I wonder if I can do this for one month

415SanFran

I live near two small shops one is the local Co-op, the other a Mr.Ts which is part of a garage, both in walking distance from my home, both of these stores at the right time of day are virtually giving food away. As I hate waste of any description, I was thinking that for the next month I am going to try to live pretty much off what would otherwise just get thrown away. The food is perfectly good

I eat no meat at all or dairy or eggs, some days are going to be very repetitive to say the least, but on the up side I think my diet will be healthier, no crisp sarnys for a start, but you never know.

I do not celebrate christmas so that is not a concern.

This evening I had a feast of peppers/spring onions/mushrooms and a portion of cous-cous all for the princly sum of 75p.

I am not a very good cook, so if all I can get is a bag of celery/parsinps I may be asking for a little help!


I have loads of herbs and the like also the usual rice/cous-cous kind of stuff. I have been on the store cupboard challenge for a while but it hardly made a dent in things. Also I have two teenage boys that will or will not help me out, they are not fussy eaters as such but they draw the line at brussels, where I like them fried with garlic so it will mainly just be me most of the time.

please feel free to critique/help any comment are welcome so long as you leave my spelling alone

Wish me luck

Intastella

Great idea, good luck!

I'm going to try something similar in the new year. Have you read 'how i lived a year on just a pound a day' by Kath Kelly? Good little book.

victoriaplum1

how I lived on a pound a day is intersting if a little unrealistic....penny pinchers books are also good for tips. I am on a budget next year as losing £900 a month so am all for saving money, already bought next years christmas cards and wrap, sad I know, but half price this week in Sainsburys!!!!!

415SanFran

Hey,
Thanks for the interest in this.
I haven't read that particular book, but have heard a lot about it and read a few extracts on line.
Without taking anything away from her, the prices were a fair bit lower a few years ago and I could never go as far as to get invited somewhere just for a free scoff, and the idea of food out of a dumpster is just too far for me.
WOW 900 pounds is a heck of a lot to loose in one hit. Although I really do not blame you for getting the extra wrap and cards, I did the same last year with M$S shower gel and shampoo, they were on sale at a pound a bottle but also buy 2 get one free. I thought I had bought enough for the year seems it will also see me to the end of this year as well.
I am not saving for anything specific, but the gas meter is taking a huge amount of money this weather, and as a single parent of two children I need some savings. For the unforeseen, things that just tend to crop up from time to time.

415SanFran

Ok had a good start at this today I bought.

Orange juice 30/1.20
Mixed cut veg 45/1.20
Blueberries 1.00/2.50

So today is all sorted, a chilli for tonight with the veg for all of us.
Tomorrow for breakfast the fruit with oatmeal and juice.

415SanFran

Well yesterday was just as productive.

Spinach 20/1.20
onions 16/60
carrots 10/1.00
cauliflower 30/1.00

So yesterday we had cauliflower and chick pea curry with rice, using a can of coconut milk and curry powder that I have in. Haven't been to the shops yet today as it is still a bit early for the very low prices. Hoping to get some more fruit juice today or tomorrow as I have none in the store cupboard.
Just to mention everything that I use apart from the fresh food has to come out of the stores.

415SanFran

Kinda had a re-think about the money situation, and I am in bad need of a wardrobe, so with the money saved I am going to put one pound a day in a pot as well as the sealed pot challenge for the length of time that I an on this challenge.

I really should be careful what I wish for. I was hoping to get some fruit juice today, and I did, it just happens to be the only one that I could live without :rolleyes: Grapefruit!
But on the bright side it was only 20p. And it will not go to waste.

Also got some mushrooms 40/1.00
mixed salad for a whopping 15/1.00

So tonight we are all going to eat some mixed peppers that I have left over spinach and mushrooms, and onions fried together and eat it perhaps just with crusty bread. :T:T

415SanFran

Hello All.
Nothing to report from yesterday, so just made a lentil soup. NOTHING left when I got there, good to see in a way, well there was meat and a few yogurts but nothing suitable for my family.

I did cheat just a little today.

I got a lovely red cabbage for 20/75p
A large bag of potatoes 45/1.20
Celery 30/1.00

The cheating part came in when I thought of making braised red cabbage and needed a cooking apple, I have justified this because it is for all three of us not just me.
To go with it I will make a German potato salad. as I have mustard and vinegar in the store cupboard.

So far this week I have spent 3.81
Had I paid full price for everything it would have cost a massive 13.65.

WOW seeing it in print really brings it home to me how much I am saving!

415SanFran

I totally missed the shops yesterday :mad: Did not pay attention to the times properly. Ow well, just had the left over cabbage and potato salad, with the last of the mixed green salad and bread.

As we do not celebrate Christmas it is just normal fare we are eating today.
I am going to make a Lemon pepper rice mix, which is very tasty even if I do say myself :cool: i get most of my recipes from a site that I love check it out! It will save you a bundle :money:
Its www.budget101.com it really has been a life saver for me, so I eat proper food but things can be adapted, less salt, dairy free, whatever.:T

On a different note completely I have decided to join Pink_Numbers on her quest to not buy anything new/non anything for a year. that should be interesting. Just hope I am not biting off more than I can chew as I have not prepared for it at all. but I have come to the conclusion that all this stock piling is a good thing, unless it never gets used, I have to get a comfort zone where I have stuff in the house for emergencies but not to the 2 year supply stage :eek:

415SanFran

I'm a little disappointed today, not with the shopping but with a person that I just met in the shop.

I saw some of the innocent juice drink knocked down from 3.odd to a pound. me and this person probably saw them at the same time. She grabbed all of them about 7 cartons. As she was getting them she smiled at me and said *My kids love these* I quietly said *yeah, so do mine I was hoping to get one*. So with a huge smile she said *Well I got here first*.
Gosh some people are so mean, I understand that she likes a bargain but sheez did she really need all of them!!

OK rant over.

Apart from that I did quite well.

Salad........................................... 45/1.00
Carrots .......................................27/0.60
mushrooms...................................45/1.00
Swede...........................................45/1.00
Parsnips........................................45/1.00
Savoy cabbage..............................40/1.00

So everything was around half price, but then I did not wait till around 7pm because I didn't have anything fresh in other than a bit of garlic and some onions.\

Does anyone know if I can just chop this up and put it in the freezer as is, or does it all need par boiling? will only use a little of the swede today but not to sure when I will need it again. the idea was to stop things getting thrown away at all, so trying not to bay anything that will eventually be put in my compost rather than anyone elses. IYSWIM

Because the savoy cabbage and the parsnips are not favorites but I will use them in soups and curries over the next week or so.

415SanFran

Just come back from the other shop, went for a look expecting very little, my was I wrong, they had stacks of stuff.
Hummus....................................................12/1.00. We tend to use this on bread rather than butter/marg, I normally make my own, but this is cheaper than I can make the beans for when you factor in the cost of cooking.
Winter mixed veg......................................15p/1.00
Broccoli.....................................................15p/1.00
mushrooms................................................15/100 I know I got some earlier but we get through loads.
Whole cucumber........................................19/1.25
Green beans...............................................15p/1.00
Snap Peas/baby sweetcorn........................25/1.69 Got two of these as I like them with mushrooms in a stir fry with lemon/pepper and noodles. Normally both these and the green beans would be off the menu at this time of year because of the airmiles, but that is not the object of this exercise.
Well now I do not need to go to the shops for a few days, but wondering if I should try again tomorrow just to see what I can fill the freezer with. Once everyone has run down there Christmas/New year amounts I will be back to slim picking again.