Posts Tagged ‘Single’

The Lean Singleton Inhabits

October 22nd, 2009

yaw53

I live pretty much on my own and I like living with a couple of cats and a fiancé that pops in and out.  I enjoy having my own space but am not thrilled at paying extra for privilege.  When you are a Lean Singleton living on your own, you have to know how and where to get a discount.

In the UK, you get a 25% discount on Council Tax if you live alone, whoopee!  On the other hand, Thames Water, charges you a standard charge regardless if you are living alone or have five kids and the washing machine going 24/7.  I decided to complain and requested a water meter.  Unfortunately my flat can not have a water meter because of a shared boiler but they did offer to put me on a cheaper plan.  This cheaper plan is almost half of what I have been paying.  Why didn’t I know about this earlier?

I urge all my lovely readers to find out if they can get a better deal for their utilities. The great website, Uswitch.com will help you to find the best deals for gas, electricity, broadband, etc.  I apologize to my US readers because as I recall you can not do much about changing suppliers except for the phone, internet and television service.

There are a few other ways I try to economize, I buy large packs of toilet paper when they are on sale even I have to hide the extra rolls in the kitchen.  I also run to the discount section of the supermarket every time I pass one to feed the freezer with quick food singleton luxury food.

Decorating my singleton flat has been made easier by the internet, I have gotten several items off Freecycle including a dresser and an iron.  Don’t let me forget Ebay, how much do I love Ebay over 50% of my furnishing were discovered on Ebay including a 1960′s teak dining table and chairs,a steel hospital trolley,  an Ercol daybed and a ponyskin, faux Barcelona chair. Boy do I adore Ebay.

How do you save on living your singleton life? Any and all tips will be greatly appreciated!

Carnival Time

I am very happy to have been included in Miss Thrifty’s Festival of Frugality 200: Fireworks Night for my post The Lean Singleton Eats.

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The Lean Singleton Eats

October 15th, 2009

Ice cream supper

I have been participating in Menu Monday for a while, after planning my weekly menus I have discovered that I am a boring eater/cook.  The main reason for repeating meals is that I live alone and cooking for one is not that fun.

Being single in your 20′s is a different kettle of fish than being an accomplished adult with grown up taste buds.  I don’t regularly have a bowl of cereal for dinner as I did when I was younger.  I want a real meal, a healthy meal, quite possibly with a glass of wine.  Wine does not go with cereal.

Cooking for one needs to be fast cooking, if you are eating alone you do not want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  Here are a few of my quick food fixes, adult yet Lean style.

Protein – Roast chicken can be made into so many different dishes, the easiest yet most versatile is stock.  I never put a carcass in the bin.  Making stock takes minutes to prepare  just pop it all in the pot, simmer, strain, cool then decant into ice cube trays for easy one serving  portions.

I adore poussin, aka baby chicken.  It is not very expensive and much speedier to cook than a regular chicken.  I particularly like a spatchcock poussin which is a butterflied chicken where you take out the backbone so it cooks quickly.  A spatchcocked chicken is also very easy to cut in half; eat one half and have the other for lunch or another dinner.

Family packs of chops and steaks are also great for a fast fix.  Buy the family pack, break it down into single serving sizes and freeze.

Batch cooking – I feed my freezer on a regular basis – I regularly make spicy chili, a large pot broken down into individual servings. Nothing better than coming home to a spicy hardy meal without cooking, just add rice. I also freeze pasta sauces and stews.

I also make a lot of Mexican food, such a thrifty cuisine. What is cheaper than rice and beans.

How about any other frugal singletons out there, what do you enjoy cooking? I need some more ideas to stave off culinary boredom.

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