Oops! I've fallen off the OS wagon.....

kiwichick

black-saturn wrote:

Yes I am out of that relationship now. I walked out with nothing to my name but 2 carrier bags of childrens clothes, £5 in my purse and my mobile phone. I was up to my eyeballs in debt because of him. Now I have my own house. have paid all the debt off and am now starting to enjoy holidays which were a no no in those days and now I have a really nice boyfriend who I got engaged to last weekend.

What courage and great strength of character you have. All your virtual family are really proud of you.

And REALLY GREAT NEWS ABOUTTHE ENGAGEMENT!!!!!!!!! :T :j :beer:

pozalina

Last year I had got so good at cooking from scratch, I did a cookery course that motivated me to bake at least once a week, and me and OH were v.healthy. Since the weather has got cold and dark I've begun to reach into the freezer for oven chips and frozen fish cos I can't be bothered cooking. I've seen the error of my ways and am ready to re-tighten my belt.

I need you guys to give me a few ideas of storecupboard basics to stock up on, and a few ideas of quick and easy meals. BIG prob I have is OH is fussy eater, and wants fish with almost every meal!

Thanks,

p x

squeaky

For the store cupboard basics the following threads should help

Basic shopping list
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=47029

Store cupboard essentials
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=43535

OS Book - Store cupboard essentials
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=150934




And then for cheap meal ideas there are:-


Challenge:
[post=506497] - Cheapest cake to feed six[/post]
[post=364086] - Cheapest meal[/post]
[post=68212] - Feed six for £1.62[/post]
[post=849361] - Full cupboards[/post]
[post=87164] - Got £1 and hungry[/post]
[post=475770] - Store cupboard Challenge[/post]


And finally there are some current threads loaded with meal plans aimed at low budgets - so a browse through the first two or three pages of Old Style will be quite rewarding

seraphina

Have a look at Black-Saturn's meal plan post - there is a recipe for fish pie there, as well as everything she buys for a week's food.

Fish cakes are a good way of making fish a bit more interesting - does your OH cook? You could encourage him to experiment with fish cookery so you're eating more home-made meals.

jan59

Healthy fish and chips:

Do oven chips: Peel and chip potatoes as normal. Parboil for about 3/4 mins. Dry off on kitchen paper. Have really hot roasting tin ready, sprayed with oil, spray chips and cook in oven at about 180/200 degrees. for about 25/30 mins until browned - can keep spraying and turning as necessary.

Towards the end of the cooking time, cook your fish. Dry fry your piece of fish (no breadcrumbs, etc, just nice white fish - coley is cheap and tasty). Use spray oil.

For final addition, add your favourite accompaniment - mushy peas anyone?

For those counting, its a low sin meal on a Slimming World 'green' day, if you keep the size of the fish down!!

Mrs_A.

hi everyone,
i have to confess that i have well and truly fell off the old style wagon, my bm and sc are collecting dust on the worktops, help me with my menu planning and budgeting all my inspiration has left.
we mostly eat,
mince and tatties
spag bol
lasagne
macaroni cheese
burgers/sausages/pizza and chips
shepherds pie
still making packed lunches
i mostly shop at asda or tesco and buy budget brands
there is me and Mr a and 3 young master a's ages 18,17 and 16 who eat more than me and mr a put together and an elderly fussy spoiled cat.

incoming
me and mr a £2000
child benefit £154.00
outgoing
bank loan 358.66
car loan 147.33
over draft 100.00
suite loan 100.00
car insurances 50.00
lecky 75.00
oil for heating 100.00
life insurance 40.00
aol 17.99
tv licence 10.99
sky 21.99
union 10.99
pertol £200
think thats all as you can see no accounting for birthdays, xmas, holidays car repairs. dentist, opticians, prescriptions, clothes etc
all help gratefully received
thanks in advance
mrs a

larmy16

I am the same. I find when my life gets hectic, I can't seem to get organised and I have been spending money like water in the local shops cos I can't face the supermarket. Maybe its the weather??

Gorgeous_George

That's a lot of mony on petrol and TV.

Do the kids contribute? Unless their income is zilch, I'd suggest taking a third of their income in board and lodgings. Let them stay for free and they'll never fly the nest.

Repaying the debts isn't optional but you should avoid replacing them with new debts when you have paid them off.

Keep the car(s) for a year or two longer than normal and instead of paying the loan(s), save the payments into another account.

Best wishes

GG

nabowla

Having been away from OS MSE for a couple of months, I'm coming back with my tail between my legs. I started a weekend job a while ago and am now working seven days a week. The flat looks as though I'm expecting a visit from Kim and Aggie (I'm not joking). I'm regularly skipping breakfast and spending a fortune in Pret on the way to work, I never take packed lunches to work any more, home cooking in the evenings just doesn't happen and I've even started buying the odd Chinese takeaway (I've had more in the last six weeks than I'd had in the last year). Oh, and the fridge doesn't seem to be working properly so food goes off very, very quickly. But I can't ask my landlord to come round and look at it because the flat's in such a state and I just don't have time to blitz the place.

HELP!!!!!!!!!

I need lots of advice about how best to dig myself out of this messy, depressing, unhealthy and expensive muddle. Meal plans won't work because of the fridge problem. And I don't know where to start with the housework when I've got so little time. What do you guys suggest?

Trow

Firstly, I would suggest getting a cleaner in for a couple of hours or more. Not OS I know, but you are so busy that it would be worth it. Then get your landlord around sharpish to look at the fridge.

Once you have the fridge working, look at quick and easy options - when you are that busy you need quick food. If you have time, make up a batch of tomato pasta style sauce, and freeze in portions. You can then take one out in the morning and quickly have a tomato pasta - or add soya mince for bolognaise, it takes minutes to cook.

Simple things like a microwaved backed potato with cheese and salad take very little time to prep, as do things like beans on toast - healthy cheap and filling.