2015 Frugal Living Challenge

lynnejk

rubiesr4eva wrote: »

Slow cookers, I've been looking at, and one piece of advice I got was to get the biggest one (often cook for 6 plus).
So having researched them today, I've found 3 for 6.5 litres.

Mine is a Morph* Rich* and it's about 6.5. I remember buying it at Cu**ys and I know they have lots of things in sale atm so might be worth a look.


I use mine at least one a week at this time of the year for soups/stews/joints and there's loads of recipes on-line to get you started


Hope you all having a great weekend


Lx

happybird71

Hi everyone and hi to all the newbies. I hope you get as much out of this forum as I have. Lots of interesting chats going on. I too am not living as frugally as many others but am trying to cut down on my outgoings. Having happily waved farewell to January and HUGE essential expenses, I am looking forward to a cheaper month - and rest of the year. We have a reasonably big house with a fairly hefty mortgage that we hope to pay off sooner than the 23 years on it. We justify having a fairly big house because we are inundated with visitors and overnight guests which we couldn't host in a smaller house. It has been a real blessing to us and many others.

On a happy note - we cut our food bill by over £100 in Jan - yay!

Thanks cw18 for the car info. Decided for safety & a long term investment it's best to go newish. Going car 'window' shopping today to get our heads round the different models we like then we'll go actual car shopping in a few months.

Frugaldom

On the slow cooker subject, I got my first one in 1985 and wouldn't be without one. I have 6.5 litre version that cost under £20 as a Christmas gift from my DD in December after I accidentally cracked the crockpot of my last one. They last for many years. I don't have a 'normal' cooker, so all the meat, stews, soups, bolognese etc get slow cooked.

[Deleted User]

Hi, ref Slow Cookers, I have small round one for everyday use (only me) and a large oval one big enough for a chicken, just in case. Sometimes you can get small ones in Tesco or similar for around £10 but I have received one from Freecycle (Freegle) so no cost at all, may have to post a few times. Also have had 2 bread makers, gave one to a friend, so worth a look on there and a request.
I recently went into a furniture and electrical charity shop for the first time and they have microwaves and freezers and wash machine, all refurb and 6 mths guarantee, I was most surprised and now am the owner of a muffin maker so have to try that. If I do not need it it can go onto Freegle.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

I know you lot prob do this anyway lol..


but up until today I only ever used to use zoflora to wash down outside when we had a dog..


this morning I put some into a spray bottle to 'perfume' the house.. flipping heck over an hour later and I can still smell it ... normally with candles or air freshner type things, after the intial burst I cant smell nothing...


I am sooo impressed wish I started doing it years ago... I did put half a bottle of zoflora into a spray bottle mind lol, but even this will only work out approx. 35 - 40p for a huge spray bottle of bouquet smellieness lol

evuka

Hello frugallers, I'd like to join, starting only today...

I signed up last year but was rather a lurker, reading your posts daily but not updating too much on my side. Hope this changes this year.

I set an 11k budget for everything this year including my rent, bills and council tax, etc.
I love batch cooking though cook only a few different meals so I need to try some new recipes. Never used a slow-cooker but seems it would be a good investment, I'll defo think about it!

Book or blog recommendations are always welcome will check with my library if they have this Manifesto one, heard a lot about the guy but never read!

Enjoy Sunday, everyone, it's shining here in Scotland!!!

miss_try_to_save

hi all had a very frugal week this week will be baking some scones after dinner and some cupcakes for my lot to munch on dd2 has a special diet so will be cooking a smaller separate batch for her using her special flour

apple_muncher

Grabbed some half-price gluten-free cornflakes this morning and made dd some golden cornflake cakes. Took her a whole one to decide it didn't tasteright! So, 17 more for me! Result!

nannygladys

Hi everyone just posting my January results.

Bills - 206.79
Food etc - 180.70
Fuel - 80.00
6 months/annual bills - 425.15

So total = 892.64

So it looks a lot but I haven't any annual bills in February and I will be cutting down on the food etc category.

Quite pleased but I could do much better, I still have quite a bit of food in so it should only be fresh food that's needed and I'm hoping to cut down on fuel as well. I'M wanting to pay the rest of my mortgage off this month but that is coming from savings, so after that I will be trying to recoup my savings come March.

Anyway just a quick update, by the way I have a slow cooker but I don't really get on with it, I'm a no meat eater and I can't seem to get the hang of cooking veggies in it, I haven't tried anything else in it.

Nannyg

maria3104

rubiesr4eva wrote: »

Evening everyone


Just a quick question, I've been reading various threads and nearly everyone mentions batch cooking or slow cookers.


Batch cooking is not for me I don't think, as tonight I have cooked for 7 and my saucepans don't really allow for more.


Slow cookers, I've been looking at, and one piece of advice I got was to get the biggest one (often cook for 6 plus).


So having researched them today, I've found 3 for 6.5 litres.


1) £19.99
2) £39.99
3) £69.99


Third one, looks to modern and is far too expensive for me to justify.
Only difference between first and second, is that second comes with a few attachments, ie slotted spoon, that I already have. So would obviously go for the cheapest one, but are they really worth having? Don't want to buy another kitchen gadget that won't get used!

Hi,

As am also a beef farmers wife I assume you also have to feed vast numbers at short notice!

I bought a SC when I married 28 yrs ago and thought it would be my friend, we never really bonded. But batch cooking and I are totally in love.

for eg buy 4 kilos of diced beef when on offer, make a vast pot of stew, feed whoever need feeding and then freeze into bags in amounts for (used to be 5, now 3) and if mid week I know there will be no extras I get out a bag on my way to work. Makes for a nearly night off! I do this all the time with spag bol, regularly make 4-5 kiles of the stuff, freeze and the men treat it as a ready meal and nuke it whilst the pasta cooks. I also freeze grated cheese. Freeze soups and lots and lots of fruit pies, whipped out for silage men, etc.

We have 2 massive chest freezers for meat, and I also have an upright in the house for this type of stuff. I used to worry about the cost of the freezer running, but it has saved me a fortune in takeaways, and the men have got used to it.

My sister who is a dairy farmer in Cumbria runs a cook everything fresh system and never batch cooks or has a SC, but she is home farming all day and shoves stuff in the oven as she passes, I am out 8-6 and often can not face thinking about what to eat etc.

Good luck with the SC, will be interesting to see how you get on with it.

Maria