Fantastic Bank Holiday Monday/Whitson Half-Term

When I woke up this morning, an email was waiting for me offering a composter, through Freecycle.  I was delighted. It was very timely.  Only yesterday, I had found a composter on Ebay; collection only.  The current bid was £1.75, with 24 hours to go.

I set up a snipe bid; max. £3.00

I had previously ordered one from a supplier offer a concession to my local council. However, I had received an email to say that there had a problem with the check out on their website and my order had not gone through; would I like to re-order? NO!

Then the Freecycle offer came.

Superscout and I went to collect it at 4:00PM, from a lovely lady.

On the way home, we stopped at a Marks and Spencer 'Simply Food' store.  We planned to buy a £10 'Dine In For 2' offer, because it was Bank Holiday.

WELL WE ARRIVED AT THE RIGHT TIME ....................... JUST LOOK AT WHAT WE BAGGED!

ALL 10P!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All in all it has been a great Bank Holiday.

Plus, I wrote 30 ICT comments and 30 Art and DT comments.

Added to which, we re-arranged Superscout's bedroom and did a major spring clean in it.

The Ebay composter finally went for £19.

I also have a chicken carcas in the slow cooker. #stock

Merrange and lemon[ish] loaf.

Yesterday. the teenager and superscout returned.  So far, so good. No arguments to  report!

Once they were settled back in, and I had got their laundry going, I made:

• Some merranges, with left-over egg whites. [I shall freeze them and get them out for a treat, when I see some super reduced cream.

• A lemon[ish] drizzle loaf.  As I did not a fresh lemon, I used lemon juice and added some of my super economical mixed fruit, with peel.

 

I also made a homemade cauliflower cheese, which I have not photographed yet.  I used an Aldi packet mix  [36p] approx and a cauliflower which had been reduced to 45p in the Co-Op.

Today is going to be quite expensive, because both the teenager and superscout need new school shoes. However, we are going to explore the possibility of getting them re-soled.  We shall see.

x

Lentil, carrot and oat burgers

Well I can report, they tasted delicious.

 

[I think I have scratch on my lense, but hey ho]

 

Asparagus etc

Yesterday, I deliberately went to Tesco at time when I thought they might be reducing.

I got 3 really good reductions:

Asparagus reduced from £2.50 to 63P

I had about a third as part of my meal last night; a treat.  The stalks were quite long, so I cut quite a bit off the bottom.  However, I saved the bottom bits and will use in a quiche, or some other way.  HOW ECONOMICAL AM I?

'Ruby Slaw' reduced from £2 to 31p

A City Kitchen Duck Noodle dish, reduced from £3.95 to £1.19

Superscout loves these, so it will be an economical Friday or Saturday night treat for her.

Tuna Pasta Bake

 

In the oven, set on timer, to be cooked by 18:00.

Tesco ED tuna chunks = £0.75

Tesco tuna bake packet mix = £0.38

Skimmed milk = £0.14 

Frozen onion = £0.10 approx.

Tesco ED frozen sweetcorn = £0.06 approx.

Grated cheese = £0.75

TOTAL = £2.16 for 6 portions.

36p per portion.

Looking at this, I think the cheese is dis proportionally expensive and I will adjust next time.

FROZEN ONION

For a while now I have bought frozen onion.  2 reasons really:

• It is convenient.  Although technically more expensive to buy, it makes me more likely to cook something cheaply, and and not resort to expensive ready meals from the COOP.
• Frozen is always there and fresh, so to speak.  It reduces waste.  I have applied this principle to most vegetables and herbs now.

Fruit boxes

Recently, I have started to buy mini fruit boxes to take for my snack at school.

I have been buying these:

Tesco Goodness Dried Selection Fruit Packs 10 x 25g

The cost works out at £8.00 per kilogram.

However, I just changed, with the help of my electronic scale and mini plastic tubs, to this:

 

Tesco Everyday Value

£1.90 per kilogram.

Fantastic savings.