10 things you should never buy again

Amelia39

I saw this interesting article today, and it got me thinking about things we spend money on that we don't need to. I'll list them below, but have you got any other tips ...

http://uk.lifestyle.yahoo.com/food-drink/10-things-you-should-never-buy-again-blog-11-lovefood.html






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jamsandwhich

With the exception of No6 (which I do buy as I like sparkling water) these are all instant/time-saving items and while I don't use them all of the time it is sometimes handy to have them available and can't really agree that 'we should never buy them again'.

I have been slated on a forum and given a lesson in how to make my own mash -wish I had the roll eye smiley - for daring (shock-horror!) to admit I had bought pre-prepared mash. Sometimes life just gets in the way of food prep and it is ide3al to be able to use ready prepped stuff for ease and my sanity:)

One of the best christmas dinners I had was our first with the girls when they were six months old - everything came from M&S in trays to shove in the oven or microwave, it was quick and easy and mess free and tasted lovely (with the exception of the poultry gravy which tasted and looked like sludge so out came the bisto jar);) Since then I have made chrissy dinners from scratch but would do this like a shot again if the mood took me!

Nelski

Amelia39 wrote: »

I saw this interesting article today, and it got me thinking about things we spend money on that we don't need to. I'll list them below, but have you got any other tips ...

1. Spice mixes - Shop-bought spice mixes seem a good deal, because you’re getting lots of spices in one sachet. But as well as spices, you’re getting salt and possibly a whole lot of additives you don’t want. Buying the spices themselves will cost a bit more to start, but they last longer and you can improvise to make your dish exactly how spicy (or not) you like it.


2. Pure fruit ice lollies - Make your own with fruit pulped in the blender with a teaspoon of sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice.


3. Prepared frozen vegetables - Supermarkets think if they cut our carrots and add a knob of herb butter, they can charge three times the price. But this kind of prep is so basic, there’s no reason why you can’t do it yourself and do it exactly how you like it.


4. Prepared side dishes - The same goes for microwave mash, or any side dishes like gratin dauphinois. What you do get for your money is extra salt, and flavourings. But you don’t get value for money. Cook them for yourself, and they’ll be more to your taste and cheaper.


5. Bagged salad - Buying salad leaves certainly adds interest to your five a day. However, you’ll pay a significant premium for that pleasure. Plus the bags are pumped full of a chemical to keep them fresh. As soon as you open the bag, the chemical is released and the leaves wilt fast. Salad leaves are notoriously easy to grow, so save your cash and spice up your salads by growing your own.


6. Lunch-box snack packs - The contents of children’s snack packs are poor quality and packed with salt. What you’re really paying for is the fancy packaging. Don’t fork out for anything but the best ingredients – ditch the prepacked snack and make your own.


7. Bottled water - British tap water is amongst the purest in the world. We don’t need to drink bottled water. So unless you want to pay a premium for something you don’t need, leave it off the shopping list.


8. Tomato based pasta sauces - Tinned tomatoes can cost as cheap as 30p per can, where as you’ll rarely get a pasta sauce for less than £1. Making your own sauce is easy and you don’t have to eat the salt or additives added to pre-made sauces. Soften an onion and a clove of garlic in a saucepan, add a can of tomatoes and a dash of white wine, season with herbs and leave to simmer until the right consistency.


9. Pre-made barbecue meats - Supermarkets love to make their own pre-formed patties just so they can hike up the price. Buying your own mince is much cheaper, and it will only take you about ten seconds to shape each burger. The same goes for marinated meats and kebabs. Buying the meat and doing the marinades yourself is much cheaper, and because you’re making your own you can tailor them to exactly what you like to eat.


10. Energy and breakfast bars - Shoppers grab these for what they think is a healthy energy boost, but breakfast and energy bars often have high fat and sugar content. In fact it’s not much different from eating a chocolate bar, except they can cost as much as four times more. For a better boost, grab a piece of fruit or a handful of protein-rich nuts. Better for your health and your wallet.

What a load of codswallop :rotfl::rotfl: but I do love people telling others what they should and shouldn't do with their time and money

Frozen veg is extremely convenient for people like me - single and busy. I can grab a portion as required and its done in minutes rather than the waste that does tend to happen if I get enthusiastic in the fresh veg aisle and end up chucking soggy veg. I also think frozen veg is frozen at source so is potentially fresher and contains all my necessary vitamins:) bit more healthy than the saggy cabbage currently waiting in my fridge to hit the bin

Prepared mash - yup been that done that and its lovely as are the lovely little mini potatos in butter in herbs. Small packs of sweetcorn/beans/carrots are a regular buy for my sunday lunch

Bagged salad - love it and it is certainly not cheaper to buy all the constituents when most of it will be chucked

I lay claim to all the others too apart from lollies and tomato based sauces because I hate tomatos (I do buy jars of curry sauce though so i guess I am about as bad as it gets )



Whoever wrote that article must be very smug and have lots of time on their hands imo

Bronnie

Hello Amelia and welcome to the OS board

polejunkie

I live off of steam pack vegs, with a business, house and 3 children I dont have time to prep veg. Sometimes they can be a real life saver.

Aarons_mummy

If they are reduced or a good deal then I have no problem buying them but generally I follow all this anyway. I don't find it takes anymore time or effort to cook some veg and throw it in the freezer or prepare and freeze it raw.

I suppose it depends on how much time you have and how much you want to do for yourself.

midnightraven3

i use bags of frozen peppers, and they definately work out cheaper than fresh, and you can use what you need
i DO use fresh for certain things, but i always have a bg of sliced frozen ones in

everyone uses/does & buys what suits THEM
its not a one size fits all life

LameWolf

I think it's all a question of striking a balance; yes, it's great to be able to prepare everything from scratch, and ne'er shall a packet of cuppa-soup darken our door,:D but at times, life bowls us a googly, and it's useful to have a quick solution to fall back on.:o Just my two-pennyworth.;)

polejunkie

Normal veg just ends up getting thrown away in my house because no one has the time to prep it. Not cost effective in my eyes.

Nelski

polejunkie wrote: »

Normal veg just ends up getting thrown away in my house because no one has the time to prep it. Not cost effective in my eyes.

same here.

Frozen veg is also great for non seasonal veg - as a total sprout addict I could not go for months surviving on the pathetic specimens in the fresh veg aisle at the moment.

I guess its very different catering for a family though rather than just a small eater and a big dog When I do get to cook for numbers there is nothing I enjoy more than a trip to the farm shop and the requirement to buy and prepare lots of it ........time wise though not everyday is sunday sadly

crayola

I agree with some of these, but not the one about cereal bars.

They can be expensive, but bought in bulk are not too pricey and they are a healthy and filling addition to a sandwich box. I find that I'm far more likely to roll with the idea of having a packed lunch if I've got a cereal bar in there as well as the sandwich - it just makes for more of a complete meal. Without 'extras' like that I'll quickly get bored of the idea and revert to spending a fiver a day in Pret.

Not 100% sure about their view of spices either - they last for an age and encourage home-cooking. They're suggesting you get fresh ones instead that you'll use once? Hmm...

I'm on the fence re. the bagged salad. A fresh lettuce lasts far longer due to the lack of chemicals. But when you're making sandwiches every day as I try to, a bag of salad does generally get used before it 'wilts'.