a lot of shop brought veg is too big, for example runner beans which taste so much better when picked small and young.

I was once told the best way with corn on the cob is to have your water boiling and to go out and pick your corn and drop it straight in the boiling water

Absolutely, @Brambling.  Homegrown corn on the cob is lovely.  I would recommend growing your own corn to anyone with a metre-square bed available.  (You can get 9 plants in that and they need to be in a block to wind pollinate.) 

Only issue I've ever had is that one of my cobs had a bite taken out of it by an opportunist fox.

- Pip

Gem-gem

 @Brambling, that is exactly what we do with regards to the sweetcorn. We only cook it fir a couple of minutes. My DH has even been known to eat it raw. 

Gem-gem

@PipneyJane, I have watched a magpie take one of my tomatoes off the plant and then peck away at it, eating quite a bit of it! 

Brambling

We used to grow sweetcorn when we had a allotment as you say just a block of nine although it could be battle with either the rabbits or deer 🙄 always grew a few spare to fill I the gaps until they got being enough.

I've picked the last of my tomatoes, last weeks warm weather meant very few green Tomatoes and I ended with abundant of them so the freezer is stocked with soup, roasted and some just popped into a bag and froze to cook with during the winter.  I didn't plan to heat my greenhouse but I'm going to try some leaves to take me into autumn, I've been told to plan some seeds where my tomatoes were planted

leftatthetrafficlights

Primrose said:

Does anybody on here know if you can save the beans in French bean pods for drying for soup?  I do save some for seed for next season,s planting but the heatwave has caused so many of my French beans to swell so  much in the pods so quickly they,re not fit for eating.  I don,t want to waste the actual beans though if they can be dried & saved for soup but they,re obviously not haricot beans whixh are "proper" soup beans.

You certainly can! 

Make sure that they are properly dry and kept in an airtight container - they keep for ages! When you want to use them it's best to soak them overnight in cold water or for 4-6 hours after covering in boiling water before adding to dishes to cook. 

Gem-gem

Offer on my $parks card was a free bag of Percy Pigs. These I have put away for my nephew for Christmas. 

Accountant sent me a small bag of Harib0s with an anniversary card - have also put them away for  nephew. 

$hell care - free duo mare bar, that will be saved for my older nephew's present. 

Saves my waistline and save me a few pennies. 

t14cy_t

iceland have a great bonus card offer. load £100 onto your card and they will put an extra £15 on it, this is in addition to the £5 you will get as usual. also dont forget to go there on a tueday if your over 60 to get an extra 10% off!! so, spend £100,get back £30 in total.

Gem-gem

How are people finding sneaky ways to save for Christmas? 

I write my cards early and start to give them out from the end of Oct / early Nov when I see my friends. Every 75p helps. 

We recycle wrapping paper. Hubby and I also place some of our presents to each other in cloth bags. 

Buy more cheap veg at Christmas - cut up and freeze some for the new year. 

flamingo747

Save the front off every Xmas card this year, and send them out next year as Xmas postcards.

Always save wrapping paper, but I am buying less and less stuff, and giving more cash/gift cards so people can just get what they want or need.

Have a no-gifts rule with other adults in the family, or go for a secret santa. Noone needs the extra declutter and so many people are sensitive to cheap toiletries. Things like boxes of sweets are no longer a rarity for gifts and many have them as part of their regular Xmas foods.

Have an ugly Charity shop gift challenge. Max budget of a fiver, secret santa style. Most awful thing wins, lots of amusement

Charity gifts can be a thoughtful alternative for the minimalists or hard to buy for, especially if its a Charity close to their hearts. Another option is to say if anyone wants to buy you food or toiletries as presents, what you'd love is a pick of them donating those things to the foodbank on your behalf. No clutter for you, nice generous thing for them, and foodbanks always need toiletries and Xmas treats.

Save your club card vouchers through the year and use them for your Xmas meal shopping, it takes the sting out of it. Also, you could do presents this way

Make your own Decs with orange slices, pine cones, Holly leaves. Failing that, ask friends and family who is have a throw out, or buy decs only from Charity shops or second hand on the book of face.