General grocery savings tips?

krazyk

Hi there,

Magentasue,

That'll be great, thank you very much. :-) I've also added those items to my online shopping basket.

reverie,

I highly agree that I won't need the vitamins, but I just don't like fruit and veg. I'm sure there is fruit and veg in the foods I eat, but it's down to the way it's presented, e.g. I won't eat a burger unless it's in a bun (with cheese, etc.).

To be honest I don't like taking pills, never take pills you have to swallow, so am happy chewing the Centrum ones. If anyoe can recommend similar alternatives, that would be great!

Soups, yep, but I'll start with the smoothies first, she how those goes then onto the soups.

K

Lucie_2

My favourite smoothie recipie is 1 banana, a handful of frozen raspberries & a glass of orange juice.
The raspberries keep in the freezer for ages & you can use a "past it's best" banana, as well as value OJ.
You might want to sieve out the raspberry pips !

Magentasue

These are the flapjacks my kids make:

6oz butter melted
stir in 2 tablespoons golden syrup
4 oz granulated sugar
8oz oats


These are the ones I do (no syrup, see!)

8oz butter, melted (50p)
stir in 8oz porridge oats (25p)
5oz granulated sugar (15p)
1oz demerera sugar (5p)

Bake at about 180C for about 15 mins, this makes two trays about 12"x 6", about 24 squares. While they are still warm, cut into squares. The costings may be inaccurate but I reckon they would come in at under £1 and last at least a week. Haven't counted elctricity because I bake them when I'm cooking something else.

Lasagne

1 onion
As much veg as you will eat!
Mince

1 pack passsata (sieved tomatoes - or you can use tinned tomatoes bashed up)

2oz flour
2oz butter
1 pint milk
4oz cheese, grated

Mine is vegetarian - you would probably want to cook some mince first. Mine is a layer of veg in tomato sauce, lasange sheets, more tomato sauce and then covered in cheese sauce. Then bake at about 180C to cook through and brown the top. Jamie Oliver has this trick of cooking a tomato sauce with lots of veg and then liquidising it. I've tried this to get some vitamins into my kids and they haven't noticed!

First make your bolognaise - everyone does this differently. Keeping it simple, peel and chop an onion and any other veg you will eat (pepper, mushrooms, carrot?) and cook gently in about a tablespoon of olive oil. Add a clove of crushed garlic if you like (good for your immune system). Then add some tomato passata (36p from Tesco) and stir in your mince (that you've cooked and drained the fat off - meat eaters will probably know a better way!). Cook all this together for 20mins or so. I would add a teaspoon of sugar, large pinch salt, plenty black pepper and some chopped herbs.

Once this is cooked, leave to cool down while you make the sauce - this is the trickiest bit for new cooks. You could always buy a jar or packet the first time to make it easier! First, grate some cheese, about 4oz cheddar. For the cheese sauce you need an ounce or two of butter, same of plain flour and a pint of milk. Melt the butter on a low heat, stir in the flour, some salt and pepper and you should have a smooth paste. Add a little milk, turn the heat up and when it's hot, stir or whisk it in. Keep adding the milk, heating it and whisking, and you should have a smooth sauce. Leave to cool a bit, then add most of the cheese.

Now put half of your tomato mixture in your lasagne dish, lay on either the fresh or dried lasagne sheets and cover withe rest. Pour over your cheese sauce and sprinkle over the rest of the grated cheese. Put in oven for 20+ mins.

I hope all this makes sense -recipes aren't my strong point because I don't weight or measure much! Also I never cook for fewer than 5 people so I am used to making mega portions!

sarahe

Hello
It really does taste oh so much better.
Water filter jug - then put a slice of lemon in the bottle and put it in the fridge.
By the next morning it really is different to normal tap water.
Give it a try
You could try a slice of lime.
Sarah

tiff

I do exactly the same as Sarahe, as I have a Brita water filter. Asda do their own water filter which is much cheaper. None of us in our house will drink water from the tap now, plus there are so many metals in the water that arent too good for us. Will be a problem when we go camping although I could probably buy some of Asdas own spring water for then.

Luis

krazyk wrote:

(I try and eat little but often).

Weetabix for breakfast.....a smooth yogurt ....a glass of smooth orange juice

Lunch is very small for me, home-made sandwiches (fillings like pate, paste, cheese, ham - cheese is laughing cow, everything else including the bread is Tesco, butter is Flora Pro-Activ). Perhaps one or 2 choc bars (yes, very naughtly) - Twix, Twirls or Kit-Kats and a packet of crisps (though definitely not every day) - Walkers. I actually suffer from tiredness in the afternoons so would actually need to increase the amount of food for lunch.

I have 2 or 3 cereal bars during the day too

Dinner .......all package or tinned food

If I have a dessert it's normally a microwave pudding, ice-cream (both Tesco) or Ambrosia custard.

I have one batchelors cup-a-soups a day, one multi-vitamin from Centrum a day one Yalkult Light drink a day and a Mullerlight yogurt a day K

Hello - for someone who eats little and often, I count cereal, 2 yoghurts, 2 cereal bars, sandwiches, 2 chocolate bars, a packet of crisps, tea meal, pudding, a yakult drink and a cup of soup.

I eat little and often, and that is about 2 and a half times what I eat.

Example daily menu for me:

Breakfast bar (at work as I get up at 5am)
Lunch - cereal mixed with yoghurt and sliced banana
Tea - small portion HM pasta bolgnese, 1 plum.
Supplemented by plenty of tea, water and juice.

(Bear in mind this is only an example, and is varied daily - this is what I had today!)

I also think that the reason you are tired is because of the enormous amount of processed foods you eat that are very high in refined sugar. I used to have a similar diet, and have found that changing to fruits, cereals and HM meals has made an enormous difference. The lunch I have at work of cereal/yoghurt/banana is so filling, and provides a steady release of energy throughout the afternoon.

I have pretty much cut out bread altogether, as I found it was leaving me bloated and lethargic.

I don't like many fruits, but make sure I do eat the ones I do - bananas, apples (sliced), delicious ripened plums, satsumas, melon. I also try and get portions of fruit and veg by eating eg Heinz tomato soup (1 portion), fruit juice, tomatoes in meals etc. I have experimented with fruit, veg, and particularly ways of cooking veg, and found I liked more than I thought (steamed veg is wonderful).

I appreciate you say that you don't like most foods, but I think you would benefit from acknowledging that the foods you do like hurt your health and your budget.

Try substituting one meal a day at first - experiment with cooking, try and find healthier alternatives to a sandwich at lunch. Start by roasting a chicken at the start of the week, eating the first hot meat with the one veg you can stand and maybe a jacket spud / mash / noodles / rice / pasta. Then use the cold meat with a bit of rice / pasta / salad (force yourself) for lunches, shred the meat into other dishes such as cassoulet. Boil up the carcass and make soup / stock.

Liven up salads by adding things such as sesame seeds, walnuts, grapes, apple, mandarins, peanuts, grated carrot, watercress, chopped boiled egg, spring onions - there is nothing as boring as lettuce, tomato and cucumber every time. Chop loads of different foods up and mix them together for some amazing tastes.

You will find that as you challenge yourself to try, you will find new tastes you enjoy, and will be spending less, but on quality, filling, healthy foods.

However, the savings and health benefits cannot happen without a concerted effort from yourself. When OH and I got together, he lived on processed crap, and would think nothing of eating a whole packet of hobnobs in one go.

Now he loves the HM foods, has started making meals from scratch himself, thinks salads are amazing, eats 3 or 4 pieces of fruit a day, and has joined a gym. He has so much more energy enthusiasm, and is healthier and happier.

Please at least try, even if you hate it and give up after one week - but i hope you try.

malolo

Do you have an active job that means you burn up a lot of energy and causes you to need more food?

I have to say that I think you eat quite a lot and can't really understand how you could need that much food in one day.

I'm also confused about where a few things fit in... for example, at the end of your list you say you have a cup a soup and a yoghurt each day... is that on top of the yoghurt you have for breakfast and the sandwiches etc. you have for lunch?

I know that different people need different amounts of food as they have different metabolisms etc. but I find it hard to believe that someone can possibly need a couple of choccie bars and two or three cereal bars on top of the three meals, which seem to be of decent proportion, that you are eating a day.

Are you actually hungry when you're eating or are you eating because you feel like it? I suppose I'm wondering if there's maybe an underlying health problem that may be partly to blame.

krazyk

Hi all,

I must get hungry easily. :-)

I'm not actually fat either, 5ft8in and about 10st is ideal weight.

Magentasue/Lucie/sarahe,

Great, thanks for the info, I'll find the ingredients and give them a go one weekend.

I've looked at a Brita filter kettle and it says that you have to change the filter every 4 weeks regardless of how much you use it. This seems very expensive, but I suppose cheaper than putting a water filter system in your house (which I can't do anyway as I rent).

Luis,

Tea meal? The food varies but that was just the most common food and don't eat all that every day. If I have sandwiches (which I don't every day) I don't eat the crisps and maybe one choc bar (though try not to eat much chocolate). I eat Best of Both bread, I don't like brown bread unfortunately. I eat one cereal bar in between breakfast and lunch and one in between lunch and dinner (as the gaps are far longer than the 3 hours you shouldn't go without food and I do get hungry then). I also eat a bit less over weekends, but don't see this as a lot of food compared to others I see eatting at work for lunch and what they say they have for dinner. I just don't understand now. I'm quite concerned you say this is too much food. :-( I actually seem to lose weight if I eat less than this.

So are you saying you just have a breakfast bar for breakfast?

I have toyed with the idea of cereal at lunch or dinner/tea, maybe I'll start doing that, but what should I do for breakfast, can't really have two cereal meals, can you?

>I appreciate you say that you don't like most foods, but I think you would benefit from acknowledging that the foods you do like hurt your health and your budget.

I already have acknowledged this. Why do you think I'm on here with this thread?

I've tried lots of fruit and veg, salads, etc and continue to do so, I've found no fruit or veg I like and it's very frustrating but thanks for your comments though. I do want to try smoothies (which I will do this week or weekend at least).

malolo,

Nope, my job is a desk job but it's a fair walk back and forth to work (and will increase when I move soon) and always go for a walk at lunch time and get up and about at work as much as possible. Oh and I sometimes go see my dog and get a huge amount of exercise just by running around and playing catch ball on the field for an hour each day (only see him every few weeks though but it's an all-day job to keep him entertained). :-)

The desk work is something that's really annoyed me for the last few years. I trurned down a few job offers for tech support roles (that would definitely be bums on seats all day) for this reason and really want a job out of the office or away from computers, but I'm stuck here atm. :-(

I definitely get hungry, so I have a hunger problem?? Like I said above I don't eat all that in one day and certainly don't put on weight or are heavy for my height.



The problem is that I read, hear, see advice on food and one person says this and the other says the opposite, it's all very confusing. But at the end of the day all food is good and bad for you.

I am all ears to healthier alternatives to what I have now (and cheaper too :-)).

Thanks for your continued feedback.

K

crana999

Since when have you not been meant to go for 3 hours without food?

Curry_Queen

I regularly go 7-8 hours without a meal, and can often be 16 hours from dinner till I eat the next day. I only usually eat twice a day, sometimes just once