Store cupboard challenge

Mags_cat

GreenandThrifty,

My word - that is a lot of stuff

I've found that just having a list (pin it on the outside of your freezer with magnets) really helps me to not buy loads of stuff I already have.

I do meal plan, but I often don't do it very rigidly. Sometimes I prefer not to have to eat to a set plan. But - I will plan to have say:

• one roast dinner type meal (which then makes three or four leftover meals, one of which I'll eat, the rest will freeze)
• one pasta meal
• one rice meal
• one HM ready meal
• one potatoey meal
• one slightly healthier stir fry meal

I find it easier to think that way rather than "On Monday I'm having corned beef hash, on Tuesday etc.etc."

Mags_cat

GreenandThrifty,

I hope you don't mind - but I've rearranged your freezer list. Being a bit OCD (!) I find it easier to think about things in groups...I think it makes it easier to plan a meal if you can think "OK, I've got some protein, now what veggies go with that?"

Bread
English Muffins
Pitta bread - gonna use these as fingers for dipping in HM soup
Wraps
HM Pizza Bases - look awful will use these in soup???
Crumpets
Garlic Bread
2 pks chelsea buns - YS buy!!

Meat/meat substitutes
Vege hotdogs
Quorn beef pieces
Turkey Mince x 2
Savoury Turkey Mince
Chicken thighs & drums
Chicken Breasts
vege burgers - 2 pks
quorn sausages
5 x veg slices - DH has these when we have chicken

Fish
White Fish fillets
Fishcakes
Fishfingers

Veggies
Spinach x2
Corn on the Cob
Peelings for stock
Cabbage Pasta
Cooked black eyed beans x 3
Broccoli Stalks for soup
Mix Veg
Kale
frozen peas - yippee these were on my to buy list until i found them!
Mixed Peppers
red peppers
Green peppers? sliced
leeks
broccoli
grated courgette - enough to make a courgette cake - yum!!

Fruit
Blackberries x 2
Rhubarb
Sloes
Crumble Mix x 3
Pineapple
stewed apples

Treats
Filo Pastry
Puff Pastry
1 Ice pop (all on its own? Awww eat it immediately J )
2 x cheese tom puffs - kids packed lunches
choc brownies - kids packed lunches
blackberry and apple cake (kids packed lunches)
oaty cookies (kpl's)
cupcakes
HM pizza slices (kpl's)
Icecream

Cheese
Brie
Cheddar x 5

Ready meals
Chard and Mushroom curry
Potato and Spinach Curry
Vege Pie
HM Vege 'beef and onion' pasties
cheesy baked potatoes
Sausage Casserole (enough for 4 if we have it with Baked \Potatoes)
sausage casserole 2 x kids portions
Bean stew
beans in tom sauce

Freezer surprise
Mystery green soup????????
Mash?????? not sure if it is this or not
Mushrooms?????

Misc
Red Chillis
Green chillis
Coriander
Lard
Margerine x 3
HM Stock x 3
AB York Puddings!!!!!! - HM from now on!!!
HM yorkshire puds x 8
cheese sauce
roux x 2

CCP

Mags_cat wrote: »

I've found that just having a list (pin it on the outside of your freezer with magnets) really helps me to not buy loads of stuff I already have.

I've started doing the same - my list is sitting on top of my freezer with a pen, so I can tick things off as they get used up. It stops me buying more 'just in case' as I can check if I've already got something. I've also made a firm decision that I will not be buying anything except basics (milk and veg) until I've used what I've got already, which I hope will result in me actually being able to shut the freezer door without forcing it closed!

I'll have a think about what you can do with your supplies - at the moment it's a bit close to lunchtime and all I can think is "that sounds tasty". :rolleyes::D

Mags_cat

CCP wrote: »

I'll have a think about what you can do with your supplies - at the moment it's a bit close to lunchtime and all I can think is "that sounds tasty". :rolleyes::D

It was GreenandThrifty's list - I just rearranged it into groups so I could have a think about it. My brain works in mysterious ways...

But yes, it's lunchtime and I'm off to defrost some pasta sauce:D

CCP

Mags_cat wrote: »

It was GreenandThrifty's list - I just rearranged it into groups so I could have a think about it. My brain works in mysterious ways...

But yes, it's lunchtime and I'm off to defrost some pasta sauce:D

It looks a pretty sensible way of arranging things to me. You posted while I was composing my response to GreenandThrifty, and it definitely makes things easier (well, for me, anyway). I'll have to try it with my list at home - at the moment that's in drawer order, too, so I can check which drawer things are in rather than rummaging at random. :rolleyes:

Mags_cat

CCP wrote: »

It looks a pretty sensible way of arranging things to me. You posted while I was composing my response to GreenandThrifty, and it definitely makes things easier (well, for me, anyway). I'll have to try it with my list at home - at the moment that's in drawer order, too, so I can check which drawer things are in rather than rummaging at random. :rolleyes:

OK...now I'm showing *quite* how OCD I am....ahem....

My freezer is arranged in the same order as my list. One draw of meat and fish, one of HM ready meals, one basket of bread products, one basket of veggies. Anything *misc* goes in the top quick freeze section along with the ice cubes.

I know. I know. I'm sad. :rotfl:

GreenandThrifty

Thanks for your replies so far

Mags - the truth is I haven't touched on my other cupboards and third freezer. I try to stockpile incase of emergencies etc so have more groceries in my emergency stock. I haven't included them.
your way of meal planning sounds more like my style, I'm very flexible as l/o's often last longer than expected or we are invited out to eat!! this way things can get put back a day or too with no stress.

Don't mind the rearranged list at all (only listed it in drawers etc so i know where to find it !!! A common problem with this much stuff

CCP shall I send you over the green mystery soup for lunch then???


Doing this has shocked me by how much food we actually have and i'm still cooking more!!! This morning I've made pumkin and spinach lasagne, fish pies and carrot & coriander soup - ALL for the freezer!!
Health problems do mean I get tired very easily though so I do like to batch cook when I can and have lots of meals ready to pull out.

Mags - just read your last post , I'd have my freezer organised that way too if possible, makes it much easier to find stuff. If I get that organised it'll stop me getting in this situation again!!!

mollythewestie

Mags_cat - I do the same!
I have a Bread Drawer, Veg/Potato drawer, all meat and fish in packs on one shelf and things I have made/leftovers and odd pieces of meat on another. I get all flustered if someones been rummaging in there and moved things around . (Yes, I think I might be slightly OCD too!)


Today, I am using up some Homemade Spag Bol sauce (Well I think it is, the label has fallen off the box!) With that I am making a baked pasta dish compromising of 1/2 lasagne, 1/2 Cannelonni pasta to try and use up all the bits of pasta in my cupboard.

I am gradually using up all the odd bits of bread from the freezer for my morning toast too.

CCP

GreenandThrifty wrote: »

CCP shall I send you over the green mystery soup for lunch then???

Why not? Whatever it is it's got to be better than the instant tomato soup I'm drinking. :D (Usually I have hm soup but I've run out - I'm hoping to make a batch over the weekend.)

Mags_cat and mollythewestie - I so wish I could be that organised! Unfortunately, except when I'm at work, I tend to follow the 'first available space' method of storage, so it ain't gonna happen!

zippychick

i have my freezer arranged too! Bottom drawer is uncooked meats and any whoopsied bread. One up from that is the biggest and it's ready made meals and components - we have pizza corner for example.... and the one up from that is frozen veg and fruit and herbs etc. Top one is mainly ice with a couple of ice packs, and two whacks of pizza dough. Oh and HM potato bread for quick grabbing and toasting. Far better to be organised as I hate hoking through freezers and hate the sensation of ice...... I thought everyone organised their freezer like this?

I redded out my kitchen cupboards months ago, and i showed my friend - when i opened the cupboards, she was really disturbed to see my tins all lined up with the label forward and all in categories. She made the psycho eek eeek noise:rotfl:. Now any time i open my cupboards, i hear it too.......:eek: