Reduced cost living - share your ideas?

[Reynard]

Sounds good!

I gave up having and wearing a watch several years ago and was surprised at how little I missed it and how good I am at estimating the time. If I need to know the exact time I just glance at my phone.

I'm reasonably good at working out the time - well, my stomach is, anyway...

I just find it easier to look at my wrist when I'm out and about rather than waste time furkling in my handbag / backpack / bar bag for my phone.

 

[Legs]

It irks me that those 'wood wool' firelighters that Mrs Legs likes to use are so big. I've ordered a box of 200 for £12 on Amazon), and will be cutting them up into thirds, which will still leave them plenty big enough for the kindling to take.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I'm reasonably good at working out the time - well, my stomach is, anyway...

I just find it easier to look at my wrist when I'm out and about rather than waste time furkling in my handbag / backpack / bar bag for my phone.

Time is only important if I have a train to catch or someone to meet. Out on my bike or walking I know how long a circuit will roughly take. I haven’t worn a watch since 1994 when it came off my wrist whilst rock climbing and never got replaced.

 

[wiggydiggy]

I've restarted my wine making activities, wine is a bit of a discipline as ideally you always have a wine fermenting, a wine clearing and a wine ready to drink. I used to make in much larger batches but having downsized I need to get back into the habit of starting one every 6-8 weeks.

I generally make it from whatever fruit/veg is on offer at Lidl that week, I'd like to experiment with one of these wonky fruit/veg home delivery companies but haven't really looked into it.

 

[presta]

It is, and it isn't.

Quite often, it's down to a) knowing what to do with ingredients, b) the actual facilities to cook stuff and c) time to cook.

A lot of costs on some fruit and veg is down to the fact that they're flown in, especially tender and unseasonal stuff. I mean do we *really* need things like asparagus and strawberries in the depths of winter?

I mean take strawberries. Last summer, UK grown strawberries were £2 for a 400g punnet, and two punnets for £3 at the height of the season. Once the UK season is over, the strawberries stayed at £2, but the punnets shrunk to 227g (weird quantity I know, but that's what it was).

It's odd that in your attempt to demonstrate that healthy food is available at budget prices you choose as your example a foodstuff which is one of the most expensive products on the market, even at your discounted price.

I doubt many people on a really tight budget give strawberries a second thought, the cheapest healthy foods are stuff like tinned kidney beans.

 

[Chief Broom]

I grow loads of my own veg only have a small garden but utilise every inch. Even now i have veg i can pick- carrots/parsnips/leeks/celeriac/kale and enough garlic to last for months

 

[Reynard]

It's odd that in your attempt to demonstrate that healthy food is available at budget prices you choose as your example a foodstuff which is one of the most expensive products on the market, even at your discounted price.

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I doubt many people on a really tight budget give strawberries a second thought, the cheapest healthy foods are stuff like tinned kidney beans.

No, you've completely missed the point. The point I was making is that fresh produces is cheaper when UK grown and in season. As applies to a good deal of fruit & veg.

I used strawberries as an example of how widely the prices can fluctuate when things are and aren't in season. I never said that strawberries were cheap. Because they ain't.

 

[Jameshow]

Interesting and timely thread having gone from top 10% to bottom 10% in 1 day...

 

[Andy in Germany]

No, you've completely missed the point. The point I was making is that fresh produces is cheaper when UK grown and in season. As applies to a good deal of fruit & veg.

I used strawberries as an example of how widely the prices can fluctuate when things are and aren't in season. I never said that strawberries were cheap. Because they ain't.

The problem is that you need to know how to cook all these ever changing seasonal foods with the added problem that learning can be expensive, because if you get it wrong you need to cook another meal.

 

[Reynard]

The problem is that you need to know how to cook all these ever changing seasonal foods with the added problem that learning can be expensive, because if you get it wrong you need to cook another meal.

Hmmm... My mum taught me to cook, and we had compulsory Home Economics in school (mid 1980s).

Any library has invariably got a whole rack of cook books, ranging from the very basic to the cordon bleu. Charity shops have inexpensive cook books - a friend who volunteers say that it's one of the things they sell the least of. And there's plenty of resources online as well. And community projects which teach people how to cook.

I know, I'm talking from the perspective of someone who puts out restaurant-quality food albeit with rather rustic presentation (my mum trained in a professional kitchen), so my viewpoint may not be that of the average person.

Though if you've got a hob and a decent pan with a lid, a good hearty soup is always an option and it's exceptionally hard to f*ck up making soup. It's a chop up veg, sweat off for a bit and then wang in some boiling water and a couple of stock cubes. And maybe some pasta or red lentils or pearl barley or whatever you've got knocking around.

 

[wiggydiggy]

The problem is that you need to know how to cook all these ever changing seasonal foods with the added problem that learning can be expensive, because if you get it wrong you need to cook another meal.

I like websites like these, tell it what you have in the cupboard and it gives you some recipes: Supercook or Recipe Key.

 

[Kingfisher101]

Just don't do Xmas or have a very reduced one. It supposed to be about nice family time and a nice meal, not mass consumerism.

 

[oldwheels]

I batch cook and freeze real food (note to self, I need a spare, small freezer), then defrost and cook as required. Great for work lunches too. I am considering a Remoska but they are not overly inexpensive to buy and I need more research yet.
I don’t use much in the way of heating if I can help it. I have my huge hooded fleece, also my sofa fleece for cold days/evenings.
For years I have boiled the kettle in the morning for a cup of tea then filled a flask with the rest of the water. I tend to have fruit tea in the day now and flasked hot water is fine. I can’t see the kettle/flask thing changing any time soon. My Nan did this as she had a 50p meter and said that it saved her money.
I shower at the gym, rather than use water and electricity at home. The gym is my luxury and I got an excellent ‘Black Friday‘ deal last year for 18 months membership so paid up front and it worked out to just over half price. It’s my social events, where I see my friends etc and I am glad to have it. In May 2023 I may have to have a rethink.
I drive if I have to, walk or cycle where possible and if I I’ve to take the car somewhere, I try and incorporate another errand, such as picking up a few sacks of dog food.

I recommend the Remoska. Had one for our motorhome and when we sold that it came into the house and is in constant use. Not used the main oven for probably years. There is an air riser for inside which may be an extra but well worth it.
Yesterday it was used for a pizza and I have just had some smoked fish cooked in it.
There is a learning curve but once mastered anything is possible.

 

[Saluki]

I recommend the Remoska. Had one for our motorhome and when we sold that it came into the house and is in constant use. Not used the main oven for probably years. There is an air riser for inside which may be an extra but well worth it.
Yesterday it was used for a pizza and I have just had some smoked fish cooked in it.
There is a learning curve but once mastered anything is possible.

I ended up buying a Ninja Foodi, 9 in 1 thing. I adore it. Just brilliant and I use it for everything.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Hmmm... My mum taught me to cook, and we had compulsory Home Economics in school (mid 1980s).

Any library has invariably got a whole rack of cook books, ranging from the very basic to the cordon bleu. Charity shops have inexpensive cook books - a friend who volunteers say that it's one of the things they sell the least of. And there's plenty of resources online as well. And community projects which teach people how to cook.

Fair enough, except that is already a hurdle; I wouldn't know where to start looking for cooking books; it's all a complete mystery to me; most assume a basic understanding of cookery which not everyone has.

Once I've found he books I need to know where to look for ingredients, figure how much I need, which shop sells what... and for people who've done a long shift and have a list of chores waiting this is more to add. Factor in transport to and from the shops, especially public transport, the cost of cooking when people are scraping together cash to put in the meter and it becomes a big part of a very busy day.

The same applies to online resources; you still need to get ingredients, understand quantities... For people who struggle with numbers that's a hurdle.

Can the hypothetical non-cook has/can afford the tools, bowls; sieves, and scales? that is an extra cost and more complexity. A one-off to be sure but still a cost. Charity shops sell kitchen utensils cheaply, if they have them.

If it's a choice of 30€ to buy convenience food for a week or a set of utensils, probably people will buy convenience food. I work with people for whom a 30€ loan over the weekend is a lifeline (although I have occasionally pointed out to certain individuals that if they stopped smoking/drinking they'd be better off...)

Assuming someone makes one meal, they need to know how to deal with the other potatoes, onions et c, or they go off and are useless.

And this of course works if people can read. Functional Illiteracy to some extent or another is surprisingly common, especially when it relates to a a mix of words and numbers and interpreting things like instructions. Immigrants have particular problems with this and if you can't read, a cookery book isn't much use.

Even if you can understanding most things, cooking introduces aa whole new vocabulary and when you have to keep translating words it's a royal PITA; I speak from experience here, and I'm fairly comfortable with translating tools.

Courses are handy, if you can afford the money for the course, ingredients, and/or time. And there's no language barrier. And you can overcome the social stigma attached to not being able to cook.

All in all, it's often easier to get a microwave meal; It'll cost in the long run, but many people in this position aren't thinking past the weekend anyway...