Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Chatting => Frugal Living => Topic started by: MarkG on June 02, 2008, 01:55
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Hi all,
This is my first post on frugal living. I'm normally on grow your own, but wanted to tell someone about our waffle experiment, and I thought you guys would be more interested in hearing it.
Anyway OH went shopping today and decided to trade down a brand. We usually buy Birds Eye Waffles, flash eh, well as a pair of DINKys (Dual Income No Kids) we can afford to live a little.
Anyway, on this occasion she went for Morrisons own, but didn't tell me. She sprang the surprise just as I was sitting down to dinner: waffles, chicken kief, sweatcorn and peas, very nice. I had two waffles on my plate (I normally have three, but I'd been eating biscuits all afternoon so wasn't as hungry) one was Birds Eye and the other the far cheaper Morrisons own brand. Could I guess which was which?
In short. No. And I preferred the Morrisons own. And the Morisons ones have more potatoe on them. The waffles are the same size but the squares were smaller because they had thicker sides, so more potatoe.
So there you go. No need to pay the extra.
No connection with Morrisons by the way. Just satisfied with their potatoe waffles.
:D
Cheers,
Mark.
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i often find that shops own brands are nicer than the named
ones ,and quite a bit cheaper :D
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i often buy value and basics.
the veg and fruit are often onl classified as this because they are ot a known variety or are slightly the wrong shape - too big or too small etc
i mean ideally i'd love to say i buy all my fruit and veg from farm shops and farmers market etc but with money tight i think we have to face facts that this is often not possible.
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Well low income here too, so we have to be careful, but the other day we were passing a big farm stall in Wisbech, nd they have a big 50p box for stuff slightly past its best! Picked up 2 bunches of asparagus for 50p each, some going a bit soft, but plenty for dinner last night plus loads for soup, about 6 bunches of spring onions and a big punnet of slightly soft tomatoes. The tomatoes were really tasty though, not like your supermarket ones!
And last night with our asparagus and new potatoes, we had a bit of one of our own chickens!!
But I digress too, yes, mostly own brands are same ingredients as branded stuff because they are made by the same people, just different packaging!
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my OH is a brand snob
he always has to buy the expensive stuff, eg tinned tomatoes cant be own brand, even when they just go in a (HOT) curry
Ive tried to sneak stuff to see if he tells the difference so I can be smug, but he's wise to me now and comes in the kitchen when I cook
He even says the dog will only eat his food with bisto gravy granules instead of *sda own brand
I told him I am NOT paying double the price for the bl**dy dog!!
Mind you, Im fussy about my washing powder and washing up liquid, I dont buy own brand for those, Bold and Fairy for me on that
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I think Tesco clothes washing detergent got voted best
Also Somerfiel tomato soup came out top of the pops
Waffles have been difficult to get recently and I searched the local supermarkets but couldn't find any so had to switch to hash browns for the B & B, but I don't really like them. They are back in the supermarkets now but only Birds Eye :? If I go to Morrisons I shall make a point of picking up a box of theirs. Ta for the tip :D
My OH has more money than sense and buys Tesco finest this and that. I think it saves him having make decisions for himself :roll: I'll have a shed full of lovely spuds and he'll buy em from M&S. Drives me insane :(
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My OH is too gullible to be let out in the supermarket on his own - will always go for the branded 'two for one' and 'BOGOF' offers, I have to send him back from the checkout to get the own brands that work out cheaper even at normal price :?
And I've been using value own brand soap powder ever since I was a very poor single mum, and our clothes always seem clean enough to me ... :lol: Wouldn't dream of buying most commodities branded unless I was really desperate and there was nothing else on the shelves.
Instead I spend my extra pennies on better quality meat from my butcher than I can buy in any supermarket, and organic fruit and veg whenever I can; and Sainsbury's now do a lot of organic tinned & packet own brand stuff (like tinned tomatoes & pasta) at the same price as the non-organic, so I get that for preference as well :lol:
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"He even says the dog will only eat his food with bisto gravy granules instead of *sda own brand "
A cheap and easy recipe for good gravy that doesn't need pan juices is this:
1 stockcube (veg, beef,or chicken), some herbs and spices to taste (ie, garlic, sage, pepper - no salt, enough in the stock), a little soy, a little marmite, a little worcestershire, a little experimenting, and then 2 tabs of cornflour mixed in cold water, and mixed in the pint/pint and a half of stock. Stir it until thick - yum. It only takes about ten seconds longer than to mix up pre-made gravy.
I don't use bisto because it (and others) are so full of Es (not ecstasy, the numbers).
...I thought 'asda' was a brand-name :)
cheers,
Derek
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A cheap and easy recipe for good gravy that doesn't need pan juices is this:
1 stockcube (veg, beef,or chicken), some herbs and spices to taste (ie, garlic, sage, pepper - no salt, enough in the stock), a little soy, a little marmite, a little worcestershire, a little experimenting, and then 2 tabs of cornflour mixed in cold water, and mixed in the pint/pint and a half of stock. Stir it until thick - yum. It only takes about ten seconds longer than to mix up pre-made gravy.
mmm ... might try that one, thanks Derek :lol:
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Yes I'm Bold and Fairy too :D :D :D :D
(Munty will remember my pink bow tie)
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"He even says the dog will only eat his food with bisto gravy granules instead of *sda own brand "
A cheap and easy recipe for good gravy that doesn't need pan juices is this:
1 stockcube (veg, beef,or chicken), some herbs and spices to taste (ie, garlic, sage, pepper - no salt, enough in the stock), a little soy, a little marmite, a little worcestershire, a little experimenting, and then 2 tabs of cornflour mixed in cold water, and mixed in the pint/pint and a half of stock. Stir it until thick - yum. It only takes about ten seconds longer than to mix up pre-made gravy.
I don't use bisto because it (and others) are so full of Es (not ecstasy, the numbers).
That's more or less what I do Derek. Gravey granules are disgusting after that. I use Knorr stock cubes - even top chef's use them :roll:
note to self : I must teach Derek how to use the "Quote button" in posts :lol:
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Save your branded boxes and bung in shops own, when the fussy ones are out :wink: :lol:
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I like your style Richy !
Always compare the price/kg, etc. Even when they mess about mixing grams, kg and litres. I stand and work it all out and often smaller quantities work out cheaper than larger, eg. Tesco dog food. 24 tray is more money/kg than 12 tray.
Never buy branded unless own brand proves uneconomical. As you say derek, own brand is still a brand. 'Home' branded is best !! :)
Rob
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note to self : I must teach Derek how to use the "Quote button" in posts
how do you do that then?
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thanks for posting that derek, its sounds a good thing I can make up on a sunday and keep in the fridge, wonder if OH will be ok with that?! :D
is asda a brand name? I always thought it was the heinz/knorr/oxo/fairy/ notasupermarketbrand kind of names on the tv?
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Please Aunty, I was going to go the geeks at PC World to learn how to do a 'quote', we've tried by experimenting on our own but failed dismally. £25 for 15 mins. I only wanted to quote part of a post.
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Hit the 'quote' button above the post you wish to quote. Anything you don't want to appear, highlight & delete.
Then carry on typing your reply.
Click 'preview' to see what it looks like, then 'submit' if it's OK.
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The important bits are within the [quot]and [/quot] (mispelled) at each end of the quote. Make sure they are still intact and if you accidentally delete them, just type them back in.
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That's more or less what I do Derek. Gravey granules are disgusting after that. I use Knorr stock cubes - even top chef's use them :roll:
Same here, Aunt Sally. Gravy is always Oxos/Knorr (depending if meat or poultry), meat juices, veg water & flour. My nan gave me the recipe many moons ago, it had been her mother's recipe too, and we all loved having dinner at Nan's just for her gravy - we didn't care what else we got :lol:
And for soups (turkey & sweetcorn, chicken & leek etc) it has to be Knorr cubes. BUT, saying that, Aldi's 29p for 12 chicken cubes are good too, and very like Knorr! I made a wonderful turkey gravy with them this past Sunday, and a very tasty soup the next day.
NOT so for Tesco's own :pukel: They were nasty and not worth the saving.
As for cheap brands, Asda's economy "Smart Price" sausages are now 16p for 8 :shock: Won't vouch for their quality, though! Only Richmonds here - no chewy bits :D
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no chewy bits
(I feel like I've sold out with all this quoting...
The chewy bits are the only bits that come from an animal - that's how you can tell you got a meat sausage and not a veg one :)
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Only Richmonds here - no chewy bits :D
They're the ones that fill your roasting tin with an inch of fat if you oven cook them!
I'll NOT trade down from our local butcher's sausage!
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I buy good bangers for my B & B. Sausages which have taste :D Thankfully there are some very good ones to be had. I search for sossies everywhere I go. Sad but true 8)
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i'm a bit of a snob too and for beans and tinned spag it has to be heinz, same with ketchup, the others just don't taste the same. soaps are usually branded but only becoz i have tried most types and found persil and fairy to irritate the least (sensitve skin!).
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I'll NOT trade down from our local butcher's sausage!
I'm 100% with you there.
our local butcher's sausages are far better than anything I've tasted from the supermarkets. :D
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Lidls copy of the Twix chocolate bar are great ~ cant remember the name but they are in a red packet!!:thumright:
Jazzbyrd
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Make your own baked beans!!!?**!!!!
Honestly, you'll never eat tinned beans again.
Soak your dried haricots overnight, cook til soft, fry an onion and some garlic, add the beans, add a tin of toms (chopped or blended), some curry powder, a bit of spicy sausage, tbs of treacle, bake in the oven for an hour or two.
OK it's more faff than opening a tin, but they taste good!
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I do homemade beans too, and more or less the same way, minus the sausage and curry (nice touch though), and they are great. They taste like a meal you're happy to call a meal, rather than a poor substitute when you can't be bothered.
But, the soaking/cooking takes a while (though if you're organised, the soaking doesn't really factor in).
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I don't normally do this, but I was starving hungry, so went to the corner shop & bought a pack of W**l's sausage.
Cooked 4 of them in the oven.
Drained off 33g of liquid fat.
Gone off me breakfast!
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Interesting (albeit in a daily mail type way) article on the cheapy sossies etc:
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/femail/article-1024764/The-battle-bangers-Asdas-2p-sausages-rest.html
Personally I buy mine from the local slaughterhouse, I know full well that they put all the end bits from decent cuts of meat in there, not all that mechanically recovered stuff.
I have traded down washing powders to ecoballs now, much better, cheaper and you can do shorter, cooler washes so all round a winner!
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soaps are usually branded but only becoz i have tried most types and found persil and fairy to irritate the least (sensitve skin!).
Try Ecover, I've got really sensitive skin :roll: and it doesn't affect me at all!!!! Plus it lasts forever!!!!!!!!!
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hi all been very busy so not a lot of spare time but always do my main shopping at morrisons for two years the reasons are 1 i like their own brand stuff and my son works there so i get 10% of all shopping even the reduce stuff but when i go to pick him up at night about half hour before they close i get really bargains like two fresh cooked chicken whole for 49p or 89p bogof and bread at 15p a loaf french stick 9p all their on site cook food must be sold that day before midnight so pick up great bargins best so far 1 whole salmon 99p and tuna two large steaks £1.89 but do not get 10% of fule but can not have everything :twisted: :twisted: yours bgb