Warm n sticky! (The weekend DC that is...)

downnotout

My mum wants to come home, she said she is coming to see my dad tomorrow to talk things through. What a messed up situation. I need vodka!

spud30

I need to pick some brains re cooking too.

We're going to try and live really frugally for a while. We have some bills coming up, not to mention the school hols and would like to be able to have some trips out and pay these bills.

We spend an embarrassing (that bad, I aint admitting the exact figure) amount on food each week, not quite sure where the heck it goes but we want to cut this right down. I'm asking you lot because I know we have some experts here, and any recipes and tips would be very much appreciated

Buffythedebtslayer

Just had to bathe one of the Guinea pigs, she whined fairly much all the way through it bless her, I felt awful! towel dried her and put her in the run in front od some water melon - she went straight for it and booted her mate out of the way!! clearly very traumatised!!

Sunday has gone by too quick today!

xxx

LouiseJ

spud30 wrote: »

I need to pick some brains re cooking too.

We're going to try and live really frugally for a while. We have some bills coming up, not to mention the school hols and would like to be able to have some trips out and pay these bills.

We spend an embarrassing (that bad, I aint admitting the exact figure) amount on food each week, not quite sure where the heck it goes but we want to cut this right down. I'm asking you lot because I know we have some experts here, and any recipes and tips would be very much appreciated

That curry that you taught me how to make could be really cheap if made with veg instead of chicken Spud.

Spag Bol
Corned beef hash
shepherds pie

there is a thread somewhere on old style called 50p menus or something, I will see if I can find it for you:A

ETA here it is, its 50p for 2 so you could double up for the 4 of you
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=326929

Buffythedebtslayer

Spud I sort of persuaded Mum we could have beans on toast or poached egg once a week, then leftovers from roast on Monday, an oven chips dinner (freezer food - buy one get one free) we do one thing with chicken (but that isn't cheap really)
sometimes we have pasta meal - veggies/cheese. its all a bit fattening to be honest but I have cut the price of the shopping and we have some sort of salad/veggies with it all.
As there is only two of us freezer food is handy, nice cheap deserts, veg that doesn't go off in the bottom of the fridge and we don't feel deprived.

Mum used to buy lots of fresh meat - expensive!!! I have aimed to get more veggie/chicken based.Mind you she still bought smoked salmon on Friday............lets just say its a work in progress!!!

littlemisschocolate

Spud, stock up the freezer with meat when it's on offer and lots of frozen veg too. Also have a well stocked store cupboard, spices, tinned stuff - tomatoes, beans etc and baking ingredients.

Have you looked on the oldstyle thread? there's lots of stuff on there that might help?

LMC x

beanielou

HM macaroni cheese if cheap & filling.

scaredy_cat

spud, i did a nice carbonara recipe - http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1052/ultimate-spaghetti-carbonara

but i used smoked streaky bacon and only parmesan cheese. that is a fairly cheap meal.

Buffythedebtslayer

*imagines Spud writing all this down in a notepad*

xxxx

scaredy_cat

quesidillas are cheap when the tortillas are on 2 for 1 - google for lots of different recipes but you can use anything really.

or you could make meat tortillas with left over chilli and cheese and sour cream... nom nom nom