How long would this last you? And How?

Gigervamp

What rubber gloves do you buy? I've found that Marigolds are the longest lasting.

valk_scot

Tea-and-Cake wrote: »

. Tonight it is the quiche with the baby potatoes and some brussels sprouts I had in the fridge that needed to be used cooked with the bacon bought today.

I spend about £80 per week in total for food, loo rolls, pet food basic toiletries and cleaning products. There are two adults and two large teenagers here plus 3.5 cats. (The 0.5 is a timeshare stray.) I shop mostly in Lidl with a couple of trips per week to Tesco at reductions time to bargain hunt and to get things that I can't get in Lidl.


If I had sprouts that needed used up I'd make bubble and squeak with some cooking bacon from Lidl (£1.69 a kilo atm) and ordinary spuds. No need for quiche and two out of the three ingredients would use far cheaper options than baby potatoes and rasher bacon. I'd serve it with at least one other vegetable, like frozen or tinned sweetcorn and carrot batons. The baby would like B&S too, pureed or mashed with a bit of milk and the carrots would be good finger food.


Baby fruit pots are an astounding price. What's wrong with something like stewed apple with a bit of honey or yoghurt mashed in? Or mashed banana? Processed baby food doesn't taste anything like real food and babies can get hooked on the bland texture and taste, as you've found. A lot of veg are naturally sweet too, like carrot. You'll save yourself a lot of weaning problems if the baby has always been used to the taste of real food. I'm not saying that jars and pots aren't useful for travelling and if you're really short of time but real food is cheaper and in the long run more practical for a baby.


Fruit and veg? Buy in season. Sweet potato, avocados and squash are a horrid price. I'd avoid all of them except for the odd special treat. Apples, root veg and brassicas are all in season atm, stick to them. And keep an eye out for gluts, pineapples seem to be very cheap atm goodness knows why.


It's good to menu plan but always be ready to take advantage of any special deals you may spot. For example I picked up two large cauliflowers in the reduced section last night for 5p each so that's cauli cheese with crispy bacon topping (cooking bacon again) on the menu tonight with frozen veg and potato wedges, using basic potatoes again. At a very rough guess this will cost about £3-£4 for the whole meal and that's for two adults and two big and ravenous teenagers.


I always put a hole in the right hand rubber glove before the left one. So once I have two intact left ones I turn one inside out.


I used old cloth nappies for mopping up children's messes. I was given 12 when my first son was born, never used them as nappies but they were so useful I bought another dozen. They're 19 years old now, getting a bit frayed but still going! They must have saved me a fortune in kitchen towel and disposable cloths. I use cheap face cloths for cleaning and the whole lot go in a hot wash together once a week, together with any other cleaning cloths. I use newspaper for chores like peeling veg onto and the whole lot goes in the compost bin.

RAS

Tea-and-Cake wrote: »

I buy those blue disposable cloths for cleaning the bathroom, they go straight in the bin after one use, .

Eek - unless you are using them for the loo in which case buy a loo brush.

I am afraid I use old flannels and have even re-purposed old T shirts in the past

Tea-and-Cake wrote: »

I use cotton cloths in the kitchen and wash those. .

Good

Tea-and-Cake wrote: »

I do use a fresh pair of rubber gloves each week (sometimes 2) as I always seem to end up with a hole in one of the fingers letting all the water in, does this not happen to other people too? .

I never use gloves but hen my hands can be like sand paper. Maybe your nails are long?

Tea-and-Cake wrote: »

I go through a bottle of washing up liquid a week too:o. .

In which case you are using far too much. One thing that ain't pretty but helps is to put the stuff for washing to one side and do it with the next meal's washing up. So you only do it a few times a day.

Tea-and-Cake wrote: »

I use kitchen roll for the endless messes and spills of young children.

Definately re-purpose a couple of old flannels and wash alternate days.

Tea-and-Cake wrote: »

The ham is for packed lunches, as is the cheese and crisps and cartons of juice. But good suggestions for all these things so I will try them.

pennypusher

Do you use up all the fruit and vegetables each week or do you throw away any you don't use?

Valli

re the loo cleaning

I use old towels, cut down, and keep one for the loo only. This goes in a hot wash (60 deg) with the towels. Same cloths are used (as one-offs) for cat litter tray washing and I might have one in the kithen as a floor wipe.
But they all get washed regularly of after one use.

Cannyquine

I am really surprised to hear that you go through a bottle of washing up liquid a week! I dilute my washing up liquid & put it in a plastic bottle with a pump. That way I stop myself from using too much I think my bottle lasts at least a month, and yes I do a lot of dish washing.

carlamarie_2

Re the washing liquid. Do you use a cheaper/own brand?
I have found that when I have used them in the past im lucky to get a week out of a bottle. I find it to be a false economy to be honest. It may be cheap but I buy a lot more.
Fairy washing liquid, however is another matter. I find for some strange reason the first half of the bottle goes down really quick but the second half lasts forever!
I bought two of the bigger bottles at the end of November when they were on offer 2 for £2. I have just this week started using the second bottle.
As an estimate I get about 6 weeks from a bottle. This is washing up 2-4 times a day and also on e a week using it to scrub my kitchen and hallway floor (to remove the residue from the floor cleaners used daily)

Potatoes I buy a big bag of muddy ones from morrisons basic range they are £3.45 and I use these for everything. They're quite big so great for jackets and I just chop them small instead of buying new potatoes. They mash and chip great too.

We go through a lot of yoghurt a in this house. I buy the frubes for packed lunches (6 for £1) then I get morrisons basics from age fraise for the youngest (49p for6) and 2 x chocolate mouse (6 for under 50p can't remember) these are for the eldest two and dh.
Thee great for in the house after lunch or just a treat.

For cleaning the toilet I use a brush for instead where the water is. And I get toilet wipes from home bargains you get two packs for a quid, 50 in a pack. They have a fresh citrusy smell and are flush able too. I use about 3 per clean so they last quite long too.

Baby wipes, I suggest you stock up when they come on offer. I use asdas little angels range. They are £4 for a box of ten atm

carlymummy

Tea and Cake there are 5 of us too, myself, husband and our 3 growing sons 4, 9 & 12. I know what you mean about the cost of food, I suppose it all comes down to how much you can actually afford to spend each week. We have a budget of £100 a week for food/toiletries/petrol I was shopping around using discount stores and Aldi/Lidl but found that I was actually spending much more picking up bits that were on offer or reduced etc (not to mention the extra fuel costs) So we have now gone back to Sburys for our weekly shop and get the fuel at the same time. I do meal plan I find it is the only way to keep costs down, list what you have in before you shop next time and meal plan the weeks meals. I printed off a meal plan sheet from Netmums it's a free template, I complete it and pop it on the fridge so I know each day what to take out to defrost etc. This week our shopping comes to about £60 for food and toiletries meaning any extra saved we can take the boys to the cinema as a treat (kids am showing). After I have planned our meals and checked what I need that I don't already have in stock I price it up online first then when I shop I know exactly what I need and roughly how much it will cost me. It works for us anyway. Hoe that helps a bit x

Angellore

Gigervamp wrote: »

What rubber gloves do you buy? I've found that Marigolds are the longest lasting.

I agree with this 100% I used to buy the cheaper basics and they lasted no time at all. Tried shops own and they weren't much better. Marigolds can last me for weeks. Once they get a small hole in that lets the water in (I have long nails so one usually gets them in the end) they then go into the bathroom for use in there as I don't tend to find the cleaner I use in there can get through the holes. My mum only ever moves the one with the hole in to the bathroom, so if it is the right one then only the right one goes in the bathroom and only a right one comes out of the new pack. Only problem is you could end up with alot of one had spare! I then chuck the bathroom ones away when they are no longer any good for the job.

Also, if you have very long nails you can wear a pair of thin cotton gloves under the rubber gloves and this will help them last longer.

cornishchick

I heard a tip once..
Turn your gloves inside out before using them, then put a strip of tape or plaster over the finger tip then turn back right, iyswim..