Win!

I did my shop last night and bought the big ticket items we needed / wanted.

Cast iron casserole dish                

Whiskey

Mattress cover

I also bought a pyrex dish with plastic lid (I chucked all my old Tupperware during the move as it just looked tired and stained, so now is a good time to restock at a discount)

The final bill came in at £163.59. I nearly fainted!

But this thrifty blogger got it down.

The promotional stickers I have been collecting reduced the casserole dish to £29.99 from £79.99 and the pyrex dish from £7.49 to £2.99.

I bought some minced meat 2 for £7 and that went straight into the freezer, I am not planning any mince dishes over the next week, but yesterday was a good opportunity to stock the freezer.

This brought the shop to £107.09, at which point I presented my other voucher of £9 off a £90 shop, bringing the total spend to £98.09.

And finally, I used some additional vouchers to get 50 extra Tesco points on the shop, so managed to clock up 169 clubcard points including some “green points” as I always use a collapsible pallet to store the items at the checkout – another Tesco purchase when they were on sale for £2 over Christmas (very useful when I was moving house) and I do try to do my bit to save the environment.

Tesco then gave me enough stickers for 2 more pyrex lidded storage containers and a voucher for 5p off a litre of fuel valid until 14^th March. So I will run my current tank down, then fill it back up next week to get full use of the discount.

The Chap was pretty impressed I have to say, he does not have to watch his money like I do. But I think it amuses him to see my penny pinching ways.

I appreciate not everyone would want the casserole dish, but I have wanted one for ages and a similar item from Le Creuset comes in at £115. Now that is way out of my budget.

As a full time worker and being in charge of the cooking, I am currently trying a new system. Not killing myself to produce culinary heaven every evening for my beloved.

Last night, after walking through the door, dinner was ready 20 minutes later. Chicken breasts sliced into quarters and dipped in beaten egg then coated in breadcrumbs. I fried them off (should have grilled but we still have not found the grill pan after moving and fitting the new kitchen) and filled some reduced seeded buns. I teamed it with a salad and some coleslaw.

Probably not the healthiest of meals due to the frying, but I am happy that we ate chicken breast and not reconstituted rubbish chicken burgers and the salad counts as good stuff doesn’t it?

I am never going to be Nigella in the kitchen, but I am giving TC considerably healthier meals now we live together. I cannot remember the last time a chicken nugget or microwaved burger was eaten by him now.

By the way he tucks in, I don’t think he will be complaining any time soon.

Frugally yours

Abigail

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