How to save money on food bill (& energy)

[NewMamma21]

Sparked by reading a few other threads I’m wondering how you save money on the food shop / cheap meal ideas & how you save money cooking?

Things like egg & chips (what else would you put with this?), beans on toast, padding meals out with lentils.

Another thread also got me thinking about the energy used to make meals. We love a hot baked roll in this house (the kind you buy pre packaged part baked) but that means turning the oven on just to cook 2 small rolls to go with soup.

I have no idea if it’s more economical to steam veg in the microwave, bake in the oven or steam/boil on the gas hob.

What are you doing to save money cooking?

Air fryer is quicker and much cheaper to run than your oven, same with George foreman grill or toaster Vs proper grill. You can also do most meals on these.

I've recently invested in a multi-tier steamer for the hob and make sure that it's fully used each time...pasta or rice or tatties in the bottom and layers of veg on top.

A lot of weaning recipes from what mummy makes etc are really good for using up random leftovers for healthy snacks/meals for little uns!

Frozen fish pie mix is cheaper and easier than fresh. As others have said, when making it I'll make extra sauce for cauliflower cheese or lasagne etc at the same time. Saves time and energy.

Never put leftovers or anything in the fridge or freezer warm, not good for food safety and uses extra energy. A full fridge/freezer uses less energy than empty due to residual cold but careful not to overpack!

Does anyone have recommendations for where to find ideas to bulk up meals with veggies and pulses please? Any blogs or websites that would be useful?

I just buy loads of yellow sticker items. Our local Coop has things extremely cheap and I just freeze stuff to use during the week. Just now I have got 2 packs of tiny sweet tomatoes for 40p per pack. I shall do the feta, tomato pasta, total cost will be around £2. I also got bread and english muffins for 20 p each, fine for breakfasts with an egg for the next few days. I got 2 packs of mince the other day for 6op each so they will form the base of maybe a shepherds pie and a chilli this week. You can always get garlic bread reduced to next to nothing. Also their meal frozen deals for £5 - five items for a fiver is fine for a quick tea on a busy week night.

Halogen oven, multi cooker that does everything, sear, steam, slow cook, use a steamer on the hobs, cook potatoes in bottom, veg above, hot water dispenser which only boils the water needed & can be adjusted for lower temp, tassimo which only boils the water needed & can be adjusted if drink requires lower temperature water. Only thing I use my big oven for is pizzas as they don't fit in my halogen oven & I leave the oven door open afterwards to warm the kitchen.

Im making a lentil cottage pie shortly and will double up on portions. Going to pop in jacket potatoes to have for dinner tomorrow night, will then microwave them to heat back up to save needing the oven on tomorrow.

Im also going to try and get back into using the slow cooker, but I find everything I make in there tastes a bit bland, which is clearly my issue as other people love theirs.

We try to be frugal anyway but have been wasting money on tubs of fresh soup, so the last couple of weekends I have made "bottom of the veg draw soup" with everything that is in danger of going a bit manky and it does a good few days lunches for pennies

I also peel & chop all veg on the day they are delivered then freeze, saves time when cooking & saves waste as they don't go off, same for peppers chilli's etc. Makes preparing slow cooker or stir fry stuff really quick & cheaper than buying ready chopped, I use a JML Nicer Dicer or my Food processor depending on the quantities & how I want them chopping. All bagged up in freezer, I also buy rooted herbs, pot up & grow on window sill, chop in mini chopper & freeze, only pre prepared things I buy are garlic & ginger. I buy all spices in bags from Amazon & keep in mini kilner jars & make my own mixes for curry paste, spice rubs etc. A 500 gram bag lasts me at least 6 months, I freeze curry pastes when made. Since Covid I buy a lot of meat from my local market & have it delivered, much cheaper than from the supermarket.

I have just introduced a 4 week meal plan which is helping a lot. It means that I know roughly what I'm going to need over the course of the 4 weeks so can buy in bulk when appropriate and it means there is a lot less waste. As part of it I have built in 1 or 2 days a week when the baking and snack prep gets done (we are also trying to cut down in ultra processed food) and that means that a couple of items can be in the oven in one go which saves time and money.

Our oven and freezer are tiny and there's not any space to get bigger versions of them but I do always make double portions of things like bolognese, curry, pastry etc so that there's some for next time.

We may need to look at making further changes but I guess we won't know that until we are in the middle of it!

DialsMavis Finding Slow Cooker food bland was why I bought the Russell Hobbs Multi cooker, it can sear as well as slow cook without using the hob so I sear everything before adding liquid & everything tastes so much better.

Loving this thread, thank you. A couple of questions (or more)...

Cooking jacket potatoes in the slow cooker? What are they like and how do you do this? Does is save on fuel compared to putting in the oven for an hour?

Has anyone got a recipe for chickpea curry with coconut milk?

I batch cook using the slow cooker all the time. What is the most efficient way of heating up the defrosted meals? Something like a bolognaise/tagine. I have been putting them in an enamel dish in the over for 35 minutes, but I suspect that isn't very efficient.

Thank you.

@Nnique

Another that will save a fair bit if you like your fresh herbs and like to have a good variety available:

Your hardier herbs - Rosemary and thyme, for example, freeze very well. I freeze them as is, in the bags I buy them in. Sage also freezes well. Tarragon is best chopped up, added to butter and frozen that way. I freeze fresh chillies and ginger too. Ginger is easier to grate when frozen. I buy fresh parsley OR coriander, not both in the same week, as that way there’s no wastage. I tend to buy those potted and they usually last at least a couple of weeks if not longer. Frozen coriander at all isn’t worth it imo but frozen basil is pretty good for pasta sauces, ratatouille, minestrone, etc.

If you put Coriander in an airtight box wrapped in kitchen roll it will keep for up to 4 weeks in the fridge. I saw this on youtube and thought yeeh but did give it a try and it works. (cut off the stems first and use them in a couple of days). I put most my veg on a drip tray inside a lock and lock box, cover with something like a folded over j cloth and it lasts for ages. Just change the cloth when it is damp and drain out the water and wash the box a couple of times a week. Celery, carrots, red cabbage etc will last for weeks.

@h0rsewithn0name

Loving this thread, thank you. A couple of questions (or more)...

Cooking jacket potatoes in the slow cooker? What are they like and how do you do this? Does is save on fuel compared to putting in the oven for an hour?

Has anyone got a recipe for chickpea curry with coconut milk?

I batch cook using the slow cooker all the time. What is the most efficient way of heating up the defrosted meals? Something like a bolognaise/tagine. I have been putting them in an enamel dish in the over for 35 minutes, but I suspect that isn't very efficient.

Thank you.

This one has added sweet potato and cauliflower which I use quite often. www.cookwithmanali.com/vegetable-chickpea-coconut-curry/#wprm-recipe-container-54452 Just ignore the branded spices and use what you have. Store cupboard one from Tesco realfood.tesco.com/recipes/chickpea-coconut-curry.html

@Whelmed

Does anyone have recommendations for where to find ideas to bulk up meals with veggies and pulses please? Any blogs or websites that would be useful?

What meals do you have in mind? (I can suggest accordingly)

BBC good food has lots of veggie recipes, generally using half meat and half pulses/veg works

I'd say that heating up defrosted meals such as bolognese sauce or any stew type meal in the oven wasn't very economical.

Using a microwave or halogen oven to heat them up would be more energy efficient, or put them in a saucepan and heat up on the hob, so much quicker than in the oven.

If you buy fresh pasta, (or make your own pasta) you can cook it in the sauce you are serving it with. Fresh pasta only takes a few moments to cook, so add it to your pan full of sauce towards the end of cooking, you may need to add slightly more liquid to your sauce for the best results. This also works with ready made gnocchi.

Lots of ideas and the main things covered here (I was raised by v frugal parents!)

Other money savers:

• chop & freeze any leftover fruit/veg (or turn into smoothies/soup
• make your own yogurt & baked goods (scones, cookies, muffins, rock cakes; less rich and so cheaper)
• meal plan to avoid waste & cook/part make several meals at once
• more meatless meals
• porridge from scratch for breakfast
• grow berries/lettuce/spinach etc
• batch cooking is a huge money saver
• main shop in Aldi/Lidl (esp cleaning/toiletries not just food) and get a delivery from another supermarket if needed so you don’t buy ‘extras’ (£1 saver slots from sainsburys)

Making use of offers: your spare food storage can be anywhere, don’t be limited by kitchen cupboards . I have storage space: under beds, under sofas, spare room wardrobe, garage for cans/cleaning products etc.

Anticipate needs and buy ahead when you see a good price (kids clothes, gifts etc )

60% of food in the UK is sold on offer, so between that, own brands and Aldi/Lidl it is possible

For the house: insulate, block drafts, heavy curtains, and electric blankets for sofa/wfh vs heating on

Also: put a paper towel in the bag with your spinach/salad leaves and close with a paper clip to stop them turning to mush

Yes the paper towel trick works very well!

Also, you can save lots by getting food free using Olio app

@h0rsewithn0name

Loving this thread, thank you. A couple of questions (or more)...

Cooking jacket potatoes in the slow cooker? What are they like and how do you do this? Does is save on fuel compared to putting in the oven for an hour?

Has anyone got a recipe for chickpea curry with coconut milk?

I batch cook using the slow cooker all the time. What is the most efficient way of heating up the defrosted meals? Something like a bolognaise/tagine. I have been putting them in an enamel dish in the over for 35 minutes, but I suspect that isn't very efficient.

Thank you.

For the chickpea curry, which is an easy store cupboard staple, to do the following:

Two tins of chickpeas shaken in the tin and drained. Save the bean water as it makes a fab egg substitute for cakes and it's free if you are using the chickpeas in something anyway.

I simmer the chickpeas for about half a hour till tender.

Meanwhile chop a large onion and gently fry off with chopped garlic. Once soft use two generous tablespoons of mild madras powder with a teaspoon of garam masala. You can use korma paste too if you have it, it works just as well. If you like spicier use hot madras. I like to add a tablespoon of white poppy seeds at this point, but it's not essential.
Fry for a minute then add chopped tomatoes and some purée.
Add in a handful of sultanas, the drained chickpeas and a full sized tin of coconut milk.

Simmer until the sultanas are plump.
I used to make a big vat of this for school functions as it's the most delicious vegan meal and so easy to do.

The jacket potatoes are here:

www.bbcgoodfood.com/user/4497526/recipe/jacket-potatoes-slow-cooker

@Ragruggers

I use the Remoska all the time I have 2 sizes one was bought at a jumble sale !they are brilliant very cheap to run and cook amazing food which is very tasty.I use a pressure cooker and make a large amount of soup weekly.Gas hob which is very quick.I still use my 1970’s cook book The Paupers Cookbook by Jocasta Innes.The potato,bacon and onion hotpot is a favourite.Cooked in the Remoska takes about an hour.Children love and if you can buy bacon pieces even better..So many people are so frugal I try and teach the younger ones in the family all students how to cut costs.We are going to need this now to eat well and save money.

Oooh do you have a recipe for the hotpot? Sounds like just the sort of thing my DC would like. I also agree DC should be taught things like this, my DC who have moved out have been given a recipe book with the recipes my mother cooked with me (and then she cooked with the DC!) and I'm hoping they will add their own to it over the years. In fact one of my DDs is making Yorkshire puddings right now

I use my air fryer loads, it's much cheaper than warming up the oven. I use it for sausages, hash browns, sausage rolls, chicken legs, roast peppers and onions

Meals I make are
Mac n cheese with sausages (I get Aldi frozen sausages)
Lasagne
Veggie Pasta bake
Sausage/ pork chops and mash
Spag bol
Meatballs and spag
Chicken curry and rice
Burritos
Jacket potatoes and various fillings

Lots of veg with everything.
I shop at Aldi it's about 90-100 a week for 5 of us.

Oh and I recently started doing those frozen garlic bread baguettes in the air fryer. I defrosted I'm microwave for 1 min the split it in half and bunged it in air fryer for 15 mins. Cooked better than the oven!

We have a combi microwave, and it's a lot cheaper to cook wedges or home made chips than in the oven - don't need such a high temperature, and much, much quicker

There was a great series on the TV a few years ago - Allegra McEvedy and someone who ran a restaurant who showed how to meal plan to create 3 dishes at a time - they called it the tumbledown method. It basically meant that if you cooked say a chicken on day one then you'd get at least 2 more meals out of it so that you meal planned around one or two main dishes a week. Its a great principle I've followed ever since, although I also think about when the oven is on and try to cook several things at once. So for eg tomorrow is a variant on risotto primavera so Tuesday will be soup to use up the stalks from aspargus/broccoli and the green tops of the leeks. On wednesday I'll make a roasted butternut squash dish and at the same time I'll roast some cauliflower in spices to go with Thursday night's dhaal and rice etc. Whilst I've got the oven on I'll par bake some jacket potatoes so that they can be finished off in the microwave for supper on Friday with baked beans, tuna and cheese.

@Ariela

We have a combi microwave, and it's a lot cheaper to cook wedges or home made chips than in the oven - don't need such a high temperature, and much, much quicker

How do you do it? I've got a combi microwave but never used the oven function. What settings and timings?

Those of you who use your slow cooker regularly are you out of the house all day when it’s on? I want to use mine but worried about leaving it unattended 🙈