Tesco Clubcard Plus and Frugal Cooking

At the start of this year I signed us up for a Tesco Clubcard Plus.  This is not something Tesco promotes very well but it is an excellent way to collect extra clubcard points.  Basically it is a clubcard and a savings account in one.  You just need to call the Tesco clubcard line and they will transfer your account to a clubcard plus account.  You then set up a DD of anything from £10 every month and you can use this to pay for your shopping in Tesco and when you use this card as a payment card you get double points.  Now I don't tend to shop in Tesco as I find it more expensive than other shops but I always go when I have vouchers for extra points and just buy those things.  So I didn't think there was much point me putting more than £10 on a month, but I'd pretty much forgotten about it and had not missed the £10 a month and at the beginning of December realised I had £120 saved.  Thus my food shopping has all been done in Tescos this month and has not cost me a penny out of our bank account.  I am going to do this every year now so that I do not stress about having to find extra money for food in the most expensive month of the year. 

Always one for a bargain I picked up some fab ones last night.  I got a pack of stew veg [5 carrots, a parsnip, a swede and four onions] for 50p [which works out at 4.5p per vegetable] and a bunch of sweet onions for 13p, so today I am making French onion soup in the slow cooker, which, other than a little bit of butter and stock will cost me only 31p! 

The rest of the veg will be used to make a veggie soup, with a bag of reduced cabbage [20p], some red lentils [pennies worth{although these do have to be cooked before going in the slow cooker}] and a tin of value tomatoes - again a really cheap, warming meal that is so easy to make in the slow cooker and really good for you at the same time.  The total cost of this will be about 70p!

I am also going to make pizza bases in our breadmaker which Finn and I will decorate later.  Again this is a really cheap way of making pizza and a fun activity for kids.  All you need is a few different toppings chopped up [basil, sweetcorn, pineapple {tinned versions are cheap and cheerful] olives etc...], a tin of value tomatoes, a bit of tomato paste and plenty of cheese [but while Mozzerella is lush any cheap mild cheese will taste fine and makes for a cheaper meal] and who can resist a homemade pizza and movie night in in this cold wet weather we're having!

It is so much fun sorting out your cupboards and making yummy meals out of very little, knowing that your family are eating well and your piggy bank is looking healthy too.