2015 Frugal Living Challenge

Wombatchops

cw18, you're so devious, I love it. Thank you for that, I'll jot those ideas down somewhere he won't see them. I just wish someone would pull him up on this. He won't listen to me, why would he? I'm the nagging wife. And as if to illustrate what I was talking about earlier, he didn't have breakfast today so he had brunch.

OK, so I expect him to have quite a bit, he ate two ham wraps. Sounds reasonable? Think again. In each wrap he had four slices of ham, salad cream, and what can only be described as clumps of margarine. What's that all about? Yuck. I feel like bursting into song. How do you solve a problem like my husband?

Nargleblast

Wombatchops - if you do a roast meat meal, you could serve a first course of giant Yorkshire puds filled with onions and gravy. This should take the edge off his appetite, so in theory he should eat less meat. If you have a good quality carving knife then you could carve the meat in thin slices which will taste nicer, and the joint will go further - maybe enough to put in the freezer for another meal.
As far as his weight problem goes, just dish up loads of well-seasoned, low calorie nutritious veg along with his reduced meat ration. Find ways to reduce the fat and calories in cooking meals without sacrificing taste.
A simple dessert idea is sugar free jelly with natural yoghurt beaten in to make a yoghourt jelly cream dessert.
I am sure others can suggest some good meal ideas.

Nargleblast

Oh, and the margarine addiction - filthy stuff, full of additives (says she, who eats dairy free Vitalite). You could buy him the cheapest, nastiest tasting marge, or try a small amount of real butter in sandwiches instead. Although if he starts layering that on like cement your bills will rocket!

Wombatchops

Thanks Nargleblast. I'll add those to my tips.

After taking advice from you all I feel it's only fair to share my frugal activities back. I'm sure plenty of you do this already, but the following helps to get the best deals available to us. Where we live we have a Waitr0se, Mr S Local, Mr T, and Ald!. Well, I do not have a Waitr0se income, and Mr S Local is only really suitable for top up shops. So, when we need to do the shopping we write our meal plan and our list. I then search for all of the items on the Mr T website and note down the prices and the unit price. I then go to Ald! first, and if the unit price works out cheaper, I get it from there. However, if the unit price is the same, I get it from Mr T so I get their loyalty points and their Fuel Save savings. I usually save between £5 and £10 per week doing this.

Needhelpsaving

To hide veg in dinners, I;

- grate carrot into cottage/shepherds pie instead of oats - does not disappear, but I said 'it soaks up the meat juices' - this was not questioned by OH.
- Finely chop mushrooms or red peppers & mix with mince for chilli/lasagne/bolognese.
- Have made pasta dishes with less meat in - bacon/sausage/chicken. I stir the ingredients together before dishing up and no-one has noticed yet.

sparrer

I got a belated birthday card from Matalan today, offering me £5 on my next shop if I spend £30. It's cheaper not to go there at all, at least until I've scoured the charity shops if I should need anything.

Always on the lookout for cheap meals I read about 2 ingredient omelettes so had to try them. Mash 1/2 banana, whisk 1 egg til creamy, combine the two and fry in a drop of oil over a medium heat until the underside is lightly browned. Very quick and healthy, makes a lovely pudding for pennies.

his_missus

Wombatchops, fortunately we don't have children so there is no need to have treats like biscuits or chocolate in the house. On the odd occasions we do, I do have to hide them on the top shelves where he can't reach.


I've been known to hide packets of crisps in my slowcooker and choccy biscuits in a large stockpot at the back of a cupboard


The expense with hubby, apart from all meals requiring meat is that he does favour certain brands. He also doesn't understand why I still try to shop cheaply now we're no longer in debt.

Wombatchops

his_missus wrote: »

Wombatchops, fortunately we don't have children so there is no need to have treats like biscuits or chocolate in the house. On the odd occasions we do, I do have to hide them on the top shelves where he can't reach.


I've been known to hide packets of crisps in my slowcooker and choccy biscuits in a large stockpot at the back of a cupboard


The expense with hubby, apart from all meals requiring meat is that he does favour certain brands. He also doesn't understand why I still try to shop cheaply now we're no longer in debt.

This made me laugh. Should I assume that he doesn't use the slow cooker or stockpot if these are your hiding places?

I have to be grateful at least that I have managed to wean DH off brands. Have you tried doing what some on the Old Style forums do, and keep the packaging for branded products but fill them with own brands? Those who do it say that their partners and families are none the wiser.

I'm now looking at various meals and thinking about what ingredients I can use as substitutes and get away with. I've been using oats in mince dishes for a few years now, but last week I substituted one quarter mince for vegetarian mince in ragu wraps. I couldn't taste the difference, and I knew they were in there.

his_missus

Unfortunately Wombatchops, Hubby comes shopping with me. That's another thing, it's like going shopping with a kid, he's always trying to sneak in goodies not on my list!


Tried online shopping for a while but it really didn't suit me.


My hubby doesn't even know where the slow cooker and stock pot are kept, let alone use them :rotfl:

quidsy

Annual call in to Sky to tweak the account.


Me: want to leave, paying for pointless phone line. Virgin offer phone line free broadband
Them: We can't waiver the line rental but how about we knock 12.50 a month off broadband costs to compensate
Me: Great & get rid of the £5 call package too please.


Happy all round as we use our BB & TV package at lot, it's our main source of family entertainment but the phone line was just dead cash for nothing. Only oh uses it to call overseas but I was being charged on top of that anyway for the cheap call numbers he uses, so there i no difference at all in call costs by going PAYG.


Budget updated = £210 saved over 12 months.