Eat Well For Less Series 3

Pollycat

catkins wrote: »

I can understand why she wants to make sure her cupboards are stocked because of her childhood but not why she buys grated cheese, packaged veg etc and then throws most of it away. Those parsnips she threw looked fine to me.

And to me.

catkins wrote: »

The bit about the teabags just annoyed me. Her silly comment "it doesn't taste tea like" just summed her up. Her cackling like a witch made me want to throw something at the tv.

I'm organised. :rotfl:

Pollycat wrote: »

Saw the new series advertised in the TV magazine and immediately went off to find my foam brick ready to throw at the tv.

Flat_Eric

I thought her reaction to the Yorkshire tea not being changed and it was in fact their usual cuppa was a bit silly really and a bit over the top. I also agree that the parsnips looked perfectly ok and "just to make good tv/make us yell at the tv" she commented that bag of veg can go in the bin because we are not going to use it but I guess there are a few of us (me included) who buy something because it seems like a good idea at the time and then it doesn't get used and money is wasted. I ate stir fry veg last night that was use by the 22nd July so 6 days past its use by date. It wasn't very nice but that's because I had burnt it, not because it had gone off !

C_J

With regard to meal planning, I use an A5 sized wire-bound notebook (I had some printed for delegates at a conference last year, and have dozens left over which I am now using up in true MSE style!).

On the left hand page I list the days of the week and populate this list with lunches, dinners and desserts. On the opposite page I create the corresponding shopping list.

The weekly meal plan is made after consulting my freezer inventory list and checking what's in the fridge and cupboards. I try to have two fish based dishes, two vegetarian meals and three meat ones each week. Like many others here, I bulk out dishes with lentils or veg to make them go further and almost always freeze a couple of portions to have a week or so later. Usually one week of the month then ends up being 'eat from the freezer' which makes for a very inexpensive week with regard to supermarket shopping.

My biggest challenge is thinking of desserts as I'm not really interested in them (I prefer a cheeseboard any day) but Mister CJ is a real pudding kinda man.

I loosely plan for three months ahead, fine-tuning the plan for the month ahead and really sharpening it up at the start of each week before heading out to shop. The reason for the long term plan is to ensure the contents of the freezer are slotted into the meal plans and not forgotten about, and also because I now shop mainly in Aldi - I will only do a very occasional shop in one of the other supermarkets, just to get things which I can't find in Aldi. These are usually ingredients which will store well, so I get them in one fell swoop every six to eight weeks.

I like to keep my menu plan notebooks so that if I run out of ideas for meals, I can look back on previous ones for inspiration. The 'What Are You Making For Dinner Tonight' thread on this forum is brilliant for that too

Pollycat

Flat_Eric wrote: »

I thought her reaction to the Yorkshire tea not being not being changed and it was in fact their usual cuppa was a bit silly really and a bit over the top. I also agree that the parsnips looked perfectly ok and "just to make good tv/make us yell at the tv" she commented that bag of veg can go in the bin because we are not going to use it but I guess there are a few of us (me included) who buy something because it seems like a good idea at the time and then it doesn't get used and money is wasted. I ate stir fry veg last night that was use by the 22nd July so 6 days past its use by date. It wasn't very nice but that's because I had burnt it, not because it had gone off !

I would have either used the parsnips to make soup or boiled & mashed them and frozen them to use with mashed potato as a shepherd's pie topping.

In fact, I've just got some savoy cabbage out of the freezer together with some mashed swede and I'll add some mashed potato as a topping for minced beef.
Good way to meet your 5-a-day target.

lessonlearned

catkins wrote: »

I didn't like the woman this week at all. Even my OH said "What a stupid lazy woman" and he never comments on this type of programme usually.


I can understand why she wants to make sure her cupboards are stocked because of her childhood but not why she buys grated cheese, packaged veg etc and then throws most of it away. Those parsnips she threw looked fine to me.

The bit about the teabags just annoyed me. Her silly comment "it doesn't taste tea like" just summed her up. Her cackling like a witch made me want to throw something at the tv.

The dad and daughter were nice enough but then it is nearly always the women in this programme that come across as so stupid and often lazy

"Cackling like a witch". Bit harsh. It was just an attack of the giggles. Her laugher was infectious. She got her husband and both presenters going.

I love a hearty laugh, especially the uncontrollable, wipe your eyes kind of laughter. My late husband laughed like that, he would get us all going. Sbe reminded me of that.

At least she had the ability to laugh at herself and see the funny side of her ingrained habits and mistakes.

By the end of the programme you could see that the penny had dropped and she had had her lightbulb moment.

I find some of the comments about the people on these programmes to be very harsh and judgemental. They are not bad people - just a little foolish.

This MSE malarkey doesn't come naturally to all of us.

Whilst I wasn't quite as bad as some of the people in these programmes I had to learn the hard way so I can empathise with them.

We are not born knowing all this stuff and some of us are not natural domestic goddesses.

Just edited to add......

I can cook well (most of the time) and enjoy cooking. I cook from scratch and can manage a budget. However I am still a klutz - I burn things and myself, I drop things, break crockery and often cut myself. I can't bake, my attempts at pastry are pathetic, it ends up I the bin. I seem to have days when I just can't cook and I ruin everything. It happens.

Luckily my family aren't judgemental and we laugh it off.

VfM4meplse

I'm looking forward to catching up with this episode.

VfM4meplse wrote: »

For me, the best way of not spending is by staying out of the shops / away from online sites. The more frequently I enter a retail space, the more likely I am to make an unintended purchase.

As evidenced yesterday! I'd put off an Aldi shop for a few days, but was desperate for milk. Went to Sainsbo's late last night for 4 pints, ended up with some YS bread (which I'll freeze), a couple of bags of potatoes for 9p (which will languish in the cool box in my fridge for at least 3 weeks as I'll be away shortly)...and a pair of jeans at 50% off

Unintended purchase alert! :rotfl:

Pollycat

VfM4meplse wrote: »

a couple of bags of potatoes for 9p (which will languish in the cool box in my fridge for at least 3 weeks as I'll be away shortly)...and a pair of jeans at 50% off

A few days before we go on holiday I boil, mash & freeze any potatoes that I'm not going to use.
I've even been known to buy reduced bags of potatoes in the run-up to our holiday to freeze them.

Never say 'no' to a bargain, me.

lessonlearned

One thing Greg and not Greg talked about yesterday was how to store fruit and veg.

Apparently they suggest potatoes and root veg are best not stored
In the fridge. And I think it was last week when they said its best to remove all veg from plastic packaging so it doesn't sweat and go mouldy.

Love the unintended purchase alert......still 50 per cent off is a bargain......

suki1964

Just watched it there myself

I thought her laugh was just so natural and spontaneous , I was laughing along with her

I liked her. She was honest as to why she needed stocked cupboards and why she needed to treat everyone. She's not the only one who's like this. There's many a war child who hoards - my mum is one. She just can not bare to see empty shelves and hates even going to the fridge cos in her words -" nothing to eat in this house as usual", yet she still gets a home cooked meal ( by me) every night made out of the nothing

And she too will buy convienience and branded because " we can afford it".

Her childhood memories have made my mum the spendthrift she is today, where as I've turned the other way, I'm the thrifty one always looking a bargain and stretching every penny. Funnily enough both my sisters are like me and yet we don't have much contact with each other ( little sis has been in Oz all her adult life) so it's not like we are swapping skills and ideas


I liked the recipes on this show as well. I'm one of those that prefer to avoid veg so it doesn't always make an appearance at mealtimes here either. I did start buying frozen berries though recently and have to say they are delish. Much nicer then the tasteless 'fresh' stuff

Yes this programme could do a lot more in our 'preaching to the converted eyes' but it's doing quite a lot. Being able to show the family how much of their weekly food bill went on sugar and fat compared to fruit and veg, really shocked the family and I can imagine that made for uncomfortable viewing in more then one household

I liked in particular lasts week bit about protein portions. I bet a lot of people were educated with that.


Have to say, that sainsburys value tomato soup, it's not the first time it's been shown to be as nice as Heinz

catkins

Flat_Eric wrote: »

I thought her reaction to the Yorkshire tea not being not being changed and it was in fact their usual cuppa was a bit silly really and a bit over the top. I also agree that the parsnips looked perfectly ok and "just to make good tv/make us yell at the tv" she commented that bag of veg can go in the bin because we are not going to use it but I guess there are a few of us (me included) who buy something because it seems like a good idea at the time and then it doesn't get used and money is wasted. I ate stir fry veg last night that was use by the 22nd July so 6 days past its use by date. It wasn't very nice but that's because I had burnt it, not because it had gone off !

I absolutely hate food waste. well any waste really. If I buy something I make sure I use it or freeze it for future use. I had some carrots that were going bendy in the fridge along with a tiny bit of cabbage left over which was on its last legs. I made a shepherds pie with lentils, peas, sweetcorn, the carrots, the cabbage, onion and mushrooms. I topped it with ordinary mash potato and sweet potato mash. The sweet potatoes I had forgotten about and had probably had for at least 2 months - so much for them saying they last about a week!

lessonlearned wrote: »

"Cackling like a witch". Bit harsh. It was just an attack of the giggles. Her laugher was infectious. She got her husband and both presenters going.

I love a hearty laugh, especially the uncontrollable, wipe your eyes kind of laughter. My late husband laughed like that, he would get us all going. Sbe reminded me of that.

At least she had the ability to laugh at herself and see the funny side of her ingrained habits and mistakes.

By the end of the programme you could see that the penny had dropped and she had had her lightbulb moment.

I find some of the comments about the people on these programmes to be very harsh and judgemental. They are not bad people - just a little foolish.

This MSE malarkey doesn't come naturally to all of us.

Whilst I wasn't quite as bad as some of the people in these programmes I had to learn the hard way so I can empathise with them.

We are not born knowing all this stuff and some of us are not natural domestic goddesses.

Just edited to add......

I can cook well (most of the time) and enjoy cooking. I cook from scratch and can manage a budget. However I am still a klutz - I burn things and myself, I drop things, break crockery and often cut myself. I can't bake, my attempts at pastry are pathetic, it ends up I the bin. I seem to have days when I just can't cook and I ruin everything. It happens.

Luckily my family aren't judgemental and we laugh it off.

I love to see and hear people laughing - my OH laughs all the time and makes me laugh but she did cackle and I found it annoying. Even my dog looked at the tv. I just found the whole thing about the tea bags ridiculous and over the top. She had supposedly been buying that brand for 20 years and yet didn't like them if she couldn't see the box they came in!!!

I never said they were bad people but they certainly are fools. How can you spend £300 a week on food and not realise? Why would you think throwing perfectly good food in the bin is ok? If you are not the sort to make soup or freeze things then don't buy so much - simple.

If people want to spend ridiculous amounts on their weekly shop fine but then don't moan that you can't afford a holiday or whatever and resort to asking a tv programme to help. Common sense would tell you to cut back on anything that is costing a lot every month.

Also why do all the people in the programme shop every week or even more than once a week? We do a biggish shop once every 4 to 6 weeks and just buy things like fruit and veg weekly, bread (unless we make it) and have our milk delivered. Shopping more makes most people spend more.

I cook from scratch almost every day but my meals are not always perfect. I sometimes burn things, sometimes my Yorkshire puddings rise so much they touch the top of the oven, sometimes they are like biscuits. You don't have to be a perfect cook but at least try.

As for buying grated cheese well I always wondered just who bought it - now I know