Fussy family

flea72

Tbh i agree with your OH on hm wedges, i much prefer shop bought ones, however i will eat hm ones, i just dont expect them to taste the same as ready made ones

Although aldi sell wedges for 69p, so at that price its no different to making them yourself

But if OH complained about what i cooked, id just not bother cooking for him and he could do his own food. But id set him a budget so he understands that the food he wants, isnt within our price range and im doing the best i can, with limited resources.

peachyprice

Do you do the meal planning together?

We sit down on a Thursday night (I go shopping on a Friday)with the shopping list and decide between us what dinners we fancy for the week, that way he knows what's availble for the week and apart from the nights I'm at ballet my my DD when I need something quick and easy he can have whichever meal he fancies that night.

Occasionally I'll suggest a meal he's gone of off a bit or he'll fancy something I don't, so unless we're in agreement it doesn't go on the list. If he's agreed to it going on the list he can't then moan about it when it's served up!

Wornoutmom

Sweetie83 wrote: »

gayleygoo and wornoutmom wedges were par boiled with a little oil, salt, pepper and paprika. I will still make them for me as they were very much appreciated off the recipy list on this sight and they are lush! Gayleygoo (great name!) will def get him to do it one week!!!x

I never bother par boiling them I just chop em wash em pour over a little olive oil, paprika and season and shake em around, straight on a tray and straight in the oven on hot as I can depending on what else I am cooking, as quick and easy as oven chips then

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Chuck him 20p and tell him to find somewhere that sells a portion of wedges for that much.

Valli

if you do buy any frozen wedges (etc) save - and refill - the empty bags;)

It's surprising what gets eaten if it is carefully 'repackaged';)

FairyPrincessk

Sweetie83,

First, Well done on meeting your grocery challenge! That is a real accomplishment.

Second, you cannot do this on your own. Have you really sat down with your OH and discussed the numbers? I made the mistake of doing all of our finances and just giving my OH a list--how much spending money per week etc. It didn't have any real meaning to him because he didn't know what I was doing with all of the other money and it caused some problems for us initially. Now, I still do all of the finances, but once a month we sit down with a cup of tea (a slice of cake helps the first few times!) and we go through everything together. I think a lot of us (myself included) fall too easily into the trap of being a bit of an ostrich about it. It is really easy to think--I want wedges, they're under a fiver they can't make that much difference:mad: and then we go out and buy wedges. But, if you have to sit down regularly and look at the big picture, it really helps it to sink in that all of those little things are part of a bigger picture. So--if you're OH isn't looking at the finances, it might be time for you to bake a cake and make a cuppa and pat the chair next to you.

I also offer the option of requesting meals---AND, this sounds like it might help you, I also remind him of what we're having the morning of (or the night before if he is cooking it since we rotate cooking depending on who is busiest with work). I find the power of suggestion at breakfast is a powerful motivator to make people want to eat what I'm making:rotfl:

Of course, it helps that I try to make sure we both like most of the meals in rotation. We're both allowed to say we don't like something, and work on ways to do something else. If your OH REALLY doesn't like your wedges, then perhaps you can agree to not have them very often.

Last--we both have a spending money budget. There are a lot of things that come out of that like transport etc. so it isn't very big--but if my OH threw a tantrum like that and was insulting about something I'd worked hard to make, and further more was not appreciative of my efforts to budget, I would A)make clear to him that he had hurt my feelings, but he would have. I'd let him know that he was free to use his spending money to buy something else to eat but that since our finances are tied up together he was NOT free to blow the rest of our budget.

Finally--I meant it when I said that you cannot do this alone. If you stick to your GC and then your OH comes in and undermines you that is not a reason to feel disappointed with yourself.

custardy

Wornoutmom wrote: »

I never bother par boiling them I just chop em wash em pour over a little olive oil, paprika and season and shake em around, straight on a tray and straight in the oven on hot as I can depending on what else I am cooking, as quick and easy as oven chips then

prefer cajun spice and a coating of semolina on mine
I'm with you on the prep though, no par boiling or the like

Funky_Bold_Ribena

What an !!!!.

You can have a whole 7.5kg bag of potatoes for a £5 in Sainsbobs which lasts weeks. If you are struggling for cash then he can't afford to throw his dummy out the pram. Next time, just take his plate, swipe the wedges onto your and the kids' plates and just say 'excellent'.

I've been cooking from scratch for nearly all my adult life and when you have someone who is up on convenience foods; it's usually because they are used to higher salt contents and you need to wean them off. Make sure you taste and season everything before you serve it up.

Lilyplonk

FairyPrincessk wrote: »

Sweetie83,

First, Well done on meeting your grocery challenge! That is a real accomplishment.

Second, you cannot do this on your own..............

spot on, FairyPrincessk :T!

Unless they fully understand the situation, many of our menfolk are quite capable of reacting like small boys who've had their 'sweetie ration' stopped as punishment for some kind of misdemeanour. And, unfortunately, some of us women can become very 'maternally guarded' about the budgetting/shopping/cooking situation.

If we keep the entire family - and that includes kids who are capable of understanding the 'meaning of money and financial priorities' - included in discussions, they're more likely to be co-operative when it comes to being given non-branded things as treats.

As long as everybody in the family feels that they've 'had their say', 'been heard' and 'had suggestions taken seriously' things should run more smoothly.

Depending on how many people are in the family, each member should be able to 'have their own favourite meal suggestion' - I'm sure none of the kids will want things like Beef Wellington every week - it's then up to us to balance the way in which we provide those for those 'favourites' and find a way of making suggestions economically viable.

The whole idea of 'a cuppa tea and a nice 'slice o' cake' is fabulous - sweeten the medicine!!!!!

[Deleted User]

I'm afraid I am with most of the folk on here if he didn't like it he would go blooming hungry Its hard enough getting children to eat stuff at times without a "great big grown up" chap.I was brought up to eat what was put in front of me and if I didn't then I went without.Food is becoming far to expensive an item to have fussiness over.My DD has four lads at home still and none of the family are allowed to be picky.She puts three veg on the table with the meat and the kids are expected to have some of at least two of them on their plate or no pud,no arguement just a firm 'go without then' It amazing how a few hungry growly tums change their minds about stuff.The boys all eat what Mum gives them.