£300 -6 months shopping list help needed

Hippygirl

Wow! Well done!

not sure whether your garage is mouse-proof, but might be an idea to store pasta in rodent-proof containers?

mum_of_4

D&DD wrote: »

Nothing wrong with using space thats not in use I've got PG tips on top of ours

I'd love to have a garage for storage,the shelving system sounds ideal.

Re the flour I bought some cheap lidded stackable boxes from Wilkinsons and after freezeing transferred the packets into these for double insurance against any wee beasties
Don't decant the sugar as I find in store it tends to go clumpy if taken out of the bags before use.
If you have room keep an eye out on Freecycle for those wooden rack things,many people get rid of those but they are ideal for food storage

So can i just check - do i put the packets straight into the freezer as they are or put them in a say ice cream container first. After 24 hours do i take them out and say do what you suggested and store them in some lidded storage boxes.

Scubabe

Hi Maz,

My grandmother always used to just chuck a 2kg bag of flour inside a plastic (shopping) bag, and leave it to freeze for a day or two. Then she'd remove it from the freezer and put the flour (still in its 2kg bag) into a large tin box she had just for flour. Thus the freezer killed any weevil eggs in the flour, and storing it in a tin then removed/reduced the chance that anything else would get into it.

She never once had a problem with flour, even when it was 6 months old. She always said it lasted forever that way.

Great shopping, well done!!!

Ness

Idiophreak

bertiebots wrote: »

I pressume the poster hasn't read the post properly because they haven't realised that the OP grows all her own :rolleyes: .....

You can grow multi-vitamins!?

D&DD

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=10267561&postcount=6
This is how I do ours

I always pack them in the original bags then into the boxes so you have 2 lines of defence against the bugs. *touch wood* I've never had any 'visitors' in mine using this method and I sometimes have packets knocking around for a year or more if they are speciality flours.

mum_of_4

This is my meal plan for this week. I've included Monday as i uesd a pack of sausage listed as being in fridge pus it's easy to start a budget diary on a Monday which i'm going to try and keep up with so i can keep track of everything? None of the meals require me to buy anything in but next week i will start eating into my £200 budget. Oh and i will need to buy milk and topup fruit around friday. Need a fish pie recipe.

Mon - Lunch - egg sandwiches
Dinner - Sauasage pasta bake (packet of sausages) with french beans no pudding too full
Tu - Lunch - Pasta from last night
Dinner - Chunky vegtable soup with sundried tomato & parmasan bread + portion of cherry & marzipan cake
Wed- Lunch - vegetable cous cous, peppers, sweetcorn, peas, spring onions, chicken stock
Dinner - Cottage pie (lamb) with parsnip & potato mash, french beans,carrots + 5 min lemon spondge
Thurs - Lunch - eggs sandwiches for children, veg soup for OH,me and DD2
Dinner - Tuna pasta with garlic bread + raspberry flap jacks
Fri - Lunch - pasta from last night for children sopu for OH, me and DD2
Dinner - Fish pie (Never made before) with mix of veg + ???????
Sat - Lunch - pasta with Tomato sauce
Dinner - HM pizzas with toppings from store cupboard and fridge
Snacks cake, flapjacks and fruit
Sun - Lunch - Roast chicken, roast potatoes, sprouts, carrots, parsnips + raspberries topped with cream fraiche brown suger then grilled
- leek & potao soup with HM bread rolls

purpleivy

Did I miss something? I didn't really understand the need to go out and spend the whole £200/300 at once. I would find that I had run out of something and all I had in the freezer was mince! I have a good size kitchen, cellar and freezer, but would still find huge extra quantities kicking around a problem.

sandraroffey

jamie olivers 'fantastic fish pie' is the best!! i make it using whatever fish i have to hand but i find that always adding a bit of smoked haddock makes it even better. and lots of veggies in it as well. and never mind spending the change on a big bottle of multi vits - you've more than earned a very large bottle of wine!!!!! do so envy you; that is one hell of a shop and so carefully planned as well. bet you make all your own preserves as well??? thought so!!!!! great stuff.xxxx

mum_of_4

purpleivy wrote: »

Did I miss something? I didn't really understand the need to go out and spend the whole £200/300 at once. I would find that I had run out of something and all I had in the freezer was mince! I have a good size kitchen, cellar and freezer, but would still find huge extra quantities kicking around a problem.

My Mum gave me £300 on tesco clubcards to help us out and what with flour, pasta and meat going up in price well everthing!! i wanted to try and get the best possible use of the money.

It might turn out to be a nightmare but i'm going to give it my best shot. I also have £200 for the things like cheese, butter and milk and fruit.

mum_of_4

sandraroffey wrote: »

jamie olivers 'fantastic fish pie' is the best!! i make it using whatever fish i have to hand but i find that always adding a bit of smoked haddock makes it even better. and lots of veggies in it as well. and never mind spending the change on a big bottle of multi vits - you've more than earned a very large bottle of wine!!!!! do so envy you; that is one hell of a shop and so carefully planned as well. bet you make all your own preserves as well??? thought so!!!!! great stuff.xxxx

:rotfl: thanks

I don't actually make my preserves but would love to. Tomatos were not great this year due to the weather i had 52 plants that got blight. i made a good few batches of sauce and dried a few but also wanted to make chutney but couldn't.

I have thought about getting a bee hive for my plot but i think the set up is quite a bit.

Some of the Mum's laugh at me i'm sure they think i've been watching the goodlife re-runs. They can't believe a 35 year old Mum of young children can be so focused on feeding and growing for the family. i just thought i did what everyone else did