Watch the pennies…

I love spending money. I really do. I’m not a spendaholic or a massively obsessed with brands but I like shopping – who doesn’t?

It always seems that there is something I need to buy whether it be new shoes for my child,maternity clothes for me or a birthday present for someone in my rather large extended family.

Mostly I love to be able to buy good food to experiment with and create recipes and well it all adds up. As a family we have been looking at ways to cut back or to make some money from junk ( someone’s treasure apparently) which is cluttering our house. We have tried boot sales – getting up at stupid o clock doesn’t really appeal and the usual online auctions etc and most recently we tried one of the newer ways to sell your stuff via Music Magpie. We used the sell your DVDs option and made about £10 on a few which we hadn’t watched in quite a long time so basically money for nothing in my opinion. You can also sell CD’s, laptops, mobile phones and clothes amongst other things so its quite varied.

Cutting back is something we are always doing in one way or another. I like to use every scrap of food we buy and this saves us a fortune. Luckily we are both naturally pretty thrifty and love a good hunt around the charity shops and I’m getting quite good at hunting deals down on bargain sites or using vouchers. We do indulge occasionally as does everyone but cutting back 75% of the time definitely eases the guilt.

What websites/bargain hunting tips do you recommend for someone looking to save some pennies or to clear the clutter?

*this post contains paid content

Simple Suppers – Cheese and Potato Bake

After a few days away last week I returned home to a sack of potatoes which I really needed to use up and it just so happens I’ve had such a craving for cheese and potato pie. I really didn’t fancy the fuss of making pastry tonight and also I am currently on strict orders to take it easy so I made something quick and simple which my mum made a lot when I was growing up – cheese and potato bake. I adapted it from the basic recipe my mum passed on and it was delicious.

Cheese and Potato Bake

8/9 medium sized potatoes (peeled and diced)
1 red onion (diced)
200g mature cheddar (grated)
75ml of milk
25ml of single cream
1tsp of crushed peppercorns
2 tbsp of butter
1tbsp of herbs (your choice – I used rosemary & thyme)

Preheat your oven to gas mark 4.
Put your potatoes in a pan of boiling water and simmer for 15-20 minutes until cooked through and drain.
Sauté your onions in a tbsp of butter until soft. Heat your milk in a small pan or microwave and add to your potatoes, butter, pepper and cream and mash thoroughly. Mix in your onions and 150g of cheddar along with your herbs and spoon it in to a cazuela or large ovenproof dish, top with remaining grated cheese, some sliced tomato and a few basil leaves for decoration and bake for 25-30 minutes.

This was a really comforting, tasty meal. Fairly cheap to make and really quick and easy.

I served this with tinned chopped tomatoes and bacon – yum.

This fed 1 hungry pregnant lady, 1 hungry 6ft man and 1 hungry energetic toddler with a chunk leftover for someone’s (mine) lunch tomorrow.

Izzy enjoyed 🙂

Let me know if you try it 😉

30 Ways to save £1 ..or more.

For the 30th anniversary of the £1 coin MoneySupermarket have asked bloggers to come up with 30 ways to save a pound (or more). One lucky blogger will win £1000. Below is my entry. For more details visit MoneySupermarket

1. Meal Plan : I cannot tell you enough how much this has saved me over the past year. Plan your shopping exactly around your meals. It halved my shopping bills.

2. Buy own brands – for example the Sainsburys basic range is just as good as any of the more well known. I use chopped tomatoes and Passata at least twice a week – using the basics range for just these items saves me approx £2.00 per week.

3.Use chicken thighs instead of breasts in curries/casseroles. Not only are they tastier but they are approximately half the price. A saving of £2/3 on each meal.

4. Don’t forget to take your own bags! Plastic shopping bags in Wales cost 6p per bag. If you use 6 per week that’s a minimum of £18 per year.

5. Use comparison sites – we saved £120 on our car insurance and £50 on our home insurance by using various sites.

6. Look for voucher codes before going on holidays/ for family days out or for meals – I estimate this saves us about £250 a year.

7.Bulk buy at baby events – nappies and wet wipes in particular are far cheaper when bought in large boxes.

8.Use sites such as eBay,gumtree and similar when making a purchase. We bought a Mamas & Papas changing unit for £70 on Gumtree in impeccable condition. In store we would have paid £600.

9. Cook in bulk and freeze : not only do you save on energy costs but you have a handy meal for those nights when you just can’t be bothered.

10. Make your own – be it takeaway style food, birthday cakes or just plain old bread. It can save you lots and taste far better.

11. Change or at least threaten to cancel Internet/TV providers at the end of your contract. You will normally get a far better deal as a new customer elsewhere and if not your current provider will usually slash your current rate by £10 or more.

12. Go veggie occasionally – we have vegetarian weeks every now and again and it saves us quite a lot as good meat is expensive.

13. Buy lentils, rice and pasta in large bags a saves a lot and they are always handy for cheap, filling meals.

14. Grow your own – herbs especially basil can be expensive when bought fresh from your local supermarket but most grow very well on your kitchen windowsill and the seeds are normally far less than the price of one packet of fresh herbs.

15. Use free trials for film rentals, if you work your way around them all you could get approx 6 months free use. Don’t forget to cancel before the 30 days are up.

16. Use your local library. Free books!

17. Loyalty cards – nectar cards and Tesco clubcards in particular can make you money and cost you nothing at all.

18. Share bath water- Izzy always bathes with either her dad or me.

19. Companies often give you money off for paperless billing and its far less clutter!

20. Turn it off – before you go to bed make sure you turn off all your appliances.

21. Walk instead of using public transport or car whenever possible. Keeps you fit too 🙂

22. Take a packed lunch – to work or on trips with family.

23. Watch exercise programmes such as 30 day shred on YouTube instead of buying. After all it may not be for you.

24. Save money on gym membership by cycling, walking and enjoying the countryside.

25. Know where the reduced to clear sections are. We regularly buy close to end of date items and freeze them for later use.

26. Look for free eye tests – at present Tesco offer free tests,

27. Shop around for bank accounts. Some accounts pay you a monthly amount if you put in a minimum of say £1500 each month.

28.Try to use cash instead of your card, it’s far too easy to overspend when using plastic.

29. Take turns with friends coming over for dinner and you going to theirs.. Or each make different courses.

30. Use the money supermarket website and read the forum posts for news of flash sales or supermarket price glitches.

Meal Plan Monday

I’ve been a bit rubbish at meal planning the past few weeks, firstly we had a week away then a few things got on top of me and I just had a bit of a break from planning and social media etc but it just made me feel worse. Meal planning saves time and stops you worrying about what you have left in the fridge to eat the next day as you only shop for what you need – thus it also stops overspending and ensure you use up everything. So with that in mind I’m back in track and without further ado ( waffle ) here is this weeks meal plan:

Monday : roast dinner – cant really take credit for this as was cooked for me by OH’s dad.
Tuesday : Comforting Chicken Casserole – recipe here
Wednesday : Red Lentil Thai curry – recipe here
Thursday : Beef stew and dumplings
Friday & Saturday : Off to London to visit friends so takeaways or restaurant food 🙂

Meal planning and Chicken Coconut Curry

This is a little late but here is this weeks meal plan:

Monday : Freezer food – this is for days when I’m too busy or tired to pull a meal together. This week it was Bistro chicken and broccoli pies ( frozen when reduced to clear in Asda) with mixed veg.

Tuesday : Spaghetti bolognese – I used a cheaper minced beef than I normally do and was disappointed. I won’t make that mistake again.

Wednesday : Vegetable curry

Thursday : Cheese and broccoli gnocchi

Friday : Jerk chicken with coconut rice

Saturday : Sticky pork with rice. Recipe here

Sunday : Family get together and meal at a restaurant

Last week lots of you asked for the recipe for Chicken and Coconut curry. So here it is:

You will need:

3 skinless&boneless chicken thighs ( or breasts – I prefer thighs in curries)
1/2 can of coconut milk
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 small sweet potato cubed
1 onion or shallot chopped
1/4 jar of Balti ( or other curry) paste. I used Indi grand.
1 tablespoon of shredded coconut ( not essential but tasty)
Olive oil

Fry your onions in a tbsp of olive oil until soft and golden, add your Balti paste, whole chicken thighs and sweet potato. Fry until meat is browned. Add chopped tomatoes and coconut milk and cook for approx 5-8 minutes. At this stage you may wish to add up to 100ml of water – this depends on how thick you like your curry to be. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Your meat should now be tender enough to pull apart into smaller pieces. If using add your coconut, cook for a few more minutes and serve immediately.

I served mine with fragrant rice and flatbreads. You can find the recipe for the flatbreads here

The Fifty Breads Challenge

I love bread. I love homemade bread even more. The smell of it baking in the oven is unbeatable.
I’ve decided that this year I want a lot more of the bread is going to be homemade, to ensure that I stick to this I have set myself a challenge which I would love you to join in. I want to bake 50 different types of bread this year. From Brioche to Baguette and Foccacia to Flatbreads. Sweet, savoury and special. Bread for toast and bread to wow.

I have a short list of breads I really want to bake soon:

* foccacia
* brioche
* sourdough
* plaited loaf
* bagels (eek)
* pitta

I’d love you to send me recipes of breads that you love and tips for making them extra special.
If you want to join in but can’t commit to baking 50 – it is a lot of bread! Then how about making 10 or 20 different breads this year? There are no strict rules this is about fun and increasing your knowledge in the kitchen.

To kick us off I made Soda Bread with sundried tomatoes and herbs, I based the recipe on Paul Hollywoods recipe in How to Bake:

You will need:

500g plain white flour (extra for dusting)
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
3/4 of a tsp salt
400 ml of warmed milk with a tsp of lemon juice and left to stand for 5 mins or 400ml buttermilk
2tbsp of sundried tomatoes
1tbsp of dried mixed herbs

Preheat oven to 200 C.

Put all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well, stir in milk (or buttermilk) to form a very sticky dough. Tip dough onto floured surface – I had to pull mine out of bowl with well floured hands. Quickly shape into a bowl then flatten slightly with back of hand.
Place dough on baking tray lined with baking parchment, mark into quarters cutting deeply into bread almost but not quite through to base – I used the floured handle of a wooden spoon to mark.
Bake for 30 mins until its cooked through. It should be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the base. Leave to cool on a rack and eat within 24hrs for best taste!

Super tasty and easy recipe for my first bake. Very excited for next week. What should I make next?

I have now added a link and you can also hash tag your blog posts or pics if you don’t blog as #50breadschallenge on twitter.

Thank you.

Is it sad that I’m excited about this??

Happy baking xx

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

How to spend less – Be prepared ( Part 6)

It’s been 2 weeks since I started these posts and I feel like I’ve made a subtle change in my spending habits. It may not be a huge change and it may not last forever but I’m learning.

I think this will be the last post on this topic for a little while as I don’t want to go over old ground!

Firstly I want to tell you how this month has been going for me:

* Eat in month – I am doing a lot better with this challenge than I imagined. I haven’t eaten out at all. I don’t buy any snacks or drinks in work and this is saving me at least £15 a week. We went to Bristol Zoo and we took a big picnic lunch so there was no need to indulge in the gift shop or cafe – I almost caved in when we saw the ice cream van but he was packing up to leave which was surely a sign. I have had 2 hot chocolates when we have taken Izzy to the soft play and we did buy some food in the hospital canteen when Izzy was admitted last week but that was totally unavoidable. Unfortunately I will have to cut the challenge a week early as we are going away for 5 days later this month but I’m thinking of doing an extra week in Feb instead and I’m hoping to continue with the no purchasing food at work for good! We also had a trip to the cinema and I even took my own popcorn – impressive yes? Thanks to Brittany from A healthy slice for writing about this challenge, I’m definitely going to do it again next year.

* Drastically lower shopping bills – I looked at my bank statement for November ( I avoided December as I knew it would be higher due to Christmas) and worked out I had spent approximately £289 in the various supermarkets ( Asda,Sainsburys, Tescos) this is without any possible times I may have shopped using cash. So possibly over £300 on food. Too much. Way too much. This month I have made 1 large shopping trip (£95 on NY eve) and I just did my second weekly shop. My first weekly shop was just under target at £19.80, today’s was £22.21 but this included washing powder and dishwasher tablets, if I manage to only spend £20 each week for the remaining 2 shops this month I will have saved over £100.

* Meal planning – this is still going well. I am flexible in that if something comes up which stops me from cooking something one night I’ll swap it over but most days we eat what’s on the planner.

Such as chicken and coconut curry. Yum.

Being prepared

This has been the key to my money saving this month and will be going forward.

1. I prepare meals the night before if possible. I use my slow cooker a lot and if not I still try to chop vegetables when Izzy is in bed, get the meat out of the freezer etc. Anything which makes cooking the next evening even easier. It also means I get more time to spend as a family when I get home from work – bonus,

2. I make larger portions. Most meals can be bulked up purely by adding vegetables, I do this whenever I can and it leaves me with food for Izzy to eat the next day or a lunch to take to work.

3. Making large batches of breadcrumbs mixed with herbs or garlic and freezing them means you can use up excess stale bread and they can be used straight from the freezer. Such an easy way to add an extra dimension to a vegetable bake or to top gnocchi or pasta instead of cheese. Saves you money and time as well as calories when replacing cheese.

4. Use your freezer – if you know next week is going to be hard. Precook some meals. Lasagne, curries and pies are just some of the dishes which freeze well. If you prefer to cook it fresh just chop and freeze your veg or meat. It may mean an extra half hour with your family and stops those extra vegetables going off saving you pennies.

5. Buy the basic ranges – I have always bought one or two items from the supermarkets basic range but lately I am trying more and more and I’ve been pleasantly surprised. The difference between a carton of Asda chosen by you Passata and the smart price pasatta is around 15pence and a plainer box. I have found no difference in quality. Having stock cupboard items such as Passata, mixed herbs and dried spaghetti or pasta means you will always have a meal on hand even if your fridge is bare.

6. Write lists. My trusty notebook has been by my side every day since New Years Eve and I’ve used it to stock take my cupboards, meal plan and write recipes which I have made up on the go. I’ve even been slightly obsessive and written down prices in the supermarket of what I’m buying to ensure I don’t go too far over budget. This one is obvious but taking a shopping list and really sticking to it will save you lots of money and time too.

7. This isn’t anything to do with being prepared but eat less meat. I’ve blogged about this before but it really helps. If you can cut your meat intake down to 3 or 4 days a week then you will save a lot. There are so much delicious vegetables available these days take full advantage. Sweet potato in particular is just as good as chicken in a curry and its bright and colourful making your dish look so appealing.

I think that’s about it for now. I’d still like to hear about how January is going for you and how you save money. Perhaps if I get enough tips I’ll use them in a follow up post.

X

How to spend less part 5-meal plan Monday

On my way to work and realised I haven’t posted this weeks meal plan.. Not only that but I hadn’t even written one! Luckily I had my trusty book which has all my cupboard, fridge and freezer food listed so I made up a plan and
here it is:

Monday – coconut chicken curry &rice
Tuesday – tomato & bacon gnocchi bake & salad
Wednesday- sweet potato risotto
Thursday – butterbean crisp with sweet corn and salad
Friday – turkey stroganoff
Saturday – gammon, egg and low fat homemade oven chips
Sunday – Chicken pie, mash, veg and gravy

I will link up some recipes later and look forward to reading all your meal plans 🙂

Super (food) sides

Curly Kale may not be that familiar to you. Not all supermarkets stock it and its only readily available from September- March. Kale is a brassica and part of the cabbage family, it’s very attractive in dishes due to its green curly leaves and packed full of nutrients – considered by many to be a superfood. I have only recently started buying it but I can tell you it’s delicious and versatile.

The recipe below is one I have made previously with Savoy cabbage but I actually prefer this with the Kale.

Sautéed curly kale with bacon and sweet potato

You will need:

Curly kale ( I buy washed and ready to cook) break up any big bits and discard chunky stalks
2/3 rashers of bacon diced
1/2 a sweet potato chopped very small
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 a banana chilli diced finely
1/2 a red onion diced
Butter
Olive oil
Seasoning

Heat a little butter and olive oil in a large frying pan or cazuela, add your sweet potato, onion, garlic, bacon and chilli and sauté for 10 minutes or so until bacon is golden and everything else is softening. Add your curly kale, season and cook for a few more minutes. Don’t overcook and ensure it doesn’t burn.

Serve immediately on warmed plates – cold kale is like cold cabbage. Not good.
This is great as a side with chicken or fish or on top of spaghetti aglio olio – yum.

Last time I made this I threw in a handful of peppery rocket right at the end and it was very good!

Served on top of spaghetti with a small amount of crumbled extra mature cheddar.

Don’t neglect one of the most nutritionally rich vegetables in Britain. Next week I’m going to try making Baked Kale chips as a low calorie alternative to crisps.

How to spend less – part 4. Cheat.

By cheat I don’t mean steal. I mean there are many easy ways you can legitimately spend less on items you want/need. I’ll explain about a few of the ways we save money everyday:

1. Supermarket reward points – take advantage of these. There is no point in shopping in Tescos or Sainburys without signing up for a clubcard/nectar card. You get points without doing anything other than swiping your card at the till. With a nectar card you can even collect points via eBay, homebase and about a hundred other online stores. You can spend Nectar points in a lot of places such as Argos, Vue, Bella Italia or even easyjet so your points could be paying towards your next holiday. I’m not as clued up on clubcard points as some people but we do collect them and use them normally when we need to make a big purchase.

2. Price guarantee – both Asda and Sainsburys do a price guarantee. Asda give you a code on your receipt for you to check online, if there is a price difference you get a voucher off your next shop. Sainsburys simple give you a coupon at the till if you could have saved elsewhere. Bargain.

3. Find the secret spots. All stores have them and if you are thorough in your first few shops at your local supermarket you will find them. Always remember to check. I’m not talking about the short date reduced to clear sections although these are also great. Let me explain in our local Asda ( I’m not telling you which one) there is a section where there are always reduced goods normally with between 6months to a year left on the use by date. I was told that these products are usually end of line goods or simply a change of packaging by the manufacturer means they will no longer be able to sell it. I cannot tell you how many bargains I have found in this section. I have had boxes of Hershey’s cocoa powder ( amazing in cupcakes/ chocolate icing or just hot cocoa) for around 50p (rrp £3) jars of Gefen BBQ sauce for the same price (rrp £2.50) stir fry sauces for 10p etc. There are often ciders/wines etc too. These sections are never displayed prominently not do they have big yellow stickers but they are always there. Look.

4. Use your apps.

Voucher cloud – if you are out shopping or looking for somewhere to have lunch you will more than likely find a suitable voucher on this app. Just recently we had £10 off a meal for two in Chiquitos. You simply click on the voucher and show the code. It uses your location details to find the best local deals so make sure you have location services turned on.

Groupon – ok this is maybe not one for every day use but definitely worth checking out. We have purchased driving lessons, solar lights and meals using this app and all have saved us at least 50% off the actual price.

Priority moments – this is specific to O2 but its a huge selling point if you are looking to change networks. There are discounts and freebies listed every day on this app, ranging from a free coffee or chocolate orange to free cinema tickets as well as hugely discounted public transport ( £1 for an all day ticket in my area as opposed to £4.20) The freebies can be slightly random – a large bag of free Halloween Haribo sweets from Accesorize?! But heck it’s free. In December alone I used my app to get reduced entrance (45% off) at Odeon, at least 3 all day tickets with Firstbus, a free Chocolate Orange, 20% off at Debenhams and probably more. There was an advent calendar leading up to Christmas with something different every day. I really hope this is here to stay.

If you know of any more money saving apps please let me know.

5. If you aren’t fussy about having something second hand ( depending on what the item is of course and sometimes they are in fact new) it’s always worth checking eBay or your local Gumtree. We bought a gorgeous mamas & papas changing unit before Izzy was born which would have cost over £600 brand new for just £70 and it was in impeccable condition. We would have never have paid £600 for one. Ebay can be fun too just make sure you don’t get too carried away with the bargains you can find on there. We recently bought a Tommee Tippee sensor monitor which if new would have cost around £90 and we had it for just £20 in great condition. If using eBay always make sure you use PayPal for added protection, we found the customer service to be great when having a dispute over another monitor we purchased which was quickly resolved.

6.Money Saving Expert- If you aren’t already signed up to the mailing list of this pretty marvellous website then do it. You only get one email per week and its normally full of great bargains. There are a lot of great sections on the MSE website but my favourite part is the Forum. I don’t tend to post on it ( rather unfair of me) but I check the Grabbit forum most days and there are superb bargains to be had. Again the key is to not buy things you don’t actually need as this defeats the object. About 6/7 months ago there was a thread/discussion on the forum about a major clear out one big supermarket was having, it seemed they were clearing a lot of their lines of stock but not showing the reductions very clearly. Some of the regular posters had meticulously listed every reduced item in store which helped the rest of us thrifty ones massively. I went shopping with my sister and between us we found most of the items and they were huge bargains such as bottles of olive oil for 40p or bags of dried garlic & basil linguine for 20p etc. I have only just run out of oil and pasta after all this time and probably only about £10 spent. It’s worth checking the forum when you get a spare few minutes.

7. Discount/Promo codes – everytime you go to purchase something online firstly run a google search to see if there is a code. Simply type in Topshop (for example) discount code and more often than not you will get something, be it free delivery or 10% off. Be wary of the ones that are £5 off if you spend £50 etc.. If you were only planning to spend £20 this is not really money saving.

8. Avoid travel agents – sorry if you are a travel agent but it is so overpriced. I am at my worst for bargain hunting when it comes to holidays. My holidays are precious to me as I’m sure they are to everyone so I want them to be the absolute best I can get for the money I spend. I have used various websites over the years but most recently I have found that LowCost holidays tend to come out on top – plus there is always a discount code to be found meaning bigger savings. Always trip advisor your hotel before you book as the most expensive ones are not always the best rated.
I also use Homelidays for searching for house/villa rentals.Airport car parking can be super expensive but a quick search online will find you some great alternatives normally within a few minute drive and they will drop you off and pick up at the airport. If going from Bristol airport I recommend Goblin Combe Farm.

A gorgeous house we stayed at in France 2012:

9. Change your tv/broadband provider every time the contract expires. I always do this and it means I get the newest, up to date equipment and normally a voucher for M&S or similar for signing up. Also if your provider increases their charges mid contract you are normally able to cancel without any termination fee. Check your terms and conditions for more details.

10. BzzAgent – there are probably more than a few different types of review services out there but I am a bzzagent. You don’t have to write about it on your blog or write sponsored posts, it’s a simple procedure where you complete surveys occasionally ( very short and not very often) to determine what kind of consumer you are and then you will be invited to join campaigns. So far I have had free products from Tesco bakery, Toni & Guy and Dove colour radiance and all they ask if you for to create Bzz by talking to friends/family about the products, normally you have money off vouchers to share with them too. I have enjoyed being a part of it this year and it costs nothing to sign up so worth considering.

You probably think I’m a lot more frugal than I actuallynam but I really do like to get something for less. Don’t we all?

I would really love to hear about your money saving tips? Perhaps comment and I will share them in a future post.