Frugal Living

[jansman]

Started!

[jennyjj01]

I make a lot of soup. All kinds. Fav is Bottom of the Fridge variety

Serious suggestion........ Can we have a frugal soups recipe thread? I'd so like to know how to use my crockpot more to make soups, especially from dehydrated or yellow label veg.

Do it! Use the recipes section.

Please contribute folks. I'll start the thread in a moment...

[Frnc]

Heinz lentil soup is nice but it has too much salt and got very expensive so I don't get it often these days. I like mushroom soup too. Not had any for ages, got the urge now, will put it on my list! I'll try to find some cheap at Aldi.

Lentil soup is one of the easiest and cheapest to make. Great with a bit of crusty bread.

Add a bit of bacon or spam and a few bits of dehydrated pepper and onions. It's a blank canvas.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/red_ ... acon_27157

I'm a veggie, but I might try making it minus that. Trouble is, I buy stuff like lentils, get chucked away a year later. But then I do like lentil soup.

[jansman]

Got a large property which has 6 x security lights outside. Just got one more to replace ( 10w) and picked one up for a mere £7! The first light I ever bought 30+ years ago I paid £22 for!

Better product,cheaper to buy and a lot cheaper to run.

I need another project- can’t go fishing everyday!

[diamond lil]

I just chuck two handfuls of dehydrated mixed veg into boiling water and leave that for a few hours to soften, then bung into the soup maker with a stock cube and some powdered milk.

[jennyjj01]

I just chuck two handfuls of dehydrated mixed veg into boiling water and leave that for a few hours to soften, then bung into the soup maker with a stock cube and some powdered milk.

Soup Maker? Tell us about this soup maker? Does it boil/simmer? Can we adapt for Slow cooker? How long does it take? Do you ever freeze your soup, or do you make small batches and snark them down?

[hobo]

Top tip for open packs of dried food like pasta and rice. Use sealed plastic‘Tupperware’ containers. Simple,effective and pest proof.

Is it just me who uses clothes pegs to seal up open packs?

[Arzosah]

Top tip for open packs of dried food like pasta and rice. Use sealed plastic‘Tupperware’ containers. Simple,effective and pest proof.

Is it just me who uses clothes pegs to seal up open packs?

It's not just you! I do it too

[diamond lil]

Jenny it will sautee stuff for ten mins then lets you add the liquid. But I'm using up a ton of dried veg so don't need to do that. It takes 19 mins precisely then beeps but also keeps the soup hot until you switch it off. I don't bother about slow cookers etc because I use a gas cooker and its cheaper. I don't bother about freezing because there's only the two of us -and I can't be assed trying to find/fill/pack wee containers of soup into the freezer
Hobo yesss I have a fetching arrangement of artistically coloured clothes pegs in my cupboards.. one day when I'm really really bored I will colour co-ordinate them.

[jansman]

Frugal living then. Well being at home now,and with less gold coming in,we watch prices where we can. I can honestly say we are not rich,but not poor either. Mind you,over the years we never spent a lot - didn’t come in - so we always lived carefully. Without going off at a tangent,we find what people call ‘tough’ or ‘inflated’ these days to have been quite normal back in the day. But I digress.

Today we will pick up grocery items and I need new safety boots too. Along with consumables in the workshop. Screws,brackets, sealants, drills etc. I am fortunate that my late step dad taught me a lot of building and diy techniques,which has saved a fortune down the years. In fact sometimes when I see the way some builders operate it makes me cringe at their poor standards. The so - called ‘Fencing ‘ company next door is a good example of cr*p .
My wife also needs specialist needles for her overlocking machine too. There is a specialist in town for that. Again,real skills such as her ability to make and repair clothes and fabrics meant saving a lot of money down the years. Frugal living.

My sister and her husband are teachers. Interesting one this. Sis is a science teacher. Bro is a carpentry teacher! He struggles year on year to get good regular pupils. Why? Because ,he tells me,all they want to do is operate bl**dy computers! As he said, nobody wants to do proper practical work anymore!

Anyhow,as a frugal task this week ,I am sorting a fishing- kit trolley to make my walk to the river down the hill easier. Now it’s hardly prepping,but it gives me physical and mental energy. Makes a difference in my fight against my illness.
So I’m pleased to say that I have a workshop job to have a ‘play’. I’ve bought a proper fishing trolley before,years ago. They haven’t changed and they weren’t that good then! Anyhow,my neighbour has put out a shopping trolley. The handle is long ( unlike the fishing ones) so easier to use physically. I’ll use some heavy plywood to take my box/ seat and it means I can cart a bit of specialist kit and bait too. A nice little frugal job that’ll save me about sixty quid! And I’ll enjoy sorting it.

Have a good day.