Trips for Food.

I take great pleasure in keeping my wobbly bits wobbly with food.

As I am guessing many of the main chefs in families are women, you may be like me and mentally planning meals weeks in advance. I can normally tell you the meals I have available for the next  three weeks even if I am not a person who has it all planned out on an Excel spreadsheet.

I do a two monthly trip to Costco, a monthly big shop at the supermarket and then just pop in for fresh milk and veg.

Today was my Costco trip and as last time I went with my friend P who introduced me to the The Chap. She is a retired lady, and as she does not have a Costco card we go together and I pay then she gives me her share back when we get to her house.

I mainly go for the meat, picking up two months supply at a good reduction to supermarket prices.
4 racks of ribs for £9.48. £6  for one rack in Tesco for less meat. I have to add the sauce, but at a Pound from Poundland that's not a problem.

16 chicken breasts for about £12, 2.2kg of strewing steak for £9. And a 2kg pack of bacon containing about 50 thick slices for £7.78.

 You buy in big catering size trays, so as there are only two of  us I have to bag it into portion sizes. The chicken is so big I bag it in singles as one breast will do two of us in a curry.

So the freezer is full tonight.

You would think tonight we would be munching our way through it. Not true as this week week I got given this..

2 free pheasants shot by my new boss. I was delighted as the freezer still contains some salmon steaks after he gave me a whole line caught Scottish salmon a month ago.

Free food is even better than discounted food.

Costco is not only good for meat, I also buy wine there as Barefoot Merlot is £7 in the supermarket, but there I get a box of six bottles for £26.38, less than a fiver a bottle.

I still have to do the main shop, but if by chance we have a zombie apocalypse in the near future TC and I will be eating like kings for a considerable amount of time without having broken the bank.

I am always interested in what other people think is good at Costco, so suggestions would be welcome. 

I have learnt after a few trips that if I do not get their pistachios TC will pout.

Frugally yours

Abigail

X

Sneaky sneaky

The Chap gave me a weird compliment the other day.

"Since you moved in, I've been a lot more regular"

Once, I caught my breath and stopped laughing I gave him a big kiss, as really he thought he was being nice.

I always knew he didn't eat very well, think frozen chicken nuggets and chips.

But I am a big believer in vegetables. I always thought TC didn't like vegetables, as when I asked him which veg he fancied with dinner I always got the slightly disgruntled look of a man offered an insect stir fry.

But after nearly 12 months living together, I have found a new way of dealing with it. I don't ask I just present him with his dinner with a variety of sides. He now eats corn on the cob once I bought some nifty spiked handles, asparagus, mange tout, cabbage, beans..... Well the list is endless.

I also sneak veg in to dinners without telling him. Tonight was a good examples. I cooked a cottage pie, including peas and carrots into the mince and then gave him a side salad with it. It all got eaten and seconds were asked for. 

You see sneaky sneaky!

Frugally yours

Abigail

X

Christmas Saving

Christmas Is coming blah blah blah...

If you are anything like me then I suspect most of the shopping is done.

Judicious use of vouchers has really reduced my outlay.

Take the beginning of the month for example. The Chap is getting a SamsungTab 3 retails for £299.

I managed to get it for £235. By using my tesco club card vouchers and then buying it online to get an extra £20 off, plus another tender as it was my first online Tesco shop. I only had to wait two days, and considering it is still only November that's no hardship.

I have also picked up a couple of surprises, he knows nothing about. The Chap is not at all curious so I am not expecting him to go a searching. But, I am keen to know what his Christmas ideas are for me. He has not asked for any suggestiones and never visits shops. I have arranged all his family's gifts. 

So I am currently reviewing all post office cards saying there is a parcel waiting for him and as the sorting office is 200 yardsfrom my office have also been very helpful by picking them all up for him. If I am being given a Return of the Jedi poster I shall be most unhappy.

Also TC if you are reading (which he never does) any cleaning or cooking implement also comes under the "that is a shit present" heading. 

As it is our first proper Christmas living together I have invested in a special Christmas decoration that the cats cannot destroy.

Isn't he just precious.

eBay  has come up trumps again when it comes to work shoes..check out these bad boys for £1.24

So many nice comments from my lovely new colleagues.

And finally I had my 3 month appraisal (1 and a half months late, but hey who is counting.) and it went so very well. What a change 12 months has brought.. I am now happier, closer to home and saving a bloody fortune walking to work, not to mention 3 and a half hours better off every day.

Whoop de whoop! Wonder what next year will bring?

Frugally yours

Abigail

Sluice