Quidco!

Firstly, let me make clear that this isn't a sponsored blog post. No one's asked me to write about Quidco, or cash-back sites in general. This is just me discussing it because I love getting cash back. It makes looking for a bargain easier and spending money less painful.

Many of you have probably heard of cash-back sites and use them in one guise or another. There's not just Quidco, although this is the one I use, others include Top Cashback and RPoints. There are also ones you can use to fundraise, like Gift for Charity. If you haven't seen them before, basically they are a middle man who offers deals to get you to buy at particular stores. There's a great explanation at Moneywise if you want to know more.

I've been using Quidco online for four or five years. I don't always remember to do it but the tool bar usually prompts me if I forget. It's generally from places I would buy anyway but occasionally I choose based on the prices I get going through Quidco. For expensive items, like car hire or holidays, it can make a big difference. I've not bought anything like that this year but just by using it for things like books and clothes I've got £244.27 cash back so far this year. For buying things I was going to buy anyway. Bargain, right? I got £70 when I changed my phone over. Everything is exactly the same as if I had done it in a store, only I had an extra £70 in my pocket. It's fab!

Anyway, Quidco has always been in the background of my PC but now, oh! now I've got the app and I'm in love with it all over again.  Not only can you earn money for "checking in" at various stores (I earned 90p today from the comfort of my chair in Starbucks) you get exclusive discounts like 25% off anything at Dorothy Perkins, or 30% off everything at the Body Shop. You can also register your card and get cash back for shopping in stores. Do you want to pay £50 for those shoes or £35? It's a no brainer.

I don't care if you use Quidco or one of the other sites, but if you're shopping then you should definitely be using one.

January Meal Plan

The need to feel in control of meals and money again has led me to meal plan early. My aim for January is to bring each week's shopping in at £60 or less. I know I can do it if I plan and shop sensibly. It certainly can't hurt to try.

My handicaps are 2 fussy child eaters, 1 of whom won't eat potatoes or sauce in any form, and one whose likes and dislikes change on a whim; and a husband who eats a lot, but none of it pasta. On my side are my slow cooker, a love of baking, and a wealth of delicious and inexpensive ideas courtesy of all the lovely recipe bloggers out there.

Here are my 28 meals for January. I figure left overs will take care of the other 3 days. I have listed them vaguely order of shopping rather than order of eating. I have a big freezer so will either cook in advance (eg: beef stew will also be pie filling with a few tweaks), or cut meat into meal size portions and freeze.

I tend to use frozen vegetables in winter as they are cheaper and I can cook them in just the portion sizes I need, so where I have just put something like 'pot roast', it will be pot roast, peas and potatoes for example. I'll still be doing Mrs M's Meal Planning Monday linky each Monday.

1.       BBQ chicken fajita layer

2.       Meatloaf

3.       Fridge fajita

4.       Pot roast

5.       Beef stew

6.       Beef pie

7.       Chicken stew

8.       Chicken pie

9.       Chicken curry

10.   Chinese lemon chicken

11.   Creamy Chicken Casserole*

12.   Beer chicken (chicken pieces cooked in crock pot in beer)

13.   Sausage casserole

14.   Sausage plait

15.   Rissoles

16.   Gammon, chips, peas and egg

17.   Pesto baked potatoes and gammon

18.   Ham and Potato casserole*

19.   Chilli and rice

20.   Chilli fajita layer

21.   Pizza

22.   Make you own wraps

23.   Pulled pork

24.   Egg, beans and chips

25.   Cranberry pork*

26.   Quorn, noodle & veg stir fry

27.   Root vegetable stew*

28.   Fridge fried rice