Be a skin flint just like me! (Cooking on a Budget!)

Member Name: luigi0778

Product:	Cooking on a Budget!
Date:	19/02/09 (162 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Use you money on things other than food!

Disadvantages: Takes some effort!

Nothing drives me nuts more than hearing people complaining about not having any money, and yet going ahead and wasting a fortune on takeaways! Or throwing away perfectly fine food straight into the bin, sometimes even unopened packets.

The excuses for not cooking are endless:
- I Don't have the time.
- I don't know how.
- I can't afford the ingredients.

When the real reason is "I am too lazy". So if you fall into this category, or honestly dont know how, its time to get off the couch, go to the supermarket, and then get cooking!

Cooking on a budget could not really be easier, it is literally just a case of learning a few basics, buying the "essentials" and then being imaginitive and NOT wasting a single thing! Do NOT throw away food!

First a few tips for getting started, before I bang out a few recipes.

1. FORGET "best before" dates on vegetables. It's silly! Vegetables do not need best before's. Just use your common sense. You can tell when something is not good to eat. Mother nature has her own way of telling you.

2. Buy whole chickens regularly, cut them into pieces, turn the leftover carcasses into stock. Which can then be frozen, and used later for soups, or flavouring stews! Buying chicken breasts alone, is a waste of money!

3. Buy fresh Vegetables, they can be used for a huge range of things from soups, to curries. Veggies are a budgeteers friend.

4. DO NOT throw away stale bread. Think breadcrumbs, or make Croutons. If you can tell your going to have leftover bread, do one of the above first.
Breacrumbs can be used to coat things (obviously), or are a good filler to things like meatballs or burgers.

5. MAKE a list, before you go shopping! Avoid impulse buys! Unless its a buy one get one free, or similar.


A PUSH IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
A few Recipe Ideas for saving the pennies! Being on a budget doesn't have to mean baked potatoes or beans on toast. Here are a few examples of meals for four, for less than £2-5.


A Fish Pie! £5
Make mashed potatoes, let it cool.
Gently cook (in milk) some white fish fillets (including Coley or similar cheap fillets as filler) add a bit of seafood mix (frozen). Drain, keep fish and the milk (seperately).

Next, heat some butter, add some flour, to make a paste. Then add the saved milk to make a creamy mix. Add some chopped parsley, add the fish. Pour into a ovenproof dish, cover with the mashed potato, sprinkle over some grated cheese (optional) and bake until golden. Serve with garden peas.


Tuna an Pasta £2 (or less)
Heat some olive oil, fry onion+garlic, add tinned tomatoes cook for thirty minutes, add tinned tuna, cook another ten. Serve mixed in with some cooked spaghetti, or pasta shells. Sprinkle parmesan on top. You could even stick this into a bakeware dish with chunks of Mozarella, and it becomes a pasta bake. (add £1-2)


Meat Stew £4
Brown some meat in a pan, add vegetables of your choice, add some stock, splash of worstercshire sauce. Add some pearl barley. Add a bay leaf. Season well. Cook the whole lot for a few hours at a gentle simmer.


Fried Vegetable Medley £3
Finely dice some potatoes (skin an all) fry, add some red pepper diced, fry for a few minutes. Add some diced courgettes, some diced onions. Add some Smoked Paprika. Continue to fry. Serve when done, nice served onto a piece of grilled ciabatta bread! (smear with garlic first as an option).

Summary: Living on a budget is easy!