Sneaky ways to save the pennies

tomtombeanie

funkyfunkymonkey wrote: »

I should also do the same with potatoes 'cos we do tend to over estimate how many we need for mash so end up throwing some out at the end of the meal (or it lives in the fridge in the hope that we might use it for something).

sorry if this is mentioned somewhere in the many pages - haven't read through everything yet...

we freeze any leftover mash - use an ice cream scoop or similar to dollop the mash onto a tray, chuck in the freezer til frozen, then remove from tray & put into container or plastic bag or whatever you use. when you need a bit of mash in a hurry, pop into a dish, cover with a bit of foil and heat in your over with whatever else you're cooking. or just let it defrost and use to top a small shephers pie or whatever. my aunty does this, and the first time she served us mash in dollops i thought she had bought auny bessies frozen mash - it looks good! xx

consultant31

tomtombeanie wrote: »

funkyfunkymonkey wrote: »

I should also do the same with potatoes 'cos we do tend to over estimate how many we need for mash so end up throwing some out at the end of the meal (or it lives in the fridge in the hope that we might use it for something).

sorry if this is mentioned somewhere in the many pages - haven't read through everything yet...

we freeze any leftover mash - use an ice cream scoop or similar to dollop the mash onto a tray, chuck in the freezer til frozen, then remove from tray & put into container or plastic bag or whatever you use. when you need a bit of mash in a hurry, pop into a dish, cover with a bit of foil and heat in your over with whatever else you're cooking. or just let it defrost and use to top a small shephers pie or whatever. my aunty does this, and the first time she served us mash in dollops i thought she had bought auny bessies frozen mash - it looks good! xx

I use left-over mash by mixing with any other veg and making patties. Or it's lovely with chopped cabbage or sprouts and makes a fab topping for cottage pie if mixed with chopped or mashed swede and/or carrots

funkyfunkymonkey

tomtombeanie wrote: »

we freeze any leftover mash - use an ice cream scoop or similar to dollop the mash onto a tray, chuck in the freezer til frozen, then remove from tray & put into container or plastic bag or whatever you use. when you need a bit of mash in a hurry, pop into a dish, cover with a bit of foil and heat in your over with whatever else you're cooking. or just let it defrost and use to top a small shephers pie or whatever. my aunty does this, and the first time she served us mash in dollops i thought she had bought auny bessies frozen mash - it looks good! xx

Great idea, thank you. I threw out some mash only this morning that had been living in the fridge hoping to be eaten. If only you'd posted 24 hours earlier :rotfl:

I will never need to waste my left over mash again. :beer:

FFM

debbym

curlyford wrote: »

Hi i thought your idea on the tin can's for the garden was great idea....however after washing out 2 tins i've got a bit stuck of how to decorate them...thought maybe a compass type tool so i could !!!!! lots of holes into it...but any other ideas would be great!!

I think Anthea Turner did something similar - She put the tins in the freezer with some water in and then used a hammer and nail to punch out a pattern.
I've reused glass jars as tealight holders for the garden before and decorated with cheapy fake jewels/sequins for DD's birthday party - didn't mind if any got broken by the descending hoards and some of the mums even asked if they could take one home in the party bag:D

Stephen_Leak

I have just made my sandwiches for lunch tomorrow with the last slices of bread from the loaf, and put them in the bag the loaf was in, instead of wrapping them in cling film.

curlyford

Hi thanks for that - i suppose freezing it would make it better to screwer!!

ha, ha funny about the jar idea - i washed out a jar earlier & was thinking of painting it, with some sort of paint.... & putting beer in it to catch the slugs! - saw similar in next book today for £9.00 so will def make my own!:j

sandy2_2

curlyford wrote: »

washed out a jar earlier & was thinking of painting it, with some sort of paint.... & putting beer in it to catch the slugs! - saw similar in next book today for £9.00 so will def make my own!

If you sink the jar into the earth you needn't bother to paint it. You can also use washed out yoghourt pots

katyk_2

I buy lots of very cheap fruit when on their final 'whoops' stage at supermarket (10p for a bag of apples etc). Then put it through the juicer and make fresh fruit juice ice lollies for next to nothing. Fruit pulp then goes on the compost so nothing wasted.

BrandNewDay

debbym wrote: »

I think Anthea Turner did something similar - She put the tins in the freezer with some water in and then used a hammer and nail to punch out a pattern.
I've reused glass jars as tealight holders for the garden before and decorated with cheapy fake jewels/sequins for DD's birthday party - didn't mind if any got broken by the descending hoards and some of the mums even asked if they could take one home in the party bag:D

I'm starting to save glass jars, too. Our parish has a "coin appeal" where they ask you to gather change in a jar to raise money for a particular cause. That got me thinking, "hmmm... I kinda like this." A lot of glass containers look pretty good when they're washed out. I washed out an olive oil bottle and now it's a good bud vase. I have a nice-shaped jar that used to hold Aldi chutney, and I'm going to save pennies in that. Saved pennies will pay for treats from the ice cream van... I don't want to get in the habit of "treating" my kids, so a visible jar of collecting pennies will help them understand why it's not always "yes."

I like the tea-light idea. I wonder how hard/expensive it would be to make my own candles in jars - you know, with wax and wicks. Maybe one could save all the little end bits of candles. Then, put them in the jar and melt in the microwave. Suspend a wick into the melted wax from a pencil across the top.... where does one get wicks, anyway?

Bitsy_Beans

I had to admit to my H this morning that after reading this thread I had started to squash the loo rolls. He'd been putting them back into shape thinking the bathroom door had flattened it.
He must think I am nuts........