The True Cost of Looking Good

Tell me you have never lied to your husband about the cost of some clothing you have bought, and I will call you a liar. It seems so 50's and way out of synch with the power woman role a working mother might play, but I do sneak around and pay half cash, half credit card for those essential fashion must haves. Call me pathetic and out of control, but I do not share those dirty price tag details with the hubby.

And I know I am not the only one!

A friend said her husband freaked out at the credit card bill for a shoe store purchase. She said she just didn't have the heart to tell him she had paid the first £100 in cash. Another woman I know goes shopping with drycleaning bags, so when she gets home she is "carrying in the drycleaning".

I share all bank accounts with my husband. It's not how eveyone does things, but it works for us - except when I want that dress.... Mind you it works both ways, and when he decides to buy a car we end up having a grown up discussion about costs and budget (yawn).

So, as this is all about frugality, I will follow with my cheap eats ideas.

Day One - Roast a Chicken

Please buy organic chickens. Plump flavoursome meat from a happy animal far outweighs the watery shrivelled up battery alternative. My fastest roast chicken is seasoned generously with salt, pepper and dried or fresh thyme, with a quartered lemon shoved up its whatsit, together with 5 or so unpeeled garlic cloves (also in the whatsit). There is some unwritten law that says all chickens shalt be ready after 1.5 hours of roasting at 185C. Anyway, it works for me.

Carve and serve with vegetables.

Now chuck the remains in a big pot, cover with water, add 2 carrots cut into chunks, an onion peeled and cut into four pieces, 5 or so peppercorns, 2 tps dried or 3 stalks fresh thyme, and salt. Bring it to a simmer and let it all cook down for 2-3 hours. I leave mine to cool in the pot overnight as I can never face the washing up.

Day Two - Make risotto!

Using the stock (strain out the bones and muck) you made last night, you can now create a seriously yum homemade risotto, chucking in any leftover veg you have. See my previous blog, here, entitled, Are You a Martyr Mum, for my risotto recipe. Easy stuff.

Day Three - Drink lots and reheat the risotto
OR be an aspirational Italian and make risotto balls:

Roll some leftover risotto into a ball. Press a small piece of mozzarella into the middle and re-roll to cover the cheese completely. Dip the ball into beaten egg, then breadcrumbs mixed with grated parmesan, and fry until golden in olive oil and a little butter. Serve hot. If you do it right, the mozzarella should melt and form strings as you pull them away from your mouth, thus inspiring their italian name which has something to do with telephone wires...