new to os money- spending too much on shopping

Karb

I quite often have to work 12 hour shifts, so I know exactly what you mean about feeling too tired to cook. Others have suggested cooking in bulk and freezing, so I'll concentrate on things that are quick and easy to make.

You've mentioned stir fries, so I guess you're familiar with noodles?

Jacket potatoes, 10 minutes in the microwave, and very filling. Can eat them with practically anything, beans, tuna, coleslaw, cheese, cottage cheese, salad etc. Not quite as nice as doing them in the oven imho, as the skins don't get as crispy, but still good as a quick fix.

Omelettes can use up many of your veg, try them with courgettes, mushrooms, onions, peppers etc

I appreciate you say that pasta can get boring, but do you vary what you have with it? Cheese sauce, bolognese, tuna, tomato and onion, chicken and veg etc

Toasted sandwiches, much more filling than ordinary sandwiches

janeawej

Sarahsaver wrote:

But I have no probs with the ethical values, she just wanted to know what it meant;)
Its how all meat was slaughtered years ago.
I want to shoot pigeons but i dont have an air rifle!

i have just given DD2 an air rifle for her birthday and she is convinced we are going to be eating rabbit all the time, but so far has only shot at a cardboard box in the garden! whilst i am sure the rabbits in our field are watching her and laughing!!

i find if i cook a decent sizes roast on a sunday the next day we can reheat a platefull or have cold meat and jkt potatoe type meal, then rissoles the next day! i usualy make a joint last till weds! but of course you could freeze some sliced meat and gravy or make stock from the carcas for soup, i also make a pie with all the left overs from a roast, meat, grqavy and veg with mash or sliced pots on top, the kids love it and it can be frozen

Sarahsaver

We are having a beef pie tomorrow as we had a joint of beef today - after having chicken the 4 previous sundays LOL
ALWAYS plan to make at leasta second meal out of a joint/roast;)

Raffles_3

To cut down what you spend at the supermarket, always pay in cash, never with doodah. If you bring, say, a tenspot with you, and leave doodah at home, that will be the maximum you will spend. You bring doodah with you, and the temptation to overspend will still be there.

rjh090384

AHA THATS MAYBE MY WHO MONEY SAIVNG ISSUE IS THAT DOODAH IS MY MAIN METHOD OF PAYMENT. VERY REARELY WILL A VENTURE NEAR A CASH MACHINE

oops sorry for capitals.

maybe i shoudl start using cash. but how do you know how much ur going to spend until you get there and do u not get embarrassed if you get too much.

i live in northern ireland and tbh i have never seen a halal butcher although maybe they dont haave a big HALAL BUTCHER sign over the door as I expect!! c Could you look them up in yellow pages?

rjh090384

Karb wrote:

I quite often have to work 12 hour shifts, so I know exactly what you mean about feeling too tired to cook. Others have suggested cooking in bulk and freezing, so I'll concentrate on things that are quick and easy to make.

You've mentioned stir fries, so I guess you're familiar with noodles?

Jacket potatoes, 10 minutes in the microwave, and very filling. Can eat them with practically anything, beans, tuna, coleslaw, cheese, cottage cheese, salad etc. Not quite as nice as doing them in the oven imho, as the skins don't get as crispy, but still good as a quick fix.

Omelettes can use up many of your veg, try them with courgettes, mushrooms, onions, peppers etc

I appreciate you say that pasta can get boring, but do you vary what you have with it? Cheese sauce, bolognese, tuna, tomato and onion, chicken and veg etc

Toasted sandwiches, much more filling than ordinary sandwiches

i do quesidillas in my quesidilla maker indtead of toasties as they a bit healthier, i dont know how to make ommellete so i will look that up. i do jackets in microwave (whats an oven?)

pasta never gets boring for me its the oh. my pasta dishes are as follows:
lasagne
tuna napolitana
pasta in tomato and herb sauce
pasta in cheese sauce
pasta with cheese brocolli and ham/chicken/bacon

Jolaaled

rjh090384 wrote:

it is the local shop we go to to get milk cause 2 litres is only 69p but then the other things catch our/my eye!!!
quote]

It's good that you know where the 'weak spots' are!

I suggest that you buy lots of milk when you go the supermarket ( much cheaper than local shop), and then freeze it for later in the week.

Don't forget to take the frozen carton out of the freezer before you go to work in the morning, and it should be fine when you get home!

Raffles_3

rjh090384 wrote:

maybe i shoudl start using cash. but how do you know how much ur going to spend until you get there and do u not get embarrassed if you get too much.

You decide what you want before you go, and bring only enough cash to cover those items, with maybe a pound or two if you are tempted by a bargain. You can add up what you have bought as you stroll along the aisle, which is no bad thing.

CAFCGirl

Just to echo the above sentiments.
If you work out what you've got in your cupboards already, then plan what meals they could be used towards, and then anything else you'd need to complete them goes on the list.

Theres a website (somewhere sorry!) that you can use to price the whole shopping list up by, then you can withdraw that amount (or as close to!) and take the cash only. Will save you getting suckered in by the end of aisle promotions, unless its something you already have on your list, in which case it should be fairly easy to factor it in there and then.

Is it possible that you can use the day before you go back to work, to bulk cook some meals for the 4 days you are at work.
I think its best to start these things slowly, rather than trying to go whole hog with them, all at once.

On topic with the OJ, I buy the tetra packed (i think thats what you'd call them) from the squash aisle, rather than the chilled section. They keep well in the cupboard, and I always have a never ending supply. Plus it stops me just popping out for some OJ and coming back with bags of crisps and the such like! I find the Tesco value one is nicer than any of the others too! We have a Tesco metro near us, and we recently got 4 cartons for £1.

And yes I did look strange with a trolley full of OJ! Think I had about 24 cartons that day!

Will neither of the supermarkets deliver to where you are? Tesco or Asda? I've found out that Asda wont but Tesco will where I am. Considering I live about a 15 min drive from Asda (but dont drive!), seems rather strange to me!

If OH is best buddies with the market lot, I'd try exploiting that to its full potential. If you're paying significantly less for something, it wont be such a waste as it is now, if your lettuce goes a bit funny. Im sure I've read somewhere that this reason it browns quite so quickly is because of the knives we use to cut it? Maybe someone can tell us more, or tell me if I'm losing the plot and just making up facts!

You mentionned forgetting OH's lunch, maybe you could take it in turns to prepare lunches? Maybe put up a little planner somewhere about whoses turn it is, one week from next or something. If he does the same shifts as you, maybe he could help you out with the overall plan but putting in a little effort in that area. That way you wont feel like its just you against the world, and wont feel guilty about forgetting and therefore spending on lunches during the day!

I make (during winter) a big vegetable casserole and store it in individual serving tupperware in the freezer and take them to work and microwave them, with a roll or something. So I just grab it out the freezer and off I go. I used to make it on the hob, and one round would last me about 3 days lunches and a dinner that night too (just smells so good!). But now I've got my slow cooker for this winter and cant wait to try it out!

Omellete................ whisk up some eggs, I use 3 for just me, but I like my thick! Fry off any veggies you want in your omellete, mine is usually peppers and onions, maybe some left over pepperoni, few minutes, then pour over the egg and cook till firm through, sprinkle with some herbs. I think some people top it with cheese or add cheese to the egg mixture, but thats just how ive always made mine!

itsmylife_2

rjh090384 wrote:

i live in northern ireland and tbh i have never seen a halal butcher although maybe they dont haave a big HALAL BUTCHER sign over the door as I expect!! c Could you look them up in yellow pages?

Hi I'm in NI too... I don't think there are any dedicated Halal Butcher's in Northern Ireland as we have such a small Muslim community here compared to other parts of the UK. I hear all these people talking about how cheap Asian supermarkets are and am disapointed that we don't seem to have anything like that here...

I am thinking about trying out our local farm shop as the prices seem to be a good bit cheaper than the supermarket. If you google "farm shop" and then your area you should be able to find one. I'm new to trying things old style as well, currently trying to use up the contents of the kitchen cupboards!