How to Get Through The Tough Times The Old Style Way.

joeck68

morning all

I'd like to pick your collective brains, if I may? :think:

We really need to shave at least £10 a week off our food bill, and as I already prepare all our meals from scratch, and am pretty darned frugal too, there's very little surplus to cut away (especially in the summer when our lotties are in full production). However, one thing we do eat a lot of is meat - and I think that's were I need to concentrate on making some economies.

I try to use cheap cuts when I can, and pop them in the slow cooker, however, as the weather gets warmer, we won't want to eat as many casseroles and stews. My hubby and daughter love meat - I do bulk out dishes such as shepherds pie, and lasagna with lentils to stretch it, and they don't mind that, and they both love chilli, which is great, as mine is mainly beans with mince for a bit of seasoning! :T

However, neither of them really like veggie food - one day a week we have baked potatoes with beans and cheese, but I'd really like to try and have at least another 2 days a week which are either meat free, or meat light, if you know what I mean!

Do any of you have any suggestions as to how I can introduce some veggie, or small amount of meat meals which they will like? Curries are good, and we do have those, but neither are too keen on veggies ones, but I only use a small amount of chicken, and that keeps them happy. I think we could do with cutting down on meat anyway, as according to govt guidelines we eat too much protein - and my daughter will only take ham sandwiches to school, so she's getting plenty of protein!!

Any help greatfully received - I'm going to be re-reading over the forum to see if there are any other area's we can make economies too - we really need to be spending at least £50 a month less, as each month we go over our budget, and our savings are slowly being eaten into

And to add to our woes, the cost of filling our car up have increased our outgoings by another £20......it sometimes feels like a never ending battle. I'm looking for another job at the moment, so hopefully it won't be too long before something comes along, as that will help out enormously.

Ok, time to get back to my studies, and then the house definately needs a bit of attention, luckily DD is at craft club after school, so I don't need to pick her up til 4.30, gives me an extra hour.

Have a lovely day everyone,
Jo xx

Pitlanepiglet

I think a seasonal eating thread would be a really good idea, seasonality was something that I had to learn some years ago as we seem to have such a disconnect with the seasons now.

OH has spent a couple of days in the garden digging out beds, sticking down fabric and putting bark over the top. We've run out bark though so in true OS style, he's scavenging wood from next door's bonfire pile and sticking it through the chipper to top up the bark.

Can anyone help me with a fruit tree query - we bought a conference pear in tree in Lidl and it now occurs to me that I think you need a pair of pears? We have two apple trees already and next door has apples as well. Do I need a second pear?

lostinrates

joeck68 wrote: »

However, neither of them really like veggie food - one day a week we have baked potatoes with beans and cheese, but I'd really like to try and have at least another 2 days a week which are either meat free, or meat light, if you know what I mean!

I think approaching a meal as ''vegetarian'' can be offputting for committed meat eaters. We tend to eat a lot of food that happens to be meat free....

if they like curry there are LOTS of recipes that happen to be meat free. Although carnivores might baulk at my favourit summer turnip cury, no one has ever noticed the lack of meat in a potato and egg curry: its staarchy and filling and round in flavour....and needs no sides of rice or naan, but another veg curry could distract from the lack of meat on the plate. I personally just wouldn't mention there is no meat in it.

Risotto, risotto, risotto.....PACKED with varieties of things, always different so never boring....on monday ours had pumpkin, leeks and spring onions. Risi bisi....with peas and perhaps a little ham...is a good one to start with...as it has SOME meat in it. I find a good chicken stock adds a bit of guts too, rather than a veg stock...which is what I normally use. I often make a green risotto...spinach, or watercress, may a hand ful of peas, or broad beans....

If they like chilli, how are they about other mince things? A little mince goes a LONG way as part of a stuffing in marrow (we love stuffed marrow which we do with lamb mince, rice, and middle eatern spicing and dried fruit) or in peppers.


Aubergines....I got a great deal last week which made a cheap parmigiana...but you could stuff them too...

Pasta, pasta.....there are dozens of sauces which hapen to be vegetarian, take ten minutes to cook and are cheap-cheap. As well as tomato based ones ...we love broccoli pasta with mozzeralla as well as parmesan. Jamie Oliver recently did a far superior broccoli pasta to my own....I can't wait to try it.

laineyc_2

Good morning, everyone.

I read this thread every day and learn so much. I have decided to too join in. I live in London with my husband and 4 boys. I have been trying to live more OS over the past couple of years but I really want to make some changes this year.

After years of the back garden being used as a football/rugby pitch, I have reclaimed it. The boys are all older and go to the park to play. I was inspired by The Edible Garden programme with Alys Fowler. I am in the process of planning a polyculture for the garden. Through some links that Ceridwen posted I have found lots of organisations in my area to help me. I have a Master Gardener coming next week to give me some advice.

Ceridwen, I wanted to say thanks to you for you posts. I googled transition towns after reading some of your posts. I now know about peak oil and sustainability. I have found a transtion group near me and I am going to volunteer at their edible tree nursery. (first day is tomorrow) It has opened up a whole new world to me. I have also enrolled in an Introduction to permaculture course in May.

There is so much going on in the world and it is easy to feel powerless. Finding so much going on in my area has been an eye opener.

Well, I have waffled on enough. I want to get my housework done so I can sow some seeds and work on my garden planning.

I hope you all have a good day and I look forward to getting to know you all.

born_blonde

I've just found this web site and I'm so excited .... I don't know where to start!
http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2009/10/how-to-make-everything-yourself-online-lowtech-resources.html
(Hope you all didn't know about it anyway)

dollydaydream07

on the subject of call centre stories, i have a funny one you, not a call centre though
my DH works for a company that sells foriegn exchange, a couple of days ago a young girl came in the shop asking for some Euro's

girl: can i have £400 of Euro's please?
DH: for £401.36 i can give you €450
girl: ooh you mean i get €50 for free??

DH managed to keep a complete straight face and he said he wasn't even going to try to explain it to her
i was in complete stitches when he told me this!!

gailey, thanks hun, i am completely fed up of farmfoods food i am planning on doing a meal plan so i can see where i can spend my £20 - will need milk and bread till the end of the month too

looking forward to later, i'm starting weight watchers today for free, hopefully the next 12 weeks will help kick start my weightloss

de1amo

hello all--hope your all well and the spring feeling is coming upon you?

İ have been inhabiting a site call turkish living forum recently and someone on there is writing a comprehensive reportoire of turkish vegetarian receipes if your interested--its a free site and quite friendly--i know i promised one day to supply some!!

lostinrates

de1amo wrote: »

hello all--hope your all well and the spring feeling is coming upon you?

İ have been inhabiting a site call turkish living forum recently and someone on there is writing a comprehensive reportoire of turkish vegetarian receipes if your interested--its a free site and quite friendly--i know i promised one day to supply some!!

YES PLEASE! Yum.....

Mrs_Veg_Plot

Joeck68 we do the following to reduce them amount of meat we eat

Rubber chicken (Sun roast, Mon risotto or pasta, Tue Soup and pudding)
Soup and pudding once a week
HM pizza
Tuna pasta

Had a bad stomach bug yesterday from 5am to 10pm. Oh joy. As I work in health care I am not allowed back in for another 48 hrs but saying that I have just had a piece of toast and half a cup of tea but feel queezy again.

Will distract myself by going back to reading the Confessions of a very tired OSer thread as it is very funny. I recomend it to anyone who needs a laugh.

mummysaver

Morning all!

GQ - I have a confession to make, often packs of stuff sit in bags in my kitchen for ages too! And yep, I can confirm that people do indeed come into Tesco and complain about other supermarkets - I think people sometimes disengage their brains when they leave home!

Redlady - fingers crossed for you!

Hester - I never understand organisations that cut the workers and keep too many chiefs, fingers crossed for you - and hope the nutty woman has calmed down over her non invite to the wedding!

joeck68 - how about a veg lasagne, lighter than a meat one if made with peppers, mushrooms, courgettes etc, and quite economical if you grow any of the stuff. How about egg based dishes too, like frittatas or quiche, both quick and easy, lighter spring foods and can always have a sprinkling of ham added! Spicy beanburgers are a favourite here, I'm veggie but the kids aren't and they love real meat burgers, but for some reason the spicy bean ones are real favourites. Mexican food made veggie stylee is always good too, or even if not veg style can be done with v little meat - tonight my lot are having some left over bolognese that I froze, will have a can of kidney beans and a good few handfuls of peppers and sweetcorn added together with a bit of chilli and coriander and cumin, and then I layer it with nachos, sprinkly liberally with cheese and bake till heated through.

lainey - welcome and I hope you're going to share all about your garden with us, I'm enthusiastic but pretty useless really, so love gaining a bit of inspiration from everyone else.

Well yesterday we got half the flooring, thought the car would complain if put too much in it, ds will help me get the rest on Friday. Was actually cheaper than I'd calculated, price in shop had dropped *shock*, anyway, moneysaving bit will be laying it ourselves! Also OS bit will be that I'll be able to sweep rather than hoover, so saving electricity! Perhaps that's a wee bit of straw clutching to stay OT!

Best friend didn't laugh at my tomato stockpile, think he's used to it now, and as he has lived here occasionally and eaten and watched how much the kids eat, he no longer thinks I'm bonkers buying in bulk! btw he's a chef, but the hotel he works in generally has an elderly clientele, so they eat a lot less than my bunch, so he used to be amazed that sometimes I seemed to be cooking in the same quantities as he does! He also went home with several tins himself! Small payment for his future help in floor laying!

Raspberry and redcurrant sticks that I got in Poundland are turning all lovely and leafy, so I'm quite excited, so hopefully plenty of bargain berries later!

For whoever mentioned eating a whole swede for their dinnner, they are part of the Aldi super 6 at the mo, I paid 39p for a huge one yesterday, also got toms (think I'm noticing a serious tomato habit!), onions, both for 39p, and a pizza stone - we broke ours, and they are so good to use on the bbq, roll on summer, dd1 is already asking when the first one of the season will be!

Does anyone have any clever tips for natural airfresheners that I can keep near the litter tray? Cats do all go outside, but tray is still here just in case! Thanks!