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topic on this that can help others! 
Main one I would say is use money saving coupons for foods and keep an eye out for reduced foods and price offers! Same thing when I buy clothes and for skincare 
items too! 
Best to stock up on toiletries that you use a lot.
Reuse plastic bags e.g. bread bags to store vegetables 
when you go grocery shopping. Or use them as bin bags
Reuse glass jars 
to store items, reuse takeaway boxes for biscuits 
to keep them crunchy or to heat up foods in the microwave etc
Take advantage of using free WiFi at stores 
Reuse glass for things like raisins. Zero waste shops are good as you buy what you heed or can afford to buy.
Peelings from veg can make stock for things like veg
Jerseydrew Nice 
Sorry what was the last one vegetable 
peelings can make stock for? You said vegetables again so got confusing lol 
Jerseydrew love a good stock, always make stock from bone's, never occurred to me to do it from veg peel, great idea, thanks
I can't stand waste, especially with food. I freeze left over mash which can be fried until crispy with fried egg on top, great for breakfast.
Recently I made 6 portions of thick yummy soup with 3 leeks, half a bag of potatoes and some store cupboard ingredients. Considering Heinz soup can be Β£1.70 per can that's a huge saving.
I always grate my cheese as you use less but it seems like more.
If milk is going out of date I make cheese sauce to freeze and it is ready when I fancy macaroni cheese. You can just freeze milk if you know you can't use in time.
I always buy butter on offer and freeze.
Lynibis oh wow that sounds delicious 
you are making me so hungry 
haha 
I buy supermarketβs own brand canned soup 
and spaghetti 
hoops lol
Yeah I recently saw a video about freezing milk 
in a bag that has separate square sizes so next time you run out of it get it out from the freezer but it will make you tea 
cold 
lol
Yeah we buy butter 
too but never thought to freeze it as we use it up a lot
kitty88uk my friend once saw me loading butter into the freezer as he had never thought to do it. It has no effect whatsoever and comes out as it went in.
Yes, you can deffo get cheaper soup brands but you can't beat homemade and no additives, which is a bonus.
If memory allows always good to get milk out of freezer before bed so it's ready for morning cuppa, no one wants a luke warm cup of tea/coffee.
Btw, you don't have to freeze the mash if you think you'll have it for brekkie or lunch next day. I must admit I do cook extra potatoes so I can fry next day (occasional treat) whether mashed or not!
lol 
before again sounds really delicious 
I make potato bread out of left over mash and then use the bread for sandwiches the next day.
I use one teabag for two cups of tea.
I mix lentils into my mince so it makes 2 dinners instead of one.
I use powder for laundry and you don't need as much as it says.
If you have a dishwasher, buy the cheap own brand tablets, use half of one, still gets dishes clean.
Buy yellow sticker items and freeze.
Use the shortest cycle on your washing machine.
Repair clothes instead of buying new, especially if you can repair yourself.
Cook from scratch as much as possible.
Use vouchers and coupons, but only on things that you actually need.
MrsCraig ...I made Mexican Pie as my daughter called it with left over Chilli,Mash on top & Mexican Cheese on top..
Delicious!
I find Potato Bread too stoggy,my Northern Ireland born partner LOVES it so does our daughter but she IS three quarters Irish!!
janphoenix51 if the potato bread is stodgy then it hasn't been made right! In my opinion anyway. My husband is from Northern Ireland so he loves home made potato bread.
MrsCraig thatβs a great 
list you have there!!
I sometimes hand wash clothes using laundry powder and rake them out to hang dry
Been doing that all the time especially when it was summer season!
Yeah we always buy reduced foods and put extra meats in the freezer
Yeah I have been sewing 
holes in my clothes a lot too lol donβt get rid of them unless itβs out of shape or canβt sew them anymore haha
janphoenix51 my sister bakes her own cakes 
and bakery 
foods too! She can make a lot and saves us money from having to buy them as they are not much and are pricey!
MrsCraig ...That's just my opinion of the Potato Breads I have tried from Portadown based shop bought IRWINS & other brands to CafΓ©s!
My partner is from Portadown, born in Lurgan Hospital, where is your husband from?? X
kitty88uk ..That's a lovely thing to do for your family, I bet your sister is in huge demand from the family!
Well done to your kind sister..x
janphoenix51 we love potato bread, so tasty. He is from Bangor, just outside Belfast. His family is still over there.
a good bargain from buying foods and clothes to skincare items! Love shopping for bargains Lmao 
janphoenix51 Haha yeah
Wish I was talented at baking cakes and cooking 
many foods too!
MrsCraig ,A few years ago while we were in Portadownon tge recommendation of partner's sister my ,partner, daughter & I went to Bangor Walled Gardens..
We had a beautiful inexpensive meal in the leafy Restaurant & a lovely walk around the grounds,a beautiful tranquil place...x
janphoenix51 the walled gardens are beautiful. When my mother in law got married we took photos in the walled garden and they are just gorgeous. I love Bangor x
MrsCraig ,We took lots of photos,I have one with me stood under a Banana Leaf!!
The Restaurant was beautiful too.... Northern Ireland IS a special place for us,it's where my partner's family are.
My late Dad's side of the family are no longer with us,him & his siblings have passed over now,they were from Longford, Southern Ireland which is very beautiful & scenic ,another special place in mine & my siblings heart..
MrsCraig Oh thatβs great to hear! Love using rewards like with Sainbsuryβs and Nectar points!
I did a food waste diary months ago and as a reward got Β£60 via gift pay which I can choose whichever shops to do my grocery shopping at and just redeem vouchers to pay for foods etc
Lol have just Β£15 left
jam45 ooh so many delicious foods! Bargain prices!! Well done 
We donβt have an Asda nearby but we always buy foods that are reduced at Sainbsuryβs
Just the other day my mum saw boxes of grapes 
the films were all opened and she managed to get them reduced at 19p a box!! Was Β£1.80!!
janphoenix51 Northern Ireland is a special place for us too. We were there in the October holidays. We found it hard as my husband's Granny passed in September. It was strange going to her house and she wasn't there.
MrsCraig ,so sorry to hear that,my Mum passed away 14 years ago on 29th October & it's still strange walking past her old bungalow to get to my sister's home 3 min away...
Just remember the good times,the love & laughter..xx
janphoenix51 thank you, sorry for your loss too. It was hard because she had bought stuff for our son so he could play and eat there. He ran in looking for her, was hard to see. I'm not sure you ever get used to them being gone x
to hear! Well done 
about it lol 
I should get card for myself?! 
I always take a cheese sandwich on days out with me, that way the choice is mine if i want to pay for the food or not rather than having to buy something overpriced cause Iβm hungry.
I still often eat out and just save the sandwich for work the next day, Iβm just happy in the knowledge that these tourist attractions havenβt got me over a barrel.
but I never buy them cause you can make them yourself jms19 ..Totally agree with you taking a Sandwich, I always bought my bottles of pop or made Cordial up,bought Crisps,Breakfast Bars from Jack Fulton..
My friend used to come off at a sliproad & find a local Cafe/ Sandwich Shop were we would buy hot food rather than pay motorway prices when we went down to Saundersfoot near Tenby years ago the first week in Oct,we did this for years....
My husband is a star when it comes to chopping peppers and onions .Once chopped, I divide them up into freezer bags as an onion/pepper mix along with some chopped mushrooms and tomatoes. Each bag has enough for a stir fry to add to other ingredients. I then freeze the bags and take out when needed.This avoids waste as I only take out the amount needed for the meal I am cooking.
has gone moudly lol SueWard ...Our Student Radiographer daughter does the same, she was telling her Da & I about the bargain Veg she had bought from the supermarket,chopped,mixed & froze most & made Veggie Enchiladas with the rest. Daughter plans,preps & freezes ahead as she's up early,back around 7pm after getting up at 5.30am catching train, walking to work, working then walking & catching a train home..
I reuse glass jars. I buy fresh chillies and garlic when they have been reduced and I pickle them in the jars ready to use for cooking. I also make my own sushi and I cook homemade food twice a week. My recycling bin is full to the brim and my normal bin only has one bag which is helping the environment.
Sugarbabe I sometimes make my own sushi 
too! Havenβt for a long time now
Making own foods is much cheaper than buying them!
Thatβs great to hear!
I have been taking plastic bags to supermarkets to recycle them and now we only have 1 black bin full
And I try to recycle many items in green bin too
I think that this topic has been really interesting and informative and it is good to see the many ways people use food to best advantage.
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