Make do and mend

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Posted at 11:30AM, 11 May 2009 by Mary Cadogan - Food writer

We've all had to mend our spendthrift ways in these credit crunch times , but is that always such a bad thing? Statistics have shown that we throw away 40 per cent of the food we buy, but I wonder if that still holds true? Now that there is less money to spend on food, we're all having to take a long hard look at our shopping bills and decide what is essential and what is not.

In the recent past, buying a coffee on the way to work and picking up a sandwich at lunchtime or popping out for a bowl of pasta was the norm for many. Now it's cool to forego the coffee and bring homemade lunches to work. Soup, leftovers from last night's supper, slices of cold pizza, big crunchy salads, anything goes. A few months ago you'd have been labelled nerdy if you'd been seen scoffing these things, but now we're all swapping recipes and tips and incidentally probably eating better into the bargain.

I wonder when the credit crunch eases whether we will stick with it

It's the same story in the supermarket. Chicken breasts are the most expensive way to buy chicken. We all know now that if you buy a whole bird you can get three meals out of it, roast, risotto and soup or sandwiches. We are all turning to ways our granny would approve of and I wonder when the credit crunch eases whether we will stick with it. I think we have all learned a hard lesson on waste and I for one am enjoying it.

Next thing you know there'll be a rise in sales of pressure cookers (big savings on fuel), slow cookers (brilliant for cooking cheaper cuts) will continue their resurgence and we'll be making double to freeze half as the norm rather than on a whim to feel virtuous. We're all eating out less so sitting round the kitchen table sharing supper with friends is on the up. We'll be playing cards and board games and having musical evenings next (sounds like fun). Food prices have hiked up generally but there are bargains to be had if you shop around (shopping around, that's another old maxim) and know what's in season (Good Food can help you there).

My best penny-pinching tip? Make your own houmous by whizzing up a can of chick peas, juice of a lemon, teaspoon of cumin, a good slug of olive oil and some salt and chilli pepper. It keeps in the fridge for a week and makes five good lunches for under £1. So what's your tip of the week? Do share.

Comments

MsVanDeKamp

12 May 2009, 12:11PM
MsVanDeKamp

I've been having at least one vegetarian day a week. As a result I save money, help the environment and am adding new recipes and techniques to my cooking repertoire. Win win!

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CloClo

12 May 2009, 5:56PM
CloClo

Bubble & Squeak! Even if you've only got a tiny bit that's too small to heat up anywhere, save it. Put it in the bottom of a (greased) sandwich toaster. Butter a piece of bread on one side, and place on top (butter side up). Cook for about 5 minutes. It SHOULD turn out perfectly, with no mash in the toaster (perfect triangle on the bread). Just make sure any greens (and, if you are me, the bits of crispy bacon) are chopped up nice and small.

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joanneheather

12 May 2009, 9:55PM
joanneheather

Our make do and mends - definitely making batches of mince bolognaise and freezing them for later. Yes, making our own hommous - tahini paste, chick peas, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, maybe some fresh coriander. We've made it twice in the last week or so. Baking our own cakes - making fruit cake with less butter/sugar and more grated apple and pear. Using lentils/beans in stews/soups rather than meat. Using spices to flavour. Spending a bit on fresh herbs because they make all the difference to a dish.

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sioden

13 May 2009, 10:01AM
sioden

dried pulses instead of tinned - sooooo much cheaper and easy to use - just soak the nigth before!! make your own bread. we've had a breadmaker for years that used to come out at Christmas only, it's now out almost everyday, so much cheaper. I find that making small changes here and there really do save money, instead of trying to make big chages and end up blowing it all!!

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Jo

13 May 2009, 10:42AM
Jo

I couldn,t agree more with all of the above. As the mother of three children and a husband in the forces, which in the 60's and 70's didn't pay a lot of wages, I have been making twice the amount for years and storing it in the freezer, using a pressure cooker and a slow cooker, great when you work, a meal ready and waiting when you come in. Bring on a lot more saving ideas it's great.

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Mary Cadogan

13 May 2009, 11:20AM
Mary Cadogan

I quite agree with all the tips so far and it's great to share. Buying dried pulses and beans and cooking them yourself is a great one. If you soak and cook a whole bag then freeze them in portions not only saves you loads it's also easier as you don't have to remember to soak them each time. Keep those tips coming!

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NatashaC

13 May 2009, 3:35PM
NatashaC

Another energy saving way to cook is using a steamer - I rather marvelled the other night at the fact that I cooked spaghetti, brocolli and green beans on the same burner at the same time. Most satisfying!

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Belit

13 May 2009, 7:22PM
Belit

Planning ahead is my best tip. This way I can make the most out of special offers in the stores, I don't overshop on an impulse, I make the right amount of food, and I can plan for dishes that need little preparation but lots of time - great for cheaper cuts of meat and/or pulses as well as top flavour. I also make all of our bread and almost never buy ready-made meals or even semi ready-mades. All of this really requires that you enjoy cooking and know how to, though. I imagine both nutrition and budget restrains are much more difficult for people who don't know how to cook and/or hate it, and I have no ideas as to how to reach out to these people. (Then again, I guess they won't be reading this website...) Otherwise I recommend storecupboard staples dishes for budget (and time!) emergencies. For example pasta with a tuna-tomatoe sauce with black olives - always great!

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cherylanne

13 May 2009, 9:06PM
cherylanne

we may not always want to cook a whole chicken for a quick and easy midweek meal but why on earth does anyone buy dry, dull and expensive chicken breasts (worse still on all counts when they're boned and skinned) when wonderful thighs and wings are half the price or less with bags more flavour and moisture. Just use thighs instead of breasts (on the bone, please!) in any recipe and roast wings with your flavours of choice (garlic/lemon, cajun, indian... i could go on at length but you get the picture) and you have wonderful bones to chew on, as well as much more flavoursome meat. Goes without saying that free range is best for flavour if you can run to it.

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barnybrit

13 May 2009, 9:39PM
barnybrit

I have now become quite handy at using leftovers. I have always made my own pickles and jams from using low cost or 'free' ingredients, whether it is produce from friends allotments, (as long as they get a couple of jars), or hedgerows for the fruit etc but i rarely used left over food from a meal for the next day or another dish. Now that I am doing this, (although there has been a few disasters) my shopping bill has gone down by a 25%! Yes you read it correctly ....25%!! It was the shock of this that told me...Yes, I did waste food and bought far too much at the supermarket and groceries that we just didn't need. Now I rarely buy things we 'want' or overshop on food items. My kids like the meals too, even my picky hubby! he likes to call it 'reality food'

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miniminx

15 May 2009, 11:37AM
miniminx

i've been doing something similar to MrsVanDeKamp....i've swapped my meat-eating days for veggie ones - so that means meat twice a week at the absolute most. lentils are my ingredient hero!!! fabulous and cost pennies. eating a lot less meat means that when i do, it's good quality and feels like a real treat!

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Pat Evans

16 May 2009, 12:31PM
Pat Evans

I use my slow cooker to make a huge boeuf bourgignonne or a neck of lamb stew and freeze half and also always make two lasagnes at once and freeze one. When it comes to washing up by hand, dilute a good washing-up liquid by half with water, it still does a good job and lasts twice as long.

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StormyRaincloud

17 May 2009, 2:46PM
StormyRaincloud

I disagree that chicken breasts are more expensive. I buy a 4 pack of smart price, and use one in each meal. I have 6 children too. Chicken thighs have become much more expensive. We have a veggie in the family, so vegetarian meals at least once a week are the norm, lentils are soo cheap. It's ok for us, I cook from scratch all the time, but even smart price things have become almost unreachable. Home made fajitas are the fave here, although I haven't been quite brave enough to make my own tortilla wraps just yet.

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SandieB

20 May 2009, 5:25PM
SandieB

What is it with the supermarkets these days as well....I often don't want a whole chicken and maybe want 2 or 3 quarters....they hardly ever have them, but they have rows and rows of grey, skinned breasts at grossly inflated prices. Whatever happened to being able to buy a bit of chicken with bones and skin!

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tulipsarered

27 May 2009, 8:45PM
tulipsarered

I order an organic veg box weekly, I still waste things occasionally but i find it a bit more inspiring to think of (or research ) ways to use new unfamiliar veg AND i love cooking with seasonal locally grown things!! It costs more but - all those bags of rubbishy salad i used to buy - half of which almost always went in the bin - so all in all Im saving money in the long run : ) AND BEING KIND TO THE ENVIRONMENT!

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threelittlepigspork

27 May 2009, 10:40PM
threelittlepigspork

Tulip has the right idea. There's lots of farmers doing veg boxes now, you don't have to go with the big companies unless you really want to. I suppose it depends where you live. There's lots doing meat boxes aswell and it's a really economical way to buy. It usually tastes better aswell.

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Heidi

20 June 2009, 3:01PM
Heidi

I'm making my own lunches for me and my husband. I reckon it's saving us at least Â£15 a week. I've also started freezing more things as ingredients rather than letting them go out of date or making something with them then freezing them. Particularly useful are freezing breadcrumbs (can be used straight from the freezer) and freezing chopped peppers (they do soften but it's no problem if I later use them in a roasted tomato sauce.)

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