Back to frugal business.

Dear reader,

Have have some great, positive and motivational comments from you-thanks, I needed it.

I have had a good blog reading catch up and scoured some of the forums on money saving expert.
There are a lot of people doing loads of different challenges such as, no spend days, 20p saving pots, £2 saving pots, mortgage free wannabes and I like to read their ideas and achievements.

I get a bit stuck sometimes with how I can save money, I try really hard with the food planning, the heating and electricity and I grovel along in the car to save fuel. We haven't had a holiday in the last couple of years and have given up smoking. We don't often eat out, maybe once every couple of months when we visit my parents.

I have decided to have a really good month and throw everything at my debts. The overdraft is still nil. There are no savings and I have a credit card and a loan to get rid of.

I started with some cooking. We had an awful lot of excess mash potato, I had used up the last of the sack of spuds and just cooked them all.
First, I had some reduced puff pastry in the freezer, so defrosted and made some cheese and onion pasties.
I combined some of the mash with grated cheddar and finely chopped (in the food processor) onion. I also had a couple of veggie sausages which I cooked, chopped and added to baked beans and made some breakfast pasties with a squirt of brown sauce in them. They are great for Big Man to grab when he doesn't have time for porridge.

Still having a bowl of mash left, I added two tins of drained tuna and formed into little fish cakes. I dipped them in egg and breadcrumbs and shallow fried. Served with onion chutney-they were yummy.

I had a small portion of beef stew in the freezer, I bulked this out with loads of veg and a Yorkshire pudding each. We didn't seem to notice there wasn't much actual beef in it.

I had defrosted a portion of homemade vegetable soup but hadn't eaten it. I put this in the slow cooker with some reduced price sausages, tomato purée, a smidgen of chilli and a tin of baked beans along with a handful of red lentils to thicken it. I will be taking the leftovers to work today.
Spicy sausage and bean casserole served with mini roast potatoes and roast carrots.

Tonight the trusty slow cooker will be transforming some chicken thighs into a curry. I always make my own and the secret of a good curry from scratch is the starting masala. This is what I do.

Chop two onions
Chop two garlic cloves (I have this in individual portions in the freezer)
Grate an inch square of fresh garlic
Chopped fresh green chilli or a half a teaspoon hot chilli powder. Adjust to your own taste.
I fry all the above until it turns brown. Then and only then, I add my curry powder, turmeric, garam masala and any other Indian spices I have. Cook for a while to release the spices.
A tin of tomatoes
Chicken on the bone. Tastes so much better than breast. No comparison.
Cook long and slow. Chicken will fall off the bone.
I like to drizzle a bit of natural yogurt mixed with mint sauce on mine.

Do you slow cook a lot? I find mine a great help when I have been at work.

All the best. A very windy Wednesday here in Bucks at 0400 am.

FIB. X