Creating an OS household...

thriftlady_2

C_Pallet wrote: »

Do you HAVE to use castor sugar or can you use ordinary (tea/coffee type ) stuff.

Same as Natty -I use granulated for most baking.

Dememrara for flapjacks and soft brown sugar for certain recipes and for sprinkling on little pots of yogurt to make a quick brulee-type pud.

moanymoany

I started by looking at what we were eating and worked from there. The idea of taking on moneysaving, new style eating, new style budgeting etc. all at once was daunting so I looked at where I was with food.

I did a weeks meal plan and jiggled it. Spag bog became spag with tomato sauce. We ate meat about every day and I cut that down to three times a week. Toad in the hole with no toad! Oven wedgies (HM - cut unpeeled pots into wedges, boil for five mins, drain and put back in pan with 1 - 2 tablespoons oil and shake (you can put garlic, spice etc. in at this stage) put in tin in hot oven for 15 minutes) as value potaotes were very cheap at the time, then put things with them - chilli with no mince, eggs, tomato sauce (HM tin toms with chopped onion and stock cube simmered till onion cooked) with scrambled eggs stirred in, baked beans.

From these meals I went on to others I read about on the Thrifty and OS threads. I have to say that I still make lots of these because they are delish.

I always use value unless it is really awful. I was feeding the two of us for £15 a week, but as things eased I upped that and I now spend £200 - £250 a month on all household stuff. We haven't gone back to lots of meat, but now my hole always has a toad in it.:rotfl: :rotfl:

Sarahsaver

stu369 wrote: »

OS???
Please put me out of my misery!

Old Style.
Welcome Stu!

trickypockets

No-one's mentioned soup - this is a great thing to make to use up veg that's starting to look a bit tired, and only takes a few minutes if if you've got a liquidiser or food processor. The Covent Garden soup company recipe books are very good and not too fancy, or you can just make it up .
I usually start with :

1 onion
1 tin of tomatoes
1/2 pint of stock made with Swiss bouillon powder (all supermarkets have it)
3 or 4 carrots
good sprinkling of mixed herbs
a good pinch of cumin
a handful of red lentils

Then you can add just about anything - parsnip, broccoli, peppers, celery, leek etc. If you're going to liquidise it you can leave the veg in big chunks, otherwise chop it small. The lentils are to help thicken it a bit, but you can use a small potato instead. (Too much potato will make it gloopy.)
Add extra water if the liquid doesn't cover the veg and simmer for about half an hour, then test the hardest veg to make sure it's soft before you liquidise.

It's a bit hit and miss flavour wise, but I've never made any I couldn't eat and enjoy with a slice of really nice bread, and it's cheap and nutritious .
Add anything else you like - sprinkle of nuts or seeds, swirl of creme fraiche etc. A teaspoon of honey often helps to 'fill out' the flavour.

pottingshed_2

I'm new so I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned saving money by making stock with your left over veg or peelings? you need equal-ish quantities of anything from the following catergories

1. onions, celery (could use tops or tails), garlic clove
2. carrot (could use peelings), parsnip, celeriac
3. 6 peppercorns, 1 bayleaf, thyme

add chicken bones for chicken stock

so you could use an old onion, carrot peelings, and a sprig of thyme cover with water over by an inch bring to the boil and cook for 30 mins - strain and there's your stock. it lasts about a week in the fridge. you could make lots and freeze in ice cubes.

for cleaning toilets you could use a bit of vinigar down the loo and left over night - brush and flush and voila!

to clean glass cut a potato in half and smear over the glass, wipe down with a bit of old paper or newspaper.

I dont know if this is obvious but if we want to spash out on chicken we buy chicken legs cook them up and then take off all the meat. you have better meat than breast, bones left for stock, and you get a lot more meat than you would think. our farmers market sells two packs of 6 chicken legs for a fiver. that makes the two of us 4 yummy meals - more if you add other meat scraps to make pie etc.

schoolfundraiser

I suspect this is what the Aussies call "damper"

but is really popular in our family flavoured with tomato puree

Sorry no measurements as I am a "bung it in until it looks right" cook

In your bowl put about as much Self Raising (has to be or it won't rise) Flour as about half to three quarters of the size you expect the finished loaf to be.

Add a squirt of olive or vegetable oil, teaspoon of salt, big squirt of tomato puree (prob about 2 tablespoons) and mix it all up using a knife or a fork with enough milk to make it into a just-about-sticky dough.

Flour hands and a baking tin well (no need to grease it)

Shape dough on baking tin into a loaf shape

Put in pre-heated oven gas mark 6 middle shelf for about 40 minutes or so. When it is done it will sound hollow when you tap the bottom. Put on rack to cool.

Slice when cool if you can wait that long. Chuck away toasted flour and wipe baking tin.

If you are feeling rich you can add cheese to the mix to make a pizza variation.

maryb

I remember Which did an article years ago about the sort of sugar to use in cooking and they came to the conclusion after testing lots of different recipes that it made absolutely no difference using granualted. That gave me the confidence to stop sticking to recipes which called for caster sugar and I'm convinced it makes no difference to the taste or texture. It might take a few seconds longer to dissolve, that's all.

fingersxed

flapjack 6oz butter(got to be butter not marg) 6oz muscadavo sugar 8oz porrigde oats. melt butter in saucepan. mix oats n sugar together in bowl pour in melted butter. flatten mixture on greased baking tray n cook in oven for approx 30 mins. gas 2 or 150c

sponge cake
4oz each of marg sugar sr flour n 2 eggs. mix sug n marg first. add eggs 1 at a time then flour. put in t cake tins and cook for approx 25 mins on 180c.

Friut buns same as above but throw in some mixed fruit. not sure how much cause i just do it about 2/3 oz then put in paper cases and bake. makes about 18.

As for these lasting the only problem is keeping everybodies thieving hands off and rationing!!! Gd luck

moanymoany

I stocked up on handwash stuff when they were BOGOFs, but they have now come to an end. Sorting out, I found a bottle of white 'Creme Bath' from Superdrug. I bought it for my mum but she didn't want it. As an experiment I filled up the empty hand wash containers - so far it is working.:D

scuzz

I always have the following in my cupboards

garlic
dried mixed herbs
pasta
tinned tomatoes
self raising flour
plain flour
sugar - caster, granulated and icing
slat/pepper
porridge oats - great for flap jacks

Bulk buying I'd get a
huge bag of pasta - which is still cheap
loo roll/kitchen roll
look for BOGOFs on toileteries
bread - can be frozen (if you don't make your own that is)
butter/margerine - again can be frozen
washing stuff
cleaning aids

Good luck, it just takes a while to get used to things. Avoid shopping for single items too, as you'll undoubtedly end up buying more things!!!