February is 'use up' month

Ticklemouse

Ooooh - I cleaned out my cupboards today. You don't want to know how much stuff I found in there - and I have a set of shelves in the garage for storing my bulk purchase tinned goods! Trouble is, I go shopping and find things on special, that I know I have none/vey little of so buy lots. I've bought 6 large tins of lychees this week from Aldi cos I love them I buy my tinned tomatoes by the tray load and my mum has just offloaded lots of rices and pasta onto me.

However, I've finished a conditioner, toothpaste and a baby lotion bottle this week and my kitchen cupboards do look a lot better for a decent tidy and decant

tee_pee_2

Hey whilst you are using up all your old plastic bottles glass jars and tins why not start the spring cleaning with a bang and recycle. Council run tips are now recycling plastic and Tesco also have a plastic section. I started doing it last year, when I was sick of my dust bin overflowing each week. My bin is only half full now.

Spendless

shetitasatic wrote:

I found a big bag of Spinach at the bottom of the freezer. Not sure why I bought it as neither of us really likes it! Looked through the Mega index but can't find anything I fancy!
Isn't there a Greek dish, something like cheese and spinach pie?
I also wondered about some sort of potato, spinach and cheese patties (a bit like fishcakes)
Anyone got any ideas/recipes, please?

I've got half a bag to use up too. What about in a curry (saag). Little bit in a pasta dish. Veggie friend once did me spinach and mushroom pasties in puff pastry and they were lovely. Or if you've got kids let them watch popeye and then heap loads of spinach on their plate;)

Queen.Bess

Well last week I banned myself and OH from going to the supermarket until at least 1st March! Have told him we're making a list of everything in our cupboards, fridge and freezer and see what we can do! I hope that come next Wednesday the Thread 'March is 'Use Up' Month' can be createdand so inspire others to do the same! :money:

On another Thread I found the great website cookingbynumbers.com. Try it if you're coming to the end of your cupboard supplies and see what you can do!! :T

raeble

shetitasatic wrote:

I found a big bag of Spinach at the bottom of the freezer. Not sure why I bought it as neither of us really likes it! Looked through the Mega index but can't find anything I fancy!
Isn't there a Greek dish, something like cheese and spinach pie?
I also wondered about some sort of potato, spinach and cheese patties (a bit like fishcakes)
Anyone got any ideas/recipes, please?

Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne is very nice as well. Delia has got a recipe for one. Seems a bit faffy to me. I'd just replace the beef in normal lasagne with the seasoned spinach and ricotta mixture.

HOLsale

tee_pee wrote:

Hey whilst you are using up all your old plastic bottles glass jars and tins why not start the spring cleaning with a bang and recycle. Council run tips are now recycling plastic and Tesco also have a plastic section. I started doing it last year, when I was sick of my dust bin overflowing each week. My bin is only half full now.

what kind of plastics are they taking?

our council has provided us not only with a paper recycling bin (we live in a block of flats) but a larger bin for cardboard, envelopes, drinks bottles, tetrapaks etc but we can only put in the plastic from drinks bottles and milk as far as i can tell

greentomato

Hello, thanks so much for all the ideas I have found this thread very inspiring!

I had been getting a bid 'down' about the cost of our shopping bills as we are trying to save money so that I can stay on maternity leave for longer, and this has given me a real boost to try harder. Also it feels like a good time of year to do it - spring cleaning, end of winter etc.

I've also stretched this idea to include books. I often think 'oh, I've nothing to read' and buy a new book - so I sorted out my bookshelves and made a separate pile of all the books I haven't read, there are about 15 of them! So I have made a promise to read these before I buy any new ones.

I've made a list of all the bizarre ingredients that are cluttering up my kitchen cupboards - what to do with dried seaweed? millet flakes? cashew nut butter? (all past health kick mistakes I think!)

I have some dried pulses that are out of date by about 6 months - do you think I should throw them away, will they be too tough now to eat?

thanks again everyone (especially the suggestion for using up polenta to make cornbread, it was delicious, my other half said it was the best use of polenta he's eaten) :T

wishingonastar_3

can i ask a question, is it just me or is anyone else feeling they aren't using stuff up quick enough. i know i've got thru quite a bit this month, but when i look at whats left, ifeel despair that some of it will take months to get thru, am i mad???????

Wirenth

I'm continuing to use up all the Christmas gifty toiletries, but hit a snag this morning.
The 'perfume' from one of the gift packs bears a remarkable resemblance to bug spray.

Nope, I'm sorry. It HAS to go in the bin.

squeaky

wishingonastar wrote:

can i ask a question, is it just me or is anyone else feeling they aren't using stuff up quick enough. i know i've got thru quite a bit this month, but when i look at whats left, ifeel despair that some of it will take months to get thru, am i mad???????

Nope

It's surprising just how much gets squirrelled away and how long it can all take to get used up. When I recently emptied my freezer to do a defrost I expected the use up time to be about two weeks and it was more than two months before I could sensibly do it.