Enjoying the journey to becoming debt free - paying back the credit cards

fedupandskint

Just spent some reading a good meal plan for 50p thread which was a very interesting read.

Made me realise how much stuff I have in that can feed me for quite a long time and also that wI don't want to eat meat every day. Think its best for me to have a few days a week without any, as I don't like eating it every day.

I've got a lot of dried beans and so on in the cupboards so its time to start using them up in meals and focus on eating what I already have.

When I'm feeling better I'll give some recipes a go - just don't feel up to cooking much at the moment unfortunately but it shouldn't be too long before normal frugal lunch service is resumed once again

fedupandskint

The plan is to incorporate soup for tea once a week, meat free days 3 or 4 days a week, fish 2 days some weeks and neither for other 2 days a week

Forgot how much I really like dhal, chickpea curry and generally meat free currys and also homemade puddings!

fedupandskint

Woah! That infection has kicked in again - should have listened to myself and not walked to the post office to post the final ebay sale. Decided to walk into town and get some toothpaste for the dog as it was only across the road and then call into the supermarket for some tissues before I ran out.

Really should have come home straight after the post office as by the time I got back home I was practically shuffling and the soreness and infection is coming on strong this afternoon. Oh well, really won't be doing much for the rest of the day/week. Don't think I'll be back at work next week either at this rate.

Oh well, more happily the baking sets arrived this morning - very heavy - price checked the supermarket equivalents and they came out at £5 more expensive just for the more lightweight versions. I'm keeping one for me, always need a new baking sheet of course! The other one is for a present.

Taking of presents - updated my Christmas present lists and discovered I've almost finished. wJust waiting for another survey to come in to get the final few points for another voucher then will order the dvd. If there's another sale on between now and Christmas - which of course there will be - I'll keep an eye out for a top for mum and socks for brother

Then had a little thought about making some presents again after last year's successful bath salts thinking now about branching out in bath bombs and soap and I think I'll while this afternoon on finding sout some recipes and supplies

fedupandskint

Trying to reduce food costs - this week's aim for the shopping list is;

Milk £1.74 6 pints
Cabbage 80p
Tomato puree 49p
Custard 17p x 3 = 51p
Tomatoes 35p x 3 = £1.05
Yoghurts £1.31 x 2 = £2.62
Chocolate mousse 62p
passata 79p
mung beans 50p - £1

Total = £9.62 for the week ahead
Recipe ideas to try using up a lot of what is already in the cupboard

Tuscan Bean and Pasta Soup
Serves 6
Total cost £1.38
Portion cost 23p
1 large onion 12p
4 cloves garlic 12p
1/4 carton of passata 10p
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes 25p
fresh basil 30p (use as much or as little as you like, but it's not the same without it)
1 400g tin of beans (cannelini/kidney/black eyed/ chick peas) 20p
salt 1p
pepper 1p
1 stock cube 5p
120g pasta 20p
2 pints tap water
1tsp veg oil 2p

Gently fry the chopped onion and chopped garlic in a large pan with the vegetable oil
Add the passata, tomatoes and basil and simmer gently for 15 mins
Dissolve the stock cube in 2 pints of boiling water and add to the pan along with the beans, simmer for 5-10 mins *
Add the pasta and simmer gently for 12-15 mins until the pasta is al dente
Season to serve

Vegetable Lasagne
Serves 4
Total Cost £2.18
Per portion cost 55p

1 pack dried lasagne sheets 39p
1 large onion 12p
2 cloves garlic 6p
3/4 carton of passata (see what i did there? Nigel would be proud) 30p
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes 25p
1/3 red pepper 11p
1/3 green pepper 11p
1/3 yellow pepper 11p
5/6 mushrooms (if you like them) 20p
3 sticks celery 25p
1tsp vegetable oil 2p
25g margerine 5p
25g flour 1p
1pint semi skimmed milk 25p

Chop the onion and garlic and fry in a little oil in a large pan, while it is softening a little, chop the celery up quite fine, then add the celery too and stir to coat in oil. Put the lid on so it all sweats a bit.
Once it is nice and soft add the passata and chopped tomatoes and simmer while you slice the mushrooms and chop the peppers.
Once the mushroom and peppers are ready add them to the pan and turn right down while you stir it all together. Then turn it off.
Get you serving dish and put 1/3 of your tomato mixture in the base of the dish, then place lasagne sheets on top, i don't soften them first, but you can if you like, also you could use fresh lasagne if you want but i have quoted the price for dried. Once you have covered your tomato mixture in a layer of lasagne add another 1/3 of the tomato mixture on top and then lasagne sheets again, then the final 1/3 of tomato mixture.
Make up a white sauce by melting the margerine in a small pan, then adding the flour and mixing well to make a sort of wet dough, let it cook just for a minute or so to get rid of the 'floury' taste.
Turn the heat to mild and then add 1/6 pint of milk making sure you stir it well, as it warm through while you stir it will thicken up, once all the milk is combined and you have a smooth thickened sauce add the next 1/6 pint of milk and keep stirring.
You keep doing this until you have a smooth glossy sauce, about a pint is enough for 4 people, but if you like more then just adjust the recipe accordingly.
Once the sauce is ready lay you final layer of lasagne sheets onto the top of your last tomato layer and then pour the white sauce over the top so it covers the lasagne layer.
Bake the dish on high with foil over the top for about 30mins, then uncover the dish and pop back in the oven for another 8-10 mins until the top is brown.
(You can add cheese once you have removed the foil if you want, or even make a cheese sauce instead of white sauce)

Veggie Pasties
Total cost for 6 large pasties £3.06
Cost per pasty 51p
Shortcrust Pastry
500g Flour 50p
250g Margerine 50p
few tbsp tap water
Veggie filling
1 tsp oil 2p
1 Large onion 12p
6 small potatoes cubed into 1cm cubes 30p (i allow 50g per pasty)
3 large carrots chopped into small pieces 12p (i allow about 25g per pasty)
1 tin kidney beans 20p
small grating of nutmeg if you have it on the spice rack 2p
1/2 pack of veggie mince (quorn or similar) 99p
100 g lentils of your choice (brown/green work best) 20p
1 stock cube 5p
1 pint tap water

Warm the oil in a large pan, add the onion, carrot, potato and sweat with the lid on for about 5 mins.
Add the nutmeg, kidney beans, veggie mince, stock, water, marmite and lentils then simmer for 15 mins/until the potato is just cooked. Then take off the heat and allow to cool.
While the mixture is simmering make the pastry.
Put the flour in a large bowl and then cube the margarine into the flour, it should be straight from the fridge. Rub the margarine into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Add a small amount of tap water, make sure it's as cold as possible, then mix into the breadcrumb mixture until it binds together into a ball of pastry.
Bag and chill.
Once the pastry and mixture are both cold you are ready to assemple.
Roll out the pastry to desired thickness, i usually do it until it is about 1/2 cm thick, then usig a side plate as a template cut round it to make a circle of pastry. Then put a mound of filling onto 1 half of the circle and fold the other half over to make a semi circle, pinch the edges together.
Do the same for the other 5.
Bake in a hot oven until crispy and golden, about 25-30 mins.
If you are making extra for the freezer, allow to cool before wrapping in tin foil and then freezing. This way you can bake reheat them in the foil when required.

Mung Bean Daal
At least 6 portions
Total cost £1.73
Cost per portion 29p
Including rice cost per portion increases to 36p per portion
2 medium onions, diced 15p
1tsp ground cinnamon 2p
1 tsp cumin seeds 2p
375g mung beans 80p
1 fresh red chilli 10p
Vegetable oil 5p
3 tsp garam masala 12p
salt 2p
juice of one lemon 30p
6 cloves of garlic 15p
Using a large saucepan, fry the onions in a little oil until soft then add the chopped chilli, cumin, cinnamon, stir to coat in oil then add the mung beans and 2 pints of water.
Boil for 5 mins then simmer for 45 mins
Add garam masala and then simmer again for 35 mins, adding extra water if it starts to look dry
Add the salt and lemon juice and simmer for 10-15 mins until the beans are soft
In a small pan heat the oil on the lowest setting your hob will do and add the chopped garlic, fry on the lowest heat until the garlic goes golden and is 'chewy'
Serve the mung beans with rice and pour the garlic oil over just before serving
Yummy with chapatis for a lighter dish and freezes brilliantly to be defrosted in the microwave or on the hob.

Chana Daal
300g Chana 40p looks a bit like yellow split peas, you can use yellow split peas as a replacement
1tsp salt 1p
1tsp turmeric 5p
1 tbsp oil 2p
1 tsp chopped garlic (about 2 cloves is what i usually put in) 6p
1 tsp chopped red chilli (you can use dried chilli, or, chilli powder, just adjust the amount to suit your taste) 10p
2 chopped fresh tomatoes or half a can of chopped plum tomatoes (200g) 12p
Total 76p
Total per portion 19p
Serves 4
Freezes brilliantly so easy to double up the recipe and make portions for the freezer, then defrost either in the microwave or on the hob

Method
Put the chana in a large saucepan, rinse then drain, add 2 pints of water, the salt, turmeric and bring to the boil with lid off, then simmer for about 20 minutes.
In a small saucepan warm the oil on the lowest heat your hob will do, pu the chopped garlic in and fry very slowly until it goes a nutty golden colour and is a 'chewy' texture.
Add the chopped tomatoes to the oil and garlic mix and warm gently.
Add the tomato mixture into the chana saucepan and then simmer for a further 10 minutes.
Delicious with plain rice and/or naan bread
Rice is about 7p per portion so if you include that then it is about 26p per portion

Chick Pea and Chilli Cakes with minted dip
Makes 4 big portions
Dip = 32p per portion
150g fat free yoghurt 50p
4-5 tbsp of finely chopped mint 75p
1 pinch cumin 1p
1 pinch cinnamon 1p
salt and peppper 1p
Mix well in a bowl and chill until serving
Chick pea cakes = 57p per portion
2 x 400g cans of chick peas 50p
1tsp cumin 3p
2 slices of bread made into bread crumbs (i just use the nobbies off the loaf) 10p
3 beaton eggs 45p
8 tbsp of freshly chopped coriander 75p
1 red chilli chopped (can use chilli powder if you have it) 10p
4 spring onions chopped finely 35p

Basically...mash the chick peas in a large bowl. Add everything else and mix well. Then form into small or large burgers and fry gently in a frying pan to cook, flip halfway through cooking.

---

Popped them on here as a reminder to me to try them out and so I can find them! Thanks to the original posters for putting them up in the first place.

Oh yes, today was my final no spend day for October - today's spends on ebay postage were paid for by the buyer and the supermarket spend was already budgeted for out of grocery challenge and money already in the purse meaning it is a total of number 14 no spend days for October

Upping my game for November - aiming to get in around £80 on grocery challenge if at all possible and at least 15 no spend days in November

fedupandskint

Just spent the morning writing down some more cheap easy filling meals and popped them into the calorie counter - all ok although the odd one did make me wince a bit on the fat content! Having said that I'm feeling determined to get that food shopping budget down this month.

Just weighing up whether to go to the supermarket today or tomorrow as I can certainly feel the virus changing and think it might come out tomorrow in a form more like flu - not sure but certainly feel number today like something is on its way.

Not much else to report really apart from either way it will be a nsd as already have the grocery budget out ready to go

fedupandskint

Feel slightly better today although the infection is still there - just not quite as bad as this time last week however certainly nowhere near back to normal. Looks like a weekend full of tv watching and early afternoon dog walks to get that done before the fireworks start. Could tell on this afternoon's walk that I am not recovered or close to 75% recovered as the dr suggested I might be by this time. Regardless its good to feel at least slightly better and realise the corner is hopefully turned at long last.

What else? The christmas present book order arrived today and the meat free monday cookbook is absolutely brilliant a gorgeous hardback book for £3.99 rrp £19.99. Although I won't use every recipe there are plenty I will try and am using up an old cauliflower tomorrow in a curry and might even try the recipe out of there as it looks quite similar to the one I've used before

Was naughty and ordered some sale items today from another grabbit. 2 were for mum to go in her present hamper, if they fit, and then quite a few for me at £7 each. Same rules apply though - only keep them if they both fit and they look good and I like them! Still I could absolve the guilt and naughtiness by using my leftover birthday money for them! Or not!

Anyway, I pledge to use up a lot of the freezer stuff over the next few weeks and not buy another thing to go in there until there is less than a weeks' worth of stuff in there as opposed to now when it's stuffed full of food. The main focus is on using up what I have in and stick to it this time!

If I do I might stand a chance of coming in somewhere close to my budget - hmm can I? Let's see

fedupandskint

Caved into some bacon and sausages and grapefruits when I called into Mr S for some coriander for tonights curry - hmm I was so cold and damp after walking to town and back, all I could think of was a nice hot bacon sandwich for lunch and not my soup portioned up in the fridge. Into the basket it fell with another pack of cumberland sausages. When I go tback home I talked myself into having the soup and lovely and tasty it was too. The bacon has a long bbe date on the pack, the sausages less long - will portion up and freeze some of them instead and maybe use some for lunches next week and break up the soup marathon. not very MSE though compared to cheap soup and 30p beans - buy 2 pack for £5.

Totally gutted by my lack of control in the supermarket, I came across a thread on the OS Board - FISCAL FAST FOR 7 DAYS

Here, I pledge to give it a go. and not spend from now until 6 days have passed - allowed to get milk if I run out. Trying for 6 days just in case I have recovered by next weekend and get to see my mum for a change and we go out for a coffee.

Will stay off the grabbit boards and not buy anything from there this week and also stay out of the shops. Only thing I'll pay for is postage for ebay sales however the buyers have paid for this so as long as the cost comes in under it's allowed.

This should help me get some NSDs in too which I want to get in this month

Wish me luck, I''ll need it!

fedupandskint

£33 made from ebay tonight -v.pleased! Another 4 items on there but no bids so I'll be surprised if any of these sell.

Think that might be it for a while, actually no - found some unused and unwanted toiletries which can go on for a free starting price and I'll take some photos and pop them on next week to finish next weekend then that's about it until the next free listing weekend.

On another note - had a very nice filling tea of cauliflower curry and gujarati cabbage and then quite a lot of choccy to cheer me up as feeling a bit coldy and coughy now ontop of everything else. Left overs for tomorrow too.

Keeping Mr Dog company while the fireworks go off everywhere including the public display due shortly. He seems ok in here with me so here's hoping it calms down a little later on

fedupandskint

No they didn't sell and its free listing weekend again! Just found out so tomorrow will be listing day away yeah!

Meal plan for week ahead - feel like lots of warm cosy meals next week hmm....

Sun - curry leftovers
Mon - batch baked chilli with either rice or baked potato and veg
Tues - fish with baked potato and veg
Wed and Thurs - midweek undecided maybe some kind of potato topped pie to last 2 days?
Fri - fish curry and rice

fedupandskint

Today's plan is to have yet another quiet day, but that's ok as I don't feel up to much today at all so it will be to list plenty on free listing day and relist unsold items, do the dreaded job of brushing the dogs teeth as they are in a pretty bad state - must do that today, yukky!

So its taking some photo's ready to list this morning, list this afternoon, watch the film ready to send back tomorrow and make a steamed pud for tea - yum!

Oh yes and to go the first of the NSDs as part of the frugal challenge for this week and if I have time or inclination start my notebook for the making 1% at a time challenge which I keep putting off