The Tougher Thread continues.....

Softstuff

Sorry to hear your difficulties SmileyT, hopefully you'll get the eejits sorted out soon.

GQ, I can only assume that your kitchen is of tardis like proportions. I had a feeling we had a similar sized teensy kitchen, but given that my larder is in my wardrobe in the bedroom, and there's no way I can fit a slow cooker anywhere, I can only assume you've found a way to circumvent space and it's relative dimensions. Unless you're now intending to do your dishes in it too, in which case I salute your ingenuity .

As for the thanks button, I remember some days, but not others and given how fast this has been moving, it's just a challenge to keep up right now!

I have a Christmas pudding to steam, some choccy-orange muffins to make, some sort of layered courgette/potato thingy to bake, and a few things to sew, so I should be kept entirely out of trouble today. Well, more or less.

the_cake

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=379740&postcount=561

Not sure if the link will work - my first, and not very good at them anyway. But it's a suggestion to feed Gollum, GQ .... I think he might enjoy the whole chicken recipe (the one with garlic, where you rub the chicken with a mix of oil, paprika etc.). This was the first recipe I tried in my new SC a few months ago, and it is WONDERFUL. Transforms the humblest chook into a thing of delicious splendour and yumminess.

schoolhouse

Evening! I have 3 punnets of strawbs in the fridge that need sorting.May I please have your strawberry jam recipe scottishminnie?

Should have sorted them sooner,but the kids have the lurgy. Different types of lurgy too.Had to pick my younger son up from school on friday,he had fallen asleep! A dinner lady found him curled up on a bench outside the school office.Very feverish,the poor child.

Today the older one had to be picked up with tummy cramps and a headache.So,not much done today with two poorlies at home. I must get my bottom in gear and go to bed.Need to put my bread on first though(its an overnight ferment dough thingy).

Mrs Veg Plot- Hope your DD2 gets the job.

squeaky

Good morning all.

Over the last couple of weeks this thread has been drifting away from its main purpose and is ever more looking like a version of the Daily Thread.

Discussion, tips and support are all fine and very welcome, honest

But the subject at hand is the overall current economic situation making things tougher, how it affects us, and what we can do to help limit its impact on our finances and our lives.


Please try to stay on topic. TYIA

ceridwen

Thanks Squeaky:T

Triggles

Good morning. Lurker unlurking here. It's actually a bit unnerving "unlurking" as I'm sure the other lurkers may agree. Something relatively safe about reading unseen.

The big discussion lately in our house has been whether or not to buy another freezer. We have a fridge/freezer, and a small second freezer. But because we freeze bread, and I like to have at least a drawer free for short term freezes (24-48 hrs for new flour packages and so forth), we are sometimes having to pass up supermarket deals for freezer items or simply are unable to freeze leftovers as we'd like. We have the room (just barely) in the corner of the dining room, if I reorganise my craft stuff. And I pointed out to DH that if we do get this additional freezer, then all freezer inventory must be kept track of religiously, or it will just be a mess. He has agreed that if I set up a system for it, he will follow it to the letter. (hmmmm, we'll see....)

I've also told DH that I think we should invest a small amount (very small) in some sealable containers to freeze things in. Some things I am happy to put in freezer bags (joints of meat and odd shaped items), but most things I prefer to use containers as we can then wash and reuse them, rather than constantly buying new freezer bags, which IMO simply cuts into the savings you make by freezing extras. I'm curious what others here do? Freezer bags? or containers? which do you prefer and why, if you don't mind my soliciting opinions. I'm not sure that DH is convinced that containers are the way to go.

Yup, sorry. First post and I'm already talking way too much and asking for feedback on stuff. You'll all regret leaving the door open and letting me in... :rotfl:

Red_Doe

I use a mixture of bags and containers. A few of my containers are shop bought...the lock and lock type, but I also wash and use big margerine tubs and the like.
I freeze soup portions in bags, because they are easier to defrost and I can measure out decent meal size portions, whereas in a container I have to defrost the whole lot whereas we might only want one wee bowl that day. Um, hope that made sense!
Welcome to the threat Triggles, they're a lovely, friendly lot in here and full of great advice and tips.
(and Mardatha has sweeties!!)

lizzyb1812

I use bags with containers. EG - one portion of chicken casserole in a bag inside a box. Freeze, then remove bag from box. Result is blocks of food that store easily in freezer and no need to buy loads of containers, just a few. To defrost I slip the casserole or whatever out of the bag and into the box - easier to handle when it's defrosted.

Should say that this works well for single portions/people - you'd need big bags/containers for family sized portions.

Re: freezer inventory/organisation - label everything well - masking tape and felt pen work well. I split my chest freezer into zones with plastic crates - one meat, fish, etc, one veg, one fruit, one HM ready meals/cooked stuff and the spaces inbetween for bread, etc

HTH

Triggles

I'd like to get out of freezing as much bread - generally have at least 3 loaves at a time, so basically one drawer is just for bread. I don't mind making bread, especially in the winter when the oven heats up the freezing kitchen, but DS2 has a sandwich in his school lunch every day and his routines are very important to him (he has special needs and is very particular about certain things). I have toyed with the idea of making homemade bread (is it truly cheaper?) and using it for meals and toast and such, but keeping a loaf of store bought bread for his school sandwiches.

I like the idea of the bags in the boxes as I hate having misshapen frozen things in the freezer (yes, my nitpicky side coming out!), but I also hate buying the bags all the time. I like the idea of reusing other containers like margarine containers. I hadn't even thought of that! And yes, labels are so important! I still remember my mum's sneaky trick - she wrapped up chocolate biscuits to freeze in white butchers paper, and wrote "liver" on the package with a date. None of us ever knew there were biscuits in those packages!! You'd have thought we would have twigged onto the fact that we NEVER ate liver, so no good reason for a half dozen packs of liver in the freezer.

lizzyb1812

.... when it's a voucher (sometimes)

Asda are offering £5 voucher when you spend £40 - or are they?

Below are the T&C - clipped from the MSE article on the offer

"To get the bonus voucher you need to:

Spend £40 or more on a grocery shop in-store or online. To qualify, this must include at least eight different grocery items, where at least one is comparable under the price guarantee scheme.

If you shopped in-store, you can enter you receipt from 6am the morning after shopping, or if you shopped online, from 48 hours after the order is delivered, on the Asda Price Guarantee website.

All qualifying shops will be rewarded with a £5 bonus voucher off their next £40 shop, which must be redeemed by 30 October. If you shop in-store, you must use the voucher in-store. If you shop online, it is only valid online.

Customers can get a maximum of one voucher per day.
Prescriptions, optical items, fuel, mobile top ups and gift cards are excluded from the price guarantee and £5 bonus."

So, you need to spend £80, not £40 and your 1st £40 spend must include at least 8 "comparable" items - ie probably the more expensive goods, not own brand value items.

£5 off £80 is 6.25% and, in my case, would mean buying some stuff that I wouldn't otherwise consider. For me shopping around would save more than that.

For someone who regularly shops at Asda and spends upwards of £40 per week, including branded goods, then it is probably worth it. For the rest of us moneysavers, probably not.