Frugal Living Grocery & Pantry Challenge WEEK 3. Buying a slow cooker & saving money on electricity.
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Welcome to my Pantry Challenge & Grocery Challenge! As part of my Frugal Living UK series, I’m chatting about my meal plan …
May I suggest that when your veg and potatoes are on their last legs, you cook them up anyway. I often mash up old potatoes and store them in the fridge (for up to a week – sometimes longer) or freeze them and reheat in the microwave. This also increases the resistant starch in the mash, which means that it takes longer to absorb and won't spike blood sugars so much. Makes for a quick meal later on in the week because only the meat and veg need to be prepared. And rather than waste old veg, I boil it all up together, pulverise it, freeze it and use that as a basis for soups, casseroles, stews etc. Makes a very tasty vegetable stock and I use anything I've got that's looking pathetic, celery, onions, carrots, courgettes, peppers – whatever you've got. Have found this series very interesting and it's giving me new ideas to follow. Subscribed.
I f you have a garden you should cut the potatoes and plant them. I put some in a garden bag from Poundland and grew my own potatoes.
Great ideas!
Can any recommend a reasonably priced air fryer? Or is it not necessary when I already have a slow cooker?
Great video!
BUT a slowcooker don't save any electric energy.
6 hours with 160 W/h (0,16kW/h) is roundabout 1kWh. One hour with 1000W on a normal stove is the same.
To heat 1g of water for 1 degree centigrade you need one calorie, if you take a slowcooker, a candle, a stove, an electric kettle or a bunsen burner.
How do you think the cost of cooking a dish in the slow cooker compares with using an electric oven for the same time?
My friend gave me one like that the other day! I have a multi cooker (without the pressure facility) but I think having 2 is a great option. The one had gifted to me is just like yours and works like a charm – I did Boston Baked Beans overnight last week OMG it was to die for! We use overnight power (we live in France) as we get a lower tariff for an all electric house. Win Win! Thanks for sharing. PS- I've had a stove top pressure cooker since I was 18 – I am on cooker number 2 and the first one was a domed Prestige and this one is a flat topped Tower. It has to be THE money saver for cooking as it's about a third of the cooking time.
Slow cookers will save you money and you can make all sorts in them. Pizza, baked potatoes, sponge puddings.
I use a halogen oven: cheap to buy, cheap to run because it cooks in less time at a lower temperature. It doesn't need pre heating and you can cook every thing in it. Whole roast dinner, bread, cakes etc
Your meal plan sounds delicious. You show it is possible to eat well while using up what you have.
My 'go to' is Fried Rice. I cook extra rice and freeze is and just use up all my odds and ends. The bendy carrot, a few frozen peas and anything else I can find. Depending on the seasons I can go Chinese, curry or veggie and add a boiled egg, a bit of fish or to with cheese for a bit of extra protein. PS I'm glad you salvaged those potatoes, I definitely would have too.
Hi Claire. Another great video. We tried our local Asda last week. Very expensive, and horrified to pick up onions that have flown all the way from New Zealand! Have we stopped growing onions in this country! Shelves were very bare too! Think they’re trying to starve or freeze us into submission this winter! Rant over, loving your meal plan. Gonna try the orzo recipe,thanks for sharing.
Love your videos ! Get yourself an eco egg and will last you a year ! Look out for the ones that say year washing loud ! I got one replace my old one for €20 and 6 years of washing ! I do 2/3 loads a week .I have given up on liquid washing it’s ridiculous prices ! I use stain remover instead and use more half less than what they suggest on the packs ! It’s crazy !
I went away for First time in 6 years and did self catering to save soo much and have a seriously mental break from stress of the cost
Of living ! It’s down right scary 😟
Love your videos !
Yum yum Claire,love it!x
Hi Claire! I also live in Cornwall and have noticed the supermarket shelves are rather empty… I put it down to lots of holiday makers! I imagine a lot of people are self catering/ cooking more rather than going out for lots of meals whilst on holiday here to try and save some pennies. Just a thought… I wonder if the shelves will look a little more stocked in the autumn once holidays are over! xxx
Try keeping your potatoes in a salad drawer in your fridge..I guarantee, they will not sprout and they WILL keep for ages…THIS REALLY DOES WORK!!!!
In the long run it would be far better value for money to buy a sack of potatoes, don't know how much they are where you live but I can get a sack for £6 , just have to keep them in a cool place and keep the top of the bag closed they keep longer in the dark.
Great week of cooking
The non bio liquid at Aldi is really good and a much better price as in the sensitive fabric softener
Claire try a bag of frozen broccoli and Stilton soup in the Instant Pot it’s amazing , makes enough for about 9 portions and freezers really well xxx
Quarter to twelve in the afternoon?
If I have potatoes that are growing, I cut them into chips and par-boil them then freeze them on baking trays. Once they’re frozen I pop them in a freezer bag and spray a little oil on them and they make the best oven chips, just chuck them in the air fryer!! If I have loads of spuds I prepare some roasties the same way.
Regarding your potatoes / root veg (coming from a farmers daughter, where we grew all of our own fruit / veg all year round! Just picked up bits as I grew up!) you can buy hessian sacks with lining, specifically for your potatoes / veg, & my parents swore by them. Always take out of the packaging from a supermarket as they’ll sweat reducing their lifespan, although you need to fork out for a bag (eBay & Amazon have them buy some can be very affordable), they’ll last you for many many years. Store in a dark place too, a cupboard if you can. It was one of the first things I purchased for my place! Since it’s now just my Dad & I since I lost my mum suddenly in January, it’s important that we still eat as healthy as we can, it’s more cost effective to buy a bag of potatoes than it is individual ones, but obviously it takes longer to go through them. All our veg lasts ages in these bags!
Also another idea for the fish, a meal I grew up with was baked cod / haddock / white fish in either butter sauce or parsley sauce (make a quick roux & add dried herbs / parsley, pour over) – we served with mash & broccoli (or any veg we had in!) xx
Thanks Claire that will all be great for winer warmers and low energy use ,I have a little 2litre slow cooker and like you said the other day felt real autumnal so I did a slow cooker veggie sausage casserole it was lovely and enough for another meal in the freezer for when I can’t be bothered to cook have a good week .x
Hello my lovely 🙂 i love watching your vlogs and find them helpful 🙂 i have a cheapy meal for you that you can do in slowcooker 🙂 sausages of your choice, baked beans x2, mushrooms, onion, spoon of mustard (or to taste) and 1 packet of sausage casserole mix 🙂 serve with pasta / rice/ mash or just crusty bread 🙂
I appreciate you may not be able to do this but if you can: invest in a salt and pepper grinder then you can buy big bags of the unground versions which works out so much cheaper in the long run and tastes so much better than the small jars of pre-ground pepper and salt. xx
I've been batch cooking like crazy, learning to can, with a view to just needing to reheat meals for hubby and I. We live on hubby pension as I take care of our disabled son and I'm hoping this will keep our energy costs down. They say your never to old to learn and at 65 this is a steep learning curve as canning in the UK isn't a huge thing like in the US. Loving learning even if it can be rather tiring. Tested a few of the meals and we both love them.
Looks like you had a great week! I think one of the best ways to use the slow cooker is exactly what you demonstrated. You made it up based on what you had, keeping in mind the flavor you wanted in the end. The trick with the slow cooker is to limit the liquid added to any recipe, unless you really do want soup. I adjust most recipes for the slow cooker to reduce the liquid and they always work better for me. I suggest watching some of the videos from the YouTube channel The Magical Slow Cooker (https://www.youtube.com/c/TheMagicalSlowCooker/featured) for some great ideas. Thanks for sharing your videos. I really do enjoy watching.
You'll never look back with a slow cooker..a true gift to anyone trying to save money and time
Taco soup is delicious any beans kidney Black etc any veg carrots onions. Any protein ,beef stock and rice plus taco seasoning pack.
I really enjoy your pantry challenges your freezer and pantry like mine random bags frozen veg and reduced meat.
I use my slow cooker a lot so great purchase is a instant pot worth it keep debating getting one.
Could you maybe do a video with food financial breakdown as last year you kept to specific amount per week but this year you just buying what you need. What have you spend each week each month and what you saved since you started.
Hi I put my spuds in a black material grocery bag they seem to last longer.prices in New Zealand have gone up too.Dont no how young families are dealing with crazy food prices.
Hi Claire, some delicious meals, have given me some idea’s, thanks.
Yes you’re right, everything is getting so expensive.
Rice pudding done in slow cooker is nice.
Best wishes A
You've inspired me to include slow cooker recipes in my meal plan for next week 👍👍
👍👌
This was brilliant Claire, just loving these vlogs. I've also been using my slow cooker so much this Winter so I know you're going to love it. When I'm light on with ingredients my go to is…recipe below; I pretty much always have these ingredients in my pantry and fridge.
Thai Sytle Fish Cakes
2 cups of cooked rice A$0.75
250grm home brand cream cheese A$ 2.90
425grm tin of home brand tuna A$ 4.00
2-3 shallots sliced (from my garden)
1/2 cup of frozen corn A$ 0.45
1/2 cup chopped corriander or dried flakes of corriander (from my garden)
1 egg A$ 0.40
1/2 cup of plain flour A$ 0.15
1 tbspn of chopped garlic out of a jar A$0.20
1 tbspn of chopped ginger out of a jar A$0.20
1 tbspn of lemon juice (free from my garden)
1 teaspoon of chilli flakes A$0.15
Total meal A$9.20 and makes around 12 patties in total (A$0.76 per patty) this feeds my family of 4 perfectly.
Total meal in pounds is 5.40 (0.45 per patty)
Mix above into a bowl, once combined put them into patties and fry in a little oil. Serve with vegetables or salad ENJOY!
How about making some basic pastry and then v economic veg pasties or quiche or chicken pie?