Keeping it real(ly interesting)
I’m not sure whether I should just dispassionately list everything I’ve eaten every day of the month. That wouldn’t interest me so I’m not sure who out there would tune in just to keep updated about what I’m putting in my mouth. Suffice to say yesterday was last of the cornflakes (49p), another chicken sandwich, and the rest of the pizza and a few chips for tea.
Today marked a change with Sainsburys Basics museli for breakfast. Despite being mega mega cheap it was just as nice as any museli I’ve ever had really. Some ‘basics’ things are noticably not quite as nice as their branded alternatives, and yet others are exactly the same. For example, I’ll never buy branded peanut butter again, it’s identical. Ditto Jam, Margarine, and flour. It’s a well known fact that many unbranded goods are produced by the same factory as the big brands, and yet the contents are identical. Cocoa is a pretty good example of this. How different can something like that be, from brand to brand? It can’t, so it’s not.
Stir fry later, I look forward to that. I’m still mulling over cheesecake recipes, the major problem being that marscepone, a major ingredient that I do not currently posses, seems to be very expensive. I think I’ll mull it for another day and try to pick it up from somewhere on the cheap.
7pm: Stir-fry!
This was very excellent, and there was enough left for a sizable second portion. That’s lunch tomorrow!
Also, and I don’t want you to get excited, viewers, but my cheesecake is now setting in the fridge. I’ve never made cheesecake before so I really hope that it tastes of yummy lemon, and not philadelphia on digestive biscuit.
Ingredients bought for cheesecake, plus other bits and bobs, came to £4.67. Total spend now £48.81.
Tags: cheesecake, museli, pie cannon, stir fry
July 8th, 2008 at 10:56 am
You don’t need to put Marscapone into a cheesecake recipe to have a great cheesecake, PD.
Mix Philidelphia cheese (actually tastes better if you use own-brand soft cheese), caster sugar and lemons (juice and rind) together and whack it on top of a digestive biscuit base (melted butter in the digestives to stick it all together). Refrigerate for a couple of hours and voila - lemon cheesecake!
Shouldn’t cost more than a couple of quid for a HUGE cheesecake…
I might make one myself in your honour.
Good luck
July 8th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Good suggestion marco, I was thinking about using alternative soft cheeses but worry about the taste. Perhaps I’ll try own-brand philly after all!
I still need a cheesecake tin first, otherwise I’m going to end up making an enormous cheesecake in a bread tin.
July 8th, 2008 at 11:21 am
Good luck on the project…
I’m on a lower budget than yours, but I think food is cheaper here (in Denmark)…
As the others have mentioned, fill up on pasta, rice, noodles, bread and potatoes. Everything that has starch in it. When nessecary pasta with ketchup makes a fine meal…to splash out, heat a tin of tomatoes, add seasoning, maybe a bit of bacon if you have it, and you have a meal!..
I start my month by filling the stock of pasta, rice etc, tins of tomatoes, tuna, beans, cocktail-sausages etc. I buy the cheapest of the cheapest, often in big bags and I study what’s on sale and often go severeal places to shop the cheapest. (that means rice one place and pasta another…it’s a bit time consuming, but it’s worth it to save a pound.)
When you have your basic tinned goods it can really make it easier in the end of the month, when you’re out of money.
Calculate how much you need for bread, milk, meat and other spoilable goods each week. Put that money a side in the start of the month. This way you have a weekly allowance. This is the way I do things.
Be sure to have everything planned, if you eat out one night (at your folks or friends) be sure to calculate on that, so you don’t end up throwing food away you haven’t eaten. In my budget I also have to plan gifts, going to town etc, and weeks where I use money for that, I’ll have to eat cheaper yet.
Meat is a luxury if you live on a budget! Especially “whole” meat (not minced)… Try only eating meat 3 times a week, it will save you a great deal. Onions are cheap and can really spice up almost anything. both in sanwhiches and supper.
One of my favorites is this (I’ll try to describe each ingridient, as I don’t know if you have it in England)
Small pastas (the ones you put in soup), boiled so it’s still al’dente.
Sliced onions, perhaps a bit of bacon or sausage if you have it, peppers, tomatoes or other vegies you have, fry it all together in a frying pan…perhaps add a bit of ketchup, and it’s done! It’s cheap, fast and easy.
You have mentioned that you miss snacks? Make your own! if you have a bit of bread that has gone stale, try slicing it into cubes and roasting it lightly either in a pan or in the oven with your favorite seasoning. It can also spice up a salat or soup.
Soup is another cheap option. Potatoes, carrots, onions, a few of the pastas for soup and some seasoning. Bacon roasted lightly if you have it, or a few of the bread crutons mentioned above.
If you have something in the fridge that is about to spoil (milk, butter, meat etc.) and you can’t see what to use it for, freeze it! Milk that has been frozen isn’t nice to drink, but it’s fine for sauces. Freeze it in an ice-cube-container and you can take up just the amount you need.
If you buy meat in slices (kotlets etc) freeze them in individual bags, so you can take up you one piece.
Try and compare the price of turkey breast (whole) to the price of filets, cubes and minced… here it’s cheaper to buy a whole breast, and chop it yourself…(this way you can also do one half for fillets and another for cubes or minced)…
I hope you can use my advice!
July 8th, 2008 at 11:27 am
Great advice Nadja, I’ll read everything you’ve said carefully, but its a good idea about freezing individual bits of meat, thanks!
July 8th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Own Brand soft cheese should work fine (always has for me) and if you find it too harsh, just add another spoon of sugar to the mix.
Another tip, don’t buy caster sugar especially for the occasion, just grind your normal granulated up in a blender, food mixer, pestle and mortar or with a bowl and rolling pin. You’ll save yourself half a quid on that one.
Finally, if you do end up making it in the bread tin, you might find that the cheese mixture wont set that great. It probably will taste outstanding, but if it ain’t set it will be incredibly gloopy. Use your bread tin, but don’t fill it right the way up.
Failing that, buy yourself a basics cake tin. it’s shallowe enough and should only cost you half a quid (maybe the one you’ve saved from the sugar)
Can’t wait to see how you get on - good luck!
July 8th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
I’m with marco on the own brand cheese - you could always do a baked cheesecake with this as well (just an idea - I do baked cheesecake and good thing is I can then cut it up and freeze it in individual pieces for as/when required)
Regarding the freezing - I freeze everything. Never had much success with herbs (tend to go blah when defrosted). Milk is fine to freeze (use semi skimmed myself) - goes yellow when frozen but just give it a darn good shake when defrosted and you’re good to go :o)
July 8th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
I like seeing the pics of the creations you are eating:)
Here is a super cheap recipe for a light fluffy cheesecake that’s very yummy!
Its a no-bake
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed
BEAT cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with wire whisk or electric mixer until well blended. Stir in whipped topping.
SPOON into crust.
REFRIGERATE 3 hours or until set.
To make a crust:
1-1/2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted
PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Mix all ingredients until well blended.
PRESS firmly onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate.
BAKE 8 min. or until lightly browned; cool completely
July 9th, 2008 at 8:31 am
Come on PD - Let’s see your cheesecake!!!
I bet it’s lush!