Single Money Saver living on my own

frannyscho

Hi peeps,
I posted this somewhere else a long time ago, but when I was extremely broke and single, I used to go to markets at the end of their trading day. Where the fruit and veg stall is, there is always a box of damaged stuff you can ask and take for nothing, lots of it is fine for that days use but won't last for the trader to take it home and produce it again next day. Old style shop butchers sometimes give you a bag of "scraps for the dog" without charge... there is usually enough meat on them for a stew for one. Ok if you live near markets. Hope this helps someone.

veloo

Austin_Allegro wrote: »

Maybe we should start an OS/frugal dating site!!

This is exactly what I said in another thread sometime ago

veloo wrote: »

I would much rather date a moneysaver, than another high-maintenance woman...

I used to feel like this

Olliebeak wrote: »

It annoys the heck out of me when I buy OS and then he goes and wrecks it by getting unnecessary stuff - almost as if my moneysavingways are there to pay for 'his little luxuries'

Now, there is no one else to worry about! But I look to the future and wonder sometimes...

I have taken the plug OFF my freezer, as I found that was using more electricity, than I was saving money. That also contributed to me hoarding stuff, and then throwing them away. Now, I just do frequent shopping. Helps me spot more deals too, and possibly some friendly faces too...

Jake'sGran

I have been a money saver for a very long time and been without debt for a long time. Not fit enough to do anything with the saved monies now. That's life! What I wanted to say was if you get into the money saving habit you seem to stay that way. I look for bargains in shops when I don't need to.

Anyway, re the pasta. I have always made large pan loads of pasta sauce. It's basic but very good for you (full of lycopene, a great antioxidant). You can start with chopped up onion but I don't always bother as onion really alters alters the taste . Sweat it until soft in olive oil or any other kind. Tip in tinned tomatoes, tomato paste - the small tins are 19p in Morrisons. Add pinch of sugar, dried basil or parsley, salt and pepper to taste. AND...garlic. If you like a strong garlic taste bash the garlic before putting it in, if you only like a hint then just slice a few cloves. (Its easy to grow too if you shove some cloves in a cheap tub of cheap compost.) The thing that can make a big difference to this recipe is bacon pieces (not smoked) and just a about 2-4 rashers chopped. I used to buy the cheap pieces either already shrink wrapped - about £1 bag, or just get about 2-4 ozs from the bacon counter as they do cheap bacon too. Don't use the fat, cut it off. Bottle it and freeze. Its good on penne (wide tubes) or spaghetti.

Also, again in Morrisons, at the cheese counter, they sometimes sell grated cheese, bagfuls for about 80p-well over 1 lb in weight. If they don't have any I ask when the pleasant lady is on "have you got any cheese pieces for grating?"

My son has been going through a bad patch. I give him a large meal once a week, always including meat of some kind and a variety of veg. I do a lot so he can take another dinner home. For himself he cooks pulses, lentils, chickpeas etc. With the lentils he makes piles of Indian dahl - another very nourishing meal. It includes garlic and spices, tomatoes sometimes. All quick and easy. Buy bags of apples when reduced at the supermarket or any other kind of fruit. You'll stay well on this kind of food and it will be cheap.

blackberry-rum

Hello all, I'm single too, have been for years and years and I don't think I'd want to go back to sharing. Cooking for one is FAB, you can eat as much as you want, of whatever you want and whenever and wherever you want. Not that I'm a pig or anything.
anyway, I haven't had a full size cooker for about 15 years. I mostly cook (yes, cook, not reheat!) in the microwave, but also have a small tabletop cooker (for treats like fried breakfasts and for fresh baked rolls if I'm cooking for friends cos the smell of the bread makes the place smell welcoming) and a slow cooker for cooking a five-day supply of work lunches.

A number of points cropped up in the previous five pages, what I can remember are:

Slow cooker: food was only warm after hours of cooking. One of my slow cooker recipe books recommends getting everything hot before you start. My slow cooker pot will just fit in the microwave so I can start everything with five mins i n there; alternatively, and nicer, is using the micro to fry up the onions and garlic, then slightly brown any meat if you are using it, then heat any liquids and/or vegetables you are putting in. Then don't take the lid off the slow cooker for HOURS.

Vegetables in slow cooker: a vegetarian friend told me, and I've checked it myself, some vegetables don't cook too well in them, specially root vegetables like potatoes, swede and carrots. You need to partly cook them before you put them in, and possibly ensure they are covered in liquid.

Size of slow cooker: you don't have to fill it!

Stews and soups in slow cooker: you can cook a whole chicken by just lobbing it in there (recommend starting off in w-wave), and there's a thread somewhere on this site with recipes for lasagne - basically the same as making any lasagne but it takes a bit longer, about 3 hrs in slow cooker. Chilli too, and curry-type meals obviously.

Microwave: you can cook ANYTHING except a roast dinner in a common or garden microwave. I do it all the time. Just follow any old recipe but cook it for less time and with less liquid in the microwave. It's more faffy to cook for a crowd, but for one it's ideal - and......

....Clearing up: if you microwave or slow cook there's often only one bowl to wash up! erm... and the wine glass of course.

Happy eating, Singletons - it's FUN BEING SINGLE!

DisillusionedAnna

My cupboards bare :rolleyes:
But I now I have the ideas I need thanks all...keep them coming.
Going from a dont have to watch what I spend to spending the least I can budgets hard but can be done, luckily I love cooking and my old faithful frying pan with the dent in it will see me through and my slo cooker and all the gadgets I took when I left my ex.
I love the Old Style Board, everyone at work thinks Im a wonderful resourceful cook:A :rotfl: :rotfl: and so thrifty lol its really you folk on here keep the recipes coming for single folk for one appreciate every one of them.

Anna

redspot24

Yay for this thread - I love OS money-saving but got a bit disillusioned as so much is family-orientated.

Has anyone got any tips for cooking for one when you don't have a big freezer? I only have an ice box and I don't like to use it (the door falls off it a lot so things have a habit of defrosting themselves - boo hiss to the landlord) so struggle with the whole batch cooking thing. I do have a slow cooker though.

My top singleton tip is turn your immersion heater off (at least I think it's called an immersion heater - the thing that heats your water up!). I knew I could manage with my electric shower and boiling water for washing up, and it's saved lots of money and it's environmentally friendly. When I want a bath, I just pop the booster on - and I challenge myself to clean the bathroom while that takes affect!

Roz_V

So what slow cooker do you singletons recommend? Like redspot24, I only have an ice box as freezer space and, for similar reasons, I'm not keen on using it so was thinking of a small 2-portion one so that I can eat the leftovers for lunch.

blackberry-rum - if cooking root veg in the SC, make sure they are cut into small pieces, are at the bottom, and are covered in liquid. Never take the lid off during cooking as it lets the heat escape. I always used to put the ingredients in raw but warm the liquids up - that seemed to keep the cooking time in sync with what the recipe suggested!!!

givememoney

I bought a slow cooker a short while back and it is good but equally as good if not better is my pressure cooker what I have had for years.

For you singletons, you can buy small pressure cookers for a meal for 1.

The advantage of a pressure cooker over the slow cooker is speed. You can cook things like chicken in about 5 mins.

I cook lovely soup in 15 mins, which wins hands down over sitting in the slow cooker for 8 hours or so.

You can also cook a whole meal in your pressure cooker in about 5-10 mins according to the receipe. Put veggies in with the meat.

Its best to seal the meat in the open cooker by frying in a little hot oil then add about 1/2 pint of water put lid on and bring to pressure then give the required time.

As you are cooking in steam the meat comes out nice and tender.

edgarjay

another singlebob i recently moved into one of the horrid 'single bloke flat lifes' and have been just filling up the freezer (not too big)once a month (usually payday) with the frozen curries/meals etc from iceland/farmfoods for convenience but usually run out halfway through month, will buy fresh milk and bread an freeze the bread (can live o toast and tea!!), but quite often running out of food altogether and not eating at all.
would like to get togeher a proper shopping plan and menu ideas but could do to only shop monthly..

any help appreciated, thanks in advance, oh nearly fogot to say can cook a little lol, not too good at pastries etc though

Stephen_Leak

Following on the pasta theme of Jake's Gran's post above, I have just done what is probably the cheapest and simplest cooked meal imaginable.

I came home from work earlier in the week and, whilst I was hungry, I didn't know what I wanted to eat. I decided not to have another little steak, as I suspect that I may have been having to much red meat lately! I also decided that I didn't want a ready meal.

So, I just boiled 100g of dried spaghetti, drained it, put a little bit of grated cheese over it (Tip: pasta cools quickly, so grate the cheese while the spaghetti is cooking) and tossed it all together.

It cost just pennies, it was quick and easy, yet it was fairly healthy and nutritious, very filling and really "hit the spot", as they say.

PS. I think I might need to add some kitchen scales to my list of useful things in my first post on this thread. I need some way of controlling portion sizes, not only for my waistline, but also to ensure that you do get 5 x 100g servings out of a 500g pack of spaghetti, for example.

PPS. The kitchen scales are sorted. Salter Microtronic "Add 'n' Weigh": £10.51 + £2.49 P&P = £13.00 on eBay (£19.99 in Argos).