Live on a tenner a week ???

HOWMUCH

Ilona wrote: »

Hi HOWMUCH, I can see you are well organized there. Something I noticed in your post, bread will be ok in the freezer for up to three months. Maybe a typo and that's what you meant. I take two slices out and pop it into the toaster, or if I want to make a sandwich to eat immediately zap it in the microwave for three seconds. I also make my sandwiches with frozen bread if I am taking them out with me to eat later. Easypeasy
Ilona

Ilona I meant it's good for 3 days when it comes out of the freezer when frozen on the day of purchase as YS bread. Sorry I didn't make it more clearer.

elona

Years ago when I had to leave for work at 7a.m. I used to make sandwiches for dh from frozen bread assuming it would be fine by lunchtime. For a few days he kept complaining about it being frozen when he tried to eat it. Eventually the penny dropped and I asked WHEN he ate it. The reply was around 8a.m. :eek:

He did a similar thing to his poor mum when he was an apprentice at a foundry. She would make him cheese sandwiches and he would come back every night saying the cheese had gone off. She kept changing what she bought with no luck until it dawned on DH that putting his sandwiches by a steam pipe was not a good idea.

I have just put two YS packs of chicken thighs (40 pence each) into a pan to simmer. The cooked meat can make a rissoto or chicken and noodle dish and the stock can make soup later.

Usually there is only me to cook for but I try to cook a large dish for an evening meal then portion into freezer boxes and freeze it for DDs for when they are extra busy. It saves fuel, means I usually have a home cooked meal if I need one and DDs feel looked after. It also encourages me to keep cooking rather than think it is not worth it for one.

moneyistooshorttomention

My suspicion is that my food spend is around £30 per week - so rather a lot more...but my priorities have changed as I got older...

But I'm not averse to sharing a few ideas - just mentally "nabbed" the one about chickpeas in soup to bulk it out. How can you tell I've recently been clearing out my (errrr....rather large) freezer and am now wondering just why on earth I seemed to have loads of chickpeas in there. Now rationalised into two huge ziplock bags for me to take out a handful when I want and I'm guessing I accumulated so many containers of them because of the number of times I use half a can of chickpeas for something and just put the other half into the freezer (so that I don't waste it).

[Deleted User]

Ilona just listened on my laptop to you Vanessa Feltz interview and really could see your point of view, I too don't waste cash and prefer to spend my wedge on what I want to , not necessarily the 'luxury' items that she semed to think was imortant

I grew up during and after WW2 and Friday night was bath night, and if I was lucky I managed to get in before my two mucky brothers we had an old tin bath in front of the kitchen range,not a plumbed in one ,but we certainly were clean as my late Mum was very particular about her children being scrubbed and shiny

We didn't have the bubbly stuff either, it was a flannel and a soft scrubbing brush for mucky knees and behind ears for my two brothers and woe betide anyone who complained Red Lifebouy soap as well, or green Fairy soap

We grew up with rationing and never went hungry as everything was eaten up or my Mum's eyes would look at you and say
"Good men died to bring that food to this country ,don't disrespect their lives"

Nothing was every left on the plate.We too didn't have all the sugary things of today fizzy pop,crisps, or chocolate.Toothpaste was Gibbs tooth powder which was horrrible but you didn't know anything different.
My late Dad was a chemist and he once brought some Punch and Judy toothpaste home which I thought was delicious as it tasted of strawberries

No central heating or fitted carpetseither ,but we survived and grew up OK, perhaps some of the old ways have stayed with me all of my life as I too wouldn't be able to sleep easy if I owed anyone anything.
Well done on the interview , perhaps Vanessa could do with eating more steamed veg as well,and your right too many tenagers could do with losing a bit more and eating less sugary empty calorie foods .I eat well and cook my own food and dislike ready meals or 'instant food' but then I never had it growing up so I have never missed it I bake my own biscuits but they are usually for one of my hollow -legged grandsons i gave up bread about 18 months ago and lost over a stone without even trying

JackieO xxx

Sunflower1227

JackieO wrote: »

I adore winter for the lovely soups that can be made for very little.I think r the last time I ever bought soup was about two years ago, and then I think it was reduced , the supermarket were stopping selling it in the little metro shop and I got a haul of 10 tins for 10p a tin ,it was value stuff and not brilliant but I used it in casseroles.I much prefer my own stuff,especially when its 'wonky/bendy veg.I am just finishing the leek and potato I made last week and then tomorrow I shall make a sweet potato and pepper one from the fridge where the peppers are just starting to look like me (a bit wrinkled :):))

DD gave me some tinned chickpeas that she had nabbed in Asdas for 20p a tin so they will be used to bulk out some of my forthcoming soups instead of potato's.I do like fairly spicy stuff as well so I always chuck some chilli powder or sauce in my soups .Carrot and coriander is one of my favourite soups

Don't throw the chickpea juice away, you can make vegan merangines with it

Smoosh

Ooo, I think I've found the perfect thread for me - I love a YS bargain!

Unfortunately I live in a student town so the supermarket is very busy and most of the YS stuff is bought buy students when it's only about 50% reduced. Even with the scarce bits left in the evening, it's a horrible scramble to get anything with people grabbing things they don't even want (I like to let them all grab away and wait for them to put things back when they realise!).

Sometimes I still find some bargains, but mostly I'm better off going to supermarkets a bit further away. I'm going to take a trip to one later this week where everything is reduced to 10p in the evening regardless of original price - much better than my local!

moneyistooshorttomention

...now visualising Vanessa Feltz eating plates of steamed veg...

But I've certainly been pleasantly surprised recently to discover just how many ways of doing vegetables there are. You name it and I'll roast it has become one of my mantras for vegetables these days - yep...I definitely like roast cauliflower for instance. I'm fine with cauliflower rice. Cauliflower as pizza base fell to pieces when I tried it recently - so it was edible enough to eat it up - but I wont be doing that again.

Vegetables as crudit!s.

Vegetables spiralised. I thought I'd think "Yuk" about raw courgette spiralised and used as a base for "spaghetti bolognaise" but ...nope...it was fine and will do again.

I'm just not going to have my vegetables juiced - yuk!

HOWMUCH

I picked up 2 pots of carrot spirals from MrT's in my stash on the 6th Feb at 1p each and we have them with some YS co-op sweet pepper pasta sauce, it was very yummy for 37p and 2 good portions.

Smoosh

So...the trip the other supermarket was well worth it and we got a big bag of shopping for £4. It was all very civilised and the person reducing the food was lovely and made some funny jokes (compared to my usual supermarket where they look at you like you're dirt for buying YS!). Not quite as good as HOWMUCH's bargains, but it renewed my faith a bit! I got a huge bag of carrots for 14p, so I'm going to make some soup tomorrow

Lynplatinum

Well done smoosh - I was not where my best YS supermarket is as it is half term. I must admit I missed my weekly buzz of getting a bargain!! However, it has made me do a freezer audit and use stuff up!!
Have to do a L!dil shop tomorrow - the second of the month - last time I spent £13. I allow myself £10 per week for grocery + cleaning stuff Havent been major shopping since so have £15.58 to take tomorrow (cos I bought a block of cheese and (blushes guiltily) a pack of biscuits) So we will see what that buys!