I had to laugh out loud. I thought I was the only one who looked in other people’s shopping carts/trolleys! It’s almost like an anthropological or a forensic exercise observing what people choose to eat and spend their money on.
My world changed when a co-worker said that a Tuna fish sandwich was an acceptable supper. He was in the middle of paying off his mortgage in two years. Got me thinking, that's for sure.
I am the only person in a large office at work that brings sandwiches for lunch. I still eat peanut butter, tuna or chicken salad, fried egg… bologna…. Just about anything can go between bread with mayo and mustard. Everyone else in the office buys lunch and occasionally brings leftovers. They are always interested in what kind of sandwich I have…. What happened to homemade sandwiches??? 😂😂😂
Thank you for the parameters of 'from scratch'. It is true. Home cooked meals don't have to be extravagant. Home-cooked meals are healthy, money saving and time saving. I am making the effort and it's worth it. Judy
I cook 95% from scratch, often using vegetables I grew myself. I batch cook soups, stews, spaghetti sauce, lasagna, meatloaf, casseroles, bread. Etc, etc, etc. Saves me loads of money! Great advice here on stretching our money!
When I had a house full of teenagers, I would collect compatible left overs in a rectangular plastic container in the freezer, left over noodles or rice from one day plus left over vegetable bits and broth, gravy ,and meat pieces plus cheese on top all baked in a pan is a casserole. This prevents food waste of the tiny bits of food left over and incorporates it into a “ free” future entree. If I cut the crusts off of sandwich bread when making a sandwich, I saved the crusts for croutons, stuffing, or fried them in bacon grease to use as toast sticks to eat with eggs. The kids loved the bacon flavored crunchy toast sticks. A spoon of bacon grease is a nice flavor enhancer for many vegetables. I have eaten used it on bread when making toast in the oven or on baked cheese sandwiches. Baking the sandwiches for a large family was more time efficient than grilling them. If any of this offends you, scroll on. I raised 7 tall, healthy sons on a very tight budget. We always had food variety and full stomachs.
I once tried to blend some leftover fish lasagna I had made and stuff home made pancakes with it the next day - my daughters who would eat just about anything growing up (because I didn’t give them a choice) but I didn’t get away with that one🤣. The girls ate the side veg and the dog was happy that evening…. I havn’t tried to serve that frugal wonder again 😊
I love that you focused on how simple home cooking can be. It’s easy to get sucked into fancy recipes on social media but that’s not practical on a day to day basis for most of us. My current favorite breakfast is fried egg, smashed black beans and salsa on a pan fried tortilla. My hubby ads cheese. Takes about 5 minutes and is delicious.
Totally agree with all the money-saving ideas. I choose not to have a cell phone, and neither does my husband, so can't use apps, but right from day one of our marriage, almost 45 years ago, we have cooked from scratch, raised as much of our own food as we possibly could, and avoided waste. At first it was from financial necessity, and now it is to preserve our health. I love this way of life, it is challenging and rewarding.
No smartphone here either (though I do have a basic Nokia 'dumbphone' which costs me €2 a month). I know it's not an option for everyone and smartphones are amazing things, but I reckon I save by not having one, and enjoy a simpler life!
Hi Jane and Mike, my late parents always cooked from scratch and it was a treat to eat out. I raised my children in home cooked food that was made from scratch. Even their baby food was cooked from scratch. We still cook from scratch now and so does my son who doesn't live at home anymore. I taught my children to look at the price per 100g so they can work out the best value for their money. We also try to have a couple of evening meals per week that are meat and fish free. Adding extra pulses and veg to a meat dish is going to make more meals and make it more economical and of course healthier. There are many ways to live on a budget and cooking from scratch is the way to go. Kind regards Angeline ❤️ xx 🇬🇧
🇺🇸 You say you add extra pulses. To me, a pulse is a place on the body where you check for a heartbeat, or a sign of life. Can someone tell me what a pulse is, in regards to food, please?
@@saundrajohnson1571 Pulses include beans, lentils, and peas. For example, a pea pod is a legume, but the pea inside the pod is the pulse. The entire legume plant is often used in agricultural applications (as cover crops or in livestock feed or fertilizers), while the seeds or pulses are what typically end up on our dinner plates. www.hsph.harvard.edu › le... Legumes and Pulses | The Nutrition Source
A simple home made dinner: a slice of lettuce on the plate with cut apple pieces and a drizzle of dressing; with a cooked chicken thigh, and noodles with cheese. I keep leftover broth from cooking meat in the freezer to add to noodles, rice, etc. Quick, easy, cheap. Love YOUR ideas.
Great tips, I used to buy 4 or more take out meals for our family every two weeks, gradually that reduced down to 1 and now we are lucky to have even 1/month. It took a while but we now make our own pizzas and curries, stir fries. I also buy frozen fish and frozen chips for a quick dinner if needed. All to stop buying dinner. Also I have 3 in my house that take a packed lunch so I cook up breakfast and lunch items on the weekend so they can just take out of the freezer. I also cook 7 serves for dinner and have 2 small serves for work lunches. I have learnt so much from you Jane, thank you ❤
I write the best by date with a sharpie marker on all food. The food that will expire first is in the front row of that item. I keep a six month pantry in my home--I used to have a three month pantry but got sick and was on disability for three months and my pantry was basically deplete. I cook from scratch and eat pretty simply. I batch cook and freeze half of what I made to eat at a later date. Thank you Jane and Mike for your videos. They keep me motivated to become mortgage free (already car and debt free)
I just this week made a wonderful "alfredo" sauce using goat cheese, garlic and shredded parmesean. My husband who "hates goat cheese" loved it. I'm sold on simple cheese sauces now!
Focusing on cooking from scratch as much as possible has helped me to really trim my food budget. I even make my own stocks for soup and cook with dried beans. A lot less waste and wonderful tasty and healthy food! This may not work for everyone. Cooking is my happy place so I’m pleased it is also frugal without feeling deprived. Thank you, Jane and Mike and thank you to all the other posters..I learn a lot from you all!
Just a quick comment. I do the things that you mention in the video except for one thing. You mentioned reduce or quick sale items. In my city that does not exist. Anything that will be past the use by date or needing to be reduced is given to our local food pantry/bank. How do I know this. My adult daughter has to use this resource as her disability check barely covers her monthly and medical expenses. As she shops I put the selected items into the cart as she cannot do that without falling (she uses a walker). I batch cook for her and put the items into reusable containers just as if they were tv dinners. She has a selection to choose from and can easily reheat them in a microwave oven. This week she was craving meatloaf and potatoes so I cooked her that (she had the ingredients) and has had that this week with 4 more in the freezer for later.
We are on a farm and so butcher our own beef. This means we can eat meat whereas if we had to buy it at butcher or supermarket prices we wouldn't get to eat as much nor as often. However, i still make it stretch out and we eat soup or egg meals as well. I add lentils and black beans to mince meat dishes to make the meat go further. We are so spoiled as we do get to enjoy lovely steak - a luxury that would not be affordable otherwise. We do eat small portions of meat. I buy things on sale even if not on my list for that week when the sale price is excellent and it is something we use. Good advice, Jane.
Please! If at all possible, only grocery shop when you have prepared, have a list, have eaten before you go and are feeling well. Try to shop on off hours when the stores have less crowds so you can stay calm and think clearer. I often do my big monthly haul just as soon as the store opens in the morning. The weekly bargains are all still there and I have time to ferret everything out on my list and still get finished quickly. And I'm still in an upbeat mood!😅
I love listening to you it’s so good to hear someone talk sense! I was thinking of you when I went to my supermarket today they had advertised topside of beef for half price if you had your loyalty card! I’ve got enough for 6 meals at about £2.50 per meal for two people. We’re having roast on Sunday and beef hot pot on Monday. The rest is portioned up and in the freezer. I love a bargain keep up the good work ❤
Great hints and habits Jane! I think I’m pretty frugal but you always have a reminder which I’ve forgotten! On Sundays I clean out my fridge, make a soup and bake something: Use it up BEFORE buying. The grandkids also come visit and they’re hungry. Win win.
I have always planned my meals and stock ups by sales and things from garden . We save my money, but also so much family time we gain from cooking together and dishes and sitting at the table talking about our day.
Excellent inspiration! This morning I made a small frittata with leftover veg and a little dab of leftover sausage, cheese, eggs, etc. It was delicious for breakfast and I have leftovers for later meals. In my pantry I found a mix from Aldi for apple muffins. I made that and, for some extra nutrition and flavor, added in some shredded carrot, walnuts and some finely chopped apple from a several day old apple that looked ugly but was still good. I'm going to try to eat from what I have already on hand. I know I can make a potato soup also and have meat in the freezer to thaw. I may need to buy an onion, a red bell and some milk. I appreciate this reminder.
I struggle with getting overwhelmed so I don’t go to several stores to get the perfect price. I do make a menu every week, make a stock check to see what I have, and finally I make my list. If an item I use often is not on my list, but is on sale, I’ll grab a couple. This works for me. Otherwise I’m trying to be perfect and driving myself crazy!
Same here! Even trying to use the phone apps cause issues, so I just don't. But I do buy on sale items, store brand items, in season fruit and vegetables and most of all I carry a list to stick to of what I truly need for the week!❤
When baking a chicken or other meat that will produce fat, strain while still warm and put in mason jar. That will separate into gelatinous fat on the bottom, which ca be mixed with water to make broth(I give to my dogs once a day, and the thicker fat on top. The thicker fat I skim off after cooking and use to fry eggs , veg, rice. This is cheaper than butter and adds flavor. Butter I save for other uses.
Wonderful advice! One note though... here in Canada, sometimes the items on sale in the flyer are NOT the cheapest ones. So I always look at the per kg, or per ml price for items that we always eat. Sometimes there are cuts of meat, or generic brand items, or overstocked items which are not in the flyer, or on the discount rack that are a better deal overall. I hope that is helpful to some of you!
Happy Women’s Day dear Jane! 💐 Very informative video, thank you! I’m so thankful to you and Mike for enormous change I experienced since discovering your channel and following your advices and suggestions. You are wonderful people! Warmest regards from Cyprus!
Omg this was the best home economics class that I’ve ever listened to I will be playing this video to my homeschool students thank you for putting a clear perspective on cooking from scratch and what it takes to make cooking from scratch very simple ❤❤❤❤❤
Thanks for your clear and friendly communications! From scratch has three huge advantages for me: It has known ingredients; it has more or less or your very own personal favorite flavors; it almost always tastes WAY better than store bought. That brings us to the disadvantage (if such it is) that I no longer can stock store bought mayonnaise or yogurt and many other things, since the homemade is that much better. Thanks again!
It helps to personalize shopping by keep a "Shopping Diary". The way you shop can vary depending on lots of things. For one example, you may shop differently if you come from a small family rather than a large family. Over time I noticed that bulk buying is an effective money saver for some items, but not so effective for other items that don't store so well. i.e.If you bake with brown sugar and you find it on sale, you may still want to only buy as much as you use in a short time, because if you stock up, one day you may go to open another bag and find the whole bag has turned rock hard, and yes, there are ways to soften it up, but that takes time. For things like that you may not want to bulk buy, but just get more once the one you have is getting low. You can put notes about it in your "Shopping Diary" just to remind yourself of why you're passing up some of the sales on an item like that. 🙂
As for me, I once wrote down all of my cashier tickets of the month by categories and discovered that I was spending too much on coffee and chocolate. After several months of attempts to lower my consumption, however, I still do spend too much on these 🤣
Thanks for passing on your practices and advice. I have a long term prepper pantry so each month put a portion of all items on the 'to use this month' shelf. Some bargains are interesting when it comes to making a meal but good fun. I do the same with my freezer, putting the month supply into the fridge/freezer, along with already prepared meals. I love chicken week. I live in tropics and chickens are small as many people do not have fridges. But after roasting and making gravy I cut off legs, thighs, breasts and make about 6 meals, putting 4 into bags wirh a spoon of gravy. Then the rest I make into a chicken broth, cooking bones, skin, bits of meat for an hour or so. That then makes another 4-6 meals when plenty of vegetables and pasta stars or elbows are added. Meat anout 25c per meal.
Dear Jane&Michael,i really enjoy this group you have formed. When i use ground meat,usually ground chicken i add embellishments to a half pound of that 1 pound tray of meat. The other half goes straight into the freezer. The half i am cooking with will be embellished with some leftover rice from a prior meal,or a tin of lentils,or a tin of beans. A person can also use quinoa if there is leftovers from a previous meal and bulgur or barley will help stretch the small amount of ground meat. We use these embellished meats in taco bowls,potato bowls,spaghetti squash bowls!
I have been avoiding the center aisles in the grocery store and cooking as much as I can from scratch. I feel better physically for doing this - an added bonus!
The cheese sauce has blown my mind! 🤯 crème fraîche and hard cheese?! I don't have to make a roux with flour and butter and sloooowly add milk and beat it and add mustard and a bay leaf and all that jazz?! This will save me time and effort as well as money, thank you I'm gonna try this for my cheese sauce 😋
I am always very surprised to hear that so many people think that cooking from scratch is a gourmet recipe requiring numerous expensive ingredients that you probably won't use again. For me it's always meant what I grew up eating at home as well as eating at my grandparents house. A canning jar of homemade applesauce was dessert and it was elevated by sprinkling a little bit of cinnamon and sugar on it. Batch cooking always makes sense, 1 for tonight and 1or more for another day. When I make meals now, even as empty nesters I still cook once to eat twice or 3 times. It saves utility costs and reduces my time in the kitchen. Mind you that I love to cook, but I am okay with not having to do it daily. We do stock up seasonal sales, but we also do pantry challenges in the winter months, as well as when we need to set aside extra money 💰 for a purpose coming up. And always be willing to spend more time before you go, otherwise you will be giving away your hard earned money freely. And absolutely eat before you go, even if it's a piece of bread with peanut butter on it, or a bowl of rice drizzled with soy sauce, or sweet and sour sauce(I use whatever is open in the refrigerator). Jane is right on about shop your home first. Go through the freezer, and cupboards and the refrigerator. Do not buy more of what you have unless you are low on it, or if it's a really awesome deal. And never ever plan a menu without already finding the protein on sale. Learn prices, get to know where to look for clearance. Consider this a treasure hunt. You are able to keep more of your money 💰, by doing it. So yes you are rewarded by treasure hunting. I check 3 supermarkets weekly online, and one that I check monthly looking at what's on offer. If there are no outstanding deals, then I don't go. By staying out of the store I save. I also started by spacing out my shopping trips, first to every 2 weeks, then every 3 weeks, and now it's every 8 weeks, unless there's a great deal, then I get only that, scan clearance areas, and get out. If you are an impulse shopper, and can do pick ups, then do that. But keep list's of what you are low on or out of. Learn to use what you already spent good money on, and also learn what you may wish to keep a backup of, when you catch it on sale, buy 2. It takes awhile to learn how to build your pantry, and keep extras around, really it does. But be patient with yourself and give yourself some grace. For every thing you do towards it, will save you money and down the road it truly will save you time. Cook simple basic staples and make easy meals. Healthy filling foods, without all the additives is good for all of us.
Here in the States, I am able to shop through an online grocery called Azure Standard. I have found it to be much more cost effective longterm to buy my spices and baking supplies through them in bulk. Rather than buying baking powder, which does not store well long term, I purchase seperately cream of tarter and baking soda which store well for many years, and make my baking powder as needed. Rather than purchasing brown sugar, which hardens up after a while. I purchase molasses and cane sugar and make my own brown sugar when needed. As you have pointed out, setting aside a few dollars to purchase a couple of something extra for stocking up your pantry goes a long way in the longterm. With a built up pantry I find I am able to shop from my stock to create my meals for the week and save a lot of money by now shopping sales than for needs and meal planning based on what I own. I also try to have some quick items on hand in the freezer and pantry for when we are too busy or tired to cook a meal. It saves us from the temptation of stopping to pick up something easy on the way home from work.
Yes, thank you for the excellent definition of cooking from scratch. I’m single. I like eggs for dinner a lot. I’ll saute veggies (such as mushrooms or green peppers) in a bit of butter, then add eggs. I also find combining canned beans with canned tomatoes and canned/frozen veggies makes a delicious quick soup. I like black beans, canned diced tomatoes, and whole kernel corn (sweet corn in the UK). It’s much improved if you can saute a bit of garlic and onion in oil before adding everything else. I like adding Mexican style spices (cumin and chili powder). Some friends use a packet of taco seasoning. Heat and eat! Even better the next day.
Oh my gosh, I’ve just made my inventory this week for my freezer, shelves and my store cupboard pantry, this was so scary and eye opening. I can’t thank you enough this is definitely going to make a huge difference to our budget, next, I plan to make a meal plan using the items I already have BEFORE I make my shopping list for the bits needed to complete the meals
Limiting food waste…One thing I use is a beef tallow that I spice up. I save the tallow from a beef roast that had been cooked. To the melted tallow, whether from the roast or rendered, I add garlic and onion powder, maybe some curry powder or Chinese 5 spice hot ground Korean peppers or paprika.. the spice mix varies. It will keep in the refrigerator for months in a jar with a lid on it. How many months? I dunno. My spiced mix gets used up. A teaspoon of it adds nice kick to scrambled eggs, rice or veggies. Potatoes fried in it are great. Last summer, I tried this experiment. I sliced an overgrown zucchini and a small chopped onion into a little salted water and cooked until tender. Then I stirred in my beef tallow spice. It had a curry-ish flavor It made what would have been food waste into lunch. I don’t remember if I peeled the zucchini or not. I only remember it was a fast, tasty dish.
Good morning. I work in a supermarket in England and I am amazed at the amount people spend going through my till on rubbish! 😮one lady was getting 8 curry ready meals to tip into a pan so that she could have a curry evening . I often try to make a meal from the ingredients that they are buying, and fail x
My children played travel sports, swim,volleyball baseball ect. I alwsys took a lsrge icecgedt on wheels every where with just swim season 2 meets percweek, we saved $100/ meet over the snack bar.intook main dish,sandwuch, frued chicken ect. Slucedvfruit, baked goodies( hone made of course. At some places the snavk bar was chsrgeing double the going rste for waters,spirts drink, buy wherenuts cgeaper,chill st home Inused a lsrge ice cgedt on wheels fornour family of 5. All adults now, my children still take lunches to work,& snacks when they srenout & about!😊
A quick simpke chicken dinner Chicken oueces,what in sale, 1cupBBQ sauce combine with 1can cola brown chicken, place in slowcooker pour sauce over & cook on low all day(8 hours or so).😊
After my husband passed away I suddenly found I had a problem with food waste as things would go stale before I could use them up, particularly bread. Now as soon as I buy a fresh loaf, I put half in the freezer for later use. Just a small thing, I know but each little bit helps. Hi from Australia.
I am glad you have mentioned that it is not always clear how to use the supernarket app properly. Sometimes you get the reduced price only if they can scan your app at the cash desk. There is always space for learning.....so do dare to ask. My experience from the last week.
I cook the majority of my meals from scratch and I agree it’s much cheaper. Also you have far more control of what you are eating.😊 I learnt the process of budgeting at school a long time ago! If you can grow your own vegetables 🥕🥦then you can can save a lot of money 💰 Leftovers are the next meal or stored in the freezer. Love your comments on the food stashed in the freezer. In WA during a recent storm the power went down and a lot of food was totally ruined, so don’t overdo the storage. Delighted to hear that you saved a lot of cash the coupons😊 Thanks Jane and Mike for a good video 👍
Dear Jane, doing a stock check before going grocery shopping is so brilliant! Thank you for sharing. Not wasting food is certainly vital in keeping our grocery budgets from increasing too much.
I work 40 hours a week outside the home. I do alot of batch cooking. My preferred method of batch cooking is a whole tray of chicken thigh boneless,skinless for $5.36. I water saute all 6 pieces. There is just the 2 of us. We eat 2 of those and have 4 left over. I put one in my lunch pack,i put one in another lunch pack,now i have 2 leftover. I will shred the last 2 leftovers add mayo, celery,shredded carrot,i have a portion of red onion,&raisins, i will mince and mix it all up for sandwich spread. I will have used it all up! Yes,cooking at home is much more healthy for our household. I do not buy cream of something soups,i make my own white sauce and flavor it accordingly. Cream of mushroom,becomes white sauce with fresh sautéed mushrooms in it. That way the sodium level stays low,but still have a flavorful sauce or gravy sauce!
Lately I pay a lot of attention on the ingrediënts on packkaged food. It's amazing how much additives are in packaged food. More and more I coock with whole food . Saves on the groceries budget too.
@@carolined3058 not in the EU, that's illegal. The only thing in butter is milk/cream salt. I don't buy or eat processed meat except lardons/bacon . That's labeled with porc salt and oak smoke. Our grated cheese has no additives.
Jane and Mike, I learned from you to take stock first, plan my meals and make a shopping list and that helped me save tons. Now I have my regular shopping list and I can pretty much shop for what I need every week from that list plus whatever fruits and veggies are in season. I tend to buy the same specific things so supermarket offers rarely work for me but by keeping a list of necessities and avoiding what's not necessary (we eliminated most snacks and sweets) I keep costs down.
Sensible advice. I agree, cooking from scratch does not need to be a huge performance, it’s just making day to day food with the ingredients you have around.
Hi Jane and Mike. When working, I would chose a supermarket and call on my way home. All has changed now and as you say, I often split my shop between the supermarkets. Sometimes I'll pick up bits I need whilst out walking. All the savings do mount up and it really is worth doing. Thanks to you both for sharing this video. 😃
I'm so enjoying your tube videos Jane. You have always been inspiring to me, and I'm so pleased your excellent advice is now bringing you an income. Brilliant production by you and Mike too 👏 ❤
Your food prices are so much less than in the United States. It would be cheaper for me to fly over, shop in France and fly home! Thanks for all of your advice.
Excellent video, as a health coach, I teach my clients to eat seasonally because that supports their health and immune system, it keeps our body in harmony with nature, so it's another great reason to eat what's in season.
Does anyone else have 'bits n bobs bags' in their freezer? I have 4 - cooked & raw ones, fruit ones & bread/ cake ones (oops thats 6). I pop in the leftover bits from meals - a bit too much veg, the ' looking a bit sad' veg from the rack/fridge & then make stocks or soups or sauces from them. If its fruit they end up being crumbles or sauces or jam/marmalade (jelly). Bread crusts or a bit elderly slices of bread - makes croutons, crumbs or - my favourite bread n butter pudding, yum. Sponge puddings, or fillings for stuffed baked apples etc. You regularly end up with 1 or 2 meals for the week. T
I have to say that this is one of your best videos. So much good content and so practical. I have made some serious changes since I started following you and watching your channel. Good financial advice. Also you eat healthy. That is critical for me. Thank you so much.
I’ve really been focusing on eating unprocessed food to manage my weight and that seems to have pushed me to make my own home cooked food. Very simple stuff though-I’m not much of a cook! But it certainly does save money.
Watch particularly aldi super 6 deals that they ARE a good deal ie at mo they have pk 4 kiwis for 85p 22p each if you go for the kiwi 6pk in the fruit dept you get 6 for 95p or 16p each so you get two extra kiwi for 10p. They do great deals , and i love their stores. but it always to check before you buy. The same with special deals.
Ooh also our supermarkets are very sneaky at their search terms in the apps so I go into the supermarket to look for the cheap items and then add them to a list in my app so I can always find them again.
I’m trying to look at things that I can replace with reusables. I bought kitchen foil today and it’s gone really expensive, I’m going to invest in some reusable oven sheets, I think it should really pay off.
I haven't batch cooked as such - yes made enough for another day - but not made enough to stock the freezer . however wuth the cost of fuel in the UK I need to justify that - if I roast a chicken I will cook sausages and onions for a future sausage casserole and maybe pork chops and veg = freeze well and micro well - with the chicken carcass I slow cooker it overnight with veg scraps etc
Hi Jane I been stretching my meat big timr I used to make stew and put half a bag of chicken .ie legs breast thighs .any way I only put one beeast in now more cheaper veg .not onr of the family notice still got meat but not loads .Great video Jane thank you x
Not sure where I heard this food tip: When writing up your meal plan, do not plan hungry. Eat something because if you don't, your stomach will lie to you about what you NEED. So don't MEAL PLAN on an empty stomach.
What about gathering fruit / vegetables / mushrooms in nature? Do you do that? Last year I gathererd about 50kg of apples, mainly for applesauce, some for eating fresh / some pears for compote. In 2022 I bought 20kg of qunice for making jelly quite cheaply from someones garden. In the area that I live in, there are also a couple of chestnut trees, elderberrys, rose hip etc. In the past I've collected nuts, made jam and wine. I don't like mushrooms and here we have mainly fields, rivers and no forrest. Here it is possible to collect vegetables after the farmers are done with harvest. Leftover potatoes are small but good and plenty. I've seen people going for green beans, but I haven't done that yet. Bean fields are rare.
@@FrugalQueeninFrance that made me think. I've tried to find the owner of the pear trees (next to a federal Highway) that I have an eye on for this year. None of the Farmers with fields next to the trees is the owner, one even told me that he sees lots of people harvesting there and I should go for it. Every year, the pears just drop down and rot. It's possible, that the trees belong to our federal state. I try contacting it next. We'll see if I get an answer.
I really liked Jamie Oliver's £1 per person meals series. He showed how to pad out meals for example he put a slice of wet bread to make mince go further for making meatballs. It made me think on how to make what I have to make meals go further.
hello i like to go thru the sales papers, digital ads and write down my list, thers's always the discount bakery , meat and can good oh at our store king soopers in the produce we have discount red bags of fruit and veggies
I was in line at the supermarket and senior male looked into my basket and said that looks healthy. I said yes im diabetic so i try to eat healthy! He said so am i the dr asked him how much beer do you drink he said only 2 beers dr said 2 glasses? No he replied 2 bottles! 😺🇦🇺❤️
I have a question, why sah every body cooking from scretch,and not home cookt or something like this.For my ears that long time Sound like cooking from scrabs like fabric scrabs.I'm german 😊?????
After using the parts from a whole chicken, that carcass always goes into the pot for stock. It uses quite a bit of electrical energy, but canned stock is so expensive now. I love dinners of toast-y things and leftovers, happy to hear everyone chime in on this. (My old account was @ComposedandContented, glad to be back).
I had to laugh out loud. I thought I was the only one who looked in other people’s shopping carts/trolleys! It’s almost like an anthropological or a forensic exercise observing what people choose to eat and spend their money on.
lol! 😂 Me too!
Most junk and booze in some cases
I do this too! People are fascinating!
Haha! Myself as well!
I rather think: when are they're going to eat all that????? So much!!! 😮
My world changed when a co-worker said that a Tuna fish sandwich was an acceptable supper. He was in the middle of paying off his mortgage in two years. Got me thinking, that's for sure.
He was right
I am the only person in a large office at work that brings sandwiches for lunch. I still eat peanut butter, tuna or chicken salad, fried egg… bologna…. Just about anything can go between bread with mayo and mustard. Everyone else in the office buys lunch and occasionally brings leftovers. They are always interested in what kind of sandwich I have…. What happened to homemade sandwiches??? 😂😂😂
@@CherylAnderson0 Great work bringing your own lunch. ❤
Thank you for the parameters of 'from scratch'. It is true. Home cooked meals don't have to be extravagant. Home-cooked meals are healthy, money saving and time saving. I am making the effort and it's worth it. Judy
You're welcome
I cook 95% from scratch, often using vegetables I grew myself. I batch cook soups, stews, spaghetti sauce, lasagna, meatloaf, casseroles, bread. Etc, etc, etc. Saves me loads of money! Great advice here on stretching our money!
And much healthier too!😊
Good stuff!
When I had a house full of teenagers, I would collect compatible left overs in a rectangular plastic container in the freezer, left over noodles or rice from one day plus left over vegetable bits and broth, gravy ,and meat pieces plus cheese on top all baked in a pan is a casserole. This prevents food waste of the tiny bits of food left over and incorporates it into a “ free” future entree. If I cut the crusts off of sandwich bread when making a sandwich, I saved the crusts for croutons, stuffing, or fried them in bacon grease to use as toast sticks to eat with eggs. The kids loved the bacon flavored crunchy toast sticks. A spoon of bacon grease is a nice flavor enhancer for many vegetables. I have eaten used it on bread when making toast in the oven or on baked cheese sandwiches. Baking the sandwiches for a large family was more time efficient than grilling them. If any of this offends you, scroll on. I raised 7 tall, healthy sons on a very tight budget. We always had food variety and full stomachs.
Susan Sampson, great encouragement for those of us who also use many of the same frugal tips.
Super frugal tips
Once again Jane you have answered questions succinctly and efficiently. Great answers, tips and strategies! Thank you
I once tried to blend some leftover fish lasagna I had made and stuff home made pancakes with it the next day - my daughters who would eat just about anything growing up (because I didn’t give them a choice) but I didn’t get away with that one🤣. The girls ate the side veg and the dog was happy that evening…. I havn’t tried to serve that frugal wonder again 😊
Sounds really sensible thrifty clever use of the food you had available well done to you🌈
I love that you focused on how simple home cooking can be. It’s easy to get sucked into fancy recipes on social media but that’s not practical on a day to day basis for most of us. My current favorite breakfast is fried egg, smashed black beans and salsa on a pan fried tortilla. My hubby ads cheese. Takes about 5 minutes and is delicious.
Sounds perfect for me
I'm gonna try it! Thanks!
@@janetstonerook4552 it’s good with canned refried beans too 👍🏻
I love salsa and a little cheese on eggs!
I have a fried egg on alentil crepe. Yummy and filling. Keeps me going.
Hello from Romania🖐️and Happy International Women's Day!❤
A homemade multi grain and seed bread with peanut butter and banana served with cut veggies is a simple nutritious, inexpensive meal.
Thanks for sharing!
Totally agree with all the money-saving ideas. I choose not to have a cell phone, and neither does my husband, so can't use apps, but right from day one of our marriage, almost 45 years ago, we have cooked from scratch, raised as much of our own food as we possibly could, and avoided waste. At first it was from financial necessity, and now it is to preserve our health. I love this way of life, it is challenging and rewarding.
No smartphone here either (though I do have a basic Nokia 'dumbphone' which costs me €2 a month). I know it's not an option for everyone and smartphones are amazing things, but I reckon I save by not having one, and enjoy a simpler life!
Thanks for your story
Hi Jane and Mike, my late parents always cooked from scratch and it was a treat to eat out. I raised my children in home cooked food that was made from scratch. Even their baby food was cooked from scratch. We still cook from scratch now and so does my son who doesn't live at home anymore. I taught my children to look at the price per 100g so they can work out the best value for their money. We also try to have a couple of evening meals per week that are meat and fish free. Adding extra pulses and veg to a meat dish is going to make more meals and make it more economical and of course healthier. There are many ways to live on a budget and cooking from scratch is the way to go. Kind regards Angeline ❤️ xx 🇬🇧
Great healthy money saving plan
🇺🇸 You say you add extra pulses. To me, a pulse is a place on the body where you check for a heartbeat, or a sign of life. Can someone tell me what a pulse is, in regards to food, please?
@@saundrajohnson1571 Pulses include beans, lentils, and peas. For example, a pea pod is a legume, but the pea inside the pod is the pulse. The entire legume plant is often used in agricultural applications (as cover crops or in livestock feed or fertilizers), while the seeds or pulses are what typically end up on our dinner plates.
www.hsph.harvard.edu › le...
Legumes and Pulses | The Nutrition Source
A simple home made dinner: a slice of lettuce on the plate with cut apple pieces and a drizzle of dressing; with a cooked
chicken thigh, and noodles with cheese. I keep leftover broth from cooking meat in the freezer to add to noodles, rice,
etc. Quick, easy, cheap. Love YOUR ideas.
Perfect meal
Great tips, I used to buy 4 or more take out meals for our family every two weeks, gradually that reduced down to 1 and now we are lucky to have even 1/month. It took a while but we now make our own pizzas and curries, stir fries. I also buy frozen fish and frozen chips for a quick dinner if needed. All to stop buying dinner. Also I have 3 in my house that take a packed lunch so I cook up breakfast and lunch items on the weekend so they can just take out of the freezer. I also cook 7 serves for dinner and have 2 small serves for work lunches. I have learnt so much from you Jane, thank you ❤
You're really saving money there and making good health decisions
I write the best by date with a sharpie marker on all food. The food that will expire first is in the front row of that item. I keep a six month pantry in my home--I used to have a three month pantry but got sick and was on disability for three months and my pantry was basically deplete. I cook from scratch and eat pretty simply. I batch cook and freeze half of what I made to eat at a later date. Thank you Jane and Mike for your videos. They keep me motivated to become mortgage free (already car and debt free)
Great tips
I'm always baffled too by what people can possibly be making from what they have in their supermarket trolleys!
Me too
I just this week made a wonderful "alfredo" sauce using goat cheese, garlic and shredded parmesean. My husband who "hates goat cheese" loved it. I'm sold on simple cheese sauces now!
Sounds great!
Recipe please?!? I have bricks of goat cheese and I’d love to try this.
Focusing on cooking from scratch as much as possible has helped me to really trim my food budget. I even make my own stocks for soup and cook with dried beans. A lot less waste and wonderful tasty and healthy food! This may not work for everyone. Cooking is my happy place so I’m pleased it is also frugal without feeling deprived. Thank you, Jane and Mike and thank you to all the other posters..I learn a lot from you all!
I love cooking too
Just a quick comment. I do the things that you mention in the video except for one thing. You mentioned reduce or quick sale items. In my city that does not exist. Anything that will be past the use by date or needing to be reduced is given to our local food pantry/bank. How do I know this. My adult daughter has to use this resource as her disability check barely covers her monthly and medical expenses. As she shops I put the selected items into the cart as she cannot do that without falling (she uses a walker). I batch cook for her and put the items into reusable containers just as if they were tv dinners. She has a selection to choose from and can easily reheat them in a microwave oven. This week she was craving meatloaf and potatoes so I cooked her that (she had the ingredients) and has had that this week with 4 more in the freezer for later.
Thanks
One of life’s simple pleasures is going on a picnic 😊
So true
Just come out of Aldi , i pretend you were there watching me 😂it worked, I stuck to essential s within my budget!
Happy to help
We are on a farm and so butcher our own beef. This means we can eat meat whereas if we had to buy it at butcher or supermarket prices we wouldn't get to eat as much nor as often. However, i still make it stretch out and we eat soup or egg meals as well. I add lentils and black beans to mince meat dishes to make the meat go further. We are so spoiled as we do get to enjoy lovely steak - a luxury that would not be affordable otherwise. We do eat small portions of meat.
I buy things on sale even if not on my list for that week when the sale price is excellent and it is something we use.
Good advice, Jane.
Nice, we only eat steak at Christmas
Please! If at all possible, only grocery shop when you have prepared, have a list, have eaten before you go and are feeling well.
Try to shop on off hours when the stores have less crowds so you can stay calm and think clearer. I often do my big monthly haul just as soon as the store opens in the morning. The weekly bargains are all still there and I have time to ferret everything out on my list and still get finished quickly. And I'm still in an upbeat mood!😅
Great tips
I only shop the outside edges. That's where the healthy food is. Rarely do I shop the aisles unless I need a canned veggie or tea/coffee.
I love listening to you it’s so good to hear someone talk sense! I was thinking of you when I went to my supermarket today they had advertised topside of beef for half price if you had your loyalty card! I’ve got enough for 6 meals at about £2.50 per meal for two people. We’re having roast on Sunday and beef hot pot on Monday. The rest is portioned up and in the freezer. I love a bargain keep up the good work ❤
Love that!
Great hints and habits Jane! I think I’m pretty frugal but you always have a reminder which I’ve forgotten! On Sundays I clean out my fridge, make a soup and bake something: Use it up BEFORE buying. The grandkids also come visit and they’re hungry. Win win.
I have always planned my meals and stock ups by sales and things from garden . We save my money, but also so much family time we gain from cooking together and dishes and sitting at the table talking about our day.
It certainly saves money
Excellent inspiration! This morning I made a small frittata with leftover veg and a little dab of leftover sausage, cheese, eggs, etc. It was delicious for breakfast and I have leftovers for later meals. In my pantry I found a mix from Aldi for apple muffins. I made that and, for some extra nutrition and flavor, added in some shredded carrot, walnuts and some finely chopped apple from a several day old apple that looked ugly but was still good. I'm going to try to eat from what I have already on hand. I know I can make a potato soup also and have meat in the freezer to thaw. I may need to buy an onion, a red bell and some milk. I appreciate this reminder.
Sounds delicious to me
I agree cooking from scratch is the answer to saving money everyday.❤
I struggle with getting overwhelmed so I don’t go to several stores to get the perfect price. I do make a menu every week, make a stock check to see what I have, and finally I make my list. If an item I use often is not on my list, but is on sale, I’ll grab a couple. This works for me. Otherwise I’m trying to be perfect and driving myself crazy!
Sounds fine to me
Same here! Even trying to use the phone apps cause issues, so I just don't. But I do buy on sale items, store brand items, in season fruit and vegetables and most of all I carry a list to stick to of what I truly need for the week!❤
When baking a chicken or other meat that will produce fat, strain while still warm and put in mason jar. That will separate into gelatinous fat on the bottom, which ca be mixed with water to make broth(I give to my dogs once a day, and the thicker fat on top. The thicker fat I skim off after cooking and use to fry eggs , veg, rice. This is cheaper than butter and adds flavor. Butter I save for other uses.
Good tips
Great idea!
Than you again. I think fried rice with leftover bits and pieces is the best idea for y family.
It certainly is
Wonderful advice! One note though... here in Canada, sometimes the items on sale in the flyer are NOT the cheapest ones. So I always look at the per kg, or per ml price for items that we always eat. Sometimes there are cuts of meat, or generic brand items, or overstocked items which are not in the flyer, or on the discount rack that are a better deal overall.
I hope that is helpful to some of you!
Just done a tin of mixed beans, tin tomatoes, herbs and spices, onion,pepper and rice.cheap, healthy and easy with some grated cheese. Kids loved it!
Happy Women’s Day dear Jane! 💐
Very informative video, thank you! I’m so thankful to you and Mike for enormous change I experienced since discovering your channel and following your advices and suggestions. You are wonderful people! Warmest regards from Cyprus!
You are so welcome!
Omg this was the best home economics class that I’ve ever listened to I will be playing this video to my homeschool students thank you for putting a clear perspective on cooking from scratch and what it takes to make cooking from scratch very simple ❤❤❤❤❤
Please do!
Thanks for your clear and friendly communications!
From scratch has three huge advantages for me: It has known ingredients; it has more or less or your very own personal favorite flavors; it almost always tastes WAY better than store bought. That brings us to the disadvantage (if such it is) that I no longer can stock store bought mayonnaise or yogurt and many other things, since the homemade is that much better.
Thanks again!
Thanks for watching and commenting
EXCELLENT!! EXCELLENT!! Love seeing the puppies. Thank you Jane Mike and Puppies.
You're welcome
It helps to personalize shopping by keep a "Shopping Diary". The way you shop can vary depending on lots of things. For one example, you may shop differently if you come from a small family rather than a large family. Over time I noticed that bulk buying is an effective money saver for some items, but not so effective for other items that don't store so well. i.e.If you bake with brown sugar and you find it on sale, you may still want to only buy as much as you use in a short time, because if you stock up, one day you may go to open another bag and find the whole bag has turned rock hard, and yes, there are ways to soften it up, but that takes time. For things like that you may not want to bulk buy, but just get more once the one you have is getting low. You can put notes about it in your "Shopping Diary" just to remind yourself of why you're passing up some of the sales on an item like that. 🙂
Love it
As for me, I once wrote down all of my cashier tickets of the month by categories and discovered that I was spending too much on coffee and chocolate.
After several months of attempts to lower my consumption, however, I still do spend too much on these 🤣
Thanks for passing on your practices and advice.
I have a long term prepper pantry so each month put a portion of all items on the 'to use this month' shelf. Some bargains are interesting when it comes to making a meal but good fun. I do the same with my freezer, putting the month supply into the fridge/freezer, along with already prepared meals. I love chicken week. I live in tropics and chickens are small as many people do not have fridges. But after roasting and making gravy I cut off legs, thighs, breasts and make about 6 meals, putting 4 into bags wirh a spoon of gravy. Then the rest I make into a chicken broth, cooking bones, skin, bits of meat for an hour or so. That then makes another 4-6 meals when plenty of vegetables and pasta stars or elbows are added. Meat anout 25c per meal.
Superb!
I only buy my meats on offer, too! And the short-date section too! I stock up, divide into meal size portions and freeze.❤
Love that!
Dear Jane&Michael,i really enjoy this group you have formed. When i use ground meat,usually ground chicken i add embellishments to a half pound of that 1 pound tray of meat. The other half goes straight into the freezer. The half i am cooking with will be embellished with some leftover rice from a prior meal,or a tin of lentils,or a tin of beans. A person can also use quinoa if there is leftovers from a previous meal and bulgur or barley will help stretch the small amount of ground meat. We use these embellished meats in taco bowls,potato bowls,spaghetti squash bowls!
I have been avoiding the center aisles in the grocery store and cooking as much as I can from scratch. I feel better physically for doing this - an added bonus!
Good advice
The cheese sauce has blown my mind! 🤯 crème fraîche and hard cheese?! I don't have to make a roux with flour and butter and sloooowly add milk and beat it and add mustard and a bay leaf and all that jazz?! This will save me time and effort as well as money, thank you I'm gonna try this for my cheese sauce 😋
It's delicious too
Very good!!!
Thank you! Cheers!
I am always very surprised to hear that so many people think that cooking from scratch is a gourmet recipe requiring numerous expensive ingredients that you probably won't use again. For me it's always meant what I grew up eating at home as well as eating at my grandparents house. A canning jar of homemade applesauce was dessert and it was elevated by sprinkling a little bit of cinnamon and sugar on it. Batch cooking always makes sense, 1 for tonight and 1or more for another day. When I make meals now, even as empty nesters I still cook once to eat twice or 3 times. It saves utility costs and reduces my time in the kitchen. Mind you that I love to cook, but I am okay with not having to do it daily. We do stock up seasonal sales, but we also do pantry challenges in the winter months, as well as when we need to set aside extra money 💰 for a purpose coming up. And always be willing to spend more time before you go, otherwise you will be giving away your hard earned money freely. And absolutely eat before you go, even if it's a piece of bread with peanut butter on it, or a bowl of rice drizzled with soy sauce, or sweet and sour sauce(I use whatever is open in the refrigerator). Jane is right on about shop your home first. Go through the freezer, and cupboards and the refrigerator. Do not buy more of what you have unless you are low on it, or if it's a really awesome deal. And never ever plan a menu without already finding the protein on sale. Learn prices, get to know where to look for clearance. Consider this a treasure hunt. You are able to keep more of your money 💰, by doing it. So yes you are rewarded by treasure hunting. I check 3 supermarkets weekly online, and one that I check monthly looking at what's on offer. If there are no outstanding deals, then I don't go. By staying out of the store I save. I also started by spacing out my shopping trips, first to every 2 weeks, then every 3 weeks, and now it's every 8 weeks, unless there's a great deal, then I get only that, scan clearance areas, and get out. If you are an impulse shopper, and can do pick ups, then do that. But keep list's of what you are low on or out of. Learn to use what you already spent good money on, and also learn what you may wish to keep a backup of, when you catch it on sale, buy 2. It takes awhile to learn how to build your pantry, and keep extras around, really it does. But be patient with yourself and give yourself some grace. For every thing you do towards it, will save you money and down the road it truly will save you time. Cook simple basic staples and make easy meals. Healthy filling foods, without all the additives is good for all of us.
Thanks for all the details
My question again! Thank you 🤩
No problem 😊
Here in the States, I am able to shop through an online grocery called Azure Standard. I have found it to be much more cost effective longterm to buy my spices and baking supplies through them in bulk. Rather than buying baking powder, which does not store well long term, I purchase seperately cream of tarter and baking soda which store well for many years, and make my baking powder as needed. Rather than purchasing brown sugar, which hardens up after a while. I purchase molasses and cane sugar and make my own brown sugar when needed. As you have pointed out, setting aside a few dollars to purchase a couple of something extra for stocking up your pantry goes a long way in the longterm. With a built up pantry I find I am able to shop from my stock to create my meals for the week and save a lot of money by now shopping sales than for needs and meal planning based on what I own. I also try to have some quick items on hand in the freezer and pantry for when we are too busy or tired to cook a meal. It saves us from the temptation of stopping to pick up something easy on the way home from work.
Thanks for sharing your experiences
Yes, thank you for the excellent definition of cooking from scratch. I’m single. I like eggs for dinner a lot. I’ll saute veggies (such as mushrooms or green peppers) in a bit of butter, then add eggs. I also find combining canned beans with canned tomatoes and canned/frozen veggies makes a delicious quick soup. I like black beans, canned diced tomatoes, and whole kernel corn (sweet corn in the UK). It’s much improved if you can saute a bit of garlic and onion in oil before adding everything else. I like adding Mexican style spices (cumin and chili powder). Some friends use a packet of taco seasoning. Heat and eat! Even better the next day.
Thank you Jane ❤
Oh my gosh, I’ve just made my inventory this week for my freezer, shelves and my store cupboard pantry, this was so scary and eye opening. I can’t thank you enough this is definitely going to make a huge difference to our budget, next, I plan to make a meal plan using the items I already have BEFORE I make my shopping list for the bits needed to complete the meals
You can do it!
Limiting food waste…One thing I use is a beef tallow that I spice up. I save the tallow from a beef roast that had been cooked. To the melted tallow, whether from the roast or rendered, I add garlic and onion powder, maybe some curry powder or Chinese 5 spice hot ground Korean peppers or paprika.. the spice mix varies. It will keep in the refrigerator for months in a jar with a lid on it. How many months? I dunno. My spiced mix gets used up. A teaspoon of it adds nice kick to scrambled eggs, rice or veggies.
Potatoes fried in it are great.
Last summer, I tried this experiment. I sliced an overgrown zucchini and a small chopped onion into a little salted water and cooked until tender. Then I stirred in my beef tallow spice. It had a curry-ish flavor It made what would have been food waste into lunch. I don’t remember if I peeled the zucchini or not. I only remember it was a fast, tasty dish.
Good morning. I work in a supermarket in England and I am amazed at the amount people spend going through my till on rubbish! 😮one lady was getting 8 curry ready meals to tip into a pan so that she could have a curry evening . I often try to make a meal from the ingredients that they are buying, and fail x
You will see a lot incidents like that.
My children played travel sports, swim,volleyball baseball ect. I alwsys took a lsrge icecgedt on wheels every where with just swim season 2 meets percweek, we saved $100/ meet over the snack bar.intook main dish,sandwuch, frued chicken ect. Slucedvfruit, baked goodies( hone made of course. At some places the snavk bar was chsrgeing double the going rste for waters,spirts drink, buy wherenuts cgeaper,chill st home Inused a lsrge ice cgedt on wheels fornour family of 5. All adults now, my children still take lunches to work,& snacks when they srenout & about!😊
A quick simpke chicken dinner
Chicken oueces,what in sale, 1cupBBQ sauce combine with 1can cola brown chicken, place in slowcooker pour sauce over & cook on low all day(8 hours or so).😊
hello from Oklahoma, USA
After my husband passed away I suddenly found I had a problem with food waste as things would go stale before I could use them up, particularly bread. Now as soon as I buy a fresh loaf, I put half in the freezer for later use. Just a small thing, I know but each little bit helps. Hi from Australia.
Good tip
Thank you, great advice😊
You are so welcome!
I am glad you have mentioned that it is not always clear how to use the supernarket app properly. Sometimes you get the reduced price only if they can scan your app at the cash desk. There is always space for learning.....so do dare to ask. My experience from the last week.
I find the supermarket very helpful
I cook the majority of my meals from scratch and I agree it’s much cheaper. Also you have far more control of what you are eating.😊
I learnt the process of budgeting at school a long time ago! If you can grow your own vegetables 🥕🥦then you can can save a lot of money 💰
Leftovers are the next meal or stored in the freezer.
Love your comments on the food stashed in the freezer. In WA during a recent storm the power went down and a lot of food was totally ruined, so don’t overdo the storage.
Delighted to hear that you saved a lot of cash the coupons😊
Thanks Jane and Mike for a good video 👍
We lost power for 8 days after storm ciaran and thankfully had a generator so didn't lose any food
Dear Jane, doing a stock check before going grocery shopping is so brilliant! Thank you for sharing. Not wasting food is certainly vital in keeping our grocery budgets from increasing too much.
You are so welcome!
I work 40 hours a week outside the home. I do alot of batch cooking. My preferred method of batch cooking is a whole tray of chicken thigh boneless,skinless for $5.36. I water saute all 6 pieces. There is just the 2 of us. We eat 2 of those and have 4 left over. I put one in my lunch pack,i put one in another lunch pack,now i have 2 leftover. I will shred the last 2 leftovers add mayo, celery,shredded carrot,i have a portion of red onion,&raisins, i will mince and mix it all up for sandwich spread. I will have used it all up! Yes,cooking at home is much more healthy for our household. I do not buy cream of something soups,i make my own white sauce and flavor it accordingly. Cream of mushroom,becomes white sauce with fresh sautéed mushrooms in it. That way the sodium level stays low,but still have a flavorful sauce or gravy sauce!
Thanks
Lately I pay a lot of attention on the ingrediënts on packkaged food. It's amazing how much additives are in packaged food. More and more I coock with whole food . Saves on the groceries budget too.
I no longer buy premade food. I'm not paying for someone to make me sick
Yes but it is even in butter or grated cheese or charcuterie @@FrugalQueeninFrance
@@carolined3058 not in the EU, that's illegal. The only thing in butter is milk/cream salt. I don't buy or eat processed meat except lardons/bacon . That's labeled with porc salt and oak smoke. Our grated cheese has no additives.
Jane and Mike, I learned from you to take stock first, plan my meals and make a shopping list and that helped me save tons. Now I have my regular shopping list and I can pretty much shop for what I need every week from that list plus whatever fruits and veggies are in season. I tend to buy the same specific things so supermarket offers rarely work for me but by keeping a list of necessities and avoiding what's not necessary (we eliminated most snacks and sweets) I keep costs down.
Thanks for your feedback
Sensible advice. I agree, cooking from scratch does not need to be a huge performance, it’s just making day to day food with the ingredients you have around.
Exactly!
Hi Jane and Mike. When working, I would chose a supermarket and call on my way home. All has changed now and as you say, I often split my shop between the supermarkets. Sometimes I'll pick up bits I need whilst out walking. All the savings do mount up and it really is worth doing. Thanks to you both for sharing this video. 😃
Thank you for watching
I'm so enjoying your tube videos Jane. You have always been inspiring to me, and I'm so pleased your excellent advice is now bringing you an income. Brilliant production by you and Mike too 👏 ❤
Thanks
Your food prices are so much less than in the United States. It would be cheaper for me to fly over, shop in France and fly home! Thanks for all of your advice.
They're not cheap for people who live here. An average good salary here in 1800€ a month and we live off 1250€ each a month
Hello from Ohio, USA! 😊
Hello there!
Excellent video, as a health coach, I teach my clients to eat seasonally because that supports their health and immune system, it keeps our body in harmony with nature, so it's another great reason to eat what's in season.
Hello from Romania! Happy International Women's Day for all the women! Jane how you celebrate frugally The International Women Day ?
I don't. Thanks.
Hello, Jane and Michael, from southern New Jersey USA!
Hello to you too
I totally agree that cooking from scratch is cheaper and healthier for you.
Agreed
Does anyone else have 'bits n bobs bags' in their freezer? I have 4 - cooked & raw ones, fruit ones & bread/ cake ones (oops thats 6). I pop in the leftover bits from meals - a bit too much veg, the ' looking a bit sad' veg from the rack/fridge & then make stocks or soups or sauces from them. If its fruit they end up being crumbles or sauces or jam/marmalade (jelly). Bread crusts or a bit elderly slices of bread - makes croutons, crumbs or - my favourite bread n butter pudding, yum. Sponge puddings, or fillings for stuffed baked apples etc. You regularly end up with 1 or 2 meals for the week. T
@@ph6561 i do and I use them up just as you saw in the video
I have to say that this is one of your best videos. So much good content and so practical. I have made some serious changes since I started following you and watching your channel. Good financial advice. Also you eat healthy. That is critical for me. Thank you so much.
Thanks so much
Can you talk more on how you come up with the amount it cost to make an item, for instance the cheese sauce you mentioned.
I showed this in a very recent video. czcams.com/video/hNzUbDytx3Q/video.htmlsi=sd92NTeGHLdC6jdc
👍
I’ve really been focusing on eating unprocessed food to manage my weight and that seems to have pushed me to make my own home cooked food. Very simple stuff though-I’m not much of a cook! But it certainly does save money.
It does indeed
Watch particularly aldi super 6 deals that they ARE a good deal ie at mo they have pk 4 kiwis for 85p 22p each if you go for the kiwi 6pk in the fruit dept you get 6 for 95p or 16p each so you get two extra kiwi for 10p. They do great deals , and i love their stores. but it always to check before you buy. The same with special deals.
Thanks for the tip!
Ooh also our supermarkets are very sneaky at their search terms in the apps so I go into the supermarket to look for the cheap items and then add them to a list in my app so I can always find them again.
Thanks
I’m trying to look at things that I can replace with reusables. I bought kitchen foil today and it’s gone really expensive, I’m going to invest in some reusable oven sheets, I think it should really pay off.
Great idea!
Reuse tin foil as much as possible.
I haven't batch cooked as such - yes made enough for another day - but not made enough to stock the freezer . however wuth the cost of fuel in the UK I need to justify that - if I roast a chicken I will cook sausages and onions for a future sausage casserole and maybe pork chops and veg = freeze well and micro well - with the chicken carcass I slow cooker it overnight with veg scraps etc
Good idea
👍👍👍
Hi Jane I been stretching my meat big timr I used to make stew and put half a bag of chicken .ie legs breast thighs .any way I only put one beeast in now more cheaper veg .not onr of the family notice still got meat but not loads .Great video Jane thank you x
Thanks for your reply
Always fabulous ❤️🇦🇺
Not sure where I heard this food tip: When writing up your meal plan, do not plan hungry. Eat something because if you don't, your stomach will lie to you about what you NEED. So don't MEAL PLAN on an empty stomach.
Good tip
Another great video thank you
Glad you enjoyed it
All great suggestions!
Thanks
Hi Jane another great informative video. Can you please cook meatloaf on a video 😊
Loving these video's!
Another one today
Really enjoyed your video - Thanks
You're welcome
What about gathering fruit / vegetables / mushrooms in nature? Do you do that? Last year I gathererd about 50kg of apples, mainly for applesauce, some for eating fresh / some pears for compote. In 2022 I bought 20kg of qunice for making jelly quite cheaply from someones garden. In the area that I live in, there are also a couple of chestnut trees, elderberrys, rose hip etc. In the past I've collected nuts, made jam and wine. I don't like mushrooms and here we have mainly fields, rivers and no forrest. Here it is possible to collect vegetables after the farmers are done with harvest. Leftover potatoes are small but good and plenty. I've seen people going for green beans, but I haven't done that yet. Bean fields are rare.
I’d have to go on to private property to do that. If anyone offers, which they never have so far, I’ll accept the offer.
@@FrugalQueeninFrance that made me think. I've tried to find the owner of the pear trees (next to a federal Highway) that I have an eye on for this year. None of the Farmers with fields next to the trees is the owner, one even told me that he sees lots of people harvesting there and I should go for it. Every year, the pears just drop down and rot. It's possible, that the trees belong to our federal state. I try contacting it next. We'll see if I get an answer.
I really liked Jamie Oliver's £1 per person meals series. He showed how to pad out meals for example he put a slice of wet bread to make mince go further for making meatballs. It made me think on how to make what I have to make meals go further.
It was good
Miguel Barclay has one pound meal books also
@@judithmorganjudyteen I will look that up thank you.
What can be used instead of crème fraisch (excuse spelling) in a cheese sauce?
Liquid cream or any cream at 30% maybe sour cream?
hello i like to go thru the sales papers, digital ads and write down my list, thers's always the discount bakery , meat and can good oh at our store king soopers in the produce we have discount red bags of fruit and veggies
Thanks for sharing!!
I was in line at the supermarket and senior male looked into my basket and said that looks healthy. I said yes im diabetic so i try to eat healthy! He said so am i the dr asked him how much beer do you drink he said only 2 beers dr said 2 glasses? No he replied 2 bottles! 😺🇦🇺❤️
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I also only buy meat and fish that I cut, butcher, I Never pay extra for someone else to cut up a piece of meat that I can do myself at home
That's great
I have a question, why sah every body cooking from scretch,and not home cookt or something like this.For my ears that long time Sound like cooking from scrabs like fabric scrabs.I'm german 😊?????
Because I speak natural English and it's an expression used by people who use English as their first language.
Can I ask what cash back app do you use that does supermarkets? I wonder if I might be able to get cash back at my supermarkets in England 🙂
Each French supermarket has an app, each of them does cash back except Lidl.
After using the parts from a whole chicken, that carcass always goes into the pot for stock. It uses quite a bit of electrical energy, but canned stock is so expensive now. I love dinners of toast-y things and leftovers, happy to hear everyone chime in on this. (My old account was @ComposedandContented, glad to be back).
Thanks for the info!
Hello from Virginia USA
Hello to you too
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