It's getting tough out there. Feeling the pinch?

Auntycaz

I find the Sainsburys beans the closest in taste to heinz beans and they are only 37p for a large tin. I usually only buy the small tins tough which are 19p for 200gm in both regular and the low salt and sugar ones. The heinz ones were £1 for a 200gm tin which is ridiculous.

EssexHebridean

We tried low salt /sugar BB's once. Just the once. The experiment was definitely not being repeated.

Longwalker

Lidls beans, the ones in the blue tine - Newgate ? Very very nice

I also prefer their tomato Ketchup over Heinz 

Well heres the biggest shocker of a price rise Ive seen

As a treat for having to work Saturday mornings, Id pop into the local supervalu and buy us all hot sausage rolls - we dont take a break on a Saturday - work till the work is done and home. Now the last time I got them was Christmas Eve - 80p each. I was in the shop today and it was getting late in the day and I hadn't eaten so went to lift one - £1.29 - I nearly passed out in shock !!!

I questioned it and the lad serving confirmed they were 80p yesterday 

Pollycat

We prefer to buy anything that has a low salt/sugar option.
We don't salt our food so it suits us.
Similar with full fat/low fat.
Exception is Greek yogurt. Must be 10% fat.
Surprised that the price differential between 400gm & 200gm beans is so small (1p).

sarahj1986

EssexHebridean said:

Aldi's own brand beans are worth trying IMO - far nicer than "Stockwell" as the sauce is thicker. The price also used to compare well although I've not bought in a while so can't be sure how it compares now. 

I’ve tried them and I do like them. I have an Aldi nearby I’ll look at the price. I’ll also get a tin of Lidl own ad I prefer Lidl ☺️

YorksLass

The rice pudding I made the other day is going down a treat - as well as using up surplus milk, it's taken care of the last bit of lemon curd from the fridge, the last few grapes and tonight we'll have it with a dollop of hm blackberry & apple jam that I made in the summer.  We don't mind eating it cold - it's just as good as the shop bought tubs of the stuff that comes with fruit and far cheaper.  

Today I've made a vat of tomato & red pepper soup, just what we need for these chilly days.  Tea tonight is sausages, cabbage & mash.  There'll be a couple of sausages left over but we can have those cold, sliced thinly for sandwiches with mustard.

I don't know about anyone else, but I get a great deal of satisfaction from knowing I've used the last scrap from a bottle/jar/packet/tube or whatever, haven't wasted anything and have saved cash into the bargain.  That's where these forums come in handy with tips - some you probably know and do already, some you know about but may have forgotten and others are new.  Keep them coming folks!

On tomorrow's To Do list is take meter readings and send them to energy supplier - not looking forward to that, I shall probably frighten myself to death!     

EssexHebridean

I chopped the top off a mini tube of cleanser earlier this week - it’s already given two extra uses, and I suspect I’ll get a few more days out of it yet too. Even better is that it was a free gift with purchase in the first place! I like Clinique products - so always make a point of shopping carefully and ensuring that I can get plenty for my money when they are on various offers. My last order I needed a new cleanser, and decided while aimwas on the website it made sense to buy a new tube of BB cream and a new mascara - both of which I’ll need in the next couple of months. That meant a spend that qualified for a free gift - which included among other things a full size small jar of my usual moisturiser plus several other minis of products I’ll use, and also a separate freebie of another full sized cleanser too. Then the website gave me 10% off (no idea why, but not complaining!) and then I had a £30 voucher from Mum for Christmas too - which brought the final total down nicely!  They’re not cheap products, but they are excellent quality and do suit my skin far better than anything else I’ve tried. 

I read the electric meter weekly on a Friday so will be doing mine tomorrow too. The use on gas is so small it gets done far less often! I submit readings to the supplier on the last friday of the month. 

Florenceem

I am doing no spend January like Frugal Queen in Franc.

Longwalker

YorksLass said:

The rice pudding I made the other day is going down a treat - as well as using up surplus milk, it's taken care of the last bit of lemon curd from the fridge, the last few grapes and tonight we'll have it with a dollop of hm blackberry & apple jam that I made in the summer.  We don't mind eating it cold - it's just as good as the shop bought tubs of the stuff that comes with fruit and far cheaper.  

Today I've made a vat of tomato & red pepper soup, just what we need for these chilly days.  Tea tonight is sausages, cabbage & mash.  There'll be a couple of sausages left over but we can have those cold, sliced thinly for sandwiches with mustard.

I don't know about anyone else, but I get a great deal of satisfaction from knowing I've used the last scrap from a bottle/jar/packet/tube or whatever, haven't wasted anything and have saved cash into the bargain.  That's where these forums come in handy with tips - some you probably know and do already, some you know about but may have forgotten and others are new.  Keep them coming folks!

On tomorrow's To Do list is take meter readings and send them to energy supplier - not looking forward to that, I shall probably frighten myself to death!     

I found half a pack of very wrinkled little plum tomatoes languishing in the fridge , hidden from sight, along with 3 very dry spring onions - Saturday night is pasta night ( well its not, its anything I can cook in 10 mins which stops us buying a takeaway cos Ive usually had a sherbet or 3 ) so thats the sauce sorted

Before Christmas the new butchers had a deal - £25 meat pack - choose 8 items - only double up on some, so I thought Id give it a try. For my £25 I got two 1lb packs of steak mince, 4 pork chops, , 4 chicken fillets, 1lb of steak pieces, 1lb of pork and leak sausages, 1lb of pork and cranberry chipolatas ( lush with the turkey dinner ) and a stuffed pork fillet sold in a tray with the roasting veg. None of it was pre- packed. It all came off the counter and labeled - came to just over £42 if I had paid individually 

All very good quality, even the mince. They only thing I wouldn't rush to buy again were the chicken fillets, nowt wrong with them but I usually get bigger ones from Lidl - labelled as fillet pieces they are just not 100% perfectly cut but are a £1 a pack cheaper then the full fillets. Still have a pack of mince plus the chops to use, between that pack and the turkey/ham for Christmas and a chicken I had in already, the shopping bill has been very little 

Another excellent buy was from Home Bargains. Im probably really late on this one, but I admit I wouldn't usually buy fresh food from there, but they do big packs of back bacon, Thick cut, 20 rashers for £3.99.So I saw a woman putting a couple of packs in her trolley so asked her opinion, she sad fantastic so I got a pack. Its so good. Went to get another pack this week and they only had the danish bacon ( last pack was an Irish brand ) I dont usually buy Danish but needs must at that price, and I have to say - very good

Floss

Ooh @Longwalker bacon is on my shopping list for this weekend and I also need to go to HB so thanks for that tip.