Easy Carrot, Orange, Coriander and Ginger Soup

* Photo courtesy of  dreamstime.com (As soon as I next make my next batch, I’ll snap a picture and add one of my own).

Another Autumnal day calls for the last of the fail-safe and easy soup recipes we use. This time it’s with carrot, orange, coriander, and ginger. The recipe name may sound as if the cooking will be a large production. It isn’t. Especially if you use cheats, as I often do!

It’s also yet another soup that can be suitable for vegans and those with gluten intolerance. Ensure the stocks used are suitable for you and you’re good to go.

I like to make a large batch of this on the hob, as it’s quick to make. By making much more than needed for one dinner, we can freeze portions and use on lazy days. Batch cooking like this saves not only your energy and time but your energy bills too!

I’d been making this soup for a few years before meeting my (now) husband. Trying to convince him that orange works well in this recipe wasn’t easy. He thought I was ‘mental’ to include it, but he changed his tune after trying the soup for the first time. Now it’s one of his favourites.

My inspiration for the recipe was from Riverford Organic Farmers (the people who I’ve ordered veg boxes from). I tweaked it a little, as you may also want to.

Finally, I can’t let you go without sharing these fun facts (well I enjoyed them, but then I’m a bit of a nerd) taken straight from Wikipedia:

‘The provitamin A beta-carotene from carrots does not actually help people to see in the dark unless they suffer from a deficiency of vitamin A. This myth was propaganda used by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War to explain why their pilots had improved success during night air battles but were actually used to disguise advances in radar technology and the use of red lights on instrument panels. Nevertheless, the consumption of carrots was advocated in Britain at the time as part of a Dig for Victory campaign. A radio programme called The Kitchen Front encouraged people to grow, store and use carrots in various novel ways, including making carrot jam and Woolton pie, named after the Lord Woolton, the Minister for Food. The British public during WWII generally believed that eating carrots would help them see better at night and in 1942 there was a 100,000 ton surplus of carrots from the extra production.’

Enough chatter. You want the recipe…

Easy Carrot, Orange, Coriander and Ginger Soup

(serves four)

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 2 cloves of garlic (chopped) *Optional.
• 900g of carrots (chopped)
• 1 tsp of fresh ginger (grated) *We store our root ginger in the freezer and take it out to use when needed. In a pinch, or to save time, you could also use ginger powder.
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• Juice of 2-3 oranges (and zest, if you wish) *To save time, use 150ml of orange juice instead.
• 1 litre of veg stock
• A few coriander leaves (chopped) *You can use chopped parsley leaves if preferred. To make the recipe more frugal and easier, use dried versions of the herbs instead.

To Serve (Optional):

Plain yoghurt or creme fraiche (use dairy-free or gluten-free if necessary).
Salt & pepper to taste.

Method:

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil and add the chopped onion.
2. Cook on a gentle heat for 10 minutes, or until the onion is soft.
3. Add the garlic (if using) and cook for another minute or two.
4. Add the carrots, ginger (and zest, if using), stir to mix and add the hot stock.
5. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes (or until the carrots are softening).
6. Blend up the soup mixture in a blender or with a hand mixer, until smooth.
7. Return the mixture to the pan, add the orange juice and reheat on a low setting.
8. Add salt and pepper if desired and a blob of yogurt if using.

We like to eat this for dinner with either crusty bread, french baguette or with sandwiches. Nom, nom, nom.

Let me know if you try it, or if you tweak it, and how it turned out!

Here is the inspiration for the Easy Carrot, Orange, Coriander and Ginger Soup. You may also want to have a look at Mr.B’s (the hubster) Vegan-Friendly Frugal Tomato Soup, my Frugal And Healthy Spicy Lentil Soup  and my Chunky Autumnal Vegetable Stew Slow Cooker Recipe.

I love hearing from you and want to grow this community that is growing each day. Don’t be shy! Comment, contribute to the Facebook page, send me a private message or all three! I will always try to help you.

Lisa a.k.a ‘Bunchy’

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Chunky Autumnal Vegetable Stew Slow Cooker Recipe

I’ve been craving a hearty and chunky vegetable stew for a couple of weeks now. Something ‘Autumnal’.

I don’t know about you, but Autumn is my favourite season. Yes, there are some downsides, such as:

• Being cold.
• Having increased heating bills.
• Not being able to dry our washing outdoors as fast as usual.

Yet, we can enjoy:

• Getting wrapped up and going to feed the squirrels in leave-strewn parks.
• Snuggling up under a blanket with a hot mug of tea and a good book or film.
• Filling up on yummy, stodgy, home-cooked food.

* Image courtesy of Dreamstime.com

Feeling grotty today and not wanting some rather sad looking vegetables to go to waste, I pulled out the slow cooker. So much easier than regular cooking and I knew that if I began to feel more ill (I did), at least I’d made dinner!

Here’s the Recipe:

• 2 red onions (finely chopped)
• 2 leeks (finely chopped)
• 4 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• 4 small carrots (cut into large chunks)
• 4 small sweet potatoes (cut into large chunks)
• 4 small Maris Piper potatoes (cut into large chunks)
• 150g dry red lentils
• 2 litres of hot vegetable stock (made with 3 veg stock cubes and a teaspoon of vegetable bouillon – because I ran out stock cubes).
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon of dried parsley
• Gravy granules to thicken, at the end of the cooking session.
  (Or instead, you could omit the gravy granules and mix some cornflour with water and add).

Method:

1. Peel and chop up the veg.
2. Make up the stock with boiling water.
3. Put all the ingredients into the slow cooker.
4. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 5-6 hours.
5. Thicken if desired.
6. Add dumplings if desired.
7. Enjoy!

This made enough for me to put a few container fulls into the freezer, for nights when neither Mr.B nor I want to cook.

I had this for dinner this evening and it was scrummy!

It’s a cheap, healthy meal and won’t bust the budget. It’s also suitable for vegetarians and vegans (even the dumplings were vegan-friendly!). Many supermarket stocks and gravy granules are also gluten-free. By using them, this stew can also be enjoyed by people with with gluten intolerance.

Let me know if you try this recipe. Though not exactly the same, I based the recipe on one from my Sarah Flowers slow cooker recipe book, which you can find here.

Do you have any good vegetable stew or soup recipes that you’d recommend? Please share, so that we can all enjoy!

For more soup recipes, check out my Frugal and Healthy Spicy Lentil Soup,my Vegan Friendly Frugal Tomato Soup and my Carrot, Orange, Coriander, and Ginger Soup.

I love hearing from you and want to grow this community that is growing each day. Don’t be shy! Comment, contribute to the Facebook page, send me a private message or all three! I will always try to help you.

Lisa a.k.a ‘Bunchy’

Things You Need to Know Before Making Your First Budget

Image courtesy of Christopher Hall for Dreamstime.com

If you’ve identified that you need a budget, great! We all need a budget, whether we’re on low OR high incomes. To not tell our money what to do each month puts us at a financial disadvantage. Before you start, though, there are some things you need to know:

What Are You Currently Spending Your Money On?

You can’t set a realistic goal of spending £200 on groceries if, for the last six months, you’ve spent £400 per month.

For each of your budget categories, find out what you have been spending. If possible, look back over the past three months. Next, track your spending, for each area (groceries, eating out, clothes shopping, etc) for a month.

Write everything down as soon as possible and keep receipts.

Then, when you make your first budget, decide on a new amount for each category that is closer to what you want to spend. You can always adjust the amount for future months.

Do You Have Money Left at the End of Each Pay Period?

If you do, consider giving this surplus amount a purpose. This could be debt-repayment, savings, or whatever goal is most important to you at the moment.

You Don’t Need to Be Good at Maths to Have a Successful Working Budget

I’m not at all gifted at maths. Not even close (I even still count on my fingers!). All you need is a bit of organisation, a desire to feel better about your finances, a calculator and you’re all set.

Making a Budget Doesn’t Have to Involve Making a Fancy Spreadsheet

I do use a spreadsheet, but for ages, I used a pen and paper. I find it easier since using a spreadsheet that I designed for myself, but pen and paper budgeting is fine.

If you wanted to, you could use a money management app or software. There are loads around, but YNAB is very popular. They also have great video tutorials on YouTube. I signed up for the free trial and must admit, I found it a bit confusing, but I didn’t put enough time into it. You might be one of the many who love it.

Another great place to get started is ‘The Money Advice Service‘ Budget Planner.

Experiment with your budget and see what works best for you.

You Need a Budget If You Want to Improve Your Financial Situation

You’re reading this post because you want to improve your financial management.

If you have debts that you want to pay off, then budgeting will achieve this faster.

If you want to save optimal amounts of money each month, then you need a budget.

If you want to see how fast you can retire or pay off your mortgage, then you need a budget to help you to reach your goals.

If you want your partner to be able to stay at home with the children, then you need a budget to work out how to do this.

How Much Money Do You Owe, Who Do You Owe It to, and When Must It Be Re-Paid?

For most people with debts, especially those with a large debt-load, this can be the hardest thing of all. Everyone can understand not wanting to face up to such a stressful thing. The truth is, though, that unless you know exactly what you’re dealing with, you can’t improve things.

Get all your letters, statements and bank accounts opened up and add up what you owe and who to. Add the dates that these debts need to be repaid.

A Budget Doesn’t Mean That You Can’t Have Any More Fun

Budgets have a negative connotation of being ultra-constrictive. They can feel this way if your basic outgoings are almost as much as your income, even after making major cuts.

Can you meet your obligations and still put decent amounts to savings and/or debt? If so, then recreational spending is a good idea! It’ll stop you from feeling constricted and help you stay on track to reach the goals you’ve set yourself.

How Often Do You Get Paid or Receive Other Money?

If for example, you only receive income from one source every month then this is simple. Yet, if you receive income from more than one source, then they may come at different times.

If you receive a payment every two weeks, you’ll have months where you get three payments instead of two. Looking at exactly when you get paid is important to be able to budget well.

What Are Your Money Goals?

Knowing your ‘why‘ is crucial to sticking to your budget. It’s the difference between following your plan for a few months or staying the course.

You already know that you want to start budgeting your money, but why do you want to? If you don’t already have a strong reason, then ask yourself what will budgeting help you achieve? Return to that thought whenever you’re feeling like you don’t want to continue with your plan.

What Are You Willing to Do to Make Your Income and Outgoings Balance?

After making a budget and some time has passed you may discover:

• That your outgoings exceed your income.
• That there’s very little money left to enjoy each month

If this happens, then you may have to make further cuts to your spending, find ways to increase your, or both. It’s wise to bear this in mind before discovering that your budget doesn’t balance.

What Events Are Coming up That Will Cost You Money and How Will You Prepare?

As well as your monthly expenses, there will be random expenses that crop up. This could be an unexpected work trip or an M.O.T. It’ll vary each month, so think about how you’ll budget for this. Will you have a miscellaneous category in your monthly budget? What about for things like Christmas? Will you set aside a set amount each month so that by December you have enough to cover everything?

What Style of a Budget Will You Use?

Read my post: ‘Are You Within The Recommended Guidelines For Your Monthly Expenses?’ and then decide how you’d like to design your budget.

You might want to split up your budget into ratios, such as:

A 10/20/70 budget:

• 10% of your money to savings.
• 20% towards extra debt-repayment (over and above what you’re obliged to pay each month).
• 70% to cover everything else.

Or a 20/30/50 split:

• 20% of your income goes to savings and/or debt.
• 30% is for non-essential spending.
• You keep your vital living expenses under 50%.

You may want to do something completely different.

Whatever you decide, be aware that as you build your budget, you may have to alter your plans. If, say, you have high outgoings compared to income, you may not be able to do what you’d first hoped to do with your money. This is ok. This discovery shows you that you need to think about how you’ll improve your situation. You can make things work.

The First Three Months Will Be a Learning Curve

I’ve heard this so often and it’s true!

An unexpected bill arrives and it’s at this point that you need to make an important decision. Many people will think ”Well, I’ve blown the budget, so I may as well start fresh next month. Now, where’s the nearest coffee shop?” Or, ”I’m terrible with money, there’s no point, and I’m giving up.”

What you could consider, instead, is that budgeting is a skill, like any other and so needs practise.

Life doesn’t care about your spreadsheet or bank account and it’s up to you to be creative. Is it possible to reduce your other spending this month, to cover the unexpected expense? Can you say no to the expense? How will you alter your budget going forward so that you’re as prepared as you can be for these such events?

Finally, return to your ‘why‘. It’s the reason that you’re doing this.

You’ll Sometimes Get Tired of Budgeting

If I, a budgeting nerd can sometimes get fed up with the budget that my husband and I made, then anyone can.

If you can add some ‘fun money‘ into your budget (even if it’s a chocolate bar each week!), then that will help.

Are you facing a long road of debt-repayment? If so, consider budgeting some ‘celebratory‘ money for when you pay off a certain amount. Then get back to it.

Again, remember your ‘why‘. It will sustain you.

If You Have a Partner, Then He or She Needs to Be on Board

This is so important.

If YOU want to live frugally and commit to pay off large amounts of debt, your partner can’t max out the credit card!

It’s fine if one of you takes charge of actually paying the bills and keeping track of paperwork. But you both need to talk about what you want for your immediate and long-term financial future. What sacrifices are you willing to make? Where do you want to spend your ‘disposable’ income each month?

I’ll let you in on how it works in our house. I update the spreadsheet, keep watch over the bank account and ensure that bills are being paid. This is because managing money has become a skill of mine and I (for the most part) enjoy it. Yet Mr.B finds all that stressful, boring and confusing. As boring and nerdy as it sounds, we have a budget meeting every month. Mr.B has an equal say in whatever financial events come up throughout the month.

What surprises us is, when we have our budget meetings, we end up talking about many other things. Money influences so many areas in life, such as where we want to go on holiday or who to buy Christmas presents for. It opens up communications about many things. In fact, I can say that it’s improved our communication in general. I’ve heard this so many times from other couples who budget together too.

If you don’t have a significant other, then you won’t have to concern yourself with the above. That said, you also don’t have somebody to keep you on track. So consider having some sort of accountability partner for support and encouragement.

It’s Worth Doing

I’ve always had a conservative attitude towards spending. I’ve always lived within my means. Yet it wasn’t until I made a budget and identified my financial goals that I saw noticeable results.

Since having a plan to follow, I’ve achieved such a lot. This is despite a low income and three years of being unemployable. I don’t say this to blow my own trumpet, but to encourage you that you can make a positive difference to your life. This comes when you tell your money what to do.

How Much Is Your Income, Actually?

You might be on a £25,000 salary, but what do you actually take home each month? After tax, National Insurance, and pension, what remains? Do you receive any government benefits? If so, how much? Add it all up to see exactly what you’re working with.

Practical Next Steps

1. Decide if you’re going to have a weekly, fortnightly, four-weekly or calendar-monthly budget.
2. Track your expenses for a month.
3. Try to find out your expenses for the past three months.
4. Work out how much money you owe, who you owe it to and when it must get paid.
5. Write down what your weekly/monthly income is and what dates you receive it.
6. Write down your reasons for needing a budget and what your next financial goal is (review often and when you achieve each goal).
7. Look at your calendar and write down all the bills, (plus birthdays, etc.) that are going to occur in your budget cycle.
8. Decide which budget style you want to try. You can always switch to a different style if the one you try isn’t a good fit for you.
9. If you have a partner, set a time for a budget meeting to work through all the steps above. (If you’re flying solo, find an accountability partner).

All this may seem a lot to do, but if you want to succeed, then you need strong foundations. Once you’ve completed the groundwork, congratulate yourself for your effort. Now go and build your first budget!

I love hearing from you and want to grow this community that is growing each day. Don’t be shy! Comment, contribute to the Facebook page, send me a private message or all three! I will always try to help you.

Lisa a.k.a ‘Bunchy’

Foraging For Our Food (Off-Topic Tuesday)

This post began as part of my new ‘Off-Topic’ series. Yet, as I wrote, the more I discovered that it ties in with money-saving and frugality!

On Sunday we had a lovely afternoon that didn’t cost us a penny.

Our car has been stuck at the local garage for over a fortnight now and won’t be coming home. (More on that disaster another time). Even being the hermit that I am, even I was getting a little cabin fever.

Mr. B and I both have bicycles, so if I’m not particularly fatigued or in pain, I’m able to cycle a reasonable distance.

We decided to ride to the local nature reserve that isn’t far from us. It’s blackberry season (my favourite fruit!) so we packed some containers and off we went.

We rode the distance of the reserve first, to scope out the best picking areas, then rode back, stopping to pick. Though we took some gardening gloves, we didn’t use them. Yes we got some scratches and nettle stings and yes it rained a little, but it was so relaxing! I ate a fair few berries along the way, though not the ones that were low down and liable to have been peed on by dogs!

We spent a couple of hours at the reserve, passing the time of day with friendly people and even friendlier dogs. It was a lovely afternoon and was even nicer due to the fact that we hadn’t had to take our wallets with us.

We bagged a large container of blackberries for zero cost, plus a handful of sloes, of which there were many. There were also rosehips and let’s not forget nettles too if you make nettle soup.

You don’t need a nature reserve nearby to forage your own food, as blackberries are everywhere now. Hurry if you don’t want to miss them! One thing; you might want to avoid berries growing by roads with heavy traffic pollution. Yet, this article shows that this concern may not be as worrisome as you might think.

Do you ever forage for your own food? What dishes do you make from your pickings?

I love hearing from you and want to grow this community that is growing each day. Don’t be shy! Comment, contribute to the Facebook page, send me a private message or all three! I will always try to help you.

Lisa a.k.a ‘Bunchy’

How To Save Money On Christmas 2017

Yes, I mentioned the ‘C’ word! I’m sorry, but at the time of publishing, there are only 89 days until Christmas (I found out by using this pretty cool countdown clock!). While it’s too late for me to share the numerous money-saving tips I have that can be used for planning next year’s Xmas, (fear not, that will appear in a later article), here are some things that you can do to make Christmas 2017 just that bit easier:

Make A Budget!

Really, this is THE most important thing you can do:
1) Look at what money you’re expecting to come in over the next few weeks or months (depending on how often you get paid) and what you know has to be paid out and write down what you have leftover to save each week/month.

2) Think about what you would expect to spend on Xmas this year, not forgetting all of the food, possible nights out for work parties, kids’ school parties, entertaining at home, Secret Santa gifts, wrapping paper, cards, alcohol, basically anything that you usually shell out for, (not to mention the gifts you buy) and tot it all up. Divide that total cost by the number of pay-cheques you’re getting and you’ll see how much you’ll have to save each week/month to be able to achieve the spending you’d like to do without going (or going further) into debt. Write that number down.

3) Finally, compare the amount you came up with in step one with the amount needed to be saved in step two. Is there a discrepancy? Will you have less to spend than you’d hoped? If so, then you’ll either have to make cuts in your discretionary spending leading up to Xmas, reduce what you spend on Xmas or find a way to bring in extra money before Xmas, plus, check out the next tip:

Cut Down On Who You Buy For:

This isn’t easy and may require a few conversations with people, but there really is no law that says you have to buy your child’s teacher a gift each Xmas, or that you must buy that cousin you don’t really like a present, as well as all of her children, just because she buys you all something you don’t want or need each December. If you can’t afford to, don’t want to, or it’ll push you further into debt, just decide to stop. It’s much easier than you might think. Focus on your family and your financial peace of mind. If you really can’t say no to people then consider the next tip:

Homemade Gifts:

Some people groan at the thought of this, but it can be much easier than you think. Everybody has some sort of skill or service they can offer. Are you a knitter? Then look at Pinterest for cool knitting ideas, such as a mug cosy pattern (buy a cheap mug for 75p and fill it with marshmallows) that won’t take long to create. Don’t possess a creative bone in your body? That’s ok! Offer a new mum an afternoon where you’ll hold her baby and do some laundry while she grabs a shower or maybe takes a nap. Wrack your brains for what you can offer and know that whilst people rarely remember what you’ve bought them, they’ll always remember the time you’ve spent with or on them. If they don’t appreciate you for it, then you might reconsider why you’d give a gift for them in the first place.

Courtesy of Dreamstime.com

Secret Santas:

This is something that most office workers will be very familiar with. It usually involves receiving some useless but hilarious gift from an unknown colleague, but the idea can also be extended to family and friends. If it’s a completely new concept to you, it basically just involves a group of people putting their names into a ‘hat’, everybody taking a name and without telling anybody else, buying that person a gift. A price is set for the gift (an amount everyone agrees on) and by Xmas, the gifts are all put together (labelled, obviously), and passed out to the correct recipient. In this way, everybody gets a gift and everybody only has one gift to buy. It can save a fortune.

Consider Second-hand:

Yes, I really said that! When you say ‘second-hand’ to some people. they envisage smelly and horrible clothes from a charity shop, but come on, don’t be a snob, there are so many beautiful, gently used items to be had both in shops and online (it’s what eBay was built on after all!). It’s a great way to give somebody something you’d never usually be able to justify buying brand new and it also keeps those things from going into landfill. A double win!

Xmas Cards:

These were introduced by inventor Sir Henry Cole in 1843, who had helped to bring about the penny post three years previously (a coincidence?) and whilst I can see the value in posting a card to somebody you’re not going to see over the Xmas period, and who you’d really like to keep being reminded of the fact you care about them by the presence of a card on their mantelpiece, I don’t see the point in writing a bajillion cards and handing them to people you are going to see right up to the big day, or posting numerous cards to people who you never have any sort of contact with from one Xmas card to the next. It’s a massive waste of money, resources and who knows if the recipients even want the hassle of finding somewhere to put the cards, let alone the mountain of recycling they have to add to in the New Year (that’s if they don’t just throw them into the normal waste – shudder!).
There are ecards, email, instant messaging, texts, a whole host of social media and even the old telephone call that can replace sending a card. All are either free or very cheap and you’ll probably say more to the person you’re contacting. ‘But I like to support my favourite charity by buying cards!’ you cry, well then you’ve got to read this 2015 article.

Image courtesy of Dreamstime.com

Meal plan!

Whenever I’ve not made a proper plan for eating over the festive season, I’ve invariably gone overboard with how much food I’ve bought. I’m guessing I’m not alone with this.
If you’re fed up buying food that spoils, are sick of turkey and even chocolate (you’d have to be MENTAL), then before you shop, plan out how many of those days off work you’re planning on eating differently to your usual week then plan what you’d like to eat for breakfast (even if it’s a chocolate orange), lunch, dinner, snacks, and booze, and what you know your family and/or guests will likely want to eat and buy only that.
If you are having guests, it’s perfectly acceptable to ask them to bring some food or drink that will travel well and if it’s all getting too expensive, consider just one day of feasting. Not only will it help your wallet, but your waist will probably thank you for it too.
Finally, if nobody likes Xmas pudding, sprouts or turkey, etc, just don’t buy them purely in the name of tradition!

What do YOU do to save money on Christmas? What’s your biggest festive, financial regret?

I love hearing from you and want to grow this community that is growing each day. Don’t be shy! Comment, contribute to the Facebook page, send me a private message or all three! I will always try to help you.

Lisa a.k.a ‘Bunchy’

Vegan Friendly Frugal Tomato Soup

Credit must go to Mr.B for this recipe, which he created last week from a wonderful gift of tomatoes grown by my out-laws. 

I’m a pretty good cook but unless it’s something I’ve made many times, then I have to follow a recipe. Mr.B, on the other hand, is a wizard at rustling up delicious meals out of what appears to be nothing in the kitchen (and I’m eternally grateful for this!).

Soup is a usually always a frugal winner and as we were so impressed with how this particular creation turned out, I thought I’d share this cheap and cheerful, yet healthy recipe with others 

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.
• 1 large onion (roughly chopped). 
• 6 garlic cloves (chopped).
• 1.5kg of tomatoes.
• 2 tablespoons of mixed herbs (or basil, if you prefer).
• 4 tablespoons of tomato puree.
• 2 vegetable stock cubes (dissolved in 1 pint of boiling water).
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Method:

1. Grab a large saucepan, add the oil and heat on a low to medium temperature (the temperature remains the same throughout the recipe).
2. Add the chopped onions and garlic and cook until soft. 
3. Meanwhile, wash the tomatoes and remove their cores.
4. Add the tomatoes, herbs and tomato puree to the saucepan and stir. Put the lid on. 
5. Cook for approximately 15 mins, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes begin to soften and break down.
6. Add the vegetable stock.
7. Put the saucepan lid back and cook for approximately 30 mins, stirring occasionally. 
8. Allow the mixture to cool slightly and blend it until it’s smooth.
9. Return the soup to the heat and simmer until it’s your desired thickness (if too thick, add boiling water). 
10. Add salt and pepper to taste. 
11. Enjoy!

(N.B. If you don’t want the tomato seeds in the soup, then pass the mixture through a sieve before serving). 

Make this recipe even more frugal by growing your own tomatoes, onions, garlic, herbs, and by making your own vegetable stock (which can be made from leftover veg and kept in the freezer for whenever you need it for recipes).

You may also want to look at this Frugal And Healthy Spicy Lentil Soup, my Chunky Autumnal Vegetable Stew Slow Cooker Recipe, and my Easy Carrot, Orange, Coriander and Ginger Soup.

I love hearing from you and want to grow this community that is growing each day. Don’t be shy! Comment, contribute to the Facebook page, send me a private message or all three! I will always try to help you.

Vegan-friendly Frugal And Healthy Spicy Lentil Soup

Wait! Don’t be put off by this recipe title!

I know, I know, ‘lentil soup’, even with my strategic inclusion of the word ‘spicy’ (and don’t let that put you off either, as you don’t have to have it spicy) isn’t particularly appealing, but even my meat-loving husband gets excited when I serve this, which tells me all I need to know. This is one of the two soups that I make most often and we eat it as a main meal, either with sandwiches or yummy bakery bread.
It’s so quick and easy to make. Try it and let me know!

Ingredients:

200g dry red lentils
100g carrots (peeled & diced)
120g onion (peeled & diced)
1250ml vegetable stock
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Seasoning: Salt, pepper, cumin powder & chilli powder.
(N.B. I recently ran out of cumin and chilli powder, so used curry powder and some cayenne instead and Mr.B actually preferred it, so I think the key is just to add any spice that adds some heat. If you want that).

Method:

Put the lentils, stock, carrot, and onion into a large, lidded saucepan.
Simmer for 25 minutes until the lentils are disintegrating. Let the mixture cool and liquidise.
Add seasoning and lemon juice to suit your taste and reheat.

This soup freezes really well, so I make a bigger batch of this than the recipe above. It can be reheated on days when we can’t be bothered to cook. Which, let’s be honest, are most days.

You may also be interested in Mr.B’s Vegan-Friendly Frugal Tomato Soup, my Chunky Autumnal Vegetable Stew Slow Cooker Recipe, and my Easy Carrot, Orange, Coriander and Ginger Soup 

I love hearing from you and want to grow this community that is growing each day. Don’t be shy! Comment, contribute to the Facebook page, send me a private message or all three! I will always try to help you.

A Fistful Of Frugal – Beauty Edition

‘A Fistful OF Frugal’ will be a regular feature where I share five (five fingers equals a fist, right?) frugal things that either my husband or I do to save money. I’m going to kick off with those that I use in my personal grooming and I hope that even if they’re not things that you’d choose to do, that you’ll at least find them interesting.

1. I cut my hair (with the help of Mr. B!)
   I looked for videos on YouTube and found one that kept instructions simple. Granted, I keep a simple haircut, but there are tutorials for many styles, dependent on how brave you are!
2. I make my deodorant
   I really don’t like the idea of repeatedly smearing dodgy chemicals onto the skin near my lymph nodes and breast tissue and so did some research and lucked out on a fantastic recipe, which just so happened to use ingredients that we already had in the kitchen. Once made, it lasts me many months and works better than even such brands as Mitchum worked for me. My husband tried it and though he said it worked more effectively than regular deodorant, he didn’t like the oiliness in his underarm hair. (N.B. It has never left oil stains on my clothing). I can’t find the link to the recipe I use, but I found a website with three recipes that are very similar.
3. I use a homemade exfoliant.
   Now, there are many recipes using a combination of ingredients, either using sugar or sometimes salt, as the main ingredient, and I have tried many of them, but I always go back to the thing I’ve used since I was a teenager, which is plain old granulated sugar! If you want something less abrasive, then use a recipe that mixes it up with an oil, for instance.
   Using sugar gives me really soft skin and must have saved me a fortune (not to mention all of the plastic that was kept from landfill and nasty chemicals from my skin) over the years and, as we take sugar in our tea, we always have it in the house!
4. I use a homemade face mask.
   I’ve experimented with homemade masks over the years, but always went back to my beloved clay masks, but when my favourite clay mask was discontinued recently, it was the kick I needed to look into homemade masks once again.
   I have an ongoing battle with acne. Yes, I’m 40 and not only do I have to contend with wrinkles but spots too. Life’s cruel.
   I really want to make my own clay masks, but the initial outlay is a little bit much for me to justify right now, but I found a recipe that is working very well for me and, you guessed it, everything required was in our kitchen.
5. I do my manicures and pedicures (though not as often as I probably should).
   My fingernails aren’t particularly high on my list of priorities, but when I do decide to look after them, I can do a pretty good job with some very simple and inexpensive tools. Even if you’re the type of person that likes those amazingly creative fake nails, with jewels and charms, there are tutorials for free on YouTube and not only do you save a fortune by doing it yourself, you’ll be learning a new skill. Hey, maybe you can start earning money by offering your new skill to others!

What frugal things do you do? Please share so that we can all learn from each other!

I love hearing from you and want to grow this community that is growing each day. Don’t be shy! Comment, contribute to the Facebook page, send me a private message or all three! I will always try to help you.