Anyone got a nice spaghetti and meatballs recipe?

MrsBartolozzi

Hi guys, not been on for a while, but have been shopping.:rolleyes:
I don't have all my receipts but the total since I was last on is £27.something. If I round it up to £28 I seem to be still on target:j , but have spent a lot on stuff I don't really need. I read on another thread that M&S have their free-range chickens half price so I will feel compelled to stock up on these too.:o
It's not that I have bought lots of junk or rubbish, it's just taking advantage of offers on stuff we will use in the next few weeks. I have plenty food for the rest of the month, excluding bread, milk and fruit but still feel the need to take advantage of all the "offers".
Does anyone else do this?
It bugs me a bit - I feel all virtuous and dare I say it smug with my full freezer, meal plans and tiny shopping list, but when I reach the shops I stock up on bogofs etc. When I get home I extend my meal plans list and feel a bit silly that I could have spent less :mad:
Now rationally I know that what I buy is all stuff we use, and if I waited til I ran out it would be expensive again, so why do I feel that I have been sucked in and that I have just done exactly what the supermarket wants??
Does anyone else do this?
MrsB.

purplevamp

Just spent £13.50 on fish and chips for dinner tonight . We were coming home from swimming and OH thought it would be a good idea to have chips. The children got really excited so I gave in... :rolleyes: . But I did make some tortillas for lunch today and had them with ham and cheese and made a quasadea (sp?). They were lovely. So a big to MrsMcawber.

I've only got £60.11 left for the rest of the month :eek: . I'll really have to tighten my belt, we do have plenty of food left in the freezer & cupboards. It's my oldest sons birthday on Saturday and we've planned to go to a chinese buffet, can't disappoint the kids now can I?! As this is part of a birthday treat I won't include it in the budget. (phew, got away with that one!)

shelovestobuystuff

Another 2 weeks to go till pay day and whooops!!!over budget already.OH has agreed not to buy any more choccie biccies,crisps etc so we shouldn,t go much over.
I have managed to get all my gifts,card and wrap purchases for valentines,hubbys birthday and sons birthday this week using tesco deals(driving lessons and magazine subscriptions),whsmith points and boots points so nothing spent there.I even got myself a CD(Lenny Kravitz)And I have enough piggy points now for a 2 cinema tickets so all in all I am pretty pleased with the way things are going.
Happy Valentines Day everyone!:D

savingfortravel

Mrs B
You're right to buy BOGOF/Multibuys when you can. I do the same.
If you can have a long term budget for this-money you won't need for a while.
Then I work out how long each product will last and divide that by the cost. I take the total of all the costs from each monthly budget (at the beg of the month and put that money in a box to pay back the long term budget). I know it sounds complicated but your better off this way.
I do tend to pick and chose BOGOFs according to the saving. It usually has to be £1 or more to make it worth while, be non-perishable and be able to be stored in a cool, dark place (my shed).
Hope this helps!

MRSMCAWBER

Evening all

MRS B .... yes i have exactly the same affliction as you :rotfl: ... I ran down my freezer in January..and during this month i have spent just over €90.. but nearly all of it has gone on raw meat ... but when i spot free range corn fed chickens for €3... im having them ... so my freezer in the basement and the fridge freezer in the kitchen are to capacity:p ..and wait till hubby goes to get a beer out of his "beer fridge" in the basement :rotfl: ... i have veggies in there:shhh: :whistle: ... its now my "over flow fridge" :T only single squaddies get beer fridges

The thing is i worked out the other day 12 weeks worth of main meals..and gave up at that point as i still had loads left -(thank god i keep a list of what goes in the freezer);)

But im still within my budget and have all the toiletries, cleaning stuff, milk etc to last through March and beyond too.. but no doubt if i see that whoops sticker on something we will use and its not junk..it will end up in my basket

Purplevamp..
glad the tortillas are a hit :T ... I know you are going out to the chinese as a treat.... but would you like the recipe for the pancakes they do with crispy duck -for future use .. i did it for me n hubby on Saturday..and we love it..im planning on doing the pancakes with other meats too..mind not until we have used the other 2 huge portions of duck meat stashed in the freezer :rotfl: ... they are soooo simple..im sure you could set the DSs on

i will post it in the morning just in case..it makes 20 wraps too :j

mama67

savingfortravel wrote: »

For me this isn't just about saving money. I also want to be more aware of what goes in my food. I dread to think what goes in Ready Meals.
I would welcome any ideas for:

• OB's sandwich fillers (he is happy with most things but picks up packs of ham/beef at Mr T for convenience-cost £4.50 for 15 portions)
• Ready Meals-2 fish pies are on my March shopping list -price £5.98 -I eat fish but not meat (not an evangelist-I believe each to their own-OB loves his meat).

Thanks in advance for any help.

Maybe this will help

1lb white fish
1pint milk (make up dried)
1½lb potatoes mashed
4 boiled eggs
4oz pl flour
2oz butter

optional:
chopped mushrooms
prawns

poach fish in milk for approx 10 mins full power in micro
drain and flake into a dish
make a basic white sauce using the poaching milk- warm the milk add in the butter until melted then whisk in flour until a creamy sauce, can whizz with hand blender if necessary
pour thisa over the flaked fish and gently stir in
add in halved boiled eggs and optional ingredients if using
cover with mashed potatoes and bake for 20 - 30 mins oven 180°C until golden
can put grated cheese over top before baking if liked.

serve with colourful veggies

nopot2pin

Bummer

I havent really posted this month, although I have been trying to keep up with the thread.

I am doing so pants this month. Dont even know why. Just had a friend over for a natter and a cuppa, and she said she is the same.... Pink Lint
I am already 40 quid over budget and 12 days left of this month for me :eek:

Never mind... I have still spent less this month at this point, than I did when I first started the GC. So will draw a line under this month, as I am not going to let it get me down.

I think part of my problem has been my new hobby . Wine making. I just seem to be getting right into it, but I have been using my GC money to buy equipment that I need.
But I think that I have everything I need now, so it should just be the ingredients coming out of my GC money now.

FrogMaster.... glad that you are still around... the mad box of frogs would just be a box if you left

MRSMCAWBER wrote: »

but would you like the recipe for the pancakes they do with crispy duck -for future use ..

Yes please MrsMc :T . I have copied the pitta and tortilla recipes... but not tried them yet, as I have some shop bought ones in the freezer. So once they are used, I will try yours

Keep up the great GCing everyone ... Maybe next month for me

mama67

MrsBartolozzi wrote: »

Hi guys, not been on for a while, but have been shopping.:rolleyes:
I don't have all my receipts but the total since I was last on is £27.something. If I round it up to £28 I seem to be still on target:j , but have spent a lot on stuff I don't really need. I read on another thread that M&S have their free-range chickens half price so I will feel compelled to stock up on these too.:o
It's not that I have bought lots of junk or rubbish, it's just taking advantage of offers on stuff we will use in the next few weeks. I have plenty food for the rest of the month, excluding bread, milk and fruit but still feel the need to take advantage of all the "offers".
Does anyone else do this?
It bugs me a bit - I feel all virtuous and dare I say it smug with my full freezer, meal plans and tiny shopping list, but when I reach the shops I stock up on bogofs etc. When I get home I extend my meal plans list and feel a bit silly that I could have spent less :mad:
Now rationally I know that what I buy is all stuff we use, and if I waited til I ran out it would be expensive again, so why do I feel that I have been sucked in and that I have just done exactly what the supermarket wants??
Does anyone else do this?
MrsB.

I know exactly what you mean i feel the same way, that is why I have changed my total to an ongoing annual one to allow for the bogofs and reductions that you pick up and will then use in future weeks/months, but have paid a reduced price rather than full price.

mhe

Saving for travel here are 2 sandwich filler ideas.

BEAN WRAPS

Make some of MrsMs toritillas or buy them if thats easier. (her recipe is a couple of pages back and they are quite easy) Spread a tortilla with creme fraiche or soured cream . Drain a can of mixed beans (guess you could soak and boil up your own) Sprinkle some beans into the tortilla(1 can will last 2-3 days) anad add lots of salad stuff. Wrap and enjoy.

LENTIL PATE

1 tbsp veg oil
1 onion chopped
2 garlic cloves
ground pepper
1 tsp garam masala
0.5 tsp ground corriander
1.5 pints veg stock
180g red lentils
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp mango chutney


Heat oil in pan cook onion and garlic till soft. Add spices (Iused curry powder once when i didnt have the others) and lentils and stock
Cook until lentils are soft

Drain and add egg milk and chutney (have missed this out sometimes) and blend until smooth

Pour into a loaf tin and bake 200c for about 45 mins or until firm.

Serve in pitta bread or with crackers with natural yoghurt and cucumber.

Hollysan

We have had half term already this week, and I have found it quite hard with the children and OH at home - the spend has increased this week with them eating their way through the fridge and cupboards and then looking for more!

We spent £73.65 this week (until yesterday) compared to £32.73 last week! Thank goodness it's back to normal on Monday!

So, two weeks to go and the cash is running out. I find it hard to not spend at all, especially on the days I work, as it is so easy to pop out at lunchtime and pick things up. (Living in a village, I have been used to just avoiding the shops when I don't have any cash, it's quite easy to avoid spending money in our post office. Nothing tempting!!):rotfl:

Good luck to everyone for the coming week.

Hollysan