Right Place/Right Time

Not the clearest of photos, but great bargains nonetheless.

Found these yesterday - carrot and  coriander soup; reduced from £1.80 each to 36p each!

Ideal for lunches at school.  I have popped them both in the freezer.

[Wrote 30 writing and 30 'speaking and listening' comments yesterday.  Plus listed 2 pairs of shoes on ebay]  

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

Ridiculous Price Increase

At this time of year, I am partial to coucous, occassionally.  

The last time I bought some, it was approx 35p.  This time it cost 62p!  At first I thought it was a mistake.  Sadly not.

On the other hand, following on from a post and comment by Frugal Mum, instead of buying these:

£2.00/kg

I have bought these:

£0.63/kg

£1.37/kg saving.  

I plan to grated/slice them and freeze them ready for use.

Chickpea and spinach cuury

Last week I cooked a delicious spinach and chickpea curry.  A very economical meal it was too; stretching to several lunches at work.

I followed this recipe:

Grating And Slicing

 

 I love the way I am pushed on/gently encouraged and inspired by other bloggers.

Today, I mentioned that I have being buying grated cheese and carrots.  Frugal Mum then kindly left a comment, which inspired me to look carefully at 3 food processor blades I have had in my cupboards for years.  They turned out to be: a finer slicer/grater; a thick slicer/grater and a chipper. [I Googled them - how else would I have found out?!]  Indeed, if I wished to buy them separatley, they appear to be selling on ebay for approx the £10 each mark.

So, I had a little go, using a carrot and a courgette.  I AM SO PLEASED WITH THE OUTCOME.

I love my blogging friends.
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Food budget

First and foremost; a very warm welcome to Scarlett, my new follower. Wow - I now have the grand total of 6.  Sign up, if read but don't follow.  It is so exciting when I get a new follower.  I realy like knowing you are out there!


Before, I get started about my food budget, I will just let out a little frustration - GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR- for about 5 days now I have being trying to upload a photo.  It is just not happening - hence a lack of posts.

I made myself an ace spinach and chickpea curry, but I don't want to blog about it without a photo.

#frustration.

Moving on; I am pleased to say that I have significantly reduced my food/supermarket expenditure over the past month.  I have a budget of £70 for the three of us [2 adults; one almost adult; including a certain teenage  boy who tends to think it is not a proper meal unless containing meat.]

The last 3 weekly shops have cost: £35; £35 and £40.  The first 2 were reduced to that figure because I had £5 off when you spend £40 vouchers.

Notable successes: I used to buy 5 'eat me' bananas for £1.  Now buy 5 loose ones for about 60p.  I also used to buy 250g grated carrot for 50p/£2 per kg.  Now buy loose ones for 80p per kg.

Why did/do I buy grated carrot or grated cheese?  I have been using the grated carrot to make lentil burgers,  which create a very cheap meal.  So although within that , the carrot is not the cheapest, the eventual lentil burgers are a heck of a lot cheaper than my previous bad habit of nipping into the COOP on the way home, when tired, and blowing around £10 on ready meals - if you follow my logic.

I also buy frozen chopped onions, for £1.  They enable me to make quick meals from scratch.  It is all about being smart and saving money in ways that work for you.

Epic Fail

Well,the oxtail stew was a disaster!

Maybe, it was cheap/poor quality oxtail; if there is such a thing.  It was purchased from Tesco.

It was tough and there was very little meat that came off the bone.  Despite being cooked all day,with plenty of liquid, in my slow cooker, it didn't want to come off the bone; even the little bit of meat that was there.

I don't usually waste food, but I threw it away and ate something else.  I just didn't  fancy it at all.

Can't win them all.
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Oxtail Stew And No Spend Days

Tonight I have put an oxtail stew into my slow cooker.  I was going to follow the Hairy Bikers recipe, but did not have red wine.  So, instead have used Tesco Everyday Value mixed vegetables, frozen onion and frozen garlic, with a Tesco packet mix.

38p

Should do the job.  Have never used oxtail before.  Intrigued about how it will turn out.  Will post a picture of finished result.

Also used up some potatoes.  Have peeled them ready.  Will use my ricer to mash.  A very effective gadget.

Plus Monday and Tuesday have been NSDs - no spend days.

Moneysupermarket Payment And Lunches

First of all, a big thank you to Sarah and Saving For Travel for becoming official followers.

Secondly, I am absolutely cock-a-hoop because I have been paid £30 by Moneysupermarket for my 30 Ways To Save £1 post.  I read the small print on their site yesterday, and it said they were going to pay for  the first 500 posts.  As I had left it several days, I was not hopeful.  However, I got the email this morning and the money os in my paypal account as I type.  The £30 is going towards a mortgage overpayment this month.  Indeed, that is the subject for another post and I intend to add a sidebar counter to encourage me.

Thirdly, I am going to answer a question put to me by gotthisfar.  

We bloggers are a funny bunch; this morning at 7:00 AM I found myself photographing my food for the day!

Packed lunches:

We have a microwave and toaster at school, as I imagine many places do.  Thus I usually take something that I can heat up.  It is quite rare that I take sandwiches. Aldi do a fine selection of chunky soups, and I go through phases of having them.  Another favorite is mackeral on toast.

Today I had jacket potato, with salad and lentil and carrot curry topping.

For my break at 11:00 AM I usually take some tomato juice.  I really enjoy this because it is very refreshing and fills me up.

Tesco Vale Tomato Juice

I also have some apple, which I core and segment.  That way it feels a bit posher, like the over-priced fruit bags you can buy!

Indeed I am quite a grazer, so I also take a small tub if mixed fruit, which I have posted about before. 

So, there we have it.  Quite frugal and healthy me thinks.

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Tesco Everyday Value

Yesterday, I went shopping with superscout.  During our trip, we had a discusssion about the amount of Tesco Everyday Value products I buy.

Since the re-branding from Value to Everyday Value, I seem to buying a lot more.  Superscout says it is because of the re-branding.  I am not sure.  I feel that the quality has improved.

In a way, does it matter?  If I am happy, as the customer/consumer, surely that is a good thing.

Here is a selection of products we currently have in our cupboards:

 

What do you buy of a similar nature?  Any top tips?

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Lentil, carrot and oat burgers

Well I can report, they tasted delicious.

 

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

 

Easter Sunday

Yesterday, I had an extremely relaxing, yet domestic goddess type day.

I made some lentil, carrot and oat burgers.

Thanks FRUGAL GRADUATE.  I have not eaten them yet; some are for today.

Then I made the most delicious treat of a meal:  Smoked salmon dauphinoise.

 

I used this recipe, without the celeriac, because I did not have any:

BBC GOOD FOOD SMOKED SALMON DAUPHINOISE.

I ate some of this last night and it was DELICIOUS.

No major cooking today, because I am off to Ikea.

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