Sneaky ways to save the pennies

siamesecats

if you have a condenser tumble dryer when the load is dry use the warm water for washing up :j
also if you have pet hamsters /gerbils / mice etc use the lint for their bedding

xhosa9

We always use walnuts instead of pine nuts, much cheaper and substitute some or all of the basil with spinach. Best thing to do is experiment. We also do a nice one with walnut, sundried tomatoes and ricotta.

consultant31 wrote: »

½ a clove of garlic, chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 good handfuls of fresh basil, leaves picked and chopped
a handful of pine nuts, very lightly toasted
a good handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
extra virgin olive oil
a small squeeze of lemon juice (optional)


Pound the garlic with a little pinch of salt and the basil leaves in a pestle and mortar, or pulse in a food processor. Add a bit more garlic if you like, but I usually stick to ½ a clove. Add the pine nuts to the mixture and pound again. Turn out into a bowl and add half the Parmesan. Stir gently and add olive oil – you need just enough to bind the sauce and get it to an oozy consistency.

Season to taste, then add most of the remaining cheese. Pour in some more oil and taste again. Keep adding a bit more cheese or oil until you are happy with the taste and consistency. You may like to add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end to give it a little tang, but it’s not essential. Try it with and without and see which you prefer.

Caterina

Confuzzled wrote: »

ooh thank you for that, i love rocket and grow it in the windowsill at least if possible each year so i shall do a poor girls version using sunflower seeds, rocket and hmmm can i get a cheaper cheese? :rotfl: nah, i'll stump up for at least the parmesan methinks... though one does wonder

Grana Padano is cheaper than parmesan, it is just like parmesan but just not so matured and perhaps not produced in the Parma area but somewhere else nearby.

Pecorino cheese or Manchego are sometimes cheaper than parmesan and also very very tasty.

Please do not be tempted to use ready-grated stuff, unless it is the fresh parmesan (in which case it would be even dearer than the block stuff of course). The industrial ready-grated obscenity that is passed for "Italian Cheese" ought to be banned, it is so disgusting!:eek: That is really a saving not worth making, believe me!

tattycath

[QUOTE Caterina=
Please do not be tempted to use ready-grated stuff, unless it is the fresh parmesan (in which case it would be even dearer than the block stuff of course). The industrial ready-grated obscenity that is passed for "Italian Cheese" ought to be banned, it is so disgusting!:eek: That is really a saving not worth making, believe me![/QUOTE]

I agree 100%-it's vile!!!

juno

Caterina wrote: »

Grana Padano is cheaper than parmesan, it is just like parmesan but just not so matured and perhaps not produced in the Parma area but somewhere else nearby.

Pecorino cheese or Manchego are sometimes cheaper than parmesan and also very very tasty.

Please do not be tempted to use ready-grated stuff, unless it is the fresh parmesan (in which case it would be even dearer than the block stuff of course). The industrial ready-grated obscenity that is passed for "Italian Cheese" ought to be banned, it is so disgusting!:eek: That is really a saving not worth making, believe me!

When we were younger, we used "sprinky cheese" or "sprinking". It was just any cheese from the fridge, grated!

I think italian cheese in tubs tastes of nothing, and parmesan was too expensive

Mrs_Thrify

In my home we have had lots of talks about getting a DVD player to go with the old style TV in the front room. I had a light bulb moment today and said I wonder if the desk top computer will play DVD's. Tryed it and it worked so job sorted without spending.

The kids(adult) as usual have theirs sorted as one uses a playstation and the other her laptop. It is just sometimes older people are not so quick to learn and understand.

Becky_2

Our favourite snack at home is salted and dry roasted peanuts. Up to Christmas most shops sold their peanuts in tins. Our tins are now empty but we have kept them and now refill them with peanuts from their normal bags. This works out much cheaper than buying a new tin.

lilac_lady

I buy pesto and and use a tube of garlic paste. I use what I need and put the rest into ice cube trays. No waste and doesn't affect the taste.

Edited to say I freeze them, not just store them in the ice cube trays! :rotfl:

rosemary54

Becky_2 wrote: »

Our favourite snack at home is salted and dry roasted peanuts. Up to Christmas most shops sold their peanuts in tins. Our tins are now empty but we have kept them and now refill them with peanuts from their normal bags. This works out much cheaper than buying a new tin.

sorry HAVE i MISSED SOMETHING,WHAT IS THE POINT OF PUTTING THE NUTS IN OLD TINS,WHY NOT JUST PUT IN A DISH WHEN YOU SERVE THEM?

sorry pressed cap key!

Becky_2

I am so proud of myself this morning. Not starting until 2 pm today I took the opportunity to clean our bathroom cabinett and write a content list of all my toilietries to stop myself from getting tempted to buy more. Buying toiletries is my weakness and I can easily spend a fortune on this. The list I have put in my purse so when I go shopping I can see what I need to buy or not buy. Having loads of toiletries tucked away that I had forgotten that I had it should be a while until I need to buy some more.

Our bathroom cabinett is really too small for us, so I changed the location of one of the shelves and to utilise the space I tried to group toiletries that I use together to stand one bottle at the back and then at the front I put the item that I use with it. My OH has been moaning for months that the bathroom looks cluttered and having put twice the amount in the cabinett, the bathroom looks so much better now. I have also made a promise to myself to use up those nearly empty bottles/tubs first in order to reduce the amount that I have got as quickly as possible.

Next to do is the freezer content list.