Well that was fun! We have about twenty or so recipe books gathered over the past 10, 15 years or so (what a waste of money – I’m making a note of the recipes I like then I’m selling them), and I’ve been through everyone looking for dishes that we would like. There are plenty that we each like, but very few we all like and can agree on, cooking several meals at each sitting is a no no because you are just increasing your costs, not necessarily in food costs (if you keep the portions under control) but with cooking costs, (it’s the same when someone is eating later and needs something warmed up, eat it cold I say and save me money!
One thing I’ve tried to do over the years is build up my own collection of recipes, that we would have more than the once, that I’ve cut out of magazines and the like, these I’ve inserted into plastic wallets and put into a folder (saves space and the plastic wallets are wipe cleaned after use).
We have finally agreed on some recipes that could be put together for a menu for the week, and as I’m trying to eliminate processed foods and save money I need to have a clear strategy for the shopping trip. There will undoubtedly be some products that we can’t make ourselves from scratch but we’re going to have a good go and only resort to processed products when all avenues have been exhausted (I know it’s not all going to happen overnight but you have to start somewhere).
For the list of recipes we have some sort of menu for the coming week and from these we’ll have a list of ingredients for the shopping list, now is the time to see what’s already in the cupboards so we don’t buy anything we already have.
Until next time: I’m making sure I don’t duplicate anything we already have so not wasting money.
Saturday, 17 October 2009
Friday, 16 October 2009
Food shopping – for the frugal
I want to say straight away that my name is NOT Scrooge, I am NOT mean, despite what people say, I am just careful with money (what little there is I want to hang onto for as long as possible and see that it is spent wisely (or not at all)). My childhood years were spent in the sixties and seventies and there just wasn’t the money around then. There were no credit cards to use if you were a bit short, if you didn’t have the money – you went without, and although times were tough I have to say that we never went without food, there was always something on the table, and that’s where I want to start on my frugal journey…
Food – the biggest expense for the majority of people. But a lot of money is spent buying the wrong type of food – the dreaded processed foods, and yes, we’re equally guilty on this one from time to time, but no more.
There are lots of things you can do when food shopping but the main one is not going unprepared, and by writing a list.
I have been trying, for years, to get my family into the habit of doing menus each week (and for a few weeks ahead too to save some time) so that shopping becomes easier, because if you know what food you’re going to be eating you know what food you need to have in the house each week! (And making the process of shopping easier has only to be a good thing surely!).
After the menu has been written, the list of ingredients automatically comes from that, but before tripping off to the supermarket – stop! Check the cupboards and see what is already in there because otherwise you may end up with duplicated stuff and that could mean waste!!!!!!!!
But this will only work if all food is fresh, dried or frozen (and I don’t mean ready meals from the freezer), we have always been big advocates of unprocessed food and very rarely resort to them – but occasionally!
You don’t have to sacrifice quality either, having a frugal lifestyle does not mean living a life of poverty and living on tins of 10p beans everyday – but now and again! Sometimes you do have to wonder what quality of food is in processed foods though when everyone along the manufacturing chain has to make some profit – it makes you wonder. But quite often it’s actually cheaper to avoid processed food and cook from scratch, that’s my aim anyway.
As usual there’s no one around so it looks like I’ll have to do menus myself, so I’m off to the kitchen to search out the recipe books.
Until next time: One of the key things is to monitor the product dates; use by date means just that, use the product by this date or throw it out (wipe away the tears, it’s not worth getting ill for but remember not to do it again). Best before date means just that too, but you can use after this date (providing it’s not gone off) but there may be some deterioration in quality.
I want to say straight away that my name is NOT Scrooge, I am NOT mean, despite what people say, I am just careful with money (what little there is I want to hang onto for as long as possible and see that it is spent wisely (or not at all)). My childhood years were spent in the sixties and seventies and there just wasn’t the money around then. There were no credit cards to use if you were a bit short, if you didn’t have the money – you went without, and although times were tough I have to say that we never went without food, there was always something on the table, and that’s where I want to start on my frugal journey…
Food – the biggest expense for the majority of people. But a lot of money is spent buying the wrong type of food – the dreaded processed foods, and yes, we’re equally guilty on this one from time to time, but no more.
There are lots of things you can do when food shopping but the main one is not going unprepared, and by writing a list.
I have been trying, for years, to get my family into the habit of doing menus each week (and for a few weeks ahead too to save some time) so that shopping becomes easier, because if you know what food you’re going to be eating you know what food you need to have in the house each week! (And making the process of shopping easier has only to be a good thing surely!).
After the menu has been written, the list of ingredients automatically comes from that, but before tripping off to the supermarket – stop! Check the cupboards and see what is already in there because otherwise you may end up with duplicated stuff and that could mean waste!!!!!!!!
But this will only work if all food is fresh, dried or frozen (and I don’t mean ready meals from the freezer), we have always been big advocates of unprocessed food and very rarely resort to them – but occasionally!
You don’t have to sacrifice quality either, having a frugal lifestyle does not mean living a life of poverty and living on tins of 10p beans everyday – but now and again! Sometimes you do have to wonder what quality of food is in processed foods though when everyone along the manufacturing chain has to make some profit – it makes you wonder. But quite often it’s actually cheaper to avoid processed food and cook from scratch, that’s my aim anyway.
As usual there’s no one around so it looks like I’ll have to do menus myself, so I’m off to the kitchen to search out the recipe books.
Until next time: One of the key things is to monitor the product dates; use by date means just that, use the product by this date or throw it out (wipe away the tears, it’s not worth getting ill for but remember not to do it again). Best before date means just that too, but you can use after this date (providing it’s not gone off) but there may be some deterioration in quality.
Thursday, 15 October 2009
Save Money - Spend Less - Live More
Save Money, Spend Less – Live More!
Credit Crunch, Redundancy, Reduced Income, Higher prices, Rising Debts, Home Repossessions, etc
Greedy Bankers, Big Bonus payouts, Golden Hellos, Golden Goodbyes, Fat Cat Salaries, Big Cars, Fancy Houses, etc
The first group of words describe the vast majority of people in the UK today. The second group describe a much smaller group of people, smug people in my view, who aren’t too affected by the problems the recession of today, are causing, and general opinion is that the second group have caused the problems for the first group by their greedy ways.
I don’t know about you, but I have definitely been affected and am definitely part of the first group, and it’s simply not fair, it’s not moral, it’s not……
But, is there anything we can do about it? About the problem – probably not, we are where we are. But, there is one thing we can do and that is to fight back (not literally) by protecting ourselves from some of the effects. There is a better way to approach things by changing our lifestyles so that we get to keep more of the cash we earn rather than spending all of it, lining the pockets of the ‘corporate unconcerned’. They don’t have to cope with the same stresses and strains the rest of us have to cope with day in day out.
Supermarket chains, Oil companies and the like all make obscene billions of pounds profit each year – ‘at our expense’! Yes they have to make profits, Yes they have to survive, I accept that, but do their profits have to be so big, so huge? ‘at our expense’ (yes I know I’ve repeated myself but I am astounded by the size of these profits) I think not, and I for one have had enough and do not intend to contribute to them anymore that I need to from now on.
My new stance, My new Lifestyle, My new blog starts now, here today. I intend to look for the cheapest, if not freest, way to live. So I’ll be checking out the frugal, the simplistic ways to live, and acquire the things I need to live day to day in places outside the big impersonal supermarkets and hopefully I won't need too much cash either (not that I’m mean you understand!), so I get to keep whatever bit of cash I do have in my pocket and not put it into theirs.
So why not join me on the journey in search of a better way of life, right now?
Until next time:
Before I spend any money I will be asking:
Is this something I really need?
Is this something I will really use?
Is this the cheapest price I can get the product?
Can I afford it?
Will this product add value to my life?
Credit Crunch, Redundancy, Reduced Income, Higher prices, Rising Debts, Home Repossessions, etc
Greedy Bankers, Big Bonus payouts, Golden Hellos, Golden Goodbyes, Fat Cat Salaries, Big Cars, Fancy Houses, etc
The first group of words describe the vast majority of people in the UK today. The second group describe a much smaller group of people, smug people in my view, who aren’t too affected by the problems the recession of today, are causing, and general opinion is that the second group have caused the problems for the first group by their greedy ways.
I don’t know about you, but I have definitely been affected and am definitely part of the first group, and it’s simply not fair, it’s not moral, it’s not……
But, is there anything we can do about it? About the problem – probably not, we are where we are. But, there is one thing we can do and that is to fight back (not literally) by protecting ourselves from some of the effects. There is a better way to approach things by changing our lifestyles so that we get to keep more of the cash we earn rather than spending all of it, lining the pockets of the ‘corporate unconcerned’. They don’t have to cope with the same stresses and strains the rest of us have to cope with day in day out.
Supermarket chains, Oil companies and the like all make obscene billions of pounds profit each year – ‘at our expense’! Yes they have to make profits, Yes they have to survive, I accept that, but do their profits have to be so big, so huge? ‘at our expense’ (yes I know I’ve repeated myself but I am astounded by the size of these profits) I think not, and I for one have had enough and do not intend to contribute to them anymore that I need to from now on.
My new stance, My new Lifestyle, My new blog starts now, here today. I intend to look for the cheapest, if not freest, way to live. So I’ll be checking out the frugal, the simplistic ways to live, and acquire the things I need to live day to day in places outside the big impersonal supermarkets and hopefully I won't need too much cash either (not that I’m mean you understand!), so I get to keep whatever bit of cash I do have in my pocket and not put it into theirs.
So why not join me on the journey in search of a better way of life, right now?
Until next time:
Before I spend any money I will be asking:
Is this something I really need?
Is this something I will really use?
Is this the cheapest price I can get the product?
Can I afford it?
Will this product add value to my life?
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