Take a Good(e) Look
When aiming to cut costs, it helps to stand back and ask questions. Do we use and appreciate the potential of low cost basic ingredients, or do they end up pushed to the back of a cupboard? Is there a way we can adjust a recipe to use less of the expensive and more of the cheaper ingredients? Can we stop throwing so much away?
Tip: Egg shells: always have a bit of white left in the shell. Smear this on paper and things will stick to it as it dries (children can play around with this),. Envelopes sealed this way cannot be steamed open. Paint egg white over grapes then dust with sugar for a frosted effect. Crushed egg shells put on soil will deter slugs and snails. Water that eggs have been boiled in contains minerals, use to water plants. (Nothing to do with food, but slugs hate going over hair, so ask a hairdresser for his sweepings,)
Many of my dry goods (pulses, rice, pasta, cous-cous et al) are decanted into plastic and glass jars and kept in full view on open shelves. Each day I am then reminded to use them.
Tip: some casserole recipes say to boil pearl barley and then discard the liquid. Other recipes - eg.lemon barley water - tell us to boil the barley, discard and use the liquid. Worth remembering that if most things have a second use, then use them - 'a penny saved is a penny earned'.
Although home cooking can save hundreds of pounds over a year, maybe the inclination still isn't there, so find a positive reason to be deliberately thrifty - think of the laboursaving kitchen equipment worth saving up for, or paying for a romantic weekend, even saving the money to give to a favourite charity. With money saved we then afford to indulge ourselves and buy better quality ingredients, instead of the cheapest, meat from the butcher, the occasional bottle of wine from the 'offy'. Even a bunch of roses. And incidentally, don't throw away rose petals, dry these and use them to make pot-pourri which can, over the months, bring a welcome reminder of a special anniversary.
Tip: Egg shells: always have a bit of white left in the shell. Smear this on paper and things will stick to it as it dries (children can play around with this),. Envelopes sealed this way cannot be steamed open. Paint egg white over grapes then dust with sugar for a frosted effect. Crushed egg shells put on soil will deter slugs and snails. Water that eggs have been boiled in contains minerals, use to water plants. (Nothing to do with food, but slugs hate going over hair, so ask a hairdresser for his sweepings,)
Many of my dry goods (pulses, rice, pasta, cous-cous et al) are decanted into plastic and glass jars and kept in full view on open shelves. Each day I am then reminded to use them.
Tip: some casserole recipes say to boil pearl barley and then discard the liquid. Other recipes - eg.lemon barley water - tell us to boil the barley, discard and use the liquid. Worth remembering that if most things have a second use, then use them - 'a penny saved is a penny earned'.
Although home cooking can save hundreds of pounds over a year, maybe the inclination still isn't there, so find a positive reason to be deliberately thrifty - think of the laboursaving kitchen equipment worth saving up for, or paying for a romantic weekend, even saving the money to give to a favourite charity. With money saved we then afford to indulge ourselves and buy better quality ingredients, instead of the cheapest, meat from the butcher, the occasional bottle of wine from the 'offy'. Even a bunch of roses. And incidentally, don't throw away rose petals, dry these and use them to make pot-pourri which can, over the months, bring a welcome reminder of a special anniversary.
posted by Shirley at 9:06 am
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