2022 Frugal Living Challenge

Glittering_M

To add to CW18's post, I can find cooking dried beans something of a challenge as they seem to take forever to soften - even when in the slow cooker as part of a meal. What I do when I get a pack is to cook the whole lot in the slow cooker with garlic (or you could use the hob but I find beans take a good 3-4 hours) until they are done and then divide into portions to then add to whatever I want later on. That means I don't need to be hanging around waiting for the beans to be done every time I need them. 

Siebrie

Pancakes made with 1/3 of white flour replaced by rye flour, eaten with treacle/dark syrup, or baked with a few slices of salty yellow cheese (gouda or cheddar; not sure about emmenthal), or thin slices of apple.

mumtoomany

Frugal win. Yesterday i bought some belly pork flavoured with Chinese sauce, reduced to half price. Cooked it for tea. All the grandchildren refused to eat it! I think because the eldest had said he didn't like it, before he even tasted it! DD1 only ate a couple of mouthfulls of her tea. Her body clock is out of sinc, having just finished a stretch of 12 hour night's and been awake for the last 25 hours. When clearing the table later, I put all the untouched meat into a tub and into the freezer. It will be dished up again in a week or two as cowboy pie. Pork, onions, leftover veg, baked beans, tinned tomatoes, etc, all topped with savoury crumble. No waste here! Have a good one, mumtoomany.xx

Primrose

With more energy companies now using the benefits of smart meters to be able charge their customers more expensive peak "surge" rates for electricity at popular times of the day, it seems to me the best purchases now. should be electrical timers and slow cookers with an inbuilt timer!  
Perhaps more dishwashers, washing machines and electric ovens will have these inbuilt features going forward.

Being able to run these appliances at off peak rates will surely help save money although I don't know whether energy companies are yet notifying their customers when the system comes into operation, Scottish Power, EDF and Octopus apparently support this method of pricing. 

However  this has merely reinforced the wisdom of our decision not to have a smart meter installed although no doubt it will be forced onto us at some point. 

-taff

Ahhh.is that function of a smart meter? I never even thought about that...Glad I don't have one either.

babs_103

Just dipping in to thank all of you wonderful people for your replies, I am going to have a good think about all the advice you have given me and will drop in later to let you know my plans. Thank You again xxx

Primrose

mumtoomany said:
When clearing the table later, I put all the untouched meat into a tub and into the freezer. It will be dished up again in a week or two as cowboy pie. Pork, onions, leftover veg, baked beans, tinned tomatoes, etc, all topped with savoury crumble. No waste here! 

"Cowboy pie"!!.    I love that!   You can't beat a smart mum !!   They'll probably be begging for it in future e as one of their favourites.   Did you get a Psychology degree ?!

Beshki

Shropshirelass said:

@babs_103, I do sympathise, we have been in a similar situation.

As there are only two of us, I have not really found it worth the effort of growing veg, except for the pleasure of the achievement. Please, make sure you are claiming all benefits you are due. We took advice from AgeUK, (not sure how old you are!), we were amazed to find OH could claim Attendance Allowance, completed form on line, and got it straightaway, just using AgeUK advice.
Best wishes!

You would be surprised at how worthwhile growing your own is. As long as it’s what you already buy and eat

Beshki

To add to the posts above about beans. Borlotti beans are so easy to grow, prolific and dry on the plant for picking and jarring up to use through the winter in stews etc

Glittering_M

Oooh I never knew that about borlotti beans. Will have to add them to the list.