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RE: UK to leave EU
June 30, 2016 at 2:23 am
(June 30, 2016 at 2:08 am)Alasdair Ham Wrote: So I could make meals cheaper than 90 pence?
Yes, most likely, especially if you're able to cook larger batches of things like soups and sauces and freeze them. That does depend on how much your time is worth, though. Also, cooking has a bit of a learning curve, your cooking - and shopping for ingredients - becomes more cost-effective, the more experienced you are at it.
And stay away from anything labelled "organic", because that's just a rip-off.
"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one." - George Bernard Shaw
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RE: UK to leave EU
June 30, 2016 at 2:26 am
(This post was last modified: June 30, 2016 at 2:26 am by I_am_not_mafia.)
(June 30, 2016 at 2:08 am)Alasdair Ham Wrote: So I could make meals cheaper than 90 pence?
That depends on whether you have a freezer or even much fridge space to store what you have cooked so you can reheat it for another day (never reheat rice unless you want to risk an infection). If you were cooking for others as well it would certainly be cheaper.
If you do start cooking then steamers are very cheap and very healthy. We use a steamer for all our vegetables. It locks in all the nutrients. You can even use it for rice.
Do you have access to a garden or an allotment or know anyone with an overgrown garden that needs help? If you can grow your own food and can get your hands on tools then it becomes even cheaper and healthier. These are all useful skills to learn in case the shit hits the fan.
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RE: UK to leave EU
June 30, 2016 at 2:33 am
Also make sure that your fridge is always completely full, even if you have to fill it with bottles of water. It will be much cheaper to run.
Herbs and spices are very important. A bit costly to buy in the first place but even just a single herb or spice can make all the difference. And if you have a windowsill you can even grow your own from seed and keep the plant going for a long time.
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RE: UK to leave EU
June 30, 2016 at 3:42 am
(June 30, 2016 at 1:23 am)Alasdair Ham Wrote: Oh I also buy bread (no butter or margarine, just to go with my meals) and sometimes fruit. I bought some peanut butter to put in a mouse trap to get rid of the mouse in my apartment but the rodent bugger hasn't turned up since (my apartment has gaps in the skirting boards so a mouse got in). So I have almost ate it all already.
I sometimes buy ice cream or Pepsi as a treat but I usually have to miss a meal or two.
Maybe things will improve when you get out of the EU.
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RE: UK to leave EU
June 30, 2016 at 4:04 am
(June 30, 2016 at 3:42 am)Wyrd of Gawd Wrote: (June 30, 2016 at 1:23 am)Alasdair Ham Wrote: Oh I also buy bread (no butter or margarine, just to go with my meals) and sometimes fruit. I bought some peanut butter to put in a mouse trap to get rid of the mouse in my apartment but the rodent bugger hasn't turned up since (my apartment has gaps in the skirting boards so a mouse got in). So I have almost ate it all already.
I sometimes buy ice cream or Pepsi as a treat but I usually have to miss a meal or two.
Maybe things will improve when you get out of the EU.
UK food prices set to rise after Brexit vote
Quote:Food prices are likely to go up as a short-term consequence of Britain’s voting to leave the EU, owing to the UK’s dependence on imports, according to the president of the National Farmers Union.
Meurig Raymond said the EU referendum result had been a “political car crash” and that UK farmers who receive up to £3bn in subsidies from the EU each year were headed into “uncharted waters”.
But he warned that one of the most immediate impacts would be from the combination of the UK’s reliance on food imports and the pound hitting a 31-year low on Friday after the leave vote.
“Sadly, we only produce 60% of the food we consume, we’ve seen our self sufficiency fall dramatically, so we are very dependent on imported food,” Raymond told the Guardian. “So a weaker pound will mean higher imported food value.
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RE: UK to leave EU
June 30, 2016 at 4:07 am
(This post was last modified: June 30, 2016 at 4:11 am by abaris.)
(June 30, 2016 at 1:18 am)Alasdair Ham Wrote: Literally all my money goes on rent, electricity and internet (I can't cope without the internet). I say "literally" meaning the rest is food. And like the cheapest food I can buy. I live off 90 pence microwavable meals.
You know, food and drink is one of the few things still reminding me of being human. So, if you got any cooking talent at all, I would advise stocking up on ingredients and to start experimenting. A load of fresh ingredients keeps me afloat for 3 or 4 days for a tenner. Another tenner to stock up on beer, and 3 to 4 times a month, a bottle of decent wine. Microwave meals usually aren't very tasty and rather on the expensive side if they are your only diet.
I could also share some of my favorite recipes with you. Very easy to whip up, using cheap ingredients for stews and soups to last a few days and getting even tastier when being reheated. Or spaghetti Carbonara for that matter.
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RE: UK to leave EU
June 30, 2016 at 4:27 am
(This post was last modified: June 30, 2016 at 5:06 am by I_am_not_mafia.)
Yeah there is a learning curve to cooking, you just need to be prepared to eat your mistakes. Which has the added benefit that you remember next time what you did wrong.
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RE: UK to leave EU
June 30, 2016 at 4:34 am
(June 30, 2016 at 4:27 am)Mathilda Wrote: Yeah there is a learning cure to cooking, you just need to be prepared to eat your mistakes. Which has the added benefit that you remember next time what you did wrong.
In my case, it certainly helped that I cared for my mother in her last years. She, no longer able to do it herself, told me what to do, and so I could polish my abilities. And based on that, I'm still experimenting to find new variations.
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RE: UK to leave EU
June 30, 2016 at 5:34 am
(June 30, 2016 at 2:26 am)Mathilda Wrote: (June 30, 2016 at 2:08 am)Alasdair Ham Wrote: So I could make meals cheaper than 90 pence?
That depends on whether you have a freezer or even much fridge space to store what you have cooked so you can reheat it for another day (never reheat rice unless you want to risk an infection). If you were cooking for others as well it would certainly be cheaper.
If you do start cooking then steamers are very cheap and very healthy. We use a steamer for all our vegetables. It locks in all the nutrients. You can even use it for rice.
Do you have access to a garden or an allotment or know anyone with an overgrown garden that needs help? If you can grow your own food and can get your hands on tools then it becomes even cheaper and healthier. These are all useful skills to learn in case the shit hits the fan.
I'm definitely not able to do any gardening.
A steamer like that Amazon hob you showed me?
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RE: UK to leave EU
June 30, 2016 at 5:43 am
(This post was last modified: June 30, 2016 at 5:43 am by I_am_not_mafia.)
(June 30, 2016 at 5:34 am)Alasdair Ham Wrote: A steamer like that Amazon hob you showed me?
Something like this:
http://www.studio.co.uk/shop/en/studio/e...Google_PLA
http://www.which.co.uk/reviews/steamers/...st-steamer
Basically it has water at the bottom which gets boiled and produces steam which slowly cooks the food in the upper trays as it rises up. You can buy them very cheaply in most large supermarkets.
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