Budget

Hi there
soooo glad someone posted today as I couldn't find it :p
I have been pondering about the budget thing and off the top of my noggin here are some basic ideas :-

keep frozen :-
  • mushrooms + peppers -once defrosted and squeezed out they are just as nice as fresh for stews n stir-fries
  • fruit -just double check that it isn't glazed etc -I have these in sugar free jelly with a dollop of yoghurt -makes a lovely pud. Also nice on porridge in a morning
  1. Its often cheaper (depending on offers) to buy large pots of yoghurt etc -its a bit more faff -but if its cheaper ;)
  2. The full fat versions of things like cheese triangles and normal strong cheddar are often cheaper -plus you get less of them for your syns/healthy extras so you save even more
  3. keep longlife milk in for making sauces etc
  4. a roast chicken can be great value - I can easily get 3 different meals and a soup from 1
here are a few recipe ideas that we love *plus they are cheap and great for using up what you have;)* -I can post the basic recipes/ideas I do (or tell you where they are in my diary) -and you can tweak them to suit what you have in or what you will eat...
  • fried rice -we are having this tonight -mine has chorizo, onions, peppers, mushrooms, peas corn, eggs n rice -tis stunning and its nice cold too
  • cheese n potato pie -leftovers can be made into fry-its
  • layer potatoes n onions in a dish and pour on stock (lamb oxo is good) -cover with foil and bake until tender -then remove the foil to let them crisp up -you can use a few syns to put corned beef through if you want, or top with bacon etc -although I like em plain
  • easy cheesy pasta -dead simple and you can alter to suit
  • luxury cauliflower cheese - great with jackets, or with meat -but again I like the leftovers on their own -mine has cauli, broccoli, carrots and leeks in and a cheese sauce -all for 1.5syns + 1heA per serving...
right -thats off the top of my head.. I will carry on looking through my mags tonight and pop back :p
 
elb4160 said:
Thank you for that Capricorn, any red's for me?
I look at the word "pasta" and STS!
Click to expand...

:p Yep I will be back later with some red ideas ;) ...
 
Awesome thanks capricorn that's so nice of you to take the time for me :D will definately be trying some of those... Are the recipes in your diary? The cauli cheese sounds lush.
 
ok this just reminded me about my veg chilli this is off my head:
2 pepers any colour you fancy
4 carrots peeled and choped
2 onions chopped
2 tins of beans/pulses any you fancy or even mixed beans
1 tin of kidney beans in chilli sauce
2 tins of choped toms
1 tbls of cumin
1 ts of chilli powder/hot if you like it
1 ts pakrika
1 ts garlic granuals or 2 cloves of chopped garlic

method;
1. fry all veg in fry light until onions are soft
2. add chopped toms and fill one of the tins with water and dried ingredients and stir then add to the pan drain and rinse the other tins of pulses and add to the pan
3. add the chill kidney beans and stir well
4. cook for about an hour add more water if you like!
 
Fruitybabe said:
Awesome thanks capricorn that's so nice of you to take the time for me :D will definately be trying some of those... Are the recipes in your diary? The cauli cheese sounds lush.
Click to expand...

Here you go Fruitybabe.. this link should take you to a list on my diary of where you will find each recipe - the veggie cheese is a fave in this house....
elb-there are red day/ee recipes on there... hope it helps... give me a yell if you can't make sense of my rambles
http://www.minimins.com/slimming-world-weight-loss-diary/149197-shedding-wobble-62.html
 
That's fantastic Capricorn, thank you so much!
*bookmarks it* I shall be going through that today!
It's so helpful especially coming from someone who's had such good losses, they must work!
 
I'd stock up on tins of beans and pulses, frozen veg, passata, rice, pasta as you can make lots of tasty stuff from that with the help of a sprinkle of curry powder, chilli powder or mixed herbs.
 
Heres some tips for you that I use when budgeting:
​


  • Go on the internet and look at what offers are on at the major supermarkets. I look at what meats/fish are on offer and base my menu around these. ​
  • If meats and things are 2 for 1 get them, make double and freeze portions. Ideal when you are in a hurry or money is tight - you always have a back up. ​
  • Go to the supermarkets late afternoons/early evening and go to the reduced sections - I GET LOADS of meat and fish to freeze. last week I got 2 portions of fresh cod for £1.00!! Bought 3 packs and bunged them in the freezer. ​
  • Like someone else mentioned, have a look at the fruit and veg thats on offer or even better get frozen. The frozen veg is ideal for casseroles, shepards pies etc etc and the fruit is yummy too!! ​
  • Buy own brand cereal, bread and cereal bars - so much cheaper and they often come in bigger boxes too! ​
  • Bulk buy items such as potatoes and pasta - its often cheaper to buy a HUGE bag then a small bag every week/fornight. ​
  • Have a wander to your local fruit/veg shop. i went to mine the other day and got 15 eggs for £1.00 - absolute bargain!!! ​
  • When buying fruit/veg always rummage to the back - they have a better date on them lol!! ​
 
Yummymummyuk said:
Thanks for all your great ideas. I am amazed at your low shopping bills. I checked my spending the other day and my supermarket bills are coming to a whacking £100-£150 a month. That's for 3 people and two cats (who I am trying to wean off Whiskas sachets). Unfortunately I don't get a lot of time to shop around. Tesco and Sainsbury are my main shops. Sometimes will pop in to Lidls. Have no Asda near, would probably cost more in petrol to get there, and no market to speak of any more, more's the pity.

I can't eat too many beans or pulses give me terrible wind!!!! Think also pasta is beginning to have same effect. Sorry to be graphic!!

Offal is a good budget food - liver, especially chicken makes a good pasta sauce with tomatoes and some nice seasoning or good old lambs liver with bacon, fried onions and SW chips (YUM). Hearts are nice sliced and quickly fried (not too long or they go like rubber). Little lambs kidneys used to be eaten a lot for breakfast.

I noticed the other day that Chicken thighs have gone up, thanks to Nigella for making them trendy!!! Packs of thighs and legs are pretty cheap which can be casseroled. I expect the price for pig knuckles, another thing Nigella did a recipe for will also now skyrocket like lamb shanks did when some celebrity chef made them popular!
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Oh Yummymummy i wish my monthly supermarket bill was only £150, mine is approx 50 per week, then add 15 a week for butchers and there is only 2 of us lol
 
Green is by far the cheapest plan to be on :)

I again use supermarket brands of things liek cereals & am a big fan of buying all the BYGOF offers to keep my cupboards stocked up.

As for meals, things like SW Chips & beans, 5 bean chilli, stirfry's etc are all really cheap.

If you have a slow cooker you can make loads of yummy casseroles etc in using cheaper cuts of meat & then bulk them out with veggies, or there's a vegetarion slow cooker thread with loads of ideas.

I make a chickpea italian stew type thing thats really easy, cheap & tasty (in the recipe section somewhere), also things like baked Rissotto is cheap as you just add what you have got.

I also always try & make things in bulk & either use left overs for lunches or portion up & freeze them.
 
yep we get about the same too - I find that cooking them in a slow cooker helps as the meat litterally falls off the bone so absolutly no wastage then!! :D
 
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