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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Followers button

After some searching, I have managed to add a followers button.  It was not as simple as in the old days!

So now it is there; an official welcome to Sharon and Ruth.  So glad to have you here.

If you are reading, please hit the followers button in the side tab, so that I can welcome you too.  Plus, please spread the word about my blog, if you don't mind, because it is such a thrill to receive comments.

On another note, I have just checked  Moneysupermarket's site and the £30 offer only goes to the first 500, although anyone after that you will still be entered into the prize draw for either £1000 or £2000.  Thus, I think I am too late for the £30.

Nevermind.
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30 Ways To Save £1.

Alerted by Sarah and Iona, I have tuned into MoneySupermarket's celebration of the 30th anniversary of the introduction of the £1 coin.  They are offering £30 to every blogger who posts 30 ways t save a pound/money.

Here goes.  My ideas are:

1. Sit boiling - boil food stuffs like pasta and rice for half the time it says on the packet.  Then turn the heat off and let them continue to cook in their own ambient heat for the second half of the time.
2. House swap for holidays.  Five years ago I swapped my house and car with a Spanish family and had 3 fantastic weeks in La Manga.  Accommodation and car hire TOTALLY FREE.
3. Save bread bags, cereal packet innards etc to re-use as freezer/sandwich bags.
4. Use voucher code sites to actively search for vouchers to reduce he cost of a whole manner of things.
5. Put 'wanted' posts of Freecycle.  I usually get what I want.
6. Get rid/sell your tumble dryer.
7. Buy supermarket value/everyday etc products.  The family usually cannot discern the difference.
8. Bulk buy when there are genuine reductions on products you actually need.  For example, last week Tesco were selling my usual bath foam [normal cost 59p] for 17p, so I bought 6.
9. If you have savings, but credit card debt, use your savings to pay off your debt.  Martin Lewis draws an important distinction between'good debt' and 'bad debt'.  He considers 'good debt' to be things like a mortgage and education.
10. Use both sides of printer paper.  At school we are now issued with our own termly supply of paper.  In order to make mine go further, I now re-use and print on both sides.  Moreover, I have started to apply this principle at home too.
11. Leave purse/wallet at home.  I now only take my purse with me if I know that I will need to fill up with fuel or have something very specific to buy that day.  This principle is proving highly effective.
12. Don't go window shopping.
13. If you can, buy what you can online, if free delivery applies.  For example, both my children needed new school shoes.  We knew their sizing and the style they wanted, so I bought them online, with free delivery.  If we had gone into town, I would have had to pay to park, been pestered for a Starbucks etc.
14. Batch cook.  Last night I cooked a wonderful butternut and bacon risotto.  There is now masses to freeze.  Similarly, I have loads of lentil and carrot curry to freeze, sitting in my slow cooker.
15. Use a slow cooker.  They provide delicious hot meals when you come in after a busy day and run on tiny amounts of electricity.  Plus you can make large batches of food, using cuts that take a long to time to cook.
16. However, on the subject of meat - reduce the amount you eat.  Meat is expensive and it is healthier to eat less.  Substitute for lentils, chickpeas etc.
17. Read frugal blogs.  I have found out so many new ways to save money through the blogging community.
18. Shower rather than bath.  This saves money on your water bill, if you are on a meter.  That said, when we do have baths, 3 of us use the water, one after the other.
19. Car share.  A colleague and I plan to do this, as soon as our schedules coincide.  In know others who do already.
20. Get things repaired - don't just default buy new.  For example, the hoze on my Dyson recently split.  I had had it for over a year and assumed it would be out of guarantee   Someone told me to check.  It turned out, it had a 2 year guarantee and they replaced it free of charge.
21. Use Youtube to watch videos on how to repair things.  You will find almost everything is on there.  For example, my son's braces came slightly unhinged at the back.  We found a video on how to re-thread.  This saved the fuel on a journey to the orthodontist.
22. Shop around for tariffs.  I used Bill Monitor to track my actual mobile phone usage prior to re-newing my contract.  I now pay almost £30 a month less for the contract, because I am on the correct contract for my needs.
23. Don't go food shopping with children, if you can avoid it.  Seriously, pester power is real and powerful.  My bill is ALWAYS much cheaper when I shop alone.
24. Take packed lunches, snacks and drinks to work - so much cheaper.
25. If you need to travel by train, and you know you are going somewhere well ahead of time, book in advance.  Superscout and the teenager's dad now lives in London.  They book their tickets online, well ahead of the date of travel.  I have been v pleasantly surprised at how inexpensive the tickets are.
26. Don't pay TV licence by quarterly direct debit.  If you do, you pay a £1.25 per quarter premium [£5 per year].  If you pay monthly, you don't.
27. Grow some vegetables, even if only a small amount.  I have a metre square raised bed and will plant 3 to 4 courgette plants in there.  When the courgettes get going, they will save me real money.  [The bed  itself is made from the sides of my old pine bed!]
28. Don't leave electrical items on standby.  Turn off lights in empty rooms.
29. Use half the recommended soap and conditioner when washing clothes.  I have been doing this for years and no-one has ever noticed.
30. Get to know trusted local tradesmen.  I now use a mobile mechanic to look after my car.  He is so much cheaper than a garage [I have actively compared prices]

So there you have it!  Let me know my frugal friends, what you think.

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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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Norfolk 5th to 8th April 2013

Superscout [13] and I [!] had a lovely time in Norfolk.

We stayed at Pontins Pakefield, at £9.50 per head, courtesy of The Sun.  However, there was an approx £45 supplement to pay on top of that.  From a frugal point of view, once cost of fuel, approx £60 [2 x 3.5 hours] is taken into account, I am not sure how economical it was. I know, for example, that Sarah across on Little family of 3, has gone on a similar break, but for £65.

I will be very interested to find out more details when she gets back, because next time I might be better off waiting for a late deal, closer to home.

That said, someone I work with says that once you have been on a Sun holiday, and are therefore in the system, you receive a priority booking code in the future; thus securing wider/better choice of parks.  I did want either Devon, Cornwall, Gloucestershire etc, but all where gone.  Hence Norfolk.

Anyway, to the break itself:

On the first day we drove to Toad Hole, a Victorian eel catchers cottage.  It was small, but interesting. [I have a degree in History and love all that stuff]

Whilst we we were there we walked along the banks of the Broad that runs adjacent to it.  It is a very beautiful and peaceful landscape.

 

On the way back, we had fish and chips in Great Yarmouth.  Both superscout and I  were not impressed with GY.

On the second day we went to Somerleyton Hall.  We spent several happy hours together looking around the gardens, where superscout took lots of photographs. [When she has edited them, I hope to post some]

We also treated ourselves to lunch in the cafe.  I had spinach and potato soup; delicious.

 

It was lovely to get away and to be with SS, she really is a wonderful child.  We had a laugh, seeing the accomodation for what it was....................I wanted to go to the Disco Bingo, but she is too well brought up and wouldn't allow it!!!!!!!! We ate well, because we took out slow cooker and had some nice treats.

We really are very lucky.

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