2022 Frugal Living Challenge

C_J

ladyholly said:

My dh has grilled bacon every day (don'task) and I wondered if an air dryer would be cheaper or if it would take a long time. 

@ladyholly : on advice from here, I have recently started cooking bacon in the microwave instead of under the grill. I was sceptical at first, but it really works. Lay the rashers on a plate, then cook on high for about a minute and a half, or a further minute if you like it really crispy. It’s so easy, it’s revolutionised our cooked breakfasts!

Jellytotts

Using an air fryer for bacon would be much cheaper. It's instant heat and there for cooks faster.  Using a grill, you've got to heat it up and then the entire element is on for just a couple of rashers. We like our bacon crispy and I can get 4 rashers cooked in our small air fryer in 5 minutes (turning once).  I'd allow at least 15 minutes for the same crispy factor under our electric grill (once it was heated)

Primrose

That's an interesting Cost of Cooking with different fuels chart.  Any idea when it was published as I imagine with rising prices it will soon  be out of date .  Still, it definitely suggests we should be using our gas hob less and our microwave more !  

We've never actually tried boiling our potatoes in the microwave instead of in a saucepan on the gas hob.  Does anybody do this?  How long do they take, assuming they're cut small? 

ladyholly

Thank you all for your help. All the info I could fimd was comparing the oven rather than the grill. I think thats a win for us.

boultdj

@Primrose depends on the amount of potatoes you are doing,  I do mine from 10 to 20 minutes depending on how I cut them, carrots take about 15 mins depending on the thickness of the cut.  Sprouts take about 10 mins.   Can tell I've not had a cooker for a few years.

[Deleted User]

For those with electric showers, remember they are terrible energy guzzlers. I wash my (long) hair over the kitchen sink with 2-in-1 shampoo & conditioner, in cold water, which takes no more than 90 seconds. This may sound a chore, but to me a shower is more of a chore! 

More wood chopped today and I am pleased that we are on track to have used less than 200 kWH in electric this month - no mean feat during the school holidays. Don’t forget to read your meters regularly (I do mine once a week and submit readings, I don’t trust the accuracy of these smart meters that are meant to provide them with the readings automatically!)

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi all

We have been out today, DH had to pick up some materials for work which happened to be on the way to the coast so we took a flask and drove to a tiny coastal village for a walk.  Had to pay for parking, and we bought some food, so ended up spending £16 which wasnt quite planned, but it was a really good day.

Have done a quick wash and hung it out, tea was veggie jambalaya for me (and enough left for a couple of work lunches) and pasta for DH.  Going to do a meal plan in a minute.  DHs floordrobe has been cleared so that I could hoover and I put most of it back in his drawers because it didnt need washing.

I am fed up with the media frenzy about the energy prices too, I have heard some ridiculous numbers quoted on the radio.  Our electric use is high at 4586 units in the last year, but before our boys left home it was 23% higher at almost 6000 units!  I am working on an 80% increase but Octopus predict it being lower.

ladyholly

The media tend to over dramatise everything.

HelenaPinky

Sat down tonight to watch Jamie Oliver’s one pound meals, I don’t usually watch things in real time but had been looking forward to this - turns out I’d misheard and it’s ‘one pan’ meals! 

Feeling the cost of living rise for the first time this month, DH surprised to see the bank account lower than expected, because of the constant energy bills we keep getting. I have downloaded the app now so can keep an eye on it, not sure how that will help though. We've not been on a fix since our old company went bust and we got put onto one of the popular brands, I’ve always been fixed before so I’m finding this variable rate a bit scary. From what I’ve read, there aren’t really any definite gains with the fixes so I assumed I’m better off staying variable. We’re not on DD, so the bills are monthly. 

DH isn’t by any means a spender, luckily, but equally isn’t as into the frugal living lifestyle that I have adopted. I’ve been catching shower water in a washing bowl for months, done lots of Christmas shopping in charity shops, and have been keeping an eye out for thermal curtains and second hand fleeces. People I know still seem to be spending as always but, as has been mentioned recently on this thread, these people will be keeping people in jobs and keeping us out of a recession for longer (maybe?), so I am grateful that those people are helping us all! 

kayannie

Primrose said:

BREADMAKERS AND POWER CUTS

Advice  please from anybody who.s set a breadmaker running  and then had a power cut. When the power comes back on do you end up getting a decent loaf or is it wrecked?

We were just about to set ours running this morning when the power cut out.  We're able to delay the start until power was restored but wondered what the result would have been if we,d already pressed "Start".

My bread maker had been going for about 45 minutes when we had a power cut (BM was set for 2hrs 53 mins). According to my instruction book, I should have thrown away the dough & started again when the power came back on. However, I left the dough in the BM & pressed 'start' again. I'm glad I did, as the loaf was fine.
KA