Sneaky ways to save the pennies

oystercatcher

carolinosourus wrote: »

True,
If you do a meal plan before you go shopping and get everyone to agree on it then there's no room for manoeuvre, my mother used to do this, if we didn't want something then tough!

Sometimes I don't see them for days ..... when I do see them there's more important things to talk about than what we are eating over the next week.

I think in the not too distant future it will be just me and husband here and then I may well be able to plan, as long as there's emergency supplies in the freezer for visiting sons plus attachments!
I would love to be more organised I just can't make it happen.

Curious_George_2

i guess you do whatever works for your family, Oystercatcher your life sounds the polar opposite of ours!
we have 2 young children (9 and almost 2) they eat what is made for them and theres just us two adults, we dont ever have unexpected visitors for dinner,
anyone we have round to eat we have arranged with plenty of time for planning it out...

the economy gastronomy thing is set to change our habits... we have used up what was left before we did our shop, checked the cupboards, fridge and freezer while meal planning and making the list,
and OH has twice saved things today that can be used for one of the kids lunches that previously one of us would have scoffed without thinking...

someone was asking about the meal plan.... i havent set it out into days like monday MUST be chops, tuesday MUST be pasta etc i just know what meals i have all the ingredients for in the next week
Roast pork (thats defintely tomorrow) but these could be any day...
fish, broccoli and potato bake
gammon with leeks
lamb and potato hotpot
chicken wraps
tomato and mascarpone gnocchi

all of the meat and fish we already had in the freezer, and we hit tesco at the right time last night for the veg reductions.... LOADS of bargains!

oystercatcher

I guess I loosly plan like that.
It is so much easier when the children are small and you know exactly where they will be at any given time.
They will grow up though.....

Curious_George_2

oystercatcher wrote: »

They will grow up though.....

not if DD keeps giving me lip!

oystercatcher

Curious_George wrote: »

not if DD keeps giving me lip!

Nooooo, give her here and I will take her in.....

Savvy_sewing

up until May, I was cooking for 8 of us. Two under two, 16 yr old DS, 20 year old twins, and 22 year old Daughter and her BF. Plus me of course.
The menu plan was on the fridge, and everyone would write on the page below if they knew they were not going to be in.
Most days either DS had mates around, or was at theirs, so I had a standby menu, which DS and his mates or any unexpected visitors could have.
When I menu planned I always made sure that I planned and shopped for 10 days. That way if we didnt fancy something, or I was not well enough to cook, there was something that could be cookd by the family, from the freezer. (Although that was often Sausages, Pizza's and pies!!!).
I menu planned ever since my ex left. I had too. 4 children, a nanny, and half the street. Plus the battered women and thier children that I used to take in!.
There was always food in our cupboards even though I only had £35 housekeeping for the first 5 years!!! 1994 - 1998-9!

Lesley_Gaye

I had a fantastic frugal day last week.

I go on a walk with a group of friends each week, one of us works out a route of about 6 or 7 miles and we all meet up there, car sharing as much as we can. It was my turn to be driven, so no petrol. Had a lovely walk, then on to a WI garden group meeting, same friend driving, so still no petrol.

Whilst there, the hostess mentioned her surfeit of apples, at which my friend and I pounced, and by the time we left, we had a big carrier bag each of lovely freebie apples. Weighed them when I got home and they were 4kg. Dried some, made a crumble for that evening. They cook well and are lovely just eaten as a fresh apple



Another guest said, well I have loads of plums, would you like some of those too? So we then headed off to that house and picked lots of lovely freebie plums. They were 3.5kg. More crumble for the freezer, taste like Victorias, so delish. Made some jam too



So 7.5kg of free fruit, a lovely walk and didn't have to spend anything

I love free!

Sian_the_Green

Wow Lesley, that looks amazing.
A lady from my work brought me a home grown cucumber, not quite the same but it looks amazing nonetheless, I love free too

wizk1

Our next door neighbour grows his own tomatoes. And without fail, I always end up with a bag full of them (red and yellow) at harvest-time. I don't know what it is about home-grown tomatoes, but they always taste so much better than they do bought from the supermarket. On nom nom

Lesley_Gaye

wizk1 wrote: »

Our next door neighbour grows his own tomatoes. And without fail, I always end up with a bag full of them (red and yellow) at harvest-time. I don't know what it is about home-grown tomatoes, but they always taste so much better than they do bought from the supermarket. On nom nom

I gave some of my Gardeners Delight toms (cherry tom size) to a friend who usually buys Waitrose organic, and she phoned to say how very tomatey they were, even more than her usual organic ones.

I think it is probably that home gardeners tend to use good soil and feed them with tomato fertiliser, both of which give good flavour. I believe that shop bought toms are often grown hydroponically (without soil, in a sterile growing medium) that grows lots of uniform, very round and red toms, but doesn't pay much attention to flavour