Have a look at indome noodles. You can buy them from amazon too no boxes of 40 and they’re sold at Sainsbury’s individually. My sister lived off them during her first year at uni.Sainsburys nectar double up event before Christmas used to be a great help to me, can’t believe they’ve scrapped itgot £30 in points and was hoping to get some Christmas presents with it doubled, will just have to save it for when I’m desperate now.
Is anyone else seeing a lack of cheap noodles? Every supermarket I go in. My youngest isn’t a happy bunny!
Discontent #6 food, energy, transport, cost of living, society etc
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Thank you. Rarely use Amazon so never even thought to try there.
I've got a recipe for ya that I often make when I'm on Universal Credit - I call it "dole slop".
It's basically:
- Cheap mince
- Cheap potatoes
- Cheap carrots
- Cannellini beans
- Onion
- Casserole mix
@BaxterBillions, that you! That does sound like it would a) taste good a and b) make a lovely warming meal.
I do make something similar which doesn't even have a name:
The first time I made this I really underestimated how much the lentils would swell up and we had plenty to freeze, but it tastes great and freezes extremely well. Like your meal, it won't win a price for its looks, but it is very filling and can be fancied up or down (add mince, add some beans, leave out the peas, etc), plus all the ingredients are very cheap. I like adding a small bit of dijon mustard, but it's really not necessary to buy extra.
I'm sure you could make this in a pressure pot as well. In fact, I'll try it out when the weather is cooler again, no need to cook this for 30 min, 15 is likely more than enough.
I do make something similar which doesn't even have a name:
- chopped onion
- carrots
- lentils
- peas
- 2-3 stalks of celery (but works fine without)
- potatoes
The first time I made this I really underestimated how much the lentils would swell up and we had plenty to freeze, but it tastes great and freezes extremely well. Like your meal, it won't win a price for its looks, but it is very filling and can be fancied up or down (add mince, add some beans, leave out the peas, etc), plus all the ingredients are very cheap. I like adding a small bit of dijon mustard, but it's really not necessary to buy extra.
I'm sure you could make this in a pressure pot as well. In fact, I'll try it out when the weather is cooler again, no need to cook this for 30 min, 15 is likely more than enough.
Our go to cheap dinner isI've got a recipe for ya that I often make when I'm on Universal Credit - I call it "dole slop".
It's basically:
Just bung it all in a pot - I use a Pressure King Pro - and you've got a stew that'll last for days and is dirt cheap too. It's not the most appetising looking concoction though
- Cheap mince
- Cheap potatoes
- Cheap carrots
- Cannellini beans
- Onion
- Casserole mix
Tinned green lentils
Carrots
Onion
Potato's
Gravy granules
Put the potatoes to boil. Cook the onion and carrot until soft, drain and rinse the lentils and add to the pan, add in some water and gravy granules and cook until thickened. Sometimes I'll add in some frozen peas. Mash the potatoes.
Costs about £1 and does us for around 2 meals
Similar to ours!
When someone says to you cost of living crisis is being pushed by media propaganda 
. So long as it doesn’t effect them they don’t care! But it could have a long term impact on the economy!
. So long as it doesn’t effect them they don’t care! But it could have a long term impact on the economy!Today's dinner is another one of those quick things to throw together and very cheap to make. More coincidence than anything, my jaw hurts (thanks, bruxism) and I need something soft to eat.
Boil cubed potatoes and chopped carrots (about 2:1 ratio) until soft, drain, and then add a can of chickpeas and a can of chopped potatoes, and a bit of broth, and season with pepper and a mild curry powder and let it bubble up. I also like adding some parsley and that's it. If I want to be fancy, I fry some onions lightly, but mostly, I don't bother and just put the potatoes and the carrots in the pressure cooker, drain them after 5 minutes and then just eat everything in said pressure cooker. This also tastes great with added zucchini or bell peppers and I once threw in leftover spinach leaves, which looked really pretty and was tasty.
Boil cubed potatoes and chopped carrots (about 2:1 ratio) until soft, drain, and then add a can of chickpeas and a can of chopped potatoes, and a bit of broth, and season with pepper and a mild curry powder and let it bubble up. I also like adding some parsley and that's it. If I want to be fancy, I fry some onions lightly, but mostly, I don't bother and just put the potatoes and the carrots in the pressure cooker, drain them after 5 minutes and then just eat everything in said pressure cooker. This also tastes great with added zucchini or bell peppers and I once threw in leftover spinach leaves, which looked really pretty and was tasty.
A new fave snack of mine. You just need Bread/Butter & I use everything but the bagel seasoning( which even a small lasts ages)
You butter both sides like when making a Toastie & sprinkle on seasoning & cook. So kind of a filling less Toastie but delicious I prefer it to Toast.
You butter both sides like when making a Toastie & sprinkle on seasoning & cook. So kind of a filling less Toastie but delicious I prefer it to Toast.
Someone on here posted about Gousto (grateful) and I actually think it’s amazing value. Ordered another box tonight for £17 and might even keep it through winter when I run out of offers. They give you so much and the produce lasts better than anywhere I’ve shopped. I ordered for four and used the ingredients for my own recipes. The only negative was the single use plastics.
I agree with this! I live alone and work FT so need easy dinners. Always order 3 meals for 2 people so 6 meals (will often just have pasta/cheap pizza etc on a friday) and it cost me £31.99 a week. It's probably not the cheapest, but I'm not sure I could think of the recipes, buy same quality food for the same cost. FT and commuting is a brutal combo for cooking!
So I posted a few threads back now that I found lumps under my armpits and I was told even know my referral was urgent …I would have a 13 week wait for an ultrasound ….. well I went private. Called yesterday morning seen last night by a breast specialist consultant had an ultrasound…happy to report only cysts!!! Thank god
Not impressed with the price though at £595 however you can’t put a price on peace of mind!
but this has woken me and my husband as to just how bad the NHS is now we are now going into private medical care it’s £190 a month for us and 3 children but going through the hell of being told to wait that long has put into perspective the government really could not give two shits!Don’t get me wrong the doctors and nurses are fab its Up top and all the greedy managers!!!!
the private hospital in Hertfordshire I was at the nurse said they have never been so busy! Ultimately I really do think this is how our health care system will run eventually! All the tax we pay
Not impressed with the price though at £595 however you can’t put a price on peace of mind!
but this has woken me and my husband as to just how bad the NHS is now we are now going into private medical care it’s £190 a month for us and 3 children but going through the hell of being told to wait that long has put into perspective the government really could not give two shits!Don’t get me wrong the doctors and nurses are fab its Up top and all the greedy managers!!!!
the private hospital in Hertfordshire I was at the nurse said they have never been so busy! Ultimately I really do think this is how our health care system will run eventually! All the tax we pay
Glad to hear everything's okSo I posted a few threads back now that I found lumps under my armpits and I was told even know my referral was urgent …I would have a 13 week wait for an ultrasound ….. well I went private. Called yesterday morning seen last night by a breast specialist consultant had an ultrasound…happy to report only cysts!!! Thank god
Not impressed with the price though at £595 however you can’t put a price on peace of mind!
but this has woken me and my husband as to just how bad the NHS is now we are now going into private medical care it’s £190 a month for us and 3 children but going through the hell of being told to wait that long has put into perspective the government really could not give two shits!Don’t get me wrong the doctors and nurses are fab its Up top and all the greedy managers!!!!
the private hospital in Hertfordshire I was at the nurse said they have never been so busy! Ultimately I really do think this is how our health care system will run eventually! All the tax we pay
I've only gone private for physio, anything else I'm happiest with the NHS. Private healthcare is pretty good for straightforward conditions imo, but anything more complicated and they tend to send you right back to the NHS for specialised care.
I had a big surgery recently with a few days in an NHS hospital and I'm inclined to think it's excellent value for money, but yes, it could be managed and resourced better than it is.
I’m glad that it’s only cysts, Thetruth123!
The cost sucks, of course, but I wouldn’t wait either if I can afford it. My mum has had a few cancer scares and also chose to pay for a faster treatment or to be seen faster. Luckily she always found things early so no need for the really scary stuff like a chemo. Health is the one thing we won’t get back….
The cost sucks, of course, but I wouldn’t wait either if I can afford it. My mum has had a few cancer scares and also chose to pay for a faster treatment or to be seen faster. Luckily she always found things early so no need for the really scary stuff like a chemo. Health is the one thing we won’t get back….
Yep exactly this. We have v good private health cover and I’m under post cancer checks with the NHS, I knew staying with the NHS would be best but my husband kept pushing to move over so I started the process & they told me to stick with the NHS. Similarly with giving birth, I was a high risk pregnancy/post obgyn cancer so care under NHS made so much more sense. Private only makes sense for small inconsequential things so it worries me to see what’s happening to the NHS. Fab news about your results thoughGlad to hear everything's ok
I've only gone private for physio, anything else I'm happiest with the NHS. Private healthcare is pretty good for straightforward conditions imo, but anything more complicated and they tend to send you right back to the NHS for specialised care.
I had a big surgery recently with a few days in an NHS hospital and I'm inclined to think it's excellent value for money, but yes, it could be managed and resourced better than it is.
Here they announced a "gas levy" starting in October that all households using gas for their heating will have to pay and it's set to be 2,4 cents per kilowatt hour. Estimates are that a couple in a flat of about 80sqm will pay ~380€ extra. That is quite some money and I'm sure it scares many people.
I'm curious to see how it'll play out for us - our flat is a bit bigger but has great insulation and we have underfloor heating. I'm not sure where I read this, but I heard that people tend to set the thermometer a bit lower with those as the feet are warm. Anyways, not looking forward to paying what might be around 400€ extra.
A friend who inherited a big (too big) house said that they are planning to close off two rooms entirely during winter so as to not need to heat them. I'm not sure how that works, winters here are mostly damp and I hope they don't get mold from it. I still have "my room" at my parent's house, which is really a glorified storage room with a bed, but they don't turn off the heating completely as there was a mold incident in the past and just set it to kick in at 6°C and air the room every few days. Never had the problem again and the house is very old.
I'm curious to see how it'll play out for us - our flat is a bit bigger but has great insulation and we have underfloor heating. I'm not sure where I read this, but I heard that people tend to set the thermometer a bit lower with those as the feet are warm. Anyways, not looking forward to paying what might be around 400€ extra.
A friend who inherited a big (too big) house said that they are planning to close off two rooms entirely during winter so as to not need to heat them. I'm not sure how that works, winters here are mostly damp and I hope they don't get mold from it. I still have "my room" at my parent's house, which is really a glorified storage room with a bed, but they don't turn off the heating completely as there was a mold incident in the past and just set it to kick in at 6°C and air the room every few days. Never had the problem again and the house is very old.
This will put more pressure on working families
www.telegraph.co.uk
Schools consider three-day week amid rising energy bills and teacher pay
Headteachers, trustees and governors holding ‘crisis meetings’ over summer holidays to work out how to keep schools afloat in autumn term
How is this going to work? Pay teachers for working 3 days and then all working parents having to take time off (if allowed) and what exactly do they do with the kids, many parents struggled with the costs during lockdown, I don't see how they will want the increased food/energy/activity costs for having them home for an extra tow days.This will put more pressure on working families
Schools consider three-day week amid rising energy bills and teacher pay
Headteachers, trustees and governors holding ‘crisis meetings’ over summer holidays to work out how to keep schools afloat in autumn term
This will cause more people to get into debt, the teachers who need 5 days a week to pay their bills and eat, and the parents who can't afford not to work 5 days a week. They need to provide more funding to the schools.This will put more pressure on working families
Schools consider three-day week amid rising energy bills and teacher pay
Headteachers, trustees and governors holding ‘crisis meetings’ over summer holidays to work out how to keep schools afloat in autumn term
Yes ,especially as hundreds of childcare facilities have closed too .
Not a Tory but am currently subscribed to the telegraph lol so sharing the full article behind the cut for those who are interested
Schools consider three-day week amid rising energy bills and teacher pay
Headteachers, trustees and governors holding ‘crisis meetings’ over summer holidays to work out how to keep schools afloat in autumn term
By Louisa Clarence-Smith, Education editor13 August 2022 • 9:00pm
School leaders are considering three or four-day weeks to pay for teacher salary rises and crippling energy costs, The Telegraph has learnt.
Headteachers, trustees and governors are holding “crisis meetings” during the summer holidays to work out how to keep schools afloat in the autumn term.
Teacher pay rises planned for September will put a squeeze on school budgets at the same time as their energy costs are expected to rise by up to 300 per cent.
Marc Jordan, the chief executive of Creative Education Trust, a multi-academy trust with 17 schools across the East and West Midlands and Norfolk, said he had heard discussions of a “three-day week” to save on costs.
He said that his trust, which educates 13,500 pupils, is considering a recruitment freeze and may have to scrap Covid catch-up programmes for children and planned investments in school buildings.
“Others less fortunate are facing significant deficits and are already planning for teacher redundancies,” he added.
Dr Robin Bevan, the headmaster of Southend High School for Boys in Essex, one of the top grammar schools in the country, said that “if a four-day week is not already being planned, it will certainly be being considered” by some schools. “In the absence of long overdue above-inflation investment in school funding, it'll become a realistic prospect sooner rather than later,” he added.
The chief executive of one of the largest academy trusts in the country, who did not want to be named, said that “shorter school days, fewer after school clubs and enrichment opportunities and draconian restrictions on energy usage will become a reality for all trusts and the situation is particularly challenging for smaller trusts and standalone schools.” They added: “This is not a plaintive plea of poverty. Nor is it the usual begging bowl moment ahead of a spending review – this is serious stuff.”
Future looks 'exceptionally bleak'
Schools have faced considerable financial pressures in recent years, with funding per pupil in England falling by nine per cent between 2010 and 2020 in real terms. The Government has committed an extra £7 billion for school budgets in England by 2024, with the aim of bringing spending per pupil back to 2010 levels.
However, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned that in 2024 spending per pupil will remain three per cent below 2010 levels in real terms after factoring in a rise in costs including an increase in teacher salaries this year of nine per cent for new recruits and five per cent for established teachers.
Dr Bevan said that his school was only able to operate last year by dipping into its limited reserves. While the school is set to receive £300,000 more in income, its utility costs have risen by £200,000, teacher pay costs will be £70,000 more than it had budgeted and it will have to pay support staff £40,000 more than anticipated.
He said: “Costs are simply rising far more swiftly than budgets and the prospect of only 0.5 per cent increase in income for 2023-24 makes the future look exceptionally bleak.”
Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said that headteachers, trustees and governors were holding “crisis meetings” over the summer holidays to work out how to fund increased costs.
Some schools are said to be planning to be making cuts to maintenance work being done around the school site, classroom resources such as text books and extra-curricular activities.
All options 'disadvantage young people'
Mr Barton said that a head of trust had told him they need to make £877,000 of savings across their foundation. “How do you try and think about those kinds of savings? One is you increase class sizes so you have fewer teachers, or you cut courses that have got small numbers, like GCSE music, German and design technology. Or the other way of doing it is you simply identify members of support staff, teaching assistants and you say you can’t afford them. They are all bad options because they disadvantage young people.”
In 2019, dozens of schools across the country temporarily cut short the school week because they said they couldn’t afford to educate their pupils for a full five days.
A spokesman for the Department for Education said: “We recognise that schools – much like the wider economy – are facing increased costs, including on energy and staff pay.”
The added: “Our schools white paper set out our expectation that the school week should last a minimum of 32.5 hours – the current average – for all mainstream state-funded schools. Thousands of schools already deliver this length of week within existing budgets and we expect current funding plans to account for this."
Headteachers, trustees and governors holding ‘crisis meetings’ over summer holidays to work out how to keep schools afloat in autumn term
By Louisa Clarence-Smith, Education editor13 August 2022 • 9:00pm
School leaders are considering three or four-day weeks to pay for teacher salary rises and crippling energy costs, The Telegraph has learnt.
Headteachers, trustees and governors are holding “crisis meetings” during the summer holidays to work out how to keep schools afloat in the autumn term.
Teacher pay rises planned for September will put a squeeze on school budgets at the same time as their energy costs are expected to rise by up to 300 per cent.
Marc Jordan, the chief executive of Creative Education Trust, a multi-academy trust with 17 schools across the East and West Midlands and Norfolk, said he had heard discussions of a “three-day week” to save on costs.
He said that his trust, which educates 13,500 pupils, is considering a recruitment freeze and may have to scrap Covid catch-up programmes for children and planned investments in school buildings.
“Others less fortunate are facing significant deficits and are already planning for teacher redundancies,” he added.
Dr Robin Bevan, the headmaster of Southend High School for Boys in Essex, one of the top grammar schools in the country, said that “if a four-day week is not already being planned, it will certainly be being considered” by some schools. “In the absence of long overdue above-inflation investment in school funding, it'll become a realistic prospect sooner rather than later,” he added.
The chief executive of one of the largest academy trusts in the country, who did not want to be named, said that “shorter school days, fewer after school clubs and enrichment opportunities and draconian restrictions on energy usage will become a reality for all trusts and the situation is particularly challenging for smaller trusts and standalone schools.” They added: “This is not a plaintive plea of poverty. Nor is it the usual begging bowl moment ahead of a spending review – this is serious stuff.”
Future looks 'exceptionally bleak'
Schools have faced considerable financial pressures in recent years, with funding per pupil in England falling by nine per cent between 2010 and 2020 in real terms. The Government has committed an extra £7 billion for school budgets in England by 2024, with the aim of bringing spending per pupil back to 2010 levels.
However, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned that in 2024 spending per pupil will remain three per cent below 2010 levels in real terms after factoring in a rise in costs including an increase in teacher salaries this year of nine per cent for new recruits and five per cent for established teachers.
Dr Bevan said that his school was only able to operate last year by dipping into its limited reserves. While the school is set to receive £300,000 more in income, its utility costs have risen by £200,000, teacher pay costs will be £70,000 more than it had budgeted and it will have to pay support staff £40,000 more than anticipated.
He said: “Costs are simply rising far more swiftly than budgets and the prospect of only 0.5 per cent increase in income for 2023-24 makes the future look exceptionally bleak.”
Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said that headteachers, trustees and governors were holding “crisis meetings” over the summer holidays to work out how to fund increased costs.
Some schools are said to be planning to be making cuts to maintenance work being done around the school site, classroom resources such as text books and extra-curricular activities.
All options 'disadvantage young people'
Mr Barton said that a head of trust had told him they need to make £877,000 of savings across their foundation. “How do you try and think about those kinds of savings? One is you increase class sizes so you have fewer teachers, or you cut courses that have got small numbers, like GCSE music, German and design technology. Or the other way of doing it is you simply identify members of support staff, teaching assistants and you say you can’t afford them. They are all bad options because they disadvantage young people.”
In 2019, dozens of schools across the country temporarily cut short the school week because they said they couldn’t afford to educate their pupils for a full five days.
A spokesman for the Department for Education said: “We recognise that schools – much like the wider economy – are facing increased costs, including on energy and staff pay.”
The added: “Our schools white paper set out our expectation that the school week should last a minimum of 32.5 hours – the current average – for all mainstream state-funded schools. Thousands of schools already deliver this length of week within existing budgets and we expect current funding plans to account for this."
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