Store cupboard challenge

purpleivy

Have just been reviewing to see if I think I can get by on the freezer and storecupboard on budget till the end of the year.

Christmas Day is a month today. On paper I have £103.03 left. I generally budget to £200 per calendar month, this is only for food. No alcohol, takeaways, meals out, cleaning materials goes on this budget.

It's going to be interesting. I have lots of staples, spread in the freezer and flour for bread and pizzas. Probably got enough cheddar for sandwiches, pizzaas etc plus lots of building blocks in the freezer. Will need to get fresh fruit and veg, also fresh semi skimmed milk. I have quite a lot of uht skimmed, but not quite enough. Have some powdered milk so using that where possible. I have lots of olive oil, sunflower oil and some butter that I shall use for baking. I need chocolate for some of my petits fours and baking for Christmas, but using cocoa as much as possible.

I wonder if it's 'do-able'?

lisa26_2

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

I'm defrosting a beetroot from the freezer to have with the last slice of ham from the fridge, in a sandwich

Penny. x

I'm fairly new to the forums and just having a read through and found this post. I didn't know you could freeze beetroot, what do you do? Boil it then freeze it?

lynzpower

How many are you catering for Ivy? I bet it is doable!

Tonight I have removed some of the tupperware frozen veg ( a tupperware with odds and ends of carrots/ b squash/ pasnip) already cut into chunnks to drop into a roasting tin. We bought some waitorses salmon & watercresss filo pies that were RTC the other day, so we'll have those as well.

The freezer is whittling down before my very eyes! In there I have:
1 chicken breast
1.half packs M&S indian party food
2x starter serving mini spring rolls
2x egg yolk
1x rainbow trout with fennel butter ( Oh not interested in this!)
1.5 tubs ben & jerrys
Enough mushrooms frozen for a large mushroom risoto
one pack sausages
frozen peas
breadcrumbs
1x mexican bean soup
1x chicken & sweetcorn soup

The larder is full to burstng though. I am hoping I can get away with buying nothing till Sat when I might toodle down to borough market and buy some meat from there. Theres a guy there who does laods of cheap veggies as well - this is where I get all the flat mushrooms from! Otherwise I might take advantage of the 30p morrisons offers.

How would I cook Savoy cabbage- Ive never had it?

Penelope_Penguin

lisa26 wrote: »

I'm fairly new to the forums and just having a read through and found this post. I didn't know you could freeze beetroot, what do you do? Boil it then freeze it?

I cook it, skin it, and freeze

Penny. x

CCP

Good morning everyone.

lynzpower wrote: »

How would I cook Savoy cabbage- Ive never had it?

I love savoy cabbage - it's probably my favourite veg. You can cook it much the same way you cook any other cabbage - boil it or steam it, or (best of all imo) stir fry it with bacon, finely chopped garlic and black pepper. I can eat that on its own! :drool:

I've pretty much abandoned my meal plan for this week (:o), and ended up having pasta with tinned tuna and pesto for dinner last night, which is a couple more containers out of the cupboard (although the rest of the pesto is now in the fridge instead). I've also taken out a packet of sausages for dinner tonight, so they're no longer threatening to fall on me every time I open the freezer door. :rolleyes:

zippychick

purpleivy wrote: »

Have just been reviewing to see if I think I can get by on the freezer and storecupboard on budget till the end of the year.

Christmas Day is a month today. On paper I have £103.03 left. I generally budget to £200 per calendar month, this is only for food. No alcohol, takeaways, meals out, cleaning materials goes on this budget.

It's going to be interesting. I have lots of staples, spread in the freezer and flour for bread and pizzas. Probably got enough cheddar for sandwiches, pizzaas etc plus lots of building blocks in the freezer. Will need to get fresh fruit and veg, also fresh semi skimmed milk. I have quite a lot of uht skimmed, but not quite enough. Have some powdered milk so using that where possible. I have lots of olive oil, sunflower oil and some butter that I shall use for baking. I need chocolate for some of my petits fours and baking for Christmas, but using cocoa as much as possible.

I wonder if it's 'do-able'?

So, I'm a bit thick today. Are you trying to get by until the end ofthe year on Store cupboard and the £103? Is that right?!

purpleivy

zippychick wrote: »

So, I'm a bit thick today. Are you trying to get by until the end ofthe year on Store cupboard and the £103? Is that right?!

Yes, in answer to the questions, want to get to Dec 31st on the money.

People wise we are a family of 4, dd not here, returning from Uni on 18th. DH is here 7 days over the fortnight and working away the rest of the time. At Christmas we will be
8 on the 24/25 (but I'm not doing Xmas dinner)
6 for 26th,
11 on the 27th,
9 on 28th and 29th.
Then it goes quiet for a day or two and not sure about New Year Party or whatever.

I have quite a few things put away already. I think the thing that will let me down will be my motivation on the days when the SAD kicks in. Also if I get so it seems easier to send kids to the shops, as they aren't as careful! I've started a list of what I must have, to see how it is panning out. Trying not to over cater on things that aren't easy to have as leftovers is another thing to watch.

mollythewestie

:oWell, I have fallen off the 'storecupboard challenge' wagon big style.
A few weeks of limited internet access and flu and I fell straight back into old habits of takeway teas and buying far too many readymade foods!

I am back on the wagon now, although any space I created in the freezer is being used up as I have started my Christmas baking.

Today I will be using up:
From Freezer
1 block of Lurpak (Whoopsied from £2.86 to 75p! Wish I had bought loads of these at the time!)
Breadcrumbs
Fridge
A huge breast of lamb from my butchers which I will chop in half, then stuff, roll and slow roast. The other half I will freeze.
Fresh sage
Last of the eggs
As well as using up some dubious looking veg lurking at the bottom of the fridge!

I feel like having a baking day so might make bread as well as a cake!

XSpender

Afternoon Everyone

Runners pie and last 2 HM yorkies from the freezer last night with frozen veg. and fish/veggie sausages mushy peas and HM wedges for tonight.

BIL coming to tea tomorrow and DH has a sausage and bacon spicy pasta thing in mind for them uisng up all sorts of odds and ends from the freezer. I will have HM quiche from the freezer with beans I think.

Not much in the way of breakfasts left in the house. I have been using up the last bits from about 3 boxes of cereal while DH has had to make do with toast or fruit. He can't eat the creal due to a nut allergy.

Defrosted the bacon today for BIL pasta tea so he can have some of that with HM bread and an egg in the morning.

Will make a ginger cake and more italian vegtable soup for DH lunches at the weekend.

Due to got to Mr M on Saturday to stock up as the cupboards are getting bare. Thanks to this thread I have really been focussed on making the most of what I already had in this month and probably won't need to join in next month as there isn't a huge amount left but it may keep me focussed on not going mad over the festive season!

XS x

misscousinitt

Hi

Had the beef last night mmmmm...used up 2 blocks of noodles from the cupboard and some pak choi from the fridge.

Tonight is mega chutney making and I've been ever so good and only bought the bare minimum of ingredients I needed. 3lb Rhubarb, 2lb Plums & 10oz red peppers coming out of the freezer. Using up 1 1/2 jars of sarsons white pickling vinegar that I've had for 18 months!!! And of course all the jars that people keep saving me will be coming out of the cupboards (and the loft) and used tonight so I'll have room to put Christmas goodies! Woohoo!!!

All the chutneys are to be sold at a couple of fundraisers we have over the next couple of weeks and Saturday morning they will all be going up to the charity office and will be out of my way!

Need to feed OH before he disappears tonight, so going to do fish & prawn paella with some frozen fish I have left in the freezer.

Normally do my big shop on the Friday after we get paid (ie tomorrow), however, going to wait till Monday/Tuesday so I can defrost freezers over the weekend.