Single Money Saver living on my own

PasturesNew

Top tip for shopping: take a rucksack, you can carry about 3-4x the weight that you can in plastic bags; plastic bags cut into your hands too, which a rucksack doesn't.

Farway

grumpyoldwoman41 wrote: »

LOl - No, do nto have a bike, would be terrified to go on a busy road on one to be honest - brave you

I used the pavement most of the time

mrs-stressed

JulieGeorgiana wrote: »

There is a whole thread on Rubber Chicken... it is a term for making a Chicken Streeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetch as far as you can make it go!

Stretching like a Rubber Band

God Im so thick. Soz!! Just never heard that one before.... LOLLLLL

redlady_1

I budget £15 per week for food - and I eat well. Planning is the key and also shopping with a calculator. It makes you really think about whether you need/want something. I will plan my week of meals and then go shopping but depending on prices I can substitute things. I buy a joint of beef and that will see me through 5 meals. I also buy a joint of ham(pre christmas prices!) and that will stretch too. I grow my own veg and when I cant I will buy a small organic veg box for £9. This means that I have to use the ingredients within it. I am slowly learning to look at veggie options too as these are much cheaper and you only need to put a little meat in for one person.

That said, because I was given a £25 off voucher if you spend over £40 in Morrisons today I went a bit nuts and spent £35 after the discount. However, I have enough food to last me a month!!!

janb5

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

I've been getting by on JSA for over a year now and my shopping budget is about £10 a week or thereabouts. One of the good things about being at home 24/7 is that I have plenty of time to cook from scratch. My freezer doesn't work alas or I'd be bulk-cooking a-gogo but in any case most of the things I cook can be kept in the fridge for at least a week so I don't have to eat the same meal day after day.


Dear Bitter and Twisted,

Could you get a replacement freezer off your local Freecycle-might be worth a look?

jbreckmckye

Learn how to make 'rubber' meals - meals which can be bulked out and frozen for later eating. These are some of the most economical meals around.

Here's a table of common 'rubber' meals and how you can bulk them out:

**********************************************************************
* Chili Con Carne   *   Onions, peppers, and beans                   *
* Bolognese / Ragu  *   Onions, carrot, celery, beans, oats          *
* Shepherd's Pie    *   Onions, carrot, celery, oats, mushrooms      *
* Curries           *   Red lentils, onions, peppers, diced root veg *
* Stir fries        *   Beansprouts, peanuts, tofu                   *
* Mash potato       *   Turnips, swede                               *
* Stews             *   Onions, carrot, celery, butter beans         *
**********************************************************************

vl2588

Ooh that's good!

BitterAndTwisted

I have been scouring my local Freecycle just in case but I'm handicapped by having no access to transport.

However, there is a charity locally for the "disadvantaged" which I'm hoping includes the unemployed which refurbishes and sells second hand furniture and electrical items and delvers them free, so once my sister comes up with that loan she promised me at Christmas I'll be trotting round there to see if I can find myself a washing-machine and a fridge/freezer. Now, if only they had a breadmaker as well I'd be in absolute heaven!

BitterAndTwisted

jbreckmckye wrote: »

Learn how to make 'rubber' meals - meals which can be bulked out and frozen for later eating. These are some of the most economical meals around.

Here's a table of common 'rubber' meals and how you can bulk them out:

**********************************************************************
* Chili Con Carne   *   Onions, peppers, and beans                   *
* Bolognese / Ragu  *   Onions, carrot, celery, beans, oats          *
* Shepherd's Pie    *   Onions, carrot, celery, oats, mushrooms      *
* Curries           *   Red lentils, onions, peppers, diced root veg *
* Stir fries        *   Beansprouts, peanuts, tofu                   *
* Mash potato       *   Turnips, swede                               *
* Stews             *   Onions, carrot, celery, butter beans         *
**********************************************************************

Oh, you are a clever one! Those red lentils are fabulous as they break down and thicken anything so are practically imperceptible. I bung them in everything that has anything in it approaching a gravy-like substance.

JulieGeorgiana

PasturesNew wrote: »

Grated cheese (it looks more/goes further) on 2 slices of toast = 10p for a meal.

Even with Value Bread I am not sure how you can get this to 10p????

Where do you buy such cheap cheese?