Single Money Saver living on my own

midwinter7

I just thought i'd say this thread is extremely useful to me as i'll be returning ot uni in a few weeks, living on my own, and due to my lack of summer jobs my funds are extremely limited so spending £10/£15 a week is just what I need.

Thanks for all your messages! :beer:

joedenise

kitschy wrote: »

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

If you can get hold of an old copy of The Shirley Goode Kitchen (it accompanied a BBC series in the mid 80s) you'll find some cheap and easy recipes in that - including a soup recipe using potato peelings, carrot tops & tails etc! Tastes a lot better than it sounds:)

Denise

determinedtodothis

hey all

I thought Id see if any singletons like me had any tips to share? sometimes I find it frustrating when married friends moan about bills, they seem to think because I live on my own I must be rich! they don't seem to realise that if they turn the heating on there's 2 of them paying for it, whereas I have to pay for it all and i don't use any less heat!

So..

Any tips folks just for singeltons out there? I try to eat healthy and frozen veg is a life saver but Salads are often wasted it goes off before i can eat it!! what does everyone else do??, i never have full load of washing even if i wait a week...what could I do? half load and 1 tab instead of 2 in the washing machine? what does everyone do???

Please share!

Pink.

Hi determinedtodothis,

These threads should help with tips and advice:

Single moneysaver living on my own!

What can a single person use on this board?

living on your own/cooking for one....

Saving Money On Food For a SINGLE person

Help a Single Saver

I'll add your thread to the first link later to keep the suggestions together.

Pink


Pink

adelight

Have shredded cabbage and carrot coleslaw type salads, they last much longer
Does that include your towels and maybe bedding?

Stephen_Leak

adelight wrote: »

Have shredded cabbage and carrot coleslaw type salads, they last much longer
Does that include your towels and maybe bedding?

:huh: How does shredding your towels and bedding make them last longer?

Anyway, shop from a list. If you use up something, put it on the list. That way, you don't forget the stuff you want, and don't buy stuff you already have.

However, if stuff like washing-up liquid, which you will use eventually and won't go off in the meantime, is on offer, then snap up the bargain.

Now, if someone can come up with a way of ensuring that you remember to take the list with you, we're onto a winner.

Also, accept that it's a two-portion world, and that, even if you have a freezer, there will be times when you're just going to have to eat the same thing two days running.

Seakay

sometimes supermarkets sell growing salad I got a tray of mixed lettuce leaves from sainsburys for £1. They will do as well on a light windowsill as outside in summer - and better indoors in winter unless you have a greenhouse! They can be cut to use as and when, and will regrow a couple of times.
If you have room for a feew more pots or outdoor plants then many herbs are hardy and can be used as salad leaves as well as flavourings - add any or all of parsley, basil, marjoram, oregano, chives, chervil etc to lettuce to add flavour and interest to salad.

blackberry-rum

buy big chunks of cheese, or bogofs. Cut it into portions of the size you would eat in a week and freeze. Just take out a portion when you need it.
Cook stew or roast for the week, then vary the vegetables and pasta/potato/rice accompaniment each day. Saves time and fuel. If you get bored, add some spices later in the week.
Never use as much washing powder/liquid as is recommended on the pack. Use half, at the most. Better still use a quarter and add a few shakes of washing soda which is a tenth the price. Unless you have a dirty job or sweat a lot use the quickest and lowest heat for wash. Get a cheap stain remover stick to use before the wash rather than doing a long wash.
Mix shower gel half & half with water, you don't really need bubbles and froth!
If you have a close single friend and can get organised (or text when in the shop) and see bogofs you can halve the price by using one each.
Now i'm off to look at those other links )

Good luck - you are not alone, and singles have more fun )

Rotwein44

I cook big pots of things like stew, goulasch, bolognese and curry and freeze them in single meal portions. I also add pearl barley to stodge it out a bit.

I have a chicken on a sunday with a roast, the have chicken and stuffing sandwiches for lunch on Monday and then chicken risotto or stir fry Monday tea, which I then also take to work on tuesday and heat up for lunch. I also do extra mash with my sunday dinner, which I then mix grated cheese and any left over veg into and fry it and have it with something else, (like fish?) for tea on say the Tuesday.

I have a pasta bake for tea and have it for my lunch too.

So because I find it impossible to cook a one person meal, I make big portions but have it either for my lunch or freeze it for another day. So in my freezer I have all sorts of pots of meals e.g. curry, stew, casserole, goulasch, soup, bolognese. These are great when you cant be bothered to do much! I buy the mini packets of popadoms and buy large naan bread and cut them in half before freezing!

I also buy big blocks of cheese and freeze like blackberry-rum said!

Rebekah24

Although not really a singleton(engaged)..I live on my own! lol

I do my washing usually a midweek one then the rest at the weekend, very often I can stretch to just once a week

Making big batchs of soup is ace - I then freeze in 250ml portions

I keep minimal food in the house as its just me - really dont keep fresh stuff in. The odd grapefruit etc - Citrus fruit stores well for a long time

Freezing is a godsend.. freeze whoopsie loaves etc.. just take 1 slice out as you need, nothing goes bad

Hope that helps