I wonder if I can do this for one month

pink_numbers

Ben84 wrote: »

Peppers are expensive, but you can always use frozen chopped peppers. I pay about 85p for a half kilogram bag in Sainsburys. No good for salad, but ideal for curry or pasta sauces.

woooo that's a great idea, thank you, I will pick some up when I next do my big shop

415SanFran

I finally used the last of the red peppers last night we had pasta and as a topping I boiled up some red lentils with onion and a little garlic added a tin of tomatoes and topped it off with the last of the peppers that I had fried.
Boys did not even seem to notice that we should start looking like a pepper any time soon.

Went to the shops yesterday afternoon and they were closing at 5 because of the re-fit that has been planned.
I had taken advantage of all the stuff that I could use in the run up. But there was one woman there that was buying all the baking stuff that she could lay her hands on, also the kind of tip-top milk, syrup, flour, she filled a trolly, and I know she got a good sized turkey for 4 quid she said she was pitting it away till Easter.
I wanted to ask her if she was on this board but felt a little silly. The reason I was thinking was because I was looking at some tinned prunes (5p) debating wether the boys would eat them, she told me to hide them, as in put the prunes in a up-side-down cake, and call them plums, she them winked and said "my kids love plums"
That sounds very MSE to me!

pink_numbers

I'm sure MSE people have a secret handshake... in fact I'm sure years ago, there were talks of MSE badge that only MSE person would know what they meant?

(aren't prunes plums? or was my mum an MSE lady too without me knowing???)

wooo we tried this great recipe yesterday for a spicy lentil soup and it was really yum, and thought of you because I know how you like lentils:

http://www.scottishrecipes.co.uk/spicylentilsoup.htm

we added couple of goats sausages, but I am SURE any sausages will do.

415SanFran

Mmmm not sure, I think they were plums but they have had something done to them that makes them a prune....All very confusing to me.

Well,I got my little fix today.

Potatoes...............13p/1.00
onions..................13p/1.00
Strawberries........50p/2.00
sprouts..................13p/1.00

Have to confess to also buying a multi-pack of crisps, that was on offer, so after not being bothered to cook, I had a couple of hummus and crisp sandwiches, I thought I had been really good though as it is the first time this year that I have done this.

Gigervamp

Prunes are plums that have been dried, like sultanas are grapes.

415SanFran

AAh, thank you for the explanation Gigervamp.

Didn't get to the shops last night, we just had a nut roast with potatoes and a broccoli that had been in the fridge for an age, it tasted OK but had just started to lose a little of its colour just around the edges, apart from that it was fine.

I am now at the end of the first month, I have not starved or been anywhere near to that, it has not been too repetitive which is something that I had thought would be a problem.
I perhaps am not eating as much fruit as I would have liked, specially bananas as they are a personal favorite in this house all round, plenty of strawberries it seems.
Also if I am not too fussy about flavours enough juice to make up for lack of fresh fruit.

pink_numbers

I have started a small box to send to you, I am slowly filling up with bits and pieces

I can't believe how well you have done this month, and I'm amazed at how much money you are saving by doing this challenge! Has it been a big shock to the system to change how you shop for food or has it been relatively easy?

faithcecilia

Hi!

I haven't been around for far too long, glad to see it is going well for you!! My 'token gesture' today was a berry salad - strawberries, raspberries, blackberies and blueberries, usually waaay over budget at this time of year, but reduced to an allowable amount:A Yummy too!

415SanFran

Berry salad oow lucky you, I certainly do not eat as much fruit as I should any more, like you say that is so expensive right now, I sometimes think we are very spoilt these days, I remember when I was a kid getting strawberries for a very short time of the year and they were a real treat, now if you have the funds and do not mind paying you can eat them all year round.

Thank you Pink-Numbers I will look forward to recieving. You are so kind, all that hard work you are putting in.

Yes, it has changed me a lot I think I am certainly wasting less for a start, also I am cooking more as I do not want to throw the food away after I have "rescued" it. Also I am going to the shops every day almost with I never used to, and having to be a little more inventive which has to be a good thing I guess.

Today I got.

Bean sprouts........................13/50p
cherry toms..........................20/1.00
green beans..........................25/1.20 got two packs
onions...................................10/50p
New pots..............................50/75p

I didn't need the onions or the potatoes really, but they will get used, tonight we had a potato and green bean curry, that was OK and used a few up of the pots onions and one pack of the green beans. I really should have made a double lot to put some in the freezer, but didn't know it was going to turn out as well as it did.

I think next month I will do a separate spread sheet for the f/v as I got so much this month that does not fall into that category because of the shift around that the shop was having, but that was lots of things, like tea bags and the like so this month I have saved over a hundred pounds but as I say not all on f/v and my maths skills are gut not up to separating the two.

pink_numbers

you ALWAYS could do with more onions and potatoes