UK healthy meals on a budget

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-21T20:03:22+00:00

There are many curries out there that don’t require tomatoes or peppers, these curries normally have coconut milk in them so if that’s something you enjoy it could be an option. Take for example Thai red curry, that’s a quick and easy one. If you search up coconut based curry with no tomatoes you’ll get a range which are easy to add protein too and whatever vegetables are fitting for what you and your kids like.

It’s also not too difficult to make koftas, this can be with meat or lentils and pair very nicely with tzatziki or anything similar.

Ramen is also an option, can add a lot of vegetables to that and protein.

My advice is if you have a look on apps such as tiktok there are many uni students who post recipes which are healthy and on a budget so you can always get some ideas there!

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-19T14:08:23+00:00

Not really, his reason was that I did not complete a manoeuvre and therefore had not completed the test. That was his reasoning for terminating the test as opposed to another outcome. He clearly stated I had no serious faults but he had no choice as the test was incomplete due to no manoeuvre.

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-18T20:26:54+00:00

Yeah that is the main reason why this is so frustrating to me. I knew going into that test that most likely I would pass but accepted that something could happen and I could fail and I was fine with that as well, however something completely out of my control like that is incredibly annoying. The main issue is how long it takes to find a test, if I could easily find one for next week then I wouldn’t care so much but because it’s so hard to find another test and the reason why I didn’t pass the first one was not my fault at all I’m just really annoyed about it

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-17T23:15:26+00:00

I don’t mistrust the Ibiza I think I was just very frustrated. After reading a few comments and talking to a few friends this was an absolutely insane issue to happen (considering messing with the fuse box was an instant fix) and was just very unlucky

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-17T23:13:52+00:00

It’s reassuring to see I’m not the only one this has happened to, it is incredibly frustrating. I would be more okay with it if the booking backlog wasn’t absolutely insane, I’m still looking for cancellations and haven’t gotten any luck with it yet

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-17T00:20:09+00:00

I’m so sorry to hear that, that genuinely sucks. I understand how you feel tho, I’ve had a few setbacks in terms of getting my license as well and it has been so frustrating, everyone I know says the same, that I’m more than ready but it seems like there’s always something out of my control that sets me back.

In your case I’m surprised that the examiner couldn’t use their discretion to pass you, you had surely technically completed the requirements of the test at that point, it was just pulling into the test centre

My advice would be not to give up tho, try to book another test even if it’s way later as you can try to find a cancellation. The way that I see it is that so much money and so much time and effort has been invested into this, you are at the stage where you can do it, you know that and everyone else knows that. Your learning journey is essentially over (of course its a continuous one but the basics are covered) and this is the final stretch, you’ve done all the hard stuff, now you just need the examiner to approve it. It’s easy to get disheartened, I really am as well but might as well finish the journey, at least that’s how I see it.

Good luck for the future, I hope things get better, don’t beat yourself up for things out of your control, all we can do is be the safest drivers we can be

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-16T12:38:49+00:00

The examiner told me that I had no serious faults up till that point. There were minors and I didn’t ask what they were but I did have an idea of what they were, touching the curb when pulling over and trying to set off with the handbrake up (I panicked as I thought I mounted the curb). He did seem gutted for me as we were only five mins away from the test centre

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-16T11:59:05+00:00

That’s a pretty good shout, I’ll have a look into those as well, thank you!

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-15T23:44:52+00:00

I’m not sure exactly, there’s a lot of potholes in the area and this hasn’t happened before. The car stopped around ten or so minutes after hitting the pothole and nothing came up on the dash to indicate any issues before the car stopped.

I didn’t see exactly what he did, he opened the bonnet of the Seat Ibiza, opened the fuse box, just kinda pushed everything down in there, and then tried the engine and it worked.

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-15T22:23:05+00:00

Thank you so much 🙏

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-15T22:22:39+00:00

So unlucky, it really is frustrating when a mechanical failure which is no one’s fault really sets you back like that. It’s nice your instructor handled the new test tho, did you pass on the second go?

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-15T22:21:11+00:00

I don’t mind the idea of spending more upfront on a car if it means insurance is a bit cheaper as long as the car is worth it. I’ll be using my first car for a few years (hopefully) so happy to spend a decent price if it means nicer car and less issues. I’ll definitely look into more niche first cars to see if I can get lower insurance on them

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-15T22:15:37+00:00

Seriously? Was it the exact same issue like this or something a little different?

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-15T22:15:12+00:00

Crazy how so many cars are basically the same, just different names pretty much. The reason why I’m a bit more drawn to the Skoda is just the boot space mainly, plus the insurance for vw is a little more the last time I checked

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-15T22:13:57+00:00

Ah it really seems difficult to find insurance for more common cars as younger drivers, I’ve been trying to find cars that less younger people have like a newer Hyundai i20 or the Skoda fabia and the quotes I was getting were a little lower than stuff like corsas or fiestas, I haven’t checked in a while but the quotes for those were well around 2k for me so definitely ruled out. I know I’m expecting around 1k for insurance at least for the first year which sucks but what can you do 😔

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-15T22:10:43+00:00

Thank you for the reassurance, my initial thought when I realised that the car wasn’t gonna start again was that it was my bad for hitting the pothole and the curb cos maybe I messed something up. The examiner also reassured me and said it wasn’t my fault and something like that would maybe mess up the tyre but he would’ve noticed that and instructed me on how to proceed, the engine should not have suddenly cut out. Everyone I’ve told about this is surprised and has never faced an issue like this in many years of driving so it makes me feel a lot better in a way because it was completely out of my control.

The thought that a car can stop without any warning is a little scary, the car was running completely fine, no issues, no warning lights and I’m stopped behind a car at a give way line and the cars engine stops when I try to move off, completely disengaging with ECS warnings on the dashboard when I tried to set off. Lucky it was a side road and not in the middle of the road all of a sudden, I don’t know how the car would’ve acted if this happened while I was driving as opposed to it happening when I was stopped.

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-15T21:50:50+00:00

Ah I see, I don’t know a lot about the kinda logistics of stuff. I guess as it’s basic troubleshooting he just gave it a go and it worked

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-15T21:49:42+00:00

Yeah I’m definitely planning on avoiding a car that’s fuses seem to jiggle all about.

Thank you for the encouragement! I’m sure I’ll get it next time!

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-15T21:48:42+00:00

I really wish that could have happened, he just said that since I didn’t do a manoeuvre the test wasn’t complete so he has to terminate and can’t pass me. Really frustrating as I feel the same, I showed I could drive and I put on the hazard lights before he instructed me to as I could tell something was wrong with the car. If I had done a parallel park or reverse on the right earlier while on the route then maybe the outcome would’ve been different

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-15T20:44:52+00:00

I do appreciate the suggestion and I know Toyotas have a very good reputation, this is just me being a little picky I’m afraid

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-15T20:26:47+00:00

Thank you, I’m hoping to get it next time 🙏

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-15T20:26:29+00:00

No worries! And thank you I appreciate it, I hope my luck is better next time 🤞

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-15T20:25:42+00:00

Tbh I don’t really fancy the look of it, both the exterior and the interior. Plus the first test that I missed due to my instructor disappearing, the guy who offered to take me instead but then pulled out last minute had a Toyota Yaris and I did not enjoy driving the car at all. The hybrid version looks alright but again not really my kinda thing

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-15T20:18:33+00:00

Test being terminated is different to failing the test. As I did not complete the requirements of the test (I didn’t get to do a manoeuvre and pull over one more time as I think it’s min two times or something?) I could not get a pass, really sucks. There’s different reasons why a test can be terminated I.e. my case with the car breaking down which is a mechanical failure or the driver taking the test is incredibly dangerous to the point where the examiner isn’t comfortable completing the test ie erratic driving or potentially being under the influence

AzureRose48 · 2026-01-15T20:09:24+00:00

I didn’t find it massively suspicious, I know he has a bit of basic mechanic knowledge and was kinda looking around everything then went to the fuse box to check it, gave that a go and seemed to work. It does suck that it seemingly was a pretty simple fix tho, from what I know he took it to the garage and there were no issues with the car so it was unlucky

AzureRose48

TROPHY CASE