Is it possible for this girl to be permanently OS?

01001011

Besides the above, it may help if you leave all cards at home and just bring enough cash for what you intend to buy.

kazmeister

Hi Jo1972

I've posted this a couple of times before just in case anyone recognises it!

For whatever reasons I had cupboardfuls and freezers full of food but still didnt know what to do for tea each night and invariably went and bought more. OH didnt help either as when he picked DD up from school they used to go to Mr T's and he would come home with carrier bags of yellow stickered stuff.

I however realised it was ridiculous and started by making a list of everything in the freezer which I now keep in a folder in the kitchen which I have been using for over a year now. I date it when I put it in so I can rotate the older stuff as I used to find stuff that had been in there 2 - 3 years! Recently I have made a list of cupboard contents and I have a lot in there as well. Dont feel embarrassed by what you have I'm sure mine is worse!

I now meal plan as follows
1 x Roast day
1 x Pasta day
1 x Rice day
1 x Meat day
1 x Fish day
1 x Snack day
1 x Other day

This gives us a variety and you will soon build up loads of different things to do (I have just recently checked my old lists and found that the max amount we have had 1 dish is 6 times in 15 weeks)

I start with the roast (using what I have from the freezer) as usually I can get another meal for the 4 of us (2 kids 10 and 17).

So roast pork on Sunday becomes sweet n sour pork eg on Tuesday (which would become Rice day) so thats 2 days done and to the shopping list I have added veg, a jar of sweet n sour sauce ( i use Sharwoods small jar with no bits in) and maybe a pineapple (as hate tinned).

For 4 of us I usually use half a side of a chicken leaving the other half for a meal. the rest of the plate is filled with 3 veg roasties and yorky puds.

A quick and easy chicken "pie" would be to use the leftover chicken heated up in gravy topped with ready made puff pastry that I have rolled out, cut up into portion sizes, then put in the oven to cook while the veg and chicken are cooking. Spoon the chicken and gravy onto the plate and place a piece of pie on top!

Then I find something from the freezer to fill in one of the other days and then only add things to the shopping list that we havent got.

To me its a really easy plan to follow and it seems to work and I dont do anything too complicated.

Snack day is usually planned around when we have to rush out to sports clubs etc and need something quick.

Heres some ideas
Roast - Chicken, Pork, Beef. Lamb, Turkey
Pasta - Spag bol, Macaroni cheese, Sausage pasta, Pasta Carbonara,
Meat - Cold roast, chips n beans, Pork chops, Lamb chops, Sausage and Mash. Sausage casserole, Shepherds or Cottage pie (made by mincing leftover roast), Toad in the hole, Beef casserole (with dumplings) Liver & Bacon, Spanish Stew, Steak Pie n veg.
Fish - Fish fingers, Tuna/Tomato stew, Grilled Rainbow Trout (both kids love it), Fish cakes, Pan fried cod with HM chips or mash, Fish casserole.
Rice - Chicken Curry, Sweet n Sour, Chilli con Carne (mild for kids) Kebabs with a rice salad, Kedgeree or anything served with rice
Snacks - Sausage Pasta, Hot Dogs, Pizza, Tortilla wraps, Fish n Chips, Omelette, Chicken and Ham rolls, Burgers, Quiche, Jacket Potatoes, Salad
Other - Can be a duplication of any other day, a takeaway, Meal out, or leftovers from the fridge/freezer.

By using this plan I have really reduced the contents of my freezer (but not emptied it yet) and if I see a special offer at least now I have the room to put it in. It also means that I can check what I need for the next day and get it out of the freezer in advance so that when I get in from work at 5 we can have tea on the table by 6 instead of 8!

Try if for a month and see if you can stick within your budget and remember Martins mantra - do I need it etc.

In addition to the above I love Easycook magazine which comes out every couple of months which I get loads of ideas from. Most of the meals I cook only take half an hour and yes I do cheat by using an occasional jar of sauce but hey I'm a fulltime working mum with a partner who usually works 12 hour shifts.

Hope this helps

Kaz

PS the book "how to feed a family ..................." the one with the very very long title with a garlic crusher and a saucepan with an ill fitting lid in it is a really good read and is not just a recipe book

clutterydrawer

It's alllllll about the mealplanning, I find.
I have been good at mealplans and shopping lists ever since i left home but recently i've been really pedantic about them and have found it's paid off. There is nothing in my fridge or cupboards that doesn't have its future all planned out! I tend to pad out more expensive things with veg and lentils and I've become a lot less picky about buying "value" or other similar items...

The things I found most helpful thoguh was just coming on here every day, picking up a couple of tips at a time, and putting them all into practise when the opportunity arose....it's a gradual process.

Ada_Doom

Kazmeister i found that a really useful post, that seems like a simple fuss free way of meal planning, thanks!

btw can somebody please tell me where the thanks button is? thanks!;)

Ada_Doom

ok, the thanks button has now appeared. Does that only happen once you have posted?

bellaquidsin

jo, you've had lots of good tips and ideas presented here for meal planning, stretching the budget etc., but no-one has said anything about your future plans for growning veg.

You mention growing in tubs and pots until you get your jungle tamed and I think that is a very good idea.

Once you start producing some live leaves (lovely salads coming up) you'll be hooked and won't be able to clear a patch quick enough to get growing in the ground. Try some cut and come again lettuce and raddishes. The children will enjoy helping with this too.

Bella.

Bella79

after reading this im gonna give meal planning another go , im moving in a few weeks and could do with running the freezers down and saving some money

If i post what ive got in later can i have some help please ? x

ta x

Penny-Pincher!!

Hi There!

It's not too difficult....I promise;) Up to 3-4 years ago, we easily spent £100+ each week and bought 2-3 take-aways a week and there is only 3 of us. We now average (with food price increases) around £50 a week, but this includes everything and we eat well. I could cut this further if I wanted to get cheaper meat/poultry etc.

I tend to do an online shop from Ocado every 2 weeks and use a voucher code for £10 off and spend approx £75 after BOGOF's, delivery and voucher codes. I rarely have problems with them but if I have, then I get an instant refund and their CS are excellent.

OH gets top ups of fruit, veg, fridge stuff from any local store he is near. Usually Sainsburys, TEsco or market.

I mealplan weekly and it usually goes something like this:

Roast (Chicken or Lamb)
Fish (Pie, pieces or fingers)
Shepherds Pie (minced lamb, beans & onion)
Curry (leftover meat from roast)
Egg & Chips (oven chips)
Sausages (plain, toad in hole or cassarole & baked spud)
Chilli & Tacos

With the warmer weather we will have things like:

Quiche, New Pots & Salad
Cold Chicken Pieces & Salad
Rice/Pasta Salad & Boiled Egg
Omelette
Stir Fry
Pizza & Salad
HM Coleslaw & Tuna

HTH

PP
xx

Teahfc

For something different and really tasty try Sweet Potatoes, they are not as they sound and of you gte the red skin /orange flesh ones they are delishh.

Mashed, Roasted Chipped they are lovely mix in with regular white mash for something different.

I bet if 100 people tried them 50 would buy them again ! :beer:

Sublime_2

Lots of vegetables and trimmings like batter puddings, will make your chicken go further. So portion up the chicken legs and slice the breast. Thats a roast dinner for day 1 sorted.

For Day 2, use all the leftover chicken in a stir fry, curry, casserole, pitta bread wraps, whatever. Make it go further with salad, rice, couscous, pasta, etc.

Day 3, use the chicken carcass to make a lovely stock, for some soup.

Done. :A