Must have kitchen gadgets

seraphina

If you want to pratice jam making, keep an eye out on the reduced section in Tesco's - they often have boxes of soft fruit like blackcurrents and raspberries reduced. I pick some up every time I see them and stick them in the freezer - when you've got enough or have the time off you go!

clutterydrawer

I second the tupperware recommendation, it's great being able to fill a freezer with boxed meals after cooking a big batch of something.

Also, multiple cake tins/roasting dishes so you have enough to bake multiple thigns at once to save lecky

M.E.

I'm still using the tupperware dishes and bowls that Mum bought at her tupperware parties in 1967!!!!

Plum_Pie

Re growing your own!

Please factor in buying compost, tools and the time it will take to tend to your plot.

I grow herbs and cut-and-come-again salad leaves - things which are pricey in supermarkets and best eaten very fresh.

Other veg are just not economical to me - I have a certain amount of free time and I generate a certain amount of vegetable waste to make my own compost (I live by myself!).

This is not to say don't do it, if you think you will enjoy it. Gardening is great exercise and very relaxing, but it is not necessarily moneysaving. You need to do those sums yourself, based on how much you earn and how long you want to spend setting up and then looking after your garden! Again, you can save a lot by asking for seeds and equipment on freecycle.

seraphina

Another one here who doesn't grow their own veg bar lettuce and herbs - I've tried it before with tomatoes but it was a huge investment of time and energy for very little reward. Not worth it for me - I'm not a great fan of gardening.

sillyvixen

the one thing i could not do without is my hand blender - used for soups, smoothies, blitzing things down, breadcrumbs, purees, whipping cream, chopping nuts etc. it did not even cost me anything as it was a house warming pressie when i left home.

Larumbelle

Gardening is like most other OS activities IMHO - if you learn a little of what you're doing and pick up the tips and tricks to make it cheaper and easier, it can work for you, otherwise it won't. You also have to factor in how important these things are to you as to whether or not they will be cost-effective for you.

for example, I grow all of my own fruit and veg, but I spend very little on any gardening paraphernalia, even seeds, and devote very little time tending to my garden. I used to spend about £15-20 per week on salad and veg, so growing my own saves me a phenomenal amount of money.

On the other hand, I eat very little bread, a loaf in the freezer and slices taken out as I need them lasts me over three weeks. A breadmaker would take years to pay off. I still get a pang for a Panny every now and then, but if I'm eating bread I wouldn't otherwise, it's hardly saving me money, is it? And I've gone back to my tumble dryer (for winter, at least) because I found I was needing to use the central heating to dry clothes, and I can manage happily without it otherwise.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, OS is all about finding out what works for you, so anyone embarking on OS and looking for a starting point should really begin by looking at what they want to change. There's nothing that's going to save everyone money, and nothing that's going to be a waste of time for everyone. Not trying to criticise, but sometimes things on the OS board are painted a little too black and white, and some people feel that they don't 'measure up' because particular OS techniques don't work for them.

My own view would be that those embarking on OS should read as many of the threads on here as possible and start finding the little things that will save money etc without requiring any additional expenditure. This will help you get a little money saved for 'investments' and by the time you know what will work for you and what won't, you'll know what the best use for your money is. Sales are great, but it's never long to wait between them these days.

Desperate_Housewife_2-2

I would second what csarina said re slow cooker, breadmaker but especially the remoska, I read my meter every month and have made huge savings on energy since I got mine. A breadmaker may be perceived as a non essential but I love mine and use it all the time, you can pick up cheap ones nowadays.

Hope you find some good bargains in the sales!

crawley_girl

Slow cooker definately!

meanmarie

Great post Silvercharming...different strokes is what OS is all about IMHO....I cook from scratch and use bicarb to clean my sinks and use vouchers from pigsback towards Christmas presents...but I freeze very few meals as my OH and DD who live here turn their noses up at frozen food...but I make sauces to add to fresh meat and freeze them.

Gardening is something else I try to save with...grow things like baby carrots, lettuce, salad leaves, spinach, red cabbage and scallions, but have never had great success with tomatoes so only grow a few dwarf varieties which don't seem to need much minding.

Spend as little money as you can 'setting up' to be OS...as others have said as you meal plan, plan your shopping and start saving money that way you can use your savings to purchase the gadgetry you are fairly sure you will use to save time and more money

Good luck

Marie