July Frugal thread, Just chatting and saving.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Everyone welcome.

Fluffy I know slow cookers aren't that expensive its just I am unsure of whether there will be enough I can cook in one that dd will eat! She is pita quite fussy and doesn't tend to eat anything with a sauce or casseroles, stews etc. I could use it for bolognese I suppose but not sure what else....

Wheely i add a large teaspoon full of marmite to anything like that!!

Peppa have a look in Primark for bags/jewellery, I got dds friend for her 9th bday a really nice glitzy looking shoulder bag which was reduced to £2 plus some bangles, hair accessories and nail varnish and it all came to less than £5! Looked a lot more than it was imo and her friend was very pleased with it all. I find Claires Accessories over priced for what it is (plastic tat mostly )

Right must get arse in gear as taking girlie cat to the vets for a check up in an hour and still not dressed yet

girlie, you can cook lots of other things in a slow cooker too, e.g. baked potatoes, whole chickens, soup etc.

Too welcome to the thread! I'm a newbie too, after a few months like you described. Got sick of being payday millionaires and scraping coppers for the rest.

fuzz With batch cooking and changing your mind, I often freeze components of meals separately, like cooked chicken in one bag, another of tomato sauce, cheese sauce, chilli sauce, curry sauce, then take out whichever I fancy. Like if I didn't want cauliflower cheese, I could use the bag of cheese sauce for macaroni cheese. I mainly do it because reheated gluten free pasta is vile. I suppose it still means cooking, but it's easier than starting from scratch and the temptation for takeaway is limited.

cobble well done on staying under budget! Would also like to see your meal plan if you don't mind...

pointless welcome back from your holiday! Sounds perfect for your little girl! I'm feeling stuck for rainy day activities too, everything costs money!

Hoping for a NSD again today. Tesco delivery is due soon, got it for €12 under what I wanted to spend and €25 under the normal spend! hoping I won't need a top up shop. Been meal planning for years, but actually did it around what was on offer and cheap this week. Apart from my two coeliacs, they aren't fussy, so makes it easier!

This rain is driving me crazy, I don't usually like summer, but it's hard to find things to do with the kids in the wet! This is week 5 of the summer holidays and I'm running out of ideas!

Pink Your batch cooking method is bloody genius.

Girlie I feel your pain. Dh is fussy, he asks for tomato pasta sauce that isn't too tomato-y. WTF?.

NSD yesterday and today since we are not going out. Another wet day but luckily so far I haven't heard "I am bored" from dc who are playing with ds train set. Going to do some baking today after my ds reminded me that we run out of breakfast bars.
Burritos for kids tonight and chilli and rice for dh who is doing slimming world again. He lost over 3 stones about 4 years ago but after we moved to SW he put it back on and now he is 1 stone lighter again.
I usually plan meals when dc are at school as it's easier with all the after school clubs and I let them choose a meal each. I just often wish for some variety apart from the usual spag bol, lasagne, cottage pie, sausages ....

Love that advice Pink thank you! Agree that reheated pasta (gluten free or regular) is bloody 'orrible so yes freezing sauces separately makes sense. I just use tesco value freezer bags (they come in rolls of 100) but it can be a bit of a faff freezing things in them - I learnt from my first mistake that if you put bags right next to each other they will freeze stuck together and be impossible to separate! So now I put kitchen roll between them until they're properly solid.

Anyway, shedloads of leek and spuds in the slow cooker for soup, and a lovely lot of veg and tomatoes turned down low on the hob to whizz up later. I've cut so much leek and onion that my eyes still sting! Going to do some non-cooking stuff next like making burgers and marinading some chicken (ginger, garlic, honey, soy sauce and lime juice). I just have to be careful to do a little bit at a time and then rest. I am also good use of my 'old lady chair' (a perching stool on long term loan from adult social care, because I get dizzy if I stand too long) rather than being too stubborn to use it. But I do want to power through to some extent, as I know from bitter experience that if I don't do it all within the first couple of days since the food arrives, it just won't get done at all. DH only does a half day on Mondays so once he's back from taking the DCs to the dentist and the park I'll get some more done with him.

I think it was me who said about putting Marmite in Quorn chilli/Bolognese and I'm glad you've said that because it's reminded me to stick some in the slow cooker with the Bolognese I'm doing for tea! I usually put in a tea spoon full.
I've been meal planning this morning around things in the fridge. We had a tonne (well, a kilo) of carrots so I've roasted some to do carrot hummus and I've made carrot and apple muffins this morning plus I chopped up two for the Spag Bol. One left which will go in my chickpea curry later in the week.
Plan is:
Tonight - spag Bol
Tue - peppers stuffed with cous cous (I accidentally made too much last night) and pesto with some goats cheese I'd forgotten about
Wed - chick pea curry
Thurs - pasta with broccoli "pesto" and cherry tomatoes
Fri - pizza and sweet potato wedges
Sat - not sure yet, possibly take away as we are hoping to spend the day clearing out the garage and I won't want to cook after that
Sun - sausage, mash and veg

I'm trying to make things that DD and I can reheat for lunch the next day so that I don't have to try and cook whilst she mills between my feet and empties all the kitchen cupboards. She's at nursery today hence all the cooking!
We also have a lot of rhubarb in the garden, lots of recipes I've found also contain stem ginger so I'm going to buy a jar and make some lovely puddings.

Where are you going camping, Wheely? We're thinking of going again the first weekend in Sept as it's my birthday and the weather should still be nice (in fact it will probably be much nicer than it is now!). Don't want to go too far for just a weekend, maybe Rutland.

Going to physio now (£40) then later to Aldi, Asda, the dry cleaners and the charity shop, will report back later on any good bargains I find!

Back from the vets, £27 for a 5 min appointment and 5 steroid tablets will be tagged onto insurance claim though.

Also picked up 2 big bags (3kg) of iams for £20 on offer, while Girliecat is on the steroids she is constantly hungry so eating lots more than usual. Thought this was a good deal as usually £16 a bag. Also 2 packs of Dreamies for £2, we have conditioned Girliecat into coming when its time for her tablets as she always gets a few Dreamies afterwards!

Going to cinema later, will take dd and a friend. Its £6.30 a ticket on Mondays (odeon) will obv take sweets and drinks with us also going to pick up something or my friend who has been really poorly, think had tonsillitis or similar probably some soup and chocolate!!

Glad my batch freezing idea was helpful! You can do loads of different sauces and make loads of different combos. I only do a handful because we have a small freezer, but it's helpful for the nights we want take away. No gluten free takeaway options where we live! (Which does help the budget, it's just not an option!)

fuzz sounds like you have loads done so far! Well done!

pointless your meal plan looks lovely!

So bored today. Was going to take the kids to the local soft play. We don't go there much because there is a better one nearer the city, but it's a 20 min drive. Phoned to find out how much it cost, just as well I did, €9 per child! not worth it, it's not even very good! Might just go for a walk in the woods in the rain. How bad could it be?

Fuzz...Pink, you are the SC queens!
I have one but all my efforts seem to end up tasting the same, and bland at that

I wouldn't call myself that, I've had it about 4 years and this is the second time I've used it! I just checked it and I might take the leeks out as the potatoes are nowhere near cooked.

Pointless, roasted carrot hummus sounds lush. Can I get recipe please?

Need To replace the fridge freezer, it's the original one from when the house was built and is making horrendos noises. DH has ordered one for about £380, it's an integrated unit with no floor tiles under it, so buying a stand alone wasn't an option. Anyway, DDs are happy because they have To eat the ice-cream today, new fridge/freezer arrives Tomorrow morning.

I'm stealing that genius idea re freezing food. Re reheated pasta, when I do it for DDs I just pour boiling water over it once the Sauce is ready. They've never complained. I do store it seperate from any Sauce though.

What's the house like Adora? Do you have the dogs here too?.

£6 spent today on yoga class...which is a lot but it got me and DD out the house and I did really enjoy it.

Supposed to be starting a free baby massage course soon but haven't heard back from the woman organising it. It could be a bit of a faff though as its only half an hour each session - seems like a bit of hassle getting DD ready and out just for half an hour! There's s baby group meets afterwards but it's also the same morning as yoga... Not sure which I'd rather do

ooh never crossed my mind to freeze cooked pasta Adora . Assume the texture is ok when reheated? will give that a go

I love my slow cooker too!!! Have three of them, but tend to use middle sized one most often.
Thought ye would appreciate this quote!
We don't usually do takeaways but have had 3 since last Mon & this evening looks likely too!

Great idea pink re freezing. I am not brilliant at freezing stuff it's not my greatest habit. Nothing goes to waste (or not much), but I don't batch cook that often.

So I decided to bulk buy the dog food as it represents a good saving over 2 months. Saves about £5 per bag.

Are you settled back in now Adora?

Have a mountain of washing so I am afraid the tumble dryer is going on.

Feel sorry for the folk holidaying this week.

I've got the tumble drier on too

Dinner is left over roast chicken with crushed potatoes, cold stuffing, crusty bread and coleslaw. I'm really looking forward to it

Oh that dinner sounds gorgeous Spotty. I love stuffing - at Christmas I actually prefer my traditional leftover sandwich (pigs in blankets, stuffing, turkey, mayo and cranberry) to the Christmas dinner itself!

Love that quote lilac (although I spent ages working out what the word 'budget' has to do with today's date... )

Ooh Spotty that sounds lush, can I come to yours please?

Probs frozen pizza for me I think, DH is out so I'll need something quick and easy! Or maybe eggs on toast...

Mmm I love stuffing too. I think this weather is making me feel festive

Well today's been rubbish.

£1 three packs of veg in tesco with an orchard voucher.
£3.50 antihistamine syrup (cheapest they had)
£15.50 cleanser off john lewis
£5 steamer insert for my saucepans so I only need one ring on to do dinner.

Sent my BHS parcel back for a full refund. So I should get £30 back, eventually. It was free returns.

I've started my campaign for a tumble dryer. I want a gas powered one. Dh isnt keen on a gas powered one at all. Apparently the ones in launderettes are gas powered.

lilac love the quote!

spotty your dinner sounds yum! Coleslaw and stuffing combo is just lush!

Dinner tonight is a roast. Only a small chicken, but going out tomorrow with the boys, my mum and sister, so will make some rolls with the leftovers. I'm on a fast day today (5:2) so will have hairy dieters griddled vegetables with some of the chicken.

Have had the drier on today too. Just downloaded an energy calculator app to see how much it costs to run different appliances. Apparently it costs approx 50c per load in the 7kg drier. Not as bad as I thought!