Fiscal Fast – 7 days no spending (at all)

catznine · 5 March 2012 at 9:20PM

Today went well! The casserole was the remaining half bag of some frozen quorn, frozen sliced leeks, an onion, gravy with a slug of "past it" red wine added and some dumplings all in the slowcooker. In the other (Mums old tower) slowcooker I put the remainders of a large tin of processed peas, an onion and a potato in stock and cooked up then blitzed and heated through with some oddments of ham, Pea and ham soup for starters. Didn't need a pudding.

As I wrote in the earlier post I did no shopping beforehand for this - haven't shopped for a fortnight so not really planned this, no menu plan as such just winging it each day. To see how long I can put off doing any shopping. I used some dried milk powder with water for a hot choc drink this morning after walking the dog (so cold today) this hopefully will save my limited milk supply. Milk and eggs have become very precious now!:)

I think it is a great idea to use up some stores, empty and defrost a freezer, save money (hopefully a whole weeks housekeeping) and will let me know where I normally spend/waste my money.

I have some unfinished craft projects to do so not bored either! Fingers crossed tomorrow (day 5) goes well!

Aarons_mummy · 6 March 2012 at 12:28AM

I do it a lot really apart from buying in a less than £10 worth in A*da of fresh fruit and veg/milk. I haven't done a proper shop in ages, it's all been the <£10 per week for ages due to really tight cash flow. I do have some money next week so have an A*da order for £50 in and an approved foods order to stock up on a few things from there. It feels good to be able to spend money again!!!

[Deleted User] · 6 March 2012 at 11:22AM

Just made a banana custard with the last banana and I found a tin of evaporated milk in the cupboard so it made two pints of milk when watered down.So no need to open my long life stuff just yet.I also made a jelly from the cupboards and have five small portions cooling in some empty yoghurt pots With the left over custard thats in a small jug at the moment when the jelly has set I will pour some cold custard on top so I have around 6 puddings made from stuff from the cupboard to go into the fridge.
NSD today either as I still have wraps to use up instead of bread and enough fruit in the bowls to last me a bit longer.So Day Six and nothing spent from my food purse .Tonight I have left over shepards pie from yesterday for dinner, with half a tin of baked beans and the banana custard for pud.The other half tin of beans is in the fridge in a box for tomorrow as I have found a few chipolateas in the freezer which I will have with my last jacket potato for dinner tomorrow night.(I have 8 portions of mashed spuds in the freezer so I won't go short of potato's)

I have two 'on the turn' sweet peppers that I am going to turn into sweet pepper and tomato soup shortly from a recipe that elsiepac posted on here a few weeks ago.With a dollop of lazy garlic and some veggie stock and a tin of chopped up tomato's that will make me enough for a couple of days and help use up my wrinkly peppers.Hope everyone is enjoying this as much as I am.

Ilona · 6 March 2012 at 11:39AM

catznine wrote: »

Fiscal Fast – 7 days no spending (at all)
I’ve started a Fiscal Fast this week, stop spending for 7 days! Completely and absolutely (well apart from really necessary bills dd’s etc) You live on the food you already have in but also no spending on greeting cards, papers, presents, drinking, cinema, going out etc., You are allowed to fill up your car with petrol and get in a stock of milk for the kids.

I am on day 4 today and it is very illuminating! It is not just about the spending on food but every other little thing that you would open your purse/wallet for! I have had to stop myself going out shopping twice already and I thought I had cracked this frugality life! J Yesterday it was to get a little present for my daughters new kitten! Instead I found some fleece and ran up a little blanket for her bed instead! I could also have knitted a little toy mouse from wool scraps.

If I have been missing an ingredient for a meal then I substitute or make up the meal as I go along! Getting some interesting meals from the slowcooker this week!(Hoping to get to the bottom of the freezer as well) Ilona on her “Life after Money”blog mentioned that the store cupboard challenge doesn’t go far enough as we can go to the shops if we want to! This challenge is like imagining you are snowed in and have no choice but to manage and find ways of coping! I appreciate that with small children this would not be so easy but maybe on a quiet week (no school trips, birthdays etc) it would be possible.

Anyone else fancy giving this a go? I am hoping to have saved about £50 on food and maybe another £20 on unplanned spends! I am definately going to do this again!

Hi catznine, it's great that you are giving this a go. I have been reading the 'eating from the store cupboard' thread, and yes it doesn't go far enough. I took it to the extreme, eating everything I had in the house, except a few items that I couldn't possibly make a meal out of. It's amazing how inventive you become.

Changing your spending habits is all about changing your mindset. It's easy to get into bad habits by opening your purse on a whim. If you keep it tightly shut and tell yourself that the money inside belongs to you, and you alone have the power to decide how to spend it, you're on the way to a good habit. If a coffee and bun every morning is more important than say owning your own house, becoming debt free, or having a decent car, then so be it. You can have your coffee, but be prepared to rent for the rest of your life, always owing money to someone, and driving round in an old banger. The choice is yours.

Keep on with your new frugal spending habits, it will become the norm to think very carefully about where your money goes. Leave your purse at home so the temptation to spend is removed when you are out.

When you come to stock up your empty cupboards and freezer do not go mad and blow a couple of hundred quid in one go, you will be back to square one. But spread your food stocks recovery over several weeks. Study prices, cherry pick a few bargains here and there from different stores, build it up slowly. And carry on being inventive with your cooking. In time it will become habit never to impulse shop again. In six months go through the whole 'eating out of the store cupboard' again. I guarantee with this mindset you will never throw out any food again, because you will be eating it all. Good luck with it.
Ilona

catznine · 6 March 2012 at 11:47AM

Aarons Mum and Jackie O -you sound like masters of this already! I have a fruit and veg box delivered every 2 weeks, the last one was last wednesday - 2 days before I started this so with that and the veg and fruit in the freezer we are keeping to the 5 a day. Have another 7 days until the next one comes though!

I am loving this myself, found some fruit bread slicesI had frozen long ago and forgotten about - made a nice snack toasted. I managed to make 16 fruit scones using up some milk that had started to turn, I can't afford to waste any milk now it has become a precious resource! 8 scones are in the freezer ready in case I have visitors. I must make some yogurt as I hate to run out of that, I have just enough milk to spare for that and I will flavour it myself with the odds and ends of jam in the fridge. Found some potatoes that needed using so they are peeled and in a pan ready for tonights dinner. Just have to dive into the depths of the chest freezer to see what else is lurking there!:eek::o

Moving away from food I need to make a couple of "thinking of you" cards for friends going through a hard time atm so must start looking through the craft stuff as I can't just pop to the shops and buy the cards anymore. Luckily we have some stamps in the draw so I can send them. I guess if we didn't it would be shanks pony to get them where they belong or an e card! This is certainly making me think around the problems for a solution!

I ran out of hand soap yesterday but just topped up the containers with some cheap shampoo I had that needed using up. It works just as well and is quite gentle on the skin.

Right this is day 5 and I need to see what I have and menu plan!

Edited to say Hi :wave: to Ilona! I love reading your blog! What you said on there stayed with me and then, on coming across Jeff Yeagers videos, I thought time to do something about this! I am ashamed to say that I have 3 freezers

in use, yes they have a lot of garden produce in but also silly odds and ends and it is all so disorganised and uses up electricity too! The oldest one (in the walk in larder) is going to go, I have decided, and then I can pop a cupboard into the gap instead (from freecycle hopefully) and use that for storing canned goods or all the preserves I have made. Thanks for the inspiration! Going to keep going and my mortgage will be paid off!

modern_millie_2 · 6 March 2012 at 11:50AM

Hi Catznine, this sounds a brilliant idea, I'm going to give it a go from today. Two exceptions - coffee with DD on Friday - long standing tradition, but I will forgo the cake - ditto with OH on Sunday.
I have some bread in freezer, but also bread flour if desperate, about 3 pts fresh and 2pts long life milk, 2 tins of Carnation if desperate, basic veg (carrots, potatoes, onions) and a bit of frozen. I had a bit of a reality check today looking at forthcoming bills, and would dearly love to book a weekend away. Just 3 of us at home, with plenty of dried/tinned goods, and hopefully enough cat food!
Well done on your progress so far. Will look at the links later - sound interesting.

catznine · 6 March 2012 at 12:08PM

Welcome aboard Modern Millie!

It's quite liberating to step off the whole consumer way of life for a while! Mind you I am looking forward to the choosing of a nice bar of choc for Mr Catz at the end of this, he does love his chocolate and he has been so good about it all and quite supportive where he can (he does have work expenses and had one social commitment that he had to keep) I have given sweets up for Lent so can't join in with that treat! Maybe a good book or fabric remnant from the charity shop though! The rest is going into the "pay off the mortgage" savings:j

mogwai · 6 March 2012 at 1:47PM

I'd love to do this, I keep meaning to empty my cupboards and freezer by meal planning from them, but forget when it comes to doing a shop!

Have just ordered a bunch of things from Mr T, if this challenge is still running next week, I may join - if only to be able to have some space back in my freezer and cupboards! (my kitchen is small)

Good luck with it!

catznine · 6 March 2012 at 2:16PM

Hi Mogwai! I think this challenge is one that we can all pop into and do for 7 days and pop out of again until the next time it is needed! Bit like that skipping game :rotfl:It can be to free up some money short term or to save away some extra or to focus on de-cluttering the fridge,freezer and larder. Please join in whenever it suits you! I am going to see how long we can go for now but will definately do this again!

For lunch I found a portion of leftover hm cream of veg soup and some pakoras! I love them but they are too spicy for Mr Catz so they are mine all mine! insert cackling laugh!:D The last of a big tub of yogurt and a handful of blueberries for afters. Free exercise was walking the dog and had a lovely chat with another dog walker, so feel much brighter! Card making this afternoon!

modern_millie_2 · 6 March 2012 at 3:25PM

Hi all, this challenge is really making me think about what we have and the best use of it, food and otherwise. Remembered I have a craft group next Friday, but I've decided to give it a miss as coffee would have to be bought (it's held in a cafe) and missing one and saving the petrol will do me no harm.
Mr MM a little bemused by all this but willing to go along, bless him. He's not a big spender and as I always cook he agrees to eating whatever I put in front of him!

I'd already got a stew on the go before I spotted the thread, but I'm cooking a veg chilli now for tomorrow as there was a bit of celery lurking which needed using.

I've just finished a book by Peter Mortimer, journalist from the North East, written in 1998 when he walked from Plymouth to Edinburgh with no money. Very insightful in terms of how excluded he feels, especially in urban areas, and the suspicion - and help- he encounters. Found the book in a charity shop, don't know if it's still available, but a good read.

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Fiscal Fast – 7 days no spending (at all)

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