What should we include in MSE's new Cost of Living survival guide?

shykins

I have a Ninja health grill air fryer,    More square shaped than most other air fryers and I can fit much more in there than others I have had, Including a whole chicken!   I find it cooks in approx half to two thirds of the time as putting on My large oven

obviously dont know the actual figures but it takes a lot less energy and time than putting on my normal oven and warms up much quicker as well

ZsaZsa

shykins said:

I have a Ninja health grill air fryer,    More square shaped than most other air fryers and I can fit much more in there than others I have had, Including a whole chicken!   I find it cooks in approx half to two thirds of the time as putting on My large oven

obviously dont know the actual figures but it takes a lot less energy and time than putting on my normal oven and warms up much quicker as well

Does it definitely use less energy though? Or does it use more to get food cooked quicker. 

Can I ask whether if you cook a whole chicken can you fit anything else in or do you have to cook that separately. If I was cooking a chicken in the oven I’d have potatoes and veg in the oven too. 

As I said, it’s really not a criticism, I just really want to get my head around which is most efficient 

coffeehound

bouicca21 said:

A guide to help people understand the money saving value of investing in items like air fryers, slow cookers etc.   A sort of ‘is it right for you’ crib sheet. A friend tells me he hasn’t used his ordinary cooker since he bought a ninja.  In reality I don’t think he has any idea of the relative running costs and whether there is actually a return on the capital expenditure.

Of course people who are really cash poor would not be able to afford the capital expenditure in the first place …. What gadgets are essential and what help would be available to help with their purchase?

Yes you wonder whether the new digital wonder products are really that much better than the originals.  Simple guides to using the old fashioned SC and pressure cookers would be really helpful to give perspective on that

ariarnia

RAS said:

Bargains are only bargains if you can use them, whether it's clothes, food or household goods.

and behind that is mindfulness. you only know if its a good deal or if you'll use it if you know yourself and what its worth to you.

op asked for what we'd say to a family member. conversation I had with the SIL recently my advice was to spend at least a  month writing everything down they ate/spent/used energy and petrol wise. THEN spend time thinking about how that month compared to the whole year with summer to winter and school holidays etc. and THEN write a SOA so she wasn't just taking money out of budgets on paper because they 'looked' high but was actually seeing where there was something that could be trimmed without hurting too much. 

if you just start with the numbers on a piece of paper you can end up with a budget that looks right but that you have no hope of actually sticking to becuse its just too drastic a change from how you actually live. 

nosuperwoman

I read the recent report about food banks not wanting potatoes because of the cost of cooking them and immediately thought of using the microwave. When our cooker went caput in the 80's my parents cooked everything in it including a whole chicken, microwave jacket potatoes were a regular meal.

The microwave is definitely a cheaper way to cook than any other but there is a knack to it so a guide and recipes would be a good idea so everything doesn't end up mushy and tasteless

TravellingAbuela

NoSuperwoman I agree about microwave cooking.  I went to night classes for microwave cooking in the late 70s/early 80s and still have my note book containing all the recipes we made. It's surprising just what meals can be made in one. I've just gone through my exercise book containing recipes for such as Lasagne, Normandy Potatoes, Fruit Pie, Meat and Potato Pie, Eve Pudding, Liver Casserole, Fruit Cake and lots more! Even a Black Forest Gateau! Surely much more economical than putting the oven on (and quicker)

Frith

I’m not sure if this is relevant, but maybe a paragraph about everything to do with funding for adults and children with SEND will never be mentioned and you somehow have to magically know all the funding sources and how to apply for them automatically! 

There is a lot on offer but no one will ever tell you. Family Fund, local and national grants, free bus passes, third off train card, free entry for carers. It seems that the Warm Home discount has been discontinued - impeccable timing from this despicable government. 

The same goes for SEND education. You can apply for your child’s EHCP without school backing etc, but how can you know these things? But that’s for another thread. 

Frith

I have read the thread but I couldn’t see that anyone had mentioned Repair Cafes. 

candygirl

Frith said:

I have read the thread but I couldn’t see that anyone had mentioned Repair Cafes. 

Someone did, near the start of the thread x

bouicca21

TravellingAbuela said:

It's surprising just what meals can be made in one. I've just gone through my exercise book containing recipes for such as Lasagne, Normandy Potatoes, Fruit Pie, Meat and Potato Pie, Eve Pudding, Liver Casserole, Fruit Cake and lots more! Even a Black Forest Gateau! Surely much more economical than putting the oven on (and quicker)

Ooh, that’s a definite ‘please share’