Single Money Saver living on my own

Stephen_Leak

Oo, the singly thread again. I still am, BTW.

fuji_2

christabell wrote: »

Hey everybody, those New Covent Garden Soups are very hard to beat....imo, plus I cook with them.

Couldn't agree more. I fry Quorn chunks, bung em in, nice bread and presto a HUGE bowl of stew.

Also Campbells condensed soups are great as pasta sauces. One can watered down with water or milk slightly, can last 6-8 meals.

caffenero

Olliebeak wrote: »

Have any of you folks on here bought one of the counter-top halogen ovens like this:

http://www.jmldirect.com/Halogen-Oven-PH1500/

A friend of mine, who lives alone, got one last year and swears by hers but I'd be interested in getting other opinions before committing myself to buying one.

Normally I'm not overkeen on JML stuff (I've had some of their things that are like a cheapie version of somebody else's 'original product') - for example their double-sided-flip-over pancake pan was absolute rubbish - the pancakes slid through the large gap between the two halves of the pan!

I'm not sure if my friend has the JML halogen oven (or another version) but I'm just interested in some opinions in general.

Thank you, Ollie

i had a look at this, looks very ugly and large, cant find the height size on it. my mum is telling me it would replace my microwave oven - but how would i go on with a jug of gravy in it mother!!! lol. i have very limited kitchen side space to put things on so its one or the other. id rather cook properly from scratch. probably another faddy oven thing!

Guapa1

How are all singletons doing with the price hikes that seem to be happening right now?

I'm getting so fed up of my veg being wasted. I go to the market and they have like 12 bananas for a quid, but try and buy 3 and it's nearly a pound anyway. I've been buying the bulk to freeze for smoothies, but there is only so much you can freeze. I like to eat salads too. I've grown my own lettuce leaves which has been a great help. I wish I had the space to do my tomatoes too, I'd be laughing!

ceridwen

Well - I'm still not planning on going off to live in a commune any time soon:D I do think they are a good idea - but dont fancy it myself!

Last I heard the Government was planning on giving some help with fuel bills - to those with children only.:mad: Errr....and what about low-paid single people? Whatever fuel company one is with there is a "standing charge" in one shape or form or another - in my case: I have to pay a lot more for the first however many units of gas or electric I use. That charge is the same however many people are paying it. Not happy about that - particularly as we still have to pay the same tv licence as any other household (getting shot of that soon to stop that). Our houses cost the same to insure however many people are living there and the single thing that annoys me most - our Council Tax bill is still 75% of what a couple or family pay (at least the Poll Tax was fair - being per person).

Those who have children have them by choice - and they get helped. Those who are single may not be that way by choice - if you dont meet the right person, you dont meet the right person - you cant make it happen - it either does or doesnt - just pure luck either way. (I, for one, did put some serious effort into meeting people and I dont live in the "back of beyond" - so I encounter plenty of people and I wasnt handicapped on the looks front - I was attractive when I was younger - so I'm not single for want of trying or anything.)

I can only hazard a guess that the policymakers either have been amongst the few people "in the right place at the right time" to meet the one for them - or have just married/lived together with a "best available" person and told themselves its "for real". Either way - the effect is the same - they dont understand the extra financial difficulties a single person has anyway - so dont worry themselves about exacerbating those difficulties by planning how bills are to be charged/and give help to households on the basis that everyone is in a couple and/or family.

Horace

caffenero wrote: »

i had a look at this, looks very ugly and large, cant find the height size on it. my mum is telling me it would replace my microwave oven - but how would i go on with a jug of gravy in it mother!!! lol. i have very limited kitchen side space to put things on so its one or the other. id rather cook properly from scratch. probably another faddy oven thing!

Why bother with the JML Halogen thingy, get a Remoska instead - Lakeland sell them although they have increased in price lately. I have a standard sized one which suits me because I live on my own:j I use it for cooking most of the stuff that I would use the oven and hob for - the only thing it can't do is cook the large pizzas I buy from Lidl.

A remoska is more economical than cooking in a normal oven and only has one switch - on and off so no fiddly dials or anything. There is a topic on Oldstyle that is devoted to the wonderful remoska.

Jugs of gravy are easy, just use granules:rotfl:

Badger_Lady

want2bmortgage3 wrote: »

hi i'm a single 26 yo male in the south east, nice to meet everybody! i've been veggie for a while which i'm sure helps save money but i still struggle with what to make sometimes.

Oo, do you fancy playing a bit of Gavin & Stacey? We could make cheap veg meals together...

elljay

Horace wrote: »

Why bother with the JML Halogen thingy, get a Remoska instead - Lakeland sell them although they have increased in price lately. I have a standard sized one which suits me because I live on my own:j I use it for cooking most of the stuff that I would use the oven and hob for - the only thing it can't do is cook the large pizzas I buy from Lidl.

A remoska is more economical than cooking in a normal oven and only has one switch - on and off so no fiddly dials or anything. There is a topic on Oldstyle that is devoted to the wonderful remoska.

I bought a little Sabichi oven from Wilkinson's and think it's marvellous. Smaller than a microwave but bakes, grills etc etc just like a big oven but in single sized portions. Re the large pizza, just snap it in two or three before cooking. The oven/ grill heats up so quickly as well as cooking quickly. Brilliant piece of kit - I looked at both the Remoska and halogen ovens, but they're so big, suitable for big families not just a piece of cheese on toast or bowl of oven chips, (just had those!!) and i don't have much worktop space. There are other mini-ovens too - Argos has some. The controls are straightforward - the same temperatures etc as your big oven so you could cook anything in it without heating more oven space than needed. Love it!

Liz

Olliebeak

Horace wrote: »

.........the only thing it can't do is cook the large pizzas I buy from Lidl..........

I was so fed up of seeing those VERY large pizzas on whoopsie in Asda - the darn things won't fit in my cooker plus they are way too big for just the two of us.

That was before I had my brainwave. I now buy them, cut them into quarters, cover really well with clingfilm and THEN freeze!

Individual sizes plus they'll now go into my oven !

Suzkin

I've just been trawling through this really interesting thread, and notice it's mostly all about FOOD! I suppose that's because it's the one essential need that's very variable.

I also feel that the government could be doing much more to help single adults who are on a very / low wage: 25% off council tax is simply not enough. I was advised AGAINST a water meter, as was told that being single, my usage doesn't make me any savings.

Just a thought: is the state/government mindset that singletons WASTE money trying to find their OH, through dating etc (and so best not give them any 'extra' money through the system)? And that a 'family' has more fundamental/sensible expenditures (i.e.more worthy of the single person)??? If so, it's absolutely ridiculous.