Newbie a little overwhelmed! Key advice?

findingmyownway

Hello everyone.

Firstly, i'd like to say that you are all superstars! I've been on and off this board reading posts for a while but have just sat down for hours and read though tons of them! The 'meals for 50p' thread has really struck a chord with me.

Anyway, i've come to the conclusion that i currently spend far too much money at the supermarket! I feed me and OH (plus OH 3 kids at the weekend). We both work full time - OH very long hours and i go to gym a lot ofter work so often not home til 7ish. During the week there are a few nights when both me and OH eat alone - i usually make some kind of basic vegetarian (and often bland ) pasta sauce or risotto etc. Then he comes home and eats ready meals. I've seen some great recepies on here for some tasty meals - i am going to try them out for sure. I think if the stuff i made was tastier and i did enough for 2 then OH would eat it when he gets home rather than ready meals. Theres no way he will actualy cook something complicated himself (maybe an omelette if he's pushed!) and so to get him off the ready meals i am going to have to do the cooking myself. Maybe i could cook things at the weekend and freeze for the week ahead?

I really, really want to do this - both to save money and to be healthier. I dont eat ready meals particularly but i am guilty of buying ready-made sauces and stuff. I'd love to learn to make curry sauces etc myself.

I currently shop as Asda. Ive been thinking about starting to do it online in the new year too. Hopefully will allow me to think about what im buying more carefully and also means things cant get sneaked into my trolly! hehe

So i guess i just wanted to introduce myself - and ask for your key advice really? There seems to be tons of ideas on here, but if you could sum up the most important things to tackle first what would it be?

furndire

One of the things I discovered earlier this year to add flavour was celery salt. I find it really adds a good flavour which isn't too overpowering - I tend now to sprinkle it in most dishes. Not too much.

comping_cat

There are some lovely recipes in the mega index, if you cook things in bulk, and then freeze individual portions. Hubby can then re heat them like a ready meal, but it will be a cheaper healthier meal!!!!
With my food shop, i used to keep all my receipts, and then see what i was buying that i didnt need, also, i now have a white board in my kitchen, so as i find i need something, i write it on there, so i can go shopping with a list, rather than the general ramble around picking up anything and everything!!!!

dlb

I started off by keeping a spending book for a few weeks, i carried on as normal but wrote EVERYTHING down, even just a pack of chewing gum, pint of milk ect.
Then after a few weeks looked through it and began to plan.
Making a meal plan for the 2 weeks ahead helps loads as then you can make a shopping list of what you need, that way you dont come home with stuff thet you can not make a complete meal out of.

I also did a store cupboard and cleaning cupboard use up, i didnt buy anything until all the bits and bobs i had collect had been used up.
I had 100`s of cleaning products and once they had all gone tried stardrops as recommened on here by alot of people, i now use it for everything, washing the pots, cleaning the kitchen,bathroom and window.It really is the only product you will need to buy again.

Also i had breadmaker given me, i use this daily now, not only for bread but to make fantastic homemade pizzas and garlic bread, they taste so much better than take aways ones.

I too do still buy ready made pasta sauces ect, but now buy lidls own cheap version and add my own musrooms onions garlic ect.

It is a hard process to get your head around it, but i now spend £200 a month less on food than i did before finding this site, and we eat so much better.

Good luck and let us all know how you get on.
Donna

henhog

Shopping on line makes me spend more rather than less, cus it's so comfy and stress free sitting at home. In the supermarket I just want to get in and out as fast as possible, and you can use coupons too. Also , in the supermarket just don't go down certain aisles.

The best tip for shopping I got from this site is make a list and stick to it. Roughly work out how much it will cost and bring that much and ten pounds more (in case you're wrong). Works a treat.

Gingham_Ribbon

First of all, well done on finding this place! It can really make a massive impact on your life. It certainly did on mine.

Have a look at the stickies at the top of the first screen (where all the thread titles are, the stickies are at the top with 'pins' in them.) The mega index is a great place to start.

I started by typing in random ideas to the search facility and reading what people had to say about them. Then I tried to do everything all at once and dive bombed! When some wise poster mentioned someone they knew who learned one home cooked meal a week it hit home with me.

I would advise that you take your time, doing what suits you and building on it slowly. One new meal a week means being able to cook 52 different meals in only a year.

The same applies with taking on other tips. Cleaning with vinegar, bulk cooking and freezing in portions, making bread, organising recipes...do it in stages. If you decide to cook in bulk, do one meal and then give yourself a break before doing another. Otherwise you can become overwhelmed and think it's harder than it really is.

Slow and steady wins the race.

Linda32

Hi, its brilliant here isn't it? :T

These quite a few changes I've made just from reading on here. It really does make you think about things, and its got nothing to do with going without to save money :T

The one thing I do now is meal plan, I'd recommend it to anyone, it really does save money. You tailor it to your own circumstances, for example I go shopping on Fridays, so I need 6 meals, (we don't need dinner / tea on Thursdays) Meal planning encourages you to use what you already have in the cupboard and also a plan for left overs.

For example, I do a pasta, sauce, sweetcorn and mushroom affair. Leftover mushrooms go with sausage / bacon cobs the next night. Plus cook extra pasta and sweetcorn to mix with tinned mackeral and mayo for pack-ups, instead of expensive cooked meat which we usually have.

I've noticed that of the things I have in the cupboard, I'd have no idea what to make if its wasn't for the meal plan list - so thats where I'd have gone out and bought more food.

I wonder if I can stretch the wine supply the same

loumac

Hello there,

I'm a newbie too and often just sit and read threads slowly digesting! It does seem overwhelming but I'd recommend sticking with it.

Since the beginning of the month I've been working on eating what's in my freezer and cupboards before buying loads of new stuff! It is really quite shocking. In the past I was spending between £40-£50 pw to feed myself and two cats! This month I've spent about £32 in total. :j

I've also found when I did need to shop the whole idea of a list and a plan of what I was going to be cooking that week really helped me stick to a budget so i'm definitely making it my new years resolution to keep it up.

I have also discovered I can cook soup! And I'd never made anything fresh in my life before and it was a nice easy way to start.

Everyone on here is totally sympathetic and supportive to any question - no matter how silly you might feel asking.

Good luck anyway and a Happy Old Style Xmas! :rotfl:

furndire

loumac wrote:

Hello there,

I have also discovered I can cook soup! And I'd never made anything fresh in my life before and it was a nice easy way to start.
:rotfl:

Soup is a brilliant way of making a tasty meal with next to nothing.
I had a couple of leeks which were well past their best in the bottom of the fridge earlier this week. Chopped them up finely, gently fried them in a knob of butter, sprinkled in a tablespoon of flour, cooked it for a couple of minutes, gradually stirred in about 3/4 pint of milk and 1/4 pint of water brought gently to the simmering point, seasoned well, salt, pepper, and celery salt - Leek soup in nearly as short a time as opening a tin.

researcher

Hi, welcome to this site - it's amazing how much difference it can make to your life.
My top tips would be:

• Shop yourself rather than online, trust yourself to buy only what you need. You are the best judge for quality and value for money and...
• Be adaptable - when you're shopping look for bargains and adapt them into your meal plan. ie. If turkey is on offer, then buy that rather than the chicken you were planning.
• Shop for seasonal ingredients particularly vegetables, which are always at their best and cheapest when is season.
• Use stock for flavouring soups and sauces. Make your own from left over meat bones and buy good quality stock cubes.
• Use vouchers, most supermarkets accept each others.
• Find local markets, farmers markets and try different products.
• See if there is a local 'box' scheme for vegetable - these often offer superb value for money.
• Experiment with cheaper cuts of meat - which need long slow cooking.
• Use a slowcooker.
• Use your freezer......
• Mark food that you freeze so you know what it is...:rotfl: (otherwise you might defrost some casserole to discover its blackberries!!)
• This was added as an edit and in my opinion is VERY important... buy the BEST QUALITY you can afford - better to eat less top quality meat and more veg than cheap meat with little veg.

These are just a few ideas from the top of my head, you'll discover load and loads more just by reading the various thread.

Good luck and :xmassign:

findingmyownway

Thanks for all the help guys! Its really nice and welcoming on here.

I've had a look in the cupboards and i think i have enough food to last between now and new year (im lucky enough to be going out for main meal on xmas lunch and boxing day!)

I did some baking yesterday - made mince pies, flapjack, choc crispie cakes, and a rocky road style choc thing. All from scratch using stuff from mine and a friends cupboard - we were very proud of ourselves.

So now have plenty of sweet stuff to offer people who are coming round over the next week. Going to do a meal plan starting with stuff from the cupboards!