Cost of living crisis 2022 - what have you cut back on?

[hardtailstar]

Have recently got into Groupon. If you have the storage space, they do some surprisingly decently loo roll at £12.99 for 45 rolls.

 

One I noticed myself doing today is that, if part of a meal needs the oven, I'm trying to do the whole lot in there. Many veg can be roasted or braised* in the oven.

 

Other ones I've always done (kitchen based as I've just done lunch):

 

 

• *I you don't have stock, use gravy granules to make a thin gravy, or use Marmite (great way to use those bits stuck to the sides at the end of a jar - swill some boiling water around). Warning, the Marmite option won't need salt!
  
• In summer, if you have a garden, any water you use to wash veg can go on it. If you have a big enough garden, get a composter/pile and add any veg scraps to compost.
  
• In winter, depending on the smoke/smell situation or if you have pets/kids who may do themselves harm, use the heat from your cooking to at least add heat to the next room. Leave the oven door open after cooking, too.
  
• Don't over buy because it's on offer unless you know it will be eaten before it's no good.
  
• Get a 2 or 3 tier steamer and most veg that needs boiling or steaming can be done on one ring.
  
• If you do a weekly shop, glance over your fridge/freezer/cupboards for stuff that needs using up and try to buy accordingly to use those items up.
  
• Compose a rough menu for the week based on your purchases.
  
• Stir-frys and frittatas are great ways to use up leftovers. If you don't have a suitable pan that will go top-to-grill to finish off the latter, you can do the whole thing in a baking dish.
  
• If you are a "brand fan", do try cheaper alternatives. Sometimes there is a marked difference, but often it's slight or non-existent. I really can't see why anyone would by branded pasta unless it's a shape you need (have yet to see "own brand" pappardelle).
  
• If you're cooking potatoes or pasta shapes (in particular) and especially in summer you can cook extra for one meal and use the rest in another. Pasta or potato salads are dead easy to make. Cooked potatoes can be sautéed or used as wedges/roasted or mashed (or bubble and squeaked - most cooked veg will do, not just cabbage).
  
• You know those recipes with that one expensive ingredient that you're unlikely to use again? Try it without or substitute.
  
• Don't be afraid to experiment! sometimes it won't work, but I find most of the time it does. I once fancied trying eggs in hollandaise sauce (which I'd never had, but sounded nice) but it all sounded like a lot of faff and figured mayo had most of the ingredients so I cobbled together something with mayo, lemon juice and a bit of butter and mustard for colour. When I treated myself to Eggs Benedict while on holiday some time later, I found I'd made something that tasted pretty much spot on.
  

 

Adding to that, freeze leftovers in bags not boxes as you'll use less space in the freezer.

 

Once you have a few days saved up then you can make them one meal.

[E_G_R2]

Adding to that, freeze leftovers in bags not boxes as you'll use less space in the freezer.

 

Once you have a few days saved up then you can make them one meal.

 

We've started removing things like fish etc.. from the boxes and putting them in bags in the freezer so we have more space!

[mthomas08]

Got another freezer over the weekend to increase our multi/cheap purchases and resort to more freezing (bread etc).

So less goes off and less is wasted. Bread alone is barely lasting us a week.

Bottles of water in the freezer to be used instead of fans.

 

Birthdays etc for family kids now limited to £10 instead £20/25.

 

We no longer go out for meals.

Takeaways are limited to once a month.

Our electrical heater (very good eco) will be used for our daughters bedroom. She's also got a new window which will keep a lot more heat in her room.

 

Got draft excluders windows/doors in Autumn (all cheap).

 

Now saving up to replace our cooker, it's terrible and old and burns through electricity. Plus.. some of the sealant has come off leaking heat.

 

Gas hob will go next and need another two small eco heaters.

 

Our house really isn't prepared for a winter without heating.

[LeMarchand]

Plus.. some of the sealant has come off leaking heat.

 

Depending on how long it will take to save up, it might be worth a look at https://www.espares.co.uk/. I've replaced an oven door seal with a part from them before.

[HarryMonkey]

Freeze bread in separate bags with just (say) 4 slices, that way you can just defrost what you need rather than the whole loaf.

 

If you're making sarnies, you can make them with frozen bread, you don't have to wait for it to thaw out.

[elsiegee40]

Depending on how long it will take to save up, it might be worth a look at https://www.espares.co.uk/. I've replaced an oven door seal with a part from them before.

 

Yes, I have bought no end of “bits” for various appliance repairs through them.

[elsiegee40]

Freeze bread in separate bags with just (say) 4 slices, that way you can just defrost what you need rather than the whole loaf.

 

If you're making sarnies, you can make them with frozen bread, you don't have to wait for it to thaw out.

 

I just freeze the loaf whole and we rarely have difficulty chipping off what we need. You can just leave the slice on the kitchen counter and it defrosts pretty quickly.

[elsiegee40]

Just a reminder of the EduCook thread for sharing (or asking for) ideas on cookery. It was started for lockdown, but is equally applicable here.

 

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/general-chat/214412-educook-cookery-help-ideas-thread.html

[E_G_R2]

If you like cooking and use lots of herbs and spices don't buy the small supermarket jars but get the bigger packets instead. Been buying them online.

[Andrew_C]

Freezing bread - interleave slices with a bit of (reusable) greaseproof paper.

 

All of the heat from a hot oven is going to go into the kitchen; quicker with the door open, but that's where it will go.

[enjay]

Definitely thinking more about what and how we cook - what's in the fridge about to go off? What can we add to it to make a meal? Our council recently introduced food waste collections, and that helps you focus on it rather than it just being mixed in with the general waste (although we generate very little landfill now either). I often cook extra portions and use those for work lunches rather than school canteen or nearby Tesco (sometimes at weekends, I even cook JUST for work lunches). Go shopping with a list of what you need, don't just pick stuff up off the shelves when you get there - this reduces expensive impulse purchases and ensures I don't accidentally come home with 5 days of food to eat in the next 3 days. When you get the food shopping, check the use by dates and then plan your meals accordingly so you use everything before it goes off. Veg steamer, as someone else said earlier, cooks everything on one ring.

 

We cancelled Sky a while back and took out Now TV instead, honestly didn't really notice the difference since we never watched stuff live anyway. Amazon Prime is still there, but I'm not sure we'll renew - I used it for Amazon Music a lot, but I tend to listen to podcasts not music now. I like someone's earlier suggestion of cycling through the subscription services for a few months each, might try that. We initially had a NowTV streaming stick but swapped that for a Roku one (which is what NowTV sticks are anyway) because you can add Now, Netflix and Prime Video on the Roku stick but we couldn't put Prime Video on the NowTV-branded one.

 

I cycle or walk when I can. I have just replaced my car with a more fuel-efficient one, with the obvious saving in fuel but also car tax - £30 for a year rather than the £12 per month I was paying! PHEV not an option where I currently live, but definitely something to look at when we next move.

 

To be honest, most of these changes were being made anyway to save money for a house move, but have definitely been useful with the recent cost of living rises.

[mikeprice]

Exact opposite of the topic

 

but some time ago I rearranged my bank accounts and accidentally cancelled several charity direct debits

 

 

we have decided to re-instate them but sending the money to the local Food Bank after seeing several things saying they are having problems becuase of people who would normally donate - having to cut back

 

 

Also - I have seen several articles saying it is better to send them money rather than directly donating food

the reason is that the money allows them to re-stock with what they need NOW

and also allows then to buy in bulk and save money

 

 

For those than can afford it I suggest you think about helping out

 

 

other comments about Food Banks deleted for amphibious reasons

[FN-GM]

If you like cooking and use lots of herbs and spices don't buy the small supermarket jars but get the bigger packets instead. Been buying them online.

 

We buy these from Costco.

 

Also their roast chicken is cheaper than buying a raw one and cooking it yourself!

[enjay]

If you like cooking and use lots of herbs and spices don't buy the small supermarket jars but get the bigger packets instead. Been buying them online.

 

Also, go to the "World foods" aisle and buy ingredients like tinned tomatoes, coconut milk, rice, oil, etc. for less than the supermarket own-brands which are in the regular aisles. Ethnic superstores are good for that too, but the labels are often Farsi, Mandarin or whatever the relevant language is - Google Translate app on your phone is a win in those situations!

[jthompson]

If you plan your meals for the week, anything that needs defrosting can be taken out of the freezer the night before and placed in the fridge. That saves having to use the microwave to defrost on demand, and will generally defrost things better anyway.

 

RE: food steamers, electric steamers are a godsend. Unattended cooking, perfect rice every time, minimal washing up.

[enjay]

RE: food steamers, electric steamers are a godsend. Unattended cooking, perfect rice every time, minimal washing up.

 

I use a tiered steamer which is a large pan at the bottom then shallowed layers above, so potatoes in the bottom then veg in the ones above. Doesn't work as well with rice though as the starch gets onto the veg.

 

I did have a bamboo one which sat on top of a normal pan until I set fire to it over a small pan and a gas ring which was turned too high!

[mavhc]

Need a way to send the heat from the oven out of the house when it's summer, save money on cooling.

 

Also don't bother with preheating the oven, rarely required.

[DalekSec]

Need a way to send the heat from the oven out of the house when it's summer, save money on cooling.

 

Also don't bother with preheating the oven, rarely required.

 

Simple. dont use the oven! We've hardly used it over the heatwave sticking to cold foods and salads.

 

Also you must have a better oven, if you dont pre-heat ours you end up with cold food! (Which helps with the above statement i guess)

[Rob_D]

Need a way to send the heat from the oven out of the house when it's summer, save money on cooling.

If you've got your hob and oven as a single unit (or in the same place) a ducted extractor hood might do a reasonable job of venting the heat. But it would be a pain to retrofit.

What you really need is a way to use the heat for water heating. Run a heat transfer loop from the back of oven to the hot water tank or something.

[Andrew_C]

Who has A/C in the UK anyway?

Not dissing having an exact from above the hob, but really for getting smells and Moist* air out of the house.

 

 

*why does android think I am referring to Mr Lipwig?

[Rob_D]

Who has A/C in the UK anyway?

While I don't see most people getting installed "split units", based on the number of vent hoses I saw stuck out of windows last week, more people than you'd think apparently have single room sized portable units (probably to cover the home office / bedroom). After this summer, and all the warnings of that kind of heat becoming more common, I can see more people doing the same.

If you've got solar panels then you could probably get them to cover running the AC given you're only going to be doing it during the height of the summer.

[mavhc]

While I don't see most people getting installed "split units", based on the number of vent hoses I saw stuck out of windows last week, more people than you'd think apparently have single room sized portable units (probably to cover the home office / bedroom). After this summer, and all the warnings of that kind of heat becoming more common, I can see more people doing the same.

If you've got solar panels then you could probably get them to cover running the AC given you're only going to be doing it during the height of the summer.

 

Everyone's getting a heat pump, if they were sensible they'd know that AC is a heat pump and install a system that heats and cools.

[howartp]

Everyone's getting a heat pump, if they were sensible they'd know that AC is a heat pump and install a system that heats and cools.

Everyone's getting a heat pump, if they were experienced with AC/heat pumps they'd know that AC is a heat pump.

 

I consider myself sensible and I am considering (though haven't researched yet) replacing our conservatory AC and adding something like mini-split elsewhere, but I don't have a clue about heat pumps, either in AC or in the world of EV's where having one/not having one is a bone of contention amongst some owners.

 

Do enlighten us...

[HarryMonkey]

Everyone's getting a heat pump

 

Are they? I'm not.

[Rob_D]

Everyone's getting a heat pump, if they were sensible they'd know that AC is a heat pump and install a system that heats and cools.

Based on what I've seen around my area and from friends, most people aren't getting heat pumps attached to the house. They're getting room-scale AC units that can be wheeled out when it get's really hot and they're working from home.

You'd hope that anyone getting whole house AC would do enough research to consider a heat pump/HVAC style system.