Store cupboard challenge

Isklar

Nuala this is a great idea and I'll be following your thread with interest. I'm single and I spend far, far too much on food. I think you'll inspire me!

NJW69

I'm half way through defrosting my 'frost free' fridge freezer! I've got loads of stuff I'd forgotten about in a crate outside all wrapped up and keep chipping a bit more off the freezer as it thaws. I'm going to make a list and then plan what to use each day and see what I save in shopping money. :j

Little_Vics

We've decided to just buy all the fresh fruit and veg we need, with bits and pieces for packed lunches for Nov using the freezer for the rest of it, and then - get this - we are ONLY spending our tesco vouchers (about £65) in Dec so it should be a completely money-free grocery bill! eek!! Can't wait to have all that lovely cash in the bank to whack onto a credit card!

gizmomum

Huge apologies for replying so late when you've all helped so much. Am on my mobile so a bit difficult! Sausare meatballs in hm sauce in oven and stretchy chicken at the ready. Thanks again all more when I'm logged on properly x.

NualaBuala

Good point Ollie. Mind you, I think I could live on turkey sambos for a month - I love Christmas leftovers! In fact we deliberately buy extra so we can eat leftovers!:o I usually don't cook a proper meal until New Year!

Glad I'm not the only one, beemuzed! I did my first small shop in Mr T's today - but more about that tomorrow! There is a nice feeling from having a well-stocked freezer and store cupboard. But I guess where I went wrong was not having a method to my stocking. But hopefully I'll have worked out a great system for keeping track of what I've got and shopping according to meal plans. Hope you've got your larder and/or freezer sorted and didn't spend too much at Mr T!

Barneysmom - it's advice like yours that'll get me sorted over the next 10 weeks. Keep that OS wisdom coming!:T

Stilernin, we should start Tinned Tomatoes Anonymous!:D I find it so hard to walk past a special offer. And I know some of the time they're worth it - I just need to be more discriminating.

Sandra, I'm trying to do what you're doing - I still haven't finished writing down all the food I've got in. I also want to get fit and as soon as my dodgy ankle has healed up I want to start walking regularly. Best of luck with your meal planning, exercise and money-saving!

Taterduck, you have such a great name! Thanks for the good wishes and here's wishing the same to you. I love your idea of sticking notes inside the cupboard doors - I'm going to borrow that one. I'm hoping that this challenge will get me into good habits for the future and that will stop me overstocking on stuff I don't need.

Thanks Tori - £30 a week sounds great for 5 people. Even though it's just me I used to spend a fortune on milk. I think I used to go through about 6L a week! Nowadays I'm down to about 1L a week - I make my porridge with water and seem to be drinking less tea. Best of luck sticking to your budget - lets hope we all start 2010 with our grocery spend well in hand!

Thanks Nancy and best of luck to you keeping your spend under a tenner. I'm going to do what you're doing and shop according to need rather than grabbing things that look good.

Best of luck Bex, I've always wanted a chest freezer but I'm starting to think it's just as well I don't since I don't even know what's lurking in my 4 freezer drawers!:rotfl:I'm quite partial to junk food (hope I don't get kicked off OS for admitting that) and I'm hoping this will help me eat proper healthy meals. When are you going away? I hope you have a lovely time.

Thanks Seakay! I'm thrilled to bits with all the replies and encouragement and people doing their own store cupboard challenges!

Isklar, thank you - I spend way too much too. Mainly on tins of tomatoes apparently! Lets say nothing about my little chocolate and midget gem addiction for now!

NJW69 - ugh, defrosting! I hope my 'frost free' one doesn't let me down. It's one job I hate doing. On the plus side, at least you'll know what you've got in your freezer - good luck with that and hope you save lots of money! I found sausages in mine that have probably been there since last Christmas. They look fine though and I think I feel Toad in the Hole coming on.

Little Vics - you sound terrifically organised! That's fantastic to be able to use your Tesco vouchers. I had a load saved but used them up a few months ago. Now that would have been a fantastic challenge. Best of luck - it'll be a great feeling paying off that bit extra. I've already done a bit of overpaying using my online banking and I felt really pleased with myself. :A

NualaBuala

This isn't going to be easy. I got my first small shop today and spent €7.90 in Tesco so I'm already into my budget for Week 2!

I got 2kg of carrots, a head of celery, organic yoghurts, organic fairtrade bananas and ryvita. Normally I shop in Lidl and Aldi for my veg which would be cheaper but I'm out of action at the moment and was dependent on someone else so couldn't be picky. I didn't need the yoghurts (there I go stocking up again) but they had 50% extra free so it was worth it.

So I've €2.10 for the next 2 weeks.:eek: I still think I can do it though!

Inventory still not finished but I do have my plan for the next couple of days. Mushroom risotto for dinner tomorrow and Monday. I'll make soup for lunches - maybe some soda bread to go with it. Breakfast is porridge with raisins or banana. And there are yoghurts and other bits and pieces for snacks.

I had an individual cottage pie tonight and to make the most of the oven being on I baked a Fruit Scone Round. I had a bit after dinner and it was scrummy. There's lots left but knowing me it won't last long!:D

[Deleted User]

I too have been trying to get my freezer down to a reasonable position where I can defrost it The ice on the top shelf is so deep I think I could make an igloo out of it.I have been using thing up as much as I can and have cut my monthly shopping allowance down to £120.00 for a four week cycle ;around £30.00 per week and I too live alone.But I do tend to buy quite a bit of fruit and veg. This week I have got £11.85 left from my £30.00 which is good and next tuesday will be the start of my last week before starting a new four-week cycle again.
I have no shopping to get for awhile so I'm hoping for lots of No Spend Days next week. The GC challenge board is brilliant for this and very encouraging. I found that I type out a list of the contents of the freezer and stick it on the front with a magnet and as I use stuff I just cross off the list.Its my cupboards that need de-tutting at the moment as I also have four kitchen cupboards almost overflowing with stuff,dried goods, pulses & tins ect.
Good luck to all who are doing this .It takes ages to work down the freezer though I have been doing it for nearly two months and still have at least a months more food to eat my way through. Any one for a pilchard sandwich ? I have six tins of the blooming things 'just in case' of WW.3 or a world shortage of pilchards

Rummer

I am trying to tighten the purse strings too and there is so much good advice on this thread, thank you everyone! Tomorrow when I am a bit fresher I will have a good look through the cupboards and freezer and decide the best thing to do. I had been hoping to set a budget of £5 a day on shopping for the three of us but maybe I can cut that down.

Pitlanepiglet

We do this in January, it encourages us to eat all the Christmas leftovers and to start the new year with empty freezers. There are often some good bargains to be had in the run up to Christmas so I'm happy to shop now and then to live off the stocks in January when we're really skint!

purplepardalis

I'm going to join in on this one - great idea! We are staying at home this Christmas instead of going to relatives so will need all the cupboard space going. I might do an inventory later on. I find that my biggest problem with using stuff up is that I can never remember what's in there. So after work I just end up buying everything needed to make dinner each day! Not very OS - lol