Frugal Friday | Eat out or in
Many families go for a takeaway meal on a Friday in the UK and a favourite is fish and chips. Many fish and chips shops dip the chips in batter so they will look more appetising and are cheaper to cook. They then encourage you to buy a medium sized portion that contains enough chips for 2 people. You end up with a meal that is over 600 calories and loaded with fat. This is the Friday treat for many families and can work out quite expensive. I tend to be frugal on a Friday and try to save on meals, so I can enjoy something a little more special for Sunday lunch. Egg and chips is a favourite for dinner on a Friday. (more…)
Frugal Food | Adding flavour
Herbs and spices
I made a chicken stew over the weekend and put in extra herbs for flavour. This can reduce the cost, because you don’t need so much chicken and is particularly good if you’re using a more expensive meat. I used 2 chicken legs and cooked those in water until I was able to remove the bones easily. I added lots of veggies that included swede, carrots and onion that were in a stew pack, then added seasoning. The herbs gave it a great flavour and I used 1/2 a teaspoon of oregano, sage, thyme, basic and herb d’ Provence. I got all the dried herbs for about 50p a jar from Aldi and Lidl. The basil was in fact fresh and made a difference this week. I made 1.5 litres for less than 2 pounds and it was not only frugal but yummy! You can cut the meat down even more if you add vegetable protein in the form of pulses. Try a cup full dried split peas but soak them overnight first. If you are adding split peas the amount of chicken can be halved. You can also add a chicken stock cube for extra flavour. You can also add an extra onion for even more flavour. (more…)
Frugal Friday | Nostalgia
You might have to double click this picture to see the two guys fishing. This is the ‘Sanna’ in Moorcroft Wood; so called because there used to be a sanatorium nearby; it was used as an isolation hospital mainly for smallpox. That horrible disease seems to be gone for ever, but the ‘Sanna’ remains. Behind those trees is the canal but over the years the arms off the canal have been filled in and many pools too. This photograph was taken last April, which explains the winter colours. (more…)
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