NOW CLOSED: Tell Sainsbury's your top tips for cooking on a budget - you could win £200 of Sainsbury's vouchers

[AnnMumsnet]

Mumsnet have been asked by Sainsbury's to find out your top tips on cooking for your family on a budget. They have put together a basics range to help families who are looking to cut back on costs without compromising on quality and taste.

Sainsbury's want to know what are your tips for cooking good food for your family and watching the pennies.

Please post your tips below. Everyone who posts a tip on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky winner will receive £200 of Sainsbury's vouchers.

Many thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

You need a good store cupboard as a base. Therefor when you have a chicken carcass etc after a roast you have lentils barley etc to bulk out a soup and make it more filling and nutritious. Freeze leftovers. If you buy a pack of 4 chicken breasts and only use three, freeze the spare one asap. One breast alone might not feed the family but sliced and added to a dish it can add flavour.

Check your cupboards and freezer before going shopping and make a list. Sounds obvious, but if I don't do it, I get to the shop, can't remember if we have something and think I'd better get it just in case, and then find out we have it at home already.

Sainsbury's are not going to like this one but - grow your own, or make friends with someone that does.

Born I dream that I had the time to garden & the space

If you do it in pots, it needn't take much time or space. I grew a few bits and pieces last year, all in pots, but to be honest, I save most money with the stuff I get from my Dad's garden. He's retired and has given over his whole garden to veg, so grows a lot of stuff and can't eat it all. We live off beetroot for a few months!

We don;t get that much out of our pots, BorntoFolk. What do you find good?

Agree with just about everything already said

when I shop at sainburys and they have those large chickens for a fiver, I look for the ones with the longest cooking time, it's a bigger bird for the same price, there can be a big difference!

Rocket and mixed salad did well last year. The salad seeds actually came from BBC's Dig In so I didn't pay for them. Courgettes and cucumbers also did fairly well, and I got a lot of baby carrots. Potatoes did alright but I'm sure I paid more for the compost needed to fill the pots than the potatoes were actually worth...

Buy things like spread for bread when they are on offer and freeze the extras. Most of them freeze fine. Cheese is also a good one to freeze.
Use up over ripe bananas by making a banana loaf.
Nip into the supermarket when you are passing to pick up some reduced items. They might be on their last day, but if they can be frozen, they are often bargainous!

Always have pasta and pesto sauce in the house. The times these have got me out of trouble.

Make soup with your chicken carcus.
Shopping on line is easier to stick to a budget.

Never ever shop when you are hungry.

Use beans and pulses to add bulk.

Under cater rather than over cater.

Don't buy fresh veg unless you know for sure you care going to use it that day or the next.

If you do buy fresh veg, only buy what is in season.

Always check for special offers but ONLY buy if you are certain you will use, NEVER just because it's a bargain.

Items that are on BOGOF, split the cost with a friend and have one each.

mckenzie Under cater rather than over cater.
This is a good tip I've started to do this. I measure pasta & potatoes and now get annoyed with my Mum who over caters all the time.
We eat BOGOF satsumas at work and then split the cost. better than chocolate

-buy a slow cooker, prepare meals in the morning or night before, not only will tea be done but the house will smell lovely!

• buy bigger packs of mince, cook with garlic and onion, seperate into portions (i.e enough for 1 family meal) and freeze as it saves wasting time when preparing as is base to bolognase, cottage pie, lasagne etc

-with chicken, pork or lamb add marinade to bag before frezing as this means when defrosting all the prep work is done for you and you just have to add veg when cooking.

-slice and freeze rip bananas, they make great milkshakes and smoothie bases

-buy 'basic' or sainsbury's own fruit and veg ( same nutricional content , and unless your eating the packaging no different) all tastes the same especially when peeled slice and cooked and the extra money can go on desert!

-always keep flour and some baking butter/fat in the fridge when fruit starts to turn jut shove in in a crumble and noone will know any different!

• buy fruit and veg in season or on offer, more eco friendly and bank friendly too!

Plan to use leftovers from every meal:
Leftover stew / veg and potatoes will make a pastry pie for the next day.
Leftover bolognese makes a fab lasagne.
Leftover chicken from a roast can be made into loads of things ......etc etc

Only cook once in the evening - anyone who is not back (kids at sports event / hubby working late etc) gets theirs plated up and put in the fridge ready to warm up when they get in.

If there is one portion left, I put it in a plastic takeaway size tub and send it to work with my hubby the next day (he has the facility to warm things up!)

Shop at a discount supermarket for basics (sorry Sainsbury's) buy meat from a butchers in the exact quantity you need and get your fruit and veg from the market...

Re leftovers with meat how long do you leave it with cooked meat before you dare not risk it. Like Trillian life never goes to plan. Just like DH having porridge last night because he forgot that there was a burger left over from the weekend? DH useless unless it put in front of him, he either has cheese on toast or porridge. Then moans! So all these plans work if everyone in the family plays their part but my DH doesn't

i meal plan for a month.

i grate carrot and courgette into mince and 2 x tins toms to make one pack of mince last for 2 meals.

we always have a pasta night once a week.

freeze yogs that ared going out of date in lolly molds.

any leftover rolls from bbqs that are a bit stale, blitz in food processor and freeze in bag. great for meatloaf, burgers, fish cakes etc.

never shop without a list

plan your menu for the week (with a little flexibility, ie some meals in freezer for when life goes awry.

A freezer is a godsend. Get a chest freezer or under worksurface freezer from freecycle (or get a modestly priced second-hand one) then you can stocvk up on discounted bread etc when you see it.

f you can't grow your own veg, make friends with an allotment owner - there is often surplus goodies to be had for free.

Pancakes and yorkshire puddings are a lifesaver when pennies are short. Cheap as chips to make, filling and popular, you can fill them with all sorts of sweet and savoury options. Also, you can freeze them. Pancakes made with half plain and half wholemeal flour are still appealing to children and are a bit more nutritious.

Shop around at differnet supermarkets and get to know the bet deals for each product you use, that way you can save a lot of money over a longer period of time.

never ever get the two for one deals as they are things you never intened buying so they have got money outa your purse

Your freezer is your friend - freeze left overs, overripe fruit to put in smoothies or fruit puddings, veg you can't use up immediately, anything you have bought on offer that you can't use immediately (e.g. meat or bread). Keep a list handy of what you have in the freezer so that you use it up while it is still at it's best.

Use cheaper cuts of meat in the slow cooker - fantastic flavour.

If you really, really must have a take away as a treat cook the rice and oriental vegetables yourself and only buy the meat dishes - much cheaper. Better still learn how to cook your favourite take-away dishes - lots of recipes are on the internet, and what you cook will probably also be a healthier version!

Haven't read the other posts so this may duplicate what's already been said.

Only bulk buy freezable items or items with a long shelf life otherwise you'll end up wasting loads.

Don't be lured by special offers - they're not always that great (Tesco is bad for doing a 2 for £3 (or something) promotion on Tropicana and you only save about 6p).

Try and wait until your fridge and cupboards are as empty as possible before going shopping (remember the advert for eggs - all they had was an onion, some egss and some cheese (I think) and they made a fritatta)

Buy fresh items little and often.

Use seasonal produce.

Cut out snacks - you'll help your waistline and save money.

Try and go without certain luxuries that you might buy every week - wine, luxury brand chocolate or magazines can all add ££s to your shopping bill.

Buy a slowcooker. Make hugs batches of stews, casserole, pasta sauces and what doesn't get eaten, put in the freezer.

Use a meal list and plan meals which share ingredients on adjacent days- so sausage and mash one day, cook double the amount of mash and use it for a cottage pie the next day.

Always check out the reduced section of the chilled cabinets- I buy lots of ready meals very cheaply and stick them in the freezer for days when I'm late home or whatever.

Biggest saver for me is NEVER letting DH go shopping. He spends 3 times more. And comes back with less??

I'm going against the grain... always buy the offers 2 for 1 etc... BUT only if they are the things you normally eat.

Keep a stocked cupboard, buy a little extra when you can.

Cut down on portion size. Again never let Dh plate up as he puts at least 3 meals worth on one plate. (good for keeping weight off too!)

Cook what you like! Lots of folk try to economise and end up eating dire meals just because they are cheap.

Buy an enormous freezer, like the one we have and breed your own pork and fill it with that!!

don't eat meat everyday,2-3 times a week is fine

Buy a large cut of meat, instead of little ones.

for example, this week I had a massive beef roast (bought when money off at Sainsbo')and we had the Sunday roast, with friends. Then Monday cold meat on bread for lunchboxes. Tonight I am using the meat in a stirfry! at only £12 for the joint, it worked out quite cheap if you see how many we fed (6 on Sunday, 4 sandwiches, 5 tonight)

Stirfries can be very cheap if you use some leftover meat (roast)some Sainsbo Basics veg (peppers, beansprouts and mushrooms).

Also, doing a lentil or bean based meal is cheap (we love lentils or beans with fried onion, tinned tomato and chopped chorizo. cheap and very yummy)

Make your own pizza's with Basics Pitta bread, spread tomato sauce and top with cheese. Serve with salad. Great success.

There is lots more, if Sainsbury want to talk to me let me know!