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I read this thread whilst eating me lunch, and when,whilst in the greenhouse preparing to set seeds, it got me thinking.
When I was a child, in post war Derbyshire, you were of either of two classes, working or gentry, and we certainly, like many ,belonged to the first.
So, you grew up with scrimp and save, because your parents had just come through a war and all that entailed, and could hardly remember a time when they didn't.
There was an older sister, and a younger brother, making us five in all, and though Dad was never out of work, Mum always had something part-time to make the pennies stretch.
As we grew older, elder sister went to live in the nurses home as a probationary nurse, brother went to Grammer School, I got secretarial school, and Mum got a full time job.
But in all those years, we were always aware of 'take care of the pennies, and the pounds will take care of themselves' or, because we had lived in Scotland for a while and things were even more dire, 'many a mickle makes a muckle'.
Well, and my sister and I have many a laugh about this, even now, Mum couldn't cook,sew or knit, so didn't pass any of that onto us, but she was a hard worker, who and instilled financial principle into us, and we never went hungry.
We both married and had families quick, and money was still in short supply. But we learned, we had no choice, as neither of our husband's earned big money.
Yes the chicken carcass was always saved for soup, and still is today. Someone once wrote a book '101 Ways With Mince', well I bet we know about 201 ways. And Mince goes such along way. My favourite is a Shepherds Pie with a tin of mixed veg in (29p M*****sons), topped with plenty of mashed potato and cheese. Day 1 with some green veg and gravy for me and the OH, Day2 with chips and the rest of the gravy.
I bet there are always ways we could save money on food, if we thought about it for long enough.
Like Chris in Wessex, we have an allotment, and I have four deep freezers, and they are always full. One thing I did recently, more for convenience than thrift, was to make up a stock of plated up meals for the OH, in the freezer, for when I get whisked away at the drop of a hat, into hospital. So simple. Just cook some extra veg and potato when doing the Sunday meal, and instead of picking at the joint when it is going cold, slice it up and put with the extra veg and cover with gravy, on a plate. The OH has found these invaluable.
The need to be thrifty also rubbed of in other areas with my sister and I. Both made clothes for our children, and in my case, even little girls underskirts with matching knickers. We both can make men's threepiece suits, overcoats and shirts. And, we are both voracious knitters, though that is not a cheap hobby these days.
I blame (tongue in cheek here), the demise of the cookery lessons and sewing classes in schools, for the lack of knowledge of the younger generations. With today's financial climate, there is even more need to learn to be thrifty
Well, I had better go and get those seeds set, 'cause they won't set themselves.
Take Care All
Keep the Tips Coming
Julia in Derbyshire
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Joanne, would agree with you on some types of baking e.g. fruit pies - unless you get the fruits free. However, scones, fairy cakes, pancakes and cakes are all made at a fraction of the cost in shops and no additives.
Again, batch bake and freeze. Old favourites for puddings, rice, semolina, crumbles, baked sponges with various toppings, etc.
Herby dumplings will always pad out a dinner.
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I am 40 and think my age group has lost its way and expect everything now and an easily life - my contract for a well paid job ended yesterday so I will be thinking alot more about how I spend and when.
I do have to say that I am guilty of being a working mum whose kids go to before school and after school clubs so meals are provided for them - but the love the classics - mince/dumplings etc. They would like baking treats too - but I sometimes think it costs more to make the things in the first place than it does to buy (I admit it's not quite the same though)
It was my new year resolution to try and recycle meals from leftovers; whilst I don't always succeed I am slowly getting there....
I made a wonderful pasta sauce from a homemade veggie soup that the kids had decided they'd had enough of - just added some herbs, garlic, tinned tomatoes and tomato puree and 1lb of mince - it made a huge pots of bolegnese which the kids demolished + 2 bags for the freezer (one for tea tonight).
Also got a bag of fresh veg for ~Sunday lunch for £2.00; (potatoes, cauli, broccoli, carrots, turnip, onions) so the left overs were made into a 'tattie-fry-up the top was crisped and it was served with mince - my litle girl asked for seconds. The shops I got it from was a bit out of the way but the local supermarket would of cost me about £4-£4.50 for the same stuff - so going to google and work out whether the fuel would be worthwhile or not.
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Single son does shop for bargains - regularly rings me and says I have two joints for you half price. He can sniff out a bargain! I did teach him that the reduced shelves hold bargains - if it is sell by dates - OK for freezing.
He always says he gets 4 meals out of a chicken for himself, roasted, stir fry, curry and a pot of chicken veg soup! Even OH knows sour milk makes good scones!
I think those of us who remember rationing and had mothers who had to cope with it are more inclined to make a meal out of bits and pieces than later generations are. I know some of you will!
Never put one item in the oven - use the heat, if you are going to bake, do a batch bake and freeze.
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Know where you are all coming from. Whenever I go to youngest daughter for Sunday lunch I always wrestle with her for the chicken carcass before she bins it. I boil it and make lovely soup which lasts us for two days. Youngsters nowadays always seem too busy to cook what I call proper food, it is all so easy, notice in large supermarket one aisle for meat but three of ready made meals.
Carol
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Sharron - I would get rid of the cone - rats bring disease - not good.
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I have a digester cone and the rats keep burrowing into it.
Anybody else have this problem or have I done something wrong?
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I always used sour milk to make scones when I had a cafe.They were always light and delicious,but these days the milk isn't quite the same as they take the rennet out of it.I'd still use it though as I hate waste of any kind.
It was drilled into my generation being brought up during the war!
I can't believe what is thrown away today...nothing is wasted in our house.
Our council is providing us with a bin in June for food waste,but mine will have nothing in as I have a compost bin for peelings etc and birds get crumbs and fat off the meat etc.
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I guess like many other people I've been through hard times and had to really scrimp and scrape, so I used to be horrified at my son and dil for the amount they would spend on takeaways and how much food they wasted. Son often moaned at how much money was being spent.....and like a proper mother lol, I used to say things like "plan your week's meals and just buy the food for that".
Now that's exactly what they do and they have got their shopping bill down to less than £40 a week - and that includes dog food, washing powder etc. More money to spend on other things now, like going to the pub! LOL
Mary
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Sour milk makes lovely scones.
A woman on the programme cut a lemon in half to use the juice of half of it to refresh a lettuce.
Surely a squirt from the cheap supermarket Jif impersonation that she surely keeps in the fridge,doesn't everybody,would have been more economical,already.
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Well done Sharron. I watched the programme, I couldn't believe that family who had, how much was it? £180,000 a year coming in and they overspent?
I am a great one for using up leftovers and making a meal out of odd bits and pieces from the freezer etc. I had to bring my son up on a budget but altho he is now not earning a lot, he is very wasteful, it breaks my heart, it really does but can't get through to him that by saving a pound here or there will add up to money towards his driving lessons and all the other things he wants. The times I have gone to visit and seen a large carton of milk left out of the fridge and his flat much to warm - he will say Oh I forgot to put the milk back in the fridge and it's gone off now - that's over a £ gone to waste! So different from the way he was brought up and starting to make me want to shake him!
Keep up the good work.
Lizx
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Did anybody see it last night?
That is sure my kind of programme.
I made a Quorn shepherd's pie the other day. Well.one for us and one each for the two men I am exploiting shamelessly because they can't cook.
The old man doesn't really like to eat it again so I thought I might make it into patties. Put in another onion, some grated leftover bits of cheese, couple of eggs, bit of flour, few herbs out of the garden and ground up a bag of croutons that had been hanging about God knows how long.
Bit of black pepper, through the food processor and it looked like sausagemeat so I made it into sausages. They were delicious.Even the old man said so and he never compliments me on anything.
More leftovers for him then!
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