Single Money Saver living on my own

Hovel_lady

hermum wrote: »

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Anyone got a spare kick up the ar5e for me, please?

No, but you can have 5 minutes on the naughty step

hermum

Hovel_lady wrote: »

No, but you can have 5 minutes on the naughty step

Best take my laptop away as well, so that I can't waste any more time.:D

vl2588

I often think the laptop is my biggest barrier to getting things done!

hermum

vl2588 wrote: »

I often think the laptop is my biggest barrier to getting things done!

So often during the day, especially when items are close to the end time on ebay, I just check my emails, then come on here.
Before I know it half a day's gone, again.
Hello, my name's hermum & I'm an MSE computeholic.

purpleivy

vl2588 wrote: »

I often think the laptop is my biggest barrier to getting things done!

How true! Remember when I used to feel guilty when we first had internet and I'd be on for half an hour! Ahem!

Back on topic..I'm staying with my dad at the mo, as mum is away for three weeks visiting her sister who's not been well. She's left meal stuff in the freezer, but Dad has a chart with what he's going to have each day for a meal and also what he has to take from the freezer each night for the next day. I was impressed. Less impressed with the fact that mum had left a rabbit in the freezer and he wanted me to make it into a casserole! I saw his chart earlier, he's changed it round to accommodate the left over rabbit casserole!

lizzyb1812

hermum - it will take about half an hour to inventory the freezer with drawers and a bit longer, absolutely max an hour to do the chest freezer, so no need to "set aside a day". just the thought of spending a day on it will put you off but half an hour on one then a cuppa, then up to an hour on the other, then another cuppa and a think/tidy up of your list and it will barely be lunchtime and you'll feel so much more in control.

You'll probably find stuff you'd forgotten about and that might kick start a bit of a meal plan.

Cupboards aren't such a big issue because it's easy to see what's in them and that you've got 11 tins of tuna and needn't buy any more. It's the freezer where stuff is out of sight, out of mind, that needs to be watched.

stacey4415c

I'm moving into my own flat next Tuesday, and so am hoping to spend less on food and cook meals, freeze some and reheat etc. Going to read through this thread for tips! Thanks everyone!

vl2588

Hope moving day goes well

Citygirl1

Hi, I live on my own (well with my cat) and can't seem to get into a routine of shopping and cooking. I tend to do an online shop at Sainsburys for heavy stuff like cat food, cat litter and cleaning products and buy fresh stuff daily but I get fed up of being laden down with heavy bags. I have recently tried doing a weekly shop online instead to include the fresh stuff but didn't order enough.

Normally I tend to live on ready meals with me being alone as they are more convenient (I work full time also) and I buy M&S ones as I know they are good quality. This can get expensive but then again its expensive buying ingredients for fresh meals and wasting half of the stuff because there's too much for me to eat in the time span that its fresh. I also worry about ready meals not being nutritious enough but is that the case? I do feel like buying enough ready meals for a week at a time and making do. I have tried using the slow cooking and freezing portions but it becomes too much trouble after a while and I get disorganised with that.

Any ideas from anyone else who lives alone, what do you do?

rising_from_the_ashes

I'm afraid batch cooking and freezing is def the way to go ..... give it another try.

Honestly, once you get into the habit it's OK - and I never cook during the week, it's a HM ready meal straight from the freezer to pan so it's not time consuming (esp when you've had a busy day at work).

I tend to have a "cooky" day when I may do a chilli / spal bol sauce / mince etc and then another when I stick in a huge chicken casserole - I can easily get 6 - 8 meals from these so it really does a month.

I've recently started freezing veg too as I was wasting loads as just never got through it all - most veg are fine to freeze & can be used in the above - or if you've a Farm*foods or similar near you, their frozen veg is fine & cheap! HTH