Single Money Saver living on my own

kmeast

I definately think a good mince recipe is essential - a pack of mince can be made into spag bol one night & then add chilli for chilli con carne the next.

Also worth noting some 'cheats' to make things simpler. Sometimes I am too lazy to peel & boil spuds for one & find fozen mash a good cheat. Value naan breads make great pizza bases - just spread left over pasta sauce, whatever is lurking in the fridge & grated cheese on the top.

Maybe a simple soup recipe ie chop up any old veg, stick in a pan with a veg stock cube... et voila!!

HTH:)

Owain_Moneysaver

Might this be a useful resource?
http://www.cyrenians.org.uk/Edinburghcyreniansourservices/foodandhealth.html
http://www.cyrenians.org.uk/wmslib/pdf/Cyrenians_Good_Food_Hand.pdf

skipsmum

Cant really help, but I think the idea is fantastic. One of the things I have always struggled with as a care leaver is meal planning and cooking. People in hostels often have food issues anyway, and the idea of cooking for yourself can be really daunting.
Best wishes

kitschy

I work with people on health related benefits and am compiling similar packs for our clients at the moment! The lady who was tasked with it before produced a folder full of exotic japanese recipes that needed 8 million ingredients that half our clients (and me) won't have heard of, let alone be able to afford on £80 a week, so as an apprentice O/Ser I volunteered!

Student cookbooks are invaluable - I've picked some up in charity shops for pence, and they go from telling you how to boil an egg to some really nice, but cheap meals. A couple of websites I've also used;

http://www.beyondbakedbeans.com/

http://www.bhf.org.uk/keeping_your_heart_healthy/top_tips_for_keeping_healthy/healthy_eating_on_a_budget.aspx

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/Eatwellcheap.aspx

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Onabudget/Pages/Savemoneyfood.aspx

Our charity's goal this year is to challenge attitudes to mental health, and promote healthy diet and exercise to get those happy chemicals fired up! Next job, source a shed load of free pedometers and get us all out walking in the sunshine :j

babyshoes

A stir fry is so easy to make - the only real skill needed is chopping veg small & thin enough to cook quickly. You can also add leftover cooked meat if you like - almost any meat works if sliced into thin slices.Add it to the mix after the veg is cooked if using leftovers, or brown it well in the pan first if using raw meat.

You can use almost any veg you have in, I sometimes even do one with just onions and mushrooms for a quick lunch! You shouldn't need much oil to cook the veg, just a little to stop it sticking at first. Start by adding veg that takes a longer time to cook, like carrots, broccoli etc, and end with quick cooking veg like mushrooms. If some veg is over-cooked, that is ok too, depending on how you like it. We like ours well done, but some people like it still crunchy.

Once the veg is cooked, you can either add one of those stir-fry sauces, or just add a couple of teaspoons of soya sauce and a teaspoon or two of sugar dissolved in hot water - simple but always yummy. The exact quantity varies depending on quantity of veg, obviously!

I find this makes a fairly liquid sauce, but that's ok. Simply take a pack of cheapo noodles, and put them in a bowl without the flavour sachet (throw the horrible artificial flavouring away!). Pour over enough boiling water to cover them and let it sit for a minute or so. When you can separate the noodles by stirring gently with a fork, drain off the water with a sieve or collander. Add the part-cooked noodles to your stir fry, and stir them around well. Cook for another couple of minutes and they will soak up most of the leftover sauce.

Yum!

juliapenguin

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

Might this be a useful resource?
http://www.cyrenians.org.uk/Edinburghcyreniansourservices/foodandhealth.html
http://www.cyrenians.org.uk/wmslib/pdf/Cyrenians_Good_Food_Hand.pdf

That's a fantastic resource - which I will be passing onto my niece who volunteers with a drugs charity and does a cookery class to help people about to embark on less chaotic lives with little money. The ability to take care of yourself with decent easy-to-cook food is something we OSers may take for granted, but is such an important life skill.

Craftyscholar

Just found and bookmarked this thread for further study.
I really must get organised and get my food bill down (and probably eat more healthily)

zippychick

Good for you Crafty - let us know how it goes !

madlyn

you are not on your own, there are lots of us around.
and you may think at times that life is not fair. but what you are doing is great, and in years to come you will look back and be proud of what you have done.
unlike you i love cooking. i find it rewarding and relaxing, give it a go.
get down to the library and get some cookery books out.
and if it goes wrong so what it's part of the fun.
i've used this site for a couple of years and most of the tips can be adjusted to suit a person on their own.
i bought a part ownership house 2 years ago this month, and it is hard.
there have been times when i've wished i had stayed at home with my parents.
but after a lot of overtime and very little going out, i'm starting to have a bit more of a life.
i've achived more on my own in 2 yrs than some couples do in 10 yrs.
and i've done it all on my own.
keep your chin up because it does get better, and be proud of what you have got and done.

Fife_Flyer

Sunnyday wrote: »

One of my favourite cheap meals is cheats paella, 1 pack of dried savoury rice (the Morrisons value one is 28p and dosen`t contain the hydrogenated stuff that the big named ones do) half an onion and some salami in place of chorizo. I also add some frozen prawns but tinned shrimps are available and will do just as well.

Fry the onion in a little butter, add the rice and water, bring to the boil and add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer until ready and serve with hot toast covered in garlic butter. (garlic granules mixed into room temperature butter and left for the flavour to develop. Lovely filling and very cheap.

The rest of the salami and the other half an onion can be used in omelettes another day or used as pizza topping.

HTH
SD

I thought I'd try this for my meal this evening and even though I didn't have it with the garlic buttered toast, I must say it was delicious!

There was some chorizo in the fridge so I used that, but even so it was a filling and inexpensive meal that I shall be cooking again.

Many thanks Sunnyday for sharing.

David.