The Frugality Thread

[Petrichorwheels]

In other news, in a rare fit of pragmatism I've been looking at new shoes before my existing ones have completely fallen to bits.. I always buy the same ones - RRP is now £150/pr, cheapest I could find was £135, happened to stumble on a single new pair on ebay in exactly the right size and colour for £80

In future I think I'll be setting up an ebay search for stuff like this that I buy semi-regularly, hoover up any bargains and stick them in the cupboard for future use

shoes are a good thing to buy on the bay I think as the various sizes (for obvs) reasons rules out a lot of the competition from buyers.
I wouldn't buy really second hand shoes but I got some excellent shimano touring shoes recently for £20 delivered.
they were essentially new - declared as such but you could see from the pics of the soles.

 

[Petrichorwheels]

Have tested the MrD's thermal cooker for cooking Pasta this evening. Brought to the boil on the hob, put it in the thermal pot for 10mins and perfect pasta!
A small victory for frugality!

Bolognese sauce made in the Ninja Foodie....

glad it worked.
thanks for reporting back.
I can see these things taking over from the electric slow cooker for many things.
Leccy slow cookers leak an appalling amount of heat in my view (see above) and of course they used to be promoted on the basis that they used not a lot more power than an electric light bulb.
But of course folks these days wouldn't normally use those sorts of bulbs anymore anyway.
(I plead guilty to using a few in rooms not much used)
I also rather like the simplicity of that thermal cooker.
Looks indestructible.
Just the thing for a post putin nuclear apocalypse maybe.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Out of interest, are induction cooking plates as good as they claim for reducing energy use?

 

[Tenkaykev]

Out of interest, are induction cooking plates as good as they claim for reducing energy use?

I’m interested in this too. We currently have gas oven / hob. I’m aware that gas is less expensive per KWh but wondered if induction was comparable.

 

[KnittyNorah]

Out of interest, are induction cooking plates as good as they claim for reducing energy use?

I've had both gas and induction but under different prices and at different times, so I can't give a direct comparison. However, I will say that they are a lot cheaper to run than other sorts of electric hob and may well be comparable in price to gas. They also have a lot of safety bonuses over gas, which might be worth thinking about if you or the people in your household have relevant vulnerabilities, and they are IMO just as responsive as a gas hob but far easier to look after

However depending on your current pan situation, you might need to spend quite a bit to replace your current ones!

 

[Fab Foodie]

glad it worked.
thanks for reporting back.
I can see these things taking over from the electric slow cooker for many things.
Leccy slow cookers leak an appalling amount of heat in my view (see above) and of course they used to be promoted on the basis that they used not a lot more power than an electric light bulb.
But of course folks these days wouldn't normally use those sorts of bulbs anymore anyway.
(I plead guilty to using a few in rooms not much used)
I also rather like the simplicity of that thermal cooker.
Looks indestructible.
Just the thing for a post putin nuclear apocalypse maybe.

Just to add, it works on induction hob as well as all other kinds....
Deffo going to maximise its use as we already have it.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I've had both gas and induction but under different prices and at different times, so I can't give a direct comparison. However, I will say that they are a lot cheaper to run than other sorts of electric hob and may well be comparable in price to gas. They also have a lot of safety bonuses over gas, which might be worth thinking about if you or the people in your household have relevant vulnerabilities, and they are IMO just as responsive as a gas hob but far easier to look after

However depending on your current pan situation, you might need to spend quite a bit to replace your current ones!

Just to add, the small plug-in single ring induction hobs are cheap as chips to buy and work brilliantly, we use one in the camper when we're on hook-up and it's the equal of the new one we have at home....

 

[Sharky]

In other news, in a rare fit of pragmatism I've been looking at new shoes before my existing ones have completely fallen to bits.. I always buy the same ones - RRP is now £150/pr, cheapest I could find was £135, happened to stumble on a single new pair on ebay in exactly the right size and colour for £80

In future I think I'll be setting up an ebay search for stuff like this that I buy semi-regularly, hoover up any bargains and stick them in the cupboard for future use

You should have been me on Saturday. We were walking through Tonbridge and as I passed one of the many charity shops, I spotted a pair of cycling shoes in the window. They were brand new Peleton shoes in size 44. I wouldn't normaly go for this brand, but they were only £20 !!!!!!!
My size is 43 or 44, so I got them. Without cleats, but I have a pair in the spares box.

It turned out that a sports/cycling shop was closing down and they donated several pairs to the charity shop. I was lucky as these were the last pair and my size. Think they retail around £130!

 

[Sharky]

You should have been me on Saturday. We were walking through Tonbridge and as I passed one of the many charity shops, I spotted a pair of cycling shoes in the window. They were brand new Peleton shoes in size 44. I wouldn't normaly go for this brand, but they were only £20 !!!!!!!
My size is 43 or 44, so I got them. Without cleats, but I have a pair in the spares box.

It turned out that a sports/cycling shop was closing down and they donated several pairs to the charity shop. I was lucky as these were the last pair and my size. Think they retail around £130!

Just to show what a bargain it was!

 

[oldwheels]

glad it worked.
thanks for reporting back.
I can see these things taking over from the electric slow cooker for many things.
Leccy slow cookers leak an appalling amount of heat in my view (see above) and of course they used to be promoted on the basis that they used not a lot more power than an electric light bulb.
But of course folks these days wouldn't normally use those sorts of bulbs anymore anyway.
(I plead guilty to using a few in rooms not much used)
I also rather like the simplicity of that thermal cooker.
Looks indestructible.
Just the thing for a post putin nuclear apocalypse maybe.

Never heard of a Thermal Cooker before. Would that be a posh version of what we called a Hay Box in the Boy Scots?

 

[Fab Foodie]

Never heard of a Thermal Cooker before. Would that be a posh version of what we called a Hay Box in the Boy Scots?

It is, yes, just more efficient!

 

[wafter]

It is, yes, just more efficient!

Tbh this product seems festooned with misnomers - "thermal cooker" (aren't they all?) "cook without heat" (what's the cooker for then?) however looks like a decent product with sound theoretical underpinnings. Makes me wonder how efficient all cooking could be if everything was insulated better..

 

[annedonnelly]

You should have been me on Saturday. We were walking through Tonbridge and as I passed one of the many charity shops, I spotted a pair of cycling shoes in the window. They were brand new Peleton shoes in size 44. I wouldn't normaly go for this brand, but they were only £20 !!!!!!!
My size is 43 or 44, so I got them. Without cleats, but I have a pair in the spares box.

It turned out that a sports/cycling shop was closing down and they donated several pairs to the charity shop. I was lucky as these were the last pair and my size. Think they retail around £130!

One of the charity shops my brother uses in Lancaster has a load of Peleton shoes too. Same deal I think - something closing down.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Tbh this product seems festooned with misnomers - "thermal cooker" (aren't they all?) "cook without heat" (what's the cooker for then?) however looks like a decent product with sound theoretical underpinnings. Makes me wonder how efficient all cooking could be if everything was insulated better..

Yes, some hyperbole. But it's a slow cooker without further heat input (once you've brought the contents to the boil). So meat still tenderises or 'cooks', flavours develop etc pretty much the same.
Whatever you call it, it saves energy by insulation.

 

[wafter]

Yes, some hyperbole. But it's a slow cooker without further heat input (once you've brought the contents to the boil). So meat still tenderises or 'cooks', flavours develop etc pretty much the same.
Whatever you call it, it saves energy by insulation.

Yup - certainly sounds like a good idea