It has been really apparent in recent months that the cost of living has gone up exponentially.  With the cost of petrol/gasoline and heating fuel, and groceries, it is getting harder and harder to make our hard earned cash stretch to meet our needs.

There are certain costs that a person has no control over. I have read of people, especially those on fixed incomes, having to make some very difficult choices, such as heating their homes or eating.

One way a person can always save money is on their food budget.  This is something which is well within our control and something we can play with a bit. A small change here and a small change there can add up to big savings overall.    Today I am sharing my sure fire hints and tips for making my food budget go further.  

It may be things you already know how to do, but it never hurts to be reminded.  

1. Take an inventory of what you already have in your cupboards and refrigerator/freezer.  Write it down and keep it in a place that you can refer to before you go shopping. Determine to use what you have rather than go out and buy new.

2. Read the flyers and make up menus for your weekly meals.  Make a list of the things you need and buy only what is on the list. Try not to be tempted by two for one and other "false" deals. These deals are a false economy and are engineered to make money for the grocery shops and not you.   What is the point of saving 50 cents on something if you are going to pay more to buy two of them, and then one goes to waste before you can use it up anyways?  The only time these things are really bargains is if they are things you use often anyways and you know you will easily use them before the use by/sell by dates.  Remember, its not a bargain if it is going to end up in the tip.

3. Never shop when you are hungry.  Make sure you are well fed before you go. It is a well known fact that if you try to shop on an empty tummy you are more prone to impulse buying. 

4. Leave the husband and the children at home. It is too easy to give in to the demands of others.

5. Choose the time of day you go shopping carefully.  Early in the morning or late in the day are the best times.  I find that if I go first thing in the morning quite often I can take advantage of the shops Use today and get 30% off deals on fresh ingredients, like meat, that is right on it's sell by date.  

There is nothing wrong with this food. You can often wrap it up and pop it into the freezer when you get home, ready to use at a later date. Today, for instance, I bought a pound of bacon that was already on offer, but because this was its sell by date I got it for a cheaper price and then a further 30 % off of that.  Normally  it sells for $7.99 but was on offer for $5.99 and I got another $1.80 off. You often see meat reduced in this way.  You want to snap it up.

The end of the day is when baked goods like breads are marked down for a quick sale.  This is also when items that are near their sell by date are marked down. You can often snag a bargain. These can often be wrapped tightly, frozen and then refreshed in a low oven when you want to use them.

6.  Whenever possible buy store brand/own brand items. Quite often these are produced by the same companies that produce the more expensive brands.  Same product, different label. Remember the most expensive brands/products are usually placed at eye level, so that way we see them first and are more likely to pick them up.  I only pop for brand names when the article I am using is the main ingredient in something and the quality is more apt to show.

7.  Read the labels.  Grocery shops always place the freshest goods, or goods with the longest sell by date at the back, with the shortest sell by date at the front. Yes, I am one of those cheeky people who reach to the back and get the freshest goods, even cans, as I possible can. This is true for cheese, sliced meats, etc. I don't consider it cheating. It is my right to be able to purchase the freshest foods possible. Make sure you have given yourself enough time to use the article before the use by date as well.

8.  Read the flyers before you shop and take advantage of  the weekly bargains and offers. Try to plan your menus around the specials, and for use of leftovers.  Also, use coupons if possible. If a store has a loyalty card which allows you to save up points that you can use to reduce your grocery bill at a future date, use it. I like to save up my loyalty points until Christmas and then I use them when I know I am going to need to spend a bit more than I do on my weekly shop.

9.  Prepare as much food as you can from scratch, avoiding prepped and convenience foods as much as possible.  The more your food has been handled, the more money you are going to have to pay for it.  When whole chickens are on offer, buy several and cut them into smaller pieces at home. Wrap the pieces tightly and freeze, breasts with breasts, legs with legs, etc.  Don't throw away the backs either.  These are great for making stocks. 

I have noticed that premixed salads, fruit platters, etc. have gone up on average $2 per platter/salad. That might not seem like a lot, but it all adds up.

10. Eat seasonally and locally. Not only is this better for the environment, but it is cheaper as well.  Take advantage of You Pick farms during the growing season and pick your own fruits and vegetables, freezing and canning what you can for the future.  Not only is eating seasonally cheaper overall, but your carbon footprint is reduced and the stuff just tastes better!

11.  Pasta, rice and potatoes are great meal extenders. Hard cheese if you are watching the carbs, but if you have a growing family, they are great ingredients to use that will help fill up the family and stretch your more expensive ingredients such as meats and cheeses.

These are only a few of the things you can do, but I guarantee that even if you implement only a few of them you will see a difference over all.  One thing I have always done is to make great use of things like a roasting chicken or a roast of beef, etc. I learned that from my mother.  

The cost of a good, nice sized, roasting chicken might seem overly high to begin with, but when you consider that you can often get at least three or four meals from it, it becomes quite an economical expense. 

Cooking something like GRANDMOTHER'S ROAST CHICKEN & GRAVY on the first day means that you have a lovely roast dinner for the family. With careful planning, you can feed the family a tasty dinner, using just half the chicken, along with a variety of tasty vegetables on the side.  

I would normally cook some roasted potatoes, carrots, peas and maybe even some swede (rutabaga) to enjoy with this and sometimes even a good homemade stuffing such as my recipe for MARY BERRY'S SAGE and ONION STUFFING.

Plenty of sides mean that the family will not be filling up on the meat. Make sure you cook plenty of vegetables, as well as extra gravy.  That way the next day you can make the family a nice Chicken Pot Pie to take advantage of the extras. Just chop everything up, including the potatoes, mix it into the gravy and pop it into a casserole dish popping a pastry crust on top, or even a scone/biscuit topping. I guarantee nobody will be complaining.

Hot chicken sandwiches (sliced chicken in gravy ladled over slices of bread) are also very nice, served with a vegetable and oven chips.

You could also use some of the leftover chicken to make your family some really delicious FRUITY CHICKEN SALAD  ready to pop into sandwiches, or to serve on its own on a bed of lettuce. I would make a nice potato salad to serve along side and maybe even some coleslaw. 

 

And then you can make a delicious soup for the family with the carcass and what meat is left on the bones.  CHICKEN AND STARS SOUP is a real favorite of mine. You don't need to use star shaped pasta if you don't have it, or even pasta. Just use any noodle or even rice. I promise you it will be delicious. Add a few homemade STIR AND ROLL BISCUITS and your family will be a nice group of very happy campers!

In any case, I hope I have given you some food for thought here this morning. Every little helps as they say!  If you are looking for additional ideas for how to use up your leftovers do check out this post I did on DELICIOUS LEFTOVERS.  There is no waste in my house if I can help it!

This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com 

  

 

Baked Potato salad has always been one of my favourite types of potato salad. I have a tried and true recipe that I have been making for years and years. It's very good and everyone I make it for just loves it.  It's quite, quite delicious . . . but then you would expect a salad loaded with mayo, sour cream, cheese and bacon to be rather scrummy wouldn't you!  You can find my original recipe here.

 

I have been trying really hard lately to cut back on fat and calories where I can.  Obviously there are some things that you can't do that with . . . not without compromising on flavour.  I'm happy to say though that I have managed to cut the fat and calories in my  Baked Potato Salad virtually in half . . .

 

I'm even happier to say that no flavour was compromised at all in the process.  Instead of using full fat mayonnaise and sour cream . . .

 

I have substituted a mixture of half fat mayonnaise, half fat salad cream and low fat buttermilk!  If anything, I think this dressing actually tastes better than the original.  Hard to believe I know . . .  but amazingly true!

 

I also used soya bacon bits (Baco's) instead of fried bacon.  I know those are not common ingredients over here in the UK, but you can use turkey bacon and it is almost as good.  I didn't miss the real bacon at all in this.  The soya bacon bits softened up nicely in the salad and imparted a lovely smoked bacon flavour to the dish.

 

I used half fat strong cheddar cheese as well.  If you are not cooking it, I think you would be hard pressed to notice any difference between the full fat and the half fat.  I can't tell the different at any rate.

 

The seasonings stayed the same, but I did make a slight variation in the preparation of the potatoes.  Instead of letting them go cold completely, I opted to peel them and cut them into chunks, mixing them with the delicious dressing whilst still warm.

 

All in all I would call this quite a success!  I hope you'll agree!  It did my potato salad loving heart good at any rate!!!  

 

*Baked Potato Salad*
(Lighter Version)
Serves 6 to 8
Printable Recipe

I always loved the unlightened version of this salad.  I have been on a quest to cut calories and fat out of my old favourites.  I've pretty much managed to cut it in half with
this one and it tastes just as good as the original version!  I didn't miss the fat at all!

3 large baking potatoes
1/4 cup of low fat buttermilk (2 fluid ounces)
1/4 cup of half fat salad cream
1/4 cup of half fat mayonnaise (Use a good brand.  I use Hellman's)
1/4 cup of soya bacon bits (you would never know the difference between this and real bacon.  If you can't get them
use 8 slices of turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled)
4 ounces half fat mature cheddar cheese, grated (1 cup)
2 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
dash of celery salt
dash of garlic powder
dash of paprika
1 TBS chopped fresh parsley

Preheat your oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Wash your potatoes, dry them,  and then prick them all over with a fork.  Place into the preheated oven directly on the oven rack.  Roast until they yield to the touch when gently squeezed, and are cooked through.  Remove from the oven and set aside to cool to lukewarm.

Peel the potatoes, cut into cubes and place into a large bowl.  Mix together the onion, bacon bits and cheese.  Reserve a  TBS or so to sprinkle on top of the finished salad, and mix the remainder in with the potatoes.  Stir together the mayonnaise, buttermilk and salad cream.  Stir in the seasonings.  Gently fold this mixture into the potato mixture, ensuring that the potatoes are coated as evenly as possible.  Sprinkle the reserved cheese mixture on top along with the chopped parsley.  Serve immediately.  If not using right away, cover and chill in the refrigerator.  Allow to come to room temperature before serving.

NOTE:  To those in North America who are not familiar with Salad Cream, the equivalent over there would be bottled coleslaw dressing.  I believe Kraft makes one as do a few other salad dressing manufacturers!

Whipped Cream


Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Butter and line a 9 inch round cake tin with baking paper.  Set aside.


Whisk together the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and sea salt.  Set aside.


Cream together the butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the toffee sauce and then the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. If the mixture starts to curdle, beat in a couple of TBS of the flour mixture each time.   Stir in the flour mixture in thirds, mixing in well after each addition.  Spread into the prepared baking tin. Sprinkle the flaked almonds over top.


Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Gently heat the remaining toffee sauce. Using a toothpick, carefully poke holes all over the top of the hot cake. Spoon the warm toffee sauce over the cake to cover, allowing it to soak in as you go.  Lift out onto a wire rack and cool completely before cutting into wedges to serve.

 

 

 

Today I served these with some wild and brown rice with herbs, and brussels sprouts, but they also go very well with chips and salad, or potato salad and coleslaw, or mac and cheese and steamed peas.

In short, with whatever you choose to put them with!  They are delicious no matter what! 

This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.