Eat Well for Less...Live on MSE

maman

Fruball wrote: »

For huge potatoes, just use two skewers a few cm apart or crossways through the potato . Speeds up the process in normal size potatoes too.

When I was cooking for the family I had one of these:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/KitchenCraft-KCBAKER-Kitchen-Craft-Potato/dp/B0001IX382/ref=pd_lpo_201_lp_img_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=45RBZJ9R4VNCRH8RY723


which works on the skewer principle.

TopsyMum

maman wrote: »

When I was cooking for the family I had one of these:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/KitchenCraft-KCBAKER-Kitchen-Craft-Potato/dp/B0001IX382/ref=pd_lpo_201_lp_img_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=45RBZJ9R4VNCRH8RY723


which works on the skewer principle.

That's exactly what I have!!

sillyvixen

maman wrote: »

When I was cooking for the family I had one of these:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/KitchenCraft-KCBAKER-Kitchen-Craft-Potato/dp/B0001IX382/ref=pd_lpo_201_lp_img_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=45RBZJ9R4VNCRH8RY723


which works on the skewer principle.

We got rid of one of those when we cleared my grandparents house.. no one knew what is was for .. our collective minds boggled!!!

ani*fan

mirry...the meat free mince I use is asda own brand. It's £1.50 for 454g. I'm not so keen on their meat free range because it is quite tough and chewy, but the mince is good because it retains the texture even when you cook it for a bit to get the flavours blending. I'll let you know how it is with lentils in.

Apparently OH has noticed that Aldi don't always do quorn or other veggie alternatives. They must change their stock sometimes so it might be a case of grabbing what you can while it's there.

I swung by Morrison's on my way home last night to see if they have any bargains and also to try out their soya milk. I got Linda McM sausages for £1 each, 3 packs, veggie turkey steaks for £1 each, 3 packs, a bag of quorn fillets for £1, I'd have bought more but they only had one. I think it all adds up to 18 meals, maybe more depending how big the steaks are cos we've never had them. Their soya milk is the same price as aldi so 2 of those and some powdered milk. It all tastes good to me, depends on what OH says about the milk.

It's very close to the Indian grocers I was going to look in for chickpeas and veg but I was feeling a bit rough so I just came home. I'll look another day. We also need some frozen veg as I ran out of the last frozen carrot making tea last night. So I'll need to get onto that. Plus purrball needs pouches though he's getting on well with the Aldi dried cat food soaked in water. Thanks for that tip, C J. Aldi tomorrow or at the weekend.

£10.90 spent. £239.10 left.

ani*fan

Can I ask what washing powder is a good cheap one? Or are you all using soap nuts? I've never tried these, I know they make the laundry very cheap, but I do have a problem with the washing machine in our rented flat. It needs a soap product that you can put straight into the drum as otherwise, even after lots of cleaning with baking soda and vinegar, the laundry comes out smelling musty. We go through a lot of fabric softener, just for the smell of it. I don't know why the washing machine is so carp, our flat is very new and nice in other ways, and the washing machine is not old. I'm thinking it's because it's a washer/drier and also sitting on an angle so the door swings shut often.

All thoughts and ideas greatly appreciated.

greenbee

Have you tried giving the machine a thorough clean? Remove the drawer, scrub it and the hole it came out of. Wipe round the seal with a damp cloth (you should be able to get right underneath it on the inside). Then run the hottest possible wash with detergent or plain soda crystals (not many) in the drum. As you use fabric conditioner I would also run vinegar through the drawer (both wash and rinse sections) for a few washes to clear any gunk out of the connecting pipes.

Using vinegar for the rinse instead of fabric conditioner helps stop gunk and smells from the drawer.

I used other use ecover/ecozone/ecoleaf liquid or powder in the drum (I'm very picky about not having any perfume in my laundry products, plus have a septic tank than drains into a watercourse...) with vinegar to rinse, or soapnuts with water only to rinse.

Generally it's the products that cause the musty smell, but it can take a while to get rid of.

C_J

I can't use biological detergent, and have trouble with powders which don't seem to dissolve properly in my machine.

I use Aldi's Almat super concentrated non bio liquid which costs £1.79 for 875ml (25 washes). That equates to 7.2p per wash.

tattycath

I used to use bold 2 in one but now I use fairy. I buy loads of it when it's on offer. I buy fabric softener when it's on offer too. I buy the super concentrate and then (after I've factored in the rest of the family just fill the drawer up with it), I dilute it down to compensate. So I'm still saving more money than buying the non concentrate.

Florence_J

Thank you for all the washing machine advice, I also have the same problem.

MoonJelly

I love Aldi but I find their own dishwashing liquid very hard on the hands. Yes, I can use gloves but I find that I don't grip so well with these and end up washing without. Wilco's pet friendly dishwashing liquid is great but I can never find it. I've gone back to Fairy.

However I manage to save money making my own laundry detergent with Falcon green laundry soap, soda crystals and borax substitute. so what I spend on Fairy balances out -I hope.