Needing to spend as little as possible in January

LilacPixie

Hi everyone.

January is a poor month as usual. I need to be spending as little as humanly possible on food for 4 of us (2 adults 2 kids ages 1 and 3) including packed lunches for adults. Kids get fed at chldcare during weekdays.

I have did a stock take of freezer and store cupboards and fridge and we have loads in. This post will be huge. OMG :eek::eek: is all I have to say. I think i could feed us 4 for about a month maybe even 6 weeks easily with just buying milk and fresh fruit/veg :eek::eek: I bake own bread hence the flour.

Freezer
3 x meals of chilli
16 chicken breasts frozen in sets of 4
1 pack mini chicken fillets
6 cumberland sausage rings
1kg raw diced pork
8 slices of bacon
400g sausage meat
2 x meals cooked beef stew
1 pack raw mixed fish for a fish pie
1 bag frozen scampi
2 x HM tortollini (each enough to feed 4)
4 HM beef burgers
12 pre rolled meatballs
14 100% haddock fish fingers
42 slices cooked ham (frozen in 4's)
300g cooked diced ham
4 slices black pudding
120g cooked chili chicken pieces
500g HM chicken nuggets
2 x meals chicken curry
8 turkey escalops
half bag frozen peas

Fridge
8 pints whole milk (will last about 5 days)
400g cheese
2 x elmlea double cream
1 x elmlea single cream
2 x soft cheese
750g butter
olive spread
stir fry veg
bag salad
6 peppers
6 tomatos
various yoghurts
600g sliced cooked ham (from newyear roast)
400g sliced cooked roast beef (from 3rd Jan sunday lunch)
2 litres fresh apple juice
1 litre fresh orange

Cupboards
5 x wok noodles
5 x stir fry sweet and sour sauce
6 satay kits (sauce and skewers for chicken)
4 fajita kits
2 boxes lasagne sheets
1.5kg pasta twists
1 kg macaroni
500g spagetti
2 tins peas
2 tins sliced carrots
2 tins peas and carrots
4 tins sweetcorn
4 tins condensed mushroom soup
3 condensed chicken soup
1 box ruskoline
1 jar hot dogs
risotto rice
basmalti rice
2 x 5grain bread mixes
3 tins evaporated milk
1 tin consensed milk
2 tins lentil soup
1 tin tomato soup
tinned pinapple rings
pinapple chuncks
2 tins mandarin segments
6 tins whole tomatos
4 tins chopped toms
4 jars passata
12 tins tuna in water
12 tines baked beans
2 tins haricote beans
3 kidney beans
6 jars sweet soy and chinese veg wok sauce
olive oil
balsamic viniger
corn meal
custard powder
milk powder
suet
mustard
mustard powder
oxo cubes
chicken gravy granuals
beef gravy granuals
onion gravy granuals
brown sauce
tomato sauce
reggae reggae sauce
soy sauce
seseme oil
rice vinager
malt vinager
salt
marmalade
ginger jam
blackcurrent jam
chutney
pectin
lemon juice
golden syrup
trecele
porridge oats
oat meal
maple syrup
coffee
coffee flavoring syrups
tea bags
mint tea bags
yeast
6kg white bread flour
2kg self raising flour
3kg plain flour
various herbs and spices.
Fruit bowl with apples oranges bananas

Norman_Bean

You're sorted
What I have done this month is plan meals for the whole of January using only what I have in freezer and cupboards and am planning on literally just getting a few fresh essentials as and when - the aim is to spend hardly anything on food, I haven't even given myself a budget
I've typed it all out and stuck in on kitchen wall so I know what I'm doing - it does get a bit boring and unimaginative towards the end of the month but hey ho! You have a lot yummier stuff in than me, am jealous :rotfl:
Good luck, you'll do great I'm sure x

LilacPixie

Thanks Norman I'm wondering !!!!!! did it all come from!! Think it is an example of how my current grocery budget of £300 a normal month is way way too high. I made a vegtable pasta sauce tonight and there is enough to freeze for another meal.

Plan tonight is to portion up the sliced meat for defrosting during the month for sandwiches or rolls.

I didn't include the fact my cleaning cupboard is fit to bursting, i have enough wipes and nappies to last way into feb and possibly march if we can master fully dry through night with oldest one. Youngest will go to potty when needing a wee if she is nappyless but won't if she has a nappy on. soap-powder, toilet paper and kitchen roll is the same.

My aim will now me get as long out of cupboards as possible

evie451

wow lilacpixie what a fantastic cupboard/freezer....thought i was doing well with 4 chicken breasts ,2 pork chops and a chicken in the freezer!! even OH was impressed with your list.......i am lucky my kids are a bit older than yours and will give my concoctions a try so some of it might depend on how fussy your wee brood is.......

LilacPixie

Thanks Evie.

Unfortunatly it is quite unintentional. We are attempting to be frugal so its obvious we have been wildly over buying. Kids are not all that fussy oldest likes pizza, chicken nuggets etc. Youngest likes things with rice or bits she can pick up. Both love bread so I could probably do with learning how to make garlic dough balls/naan bread/flat breads.