Nervous of my own challenge - reduce or stop spending!

taplady

Zippy - I've done it!:D its only me that will be eating it so no risk to anyone else. I've made the lasagne and its in the fridge waiting to be cooked later. I used passata as thats what I had in my cupboard and some wholewheat lasagne sheets. I'll give you the verdict later!;)

mummysaver

taplady wrote: »

Another great thread! good luck lilac!:Tand belated happy birthday!

I'm doing a similar one this month with food shopping mainly - this is down to necessity as DH is ill on SSP for about a month and we're skint. I did my last shopping last Saturday(30th) and so far havent spent a penny. Like Zippy said I'm trying to see how long I can go without spending anything on food.Luckily we had a fair bit in to start with.
Anyone got any suggestions for using up pearl barley as its been in the cupboars for ages and I'm not really sure what to do with it! also frozen spinach. I've used this in a veggie lasagne and put a bit ina curry but dont know how else to use it.

A favourite way of using up spinach here is to sweat a finely chopped onion in butter with some garlic to taste, wilt spinach and add cream/creme fraiche, salt and pepper to taste, and serve as a side dish or over tagliatelle.

Spinach can also be done with chilli and garlic and a bit of soy sauce in the same way as above and served with pasta - this is also nice done with kale/spring greens chopped finely as well.

ps I'd have eaten the philly too!

LilacLillie

Not had the best day today
Plumber arrived and couldn't get access to anyone upstairs, so that's an ongoing.
I got out my sewing machine, lined up my patchwork, put up ironing board (to remind me ironing needs doing & to iron patchwork as I go along) and was looking forward to a 'doing as I please' day.

Best laid plans etc: ................................. ended up all morning & most of afternoon in hospital.

On way home I was starving so bought a bread roll for 30p to have with bacon when I got in, arhhhhhhhhhh a spend!
I checked my reciept before leaving the shop and noticed I was charged 38p, went back for refund and the guy said 'its ONLY 8p'.
Yes says I, but its MY 8p.

Slept all afternoon (always do after hospital), woke up to the sewing machine and ironing board still waiting for me but it was 6pm, day gone.

For dinner tonight we had M&S chicken from freezer, actifry chips, peas.
Quick easy and no thinking involved.

Not up to going out after all tonight, so friend is probably still thinking up ways to 'help' me.

taplady wrote: »

Lilaclillie - that stilton bread looked great on CDWM - I dont really like stilton but I dare say you could use most cheeses. was the lentil pate on that programme too? I must have missd that bit:)

The bread was great. I had some Xmas leftover stilton & cranberry and stilton and apricots, so used both in the recipe.
Had run out of rosemary so added thyme rather than buy the other.
The lentil pate wasn't on the show, just a bog standard one, very tasty though with the bread.

zippychick wrote: »

Lillie - it sounds like your friend is a little clueless money wise to be honest! Sorry if that is harsh but it sounds like she is only too happy to put temptation and ideas in your head. Don't listen to her if you still want to keep your challenge.

Is she in debt and a bit unwise with money? Hope you manage to stick to your guns today chick!

:j

Ah no, she pretty good with money.
I don't think she was tempting me I think she doesn't understand why I would want to give it a go.
I'm getting strange reactions about the challenge.
Most people think I just can't do it, the rest wonder why I'm bothering when I don't need to.
I keep repeating 'That's why its a challenge'!!!!!!!!!!!!

LL

Long_tall_sally

LilacLillie - you are doing great! That was a bit rude of the guy in the shop imo!Can we ask why you had to go to hospital and why it then makes you so sleepy? Sorry for being so nosy!

taplady

lilaclillie - you're doing a great job:TI too had a small spend yesterday on food. £2.18 on eggs, milk and mushrooms. We usually get free milk as DH is a milkman so it hurts having to actually buy it:D I'd luckily got 6 pints of semi in the freezer but DS2 drinks it by the gallon so I left that for him and got myself some skimmed. DH has sterilised which is yukky but luckily we'd also got a good bit of that it.
Today I'm planning to buy a sack of spuds as they are cheap at a local store at about £2.50 and I can get a lot fo meals out of it and I'm down to my last couple of spuds.Hopefully that will be all I need to spend for a few days.

[Deleted User]

Well I am not as frugal as Lilaclillie, but since last September I have cut my weekly food bills down from £50.00 per week to under £30.00.I just decided that I was spending on 'autopilot' at the supermarket.You know ,go in, walk around, chuck things in without thinking and go home .
Now I only buy what I actually need ,not want , and find that if I stay away from the shops and only go when I REALLY need something that I cannot substitute with something from the cupboard then I save extra that way.
I start with £120 per month in my 'shopping purse', and when that's gone that's it till the next month.
January was difficult as it was a longer month IYSWIM, plus I had several visitors staying and I also bought lots of yellow stickered stuff to stock up in my freezer. But although its only 6th February I know I don't have to buy any more shopping for at least another week to ten days as I have bread,milk ect in freezer ,plus lots of F&V stored.I have a 'cool' conservatory where I store my fruit, and stuff lasts for ages in there. If the veg start to look a bit past it, I make big vats of soup.I made 5 litres of thick chunky vegatable soup last Sunday, and have been eating my way through it this week. Only half a litre left in the freezer, but soup before dinner in the evening is a good filler up, or for lunch with a sandwich.I costed my soup out, made overnight in my SC at around 20p per portion, a lot cheaper and nicer than tinned stuff.So for dinner in the evening I will either have a soup starter or a pud but never both.This streetchs the dinner a bit and fills you up. I had a tin of cheese crackers given to me by my DD left over from Christmas so some times I will have cheese and biscuits insted of a sweet pud. Its possible to eat very well for very little really but you just have to have the 'mind-set' to do it .Probably easier for me as I live alone and don't have to cater for other peoples tastes.
I shall watch with interest how you get on LL , it really is suprising once you get used to a different way of shopping. My surplus money left over at the end of the month goes into my 'holiday fund' for when I go away with my tribe in August. Good luck, and to anyone who is trying it for the first time
JackieO xx

LilacLillie

I found myself today really not wanting to spend, its interesting how easy it is to do so without thinking.
Just being out of the house is a danger for me at the mo

I resisted (as I walked through the shopping mall to meet DS2& DGS 1) all temptation, but really did have to look straight ahead and not stop.
When I told him what I'm up to he said 'Oh dear!'.

I thought I wasn't getting support from family, now I see it from their point of view. All they know of me is I shop & spend, so I'm no longer blaming them ........................... I'll show 'em!

Today I spent 50p (p&p) on a free valentine card.

This afternoon went to a wellness event, donation on the door, gave £1 ooooooooooohh, will send them a cheque next month for a little more.

Then actually asked for a free cuppa, they refused :rotfl: so 50p there.

£2 in a day :eek:

Lucky for me I guess, someone recognised me and wanted an interview, which being polite I did
It meant although I had a good look around, I was tied up so couldn't spend any money :T

Also managed to get a free consultation with a lady on behalf of 'Bach's flower remedies', then a complimentary bottle of a concoction that'll cure all ills in me, thank goodness for that.

Left feeling pleased with myself, but sorry to have spent the 2 quid.
It really is hard this not spending lark, I was hoping it would get easier, maybe it will???

Dinner tonight real Chinese chicken & cashews, cooked by DH, who's granny was Chinese, so he does it lovely.

LL

Caterina

Hi dear LilacLillie,

Great to catch up with your thread. You are doing wonderfully well and I think that you are being very strict by giving yourself a £5 weekly spend, especially if that includes all your family shopping, charity donations etc...

If you want to do menus tomorrow when we see each other, bring a list of what you have (or if you have list in your head don't worry about written one!) and come to us a bit earlier, so you and I can sit and jot down a few menu ideas over a cuppa while the men talk sport, women and cars, moan about the wives, or talk about whatever men talk about while their wives are busy doing good work!

Looking forward to tomorrow very much!

Keep up the good work and well done again! xxx

LilacLillie

Had a good day yesterday
Friend from Devon rang to say he'd booked hotel for our stay in March, for his birthday that he is holding as a masked ball in Paignton Zoo.
Better still he doesn't want deposit till we see him :j
Went to cinema (unlimited ticket) saw awful film, 'Up in the air', but I so love the cinema even a bad film is a good film to see.

From there went to Waitrose while in the area, used my free £4.99 voucher for a meal from the 'Menu' range.
I chose a Moussakka, didn't buy anything else in there. Very Hard.

Had to pass Tesco as its on the platform (Canary Wharf), had a £5 gift voucher from a 'sorry' letter they sent at Christmas and couldn't resist having a look.

Bought with the voucher:
4pts milk for 50p
2 x ham sandwiches @ 5p each
1 prawn sandwich @5p
1 thai chicken sandwich @ 15p
6 eggs @ £1.55
1 loaf finest seeded bread @15p

Total = £2.50, another £2.50 left on gift card.

Guess I went at the right time. There was lots of other stuff I normally would have bought but still have no room for it.

Had a lovely evening with Caterina and her family.

We had curry and bubbly :beer: followed by the (an introduction for me) 'Nella Last' film, which was much more enjoyable than the earlier film of the day.
We came home very late for a school day, laden with gifts.

An evening that all the money in the world couldn't have bought (luckily for me and the Feb: challenge )

Day 8

LL

taplady

Glad you're still doing so well LL!:T I have been to Aldis today to stock up on their fruit and veg offers as we had nothing left apart from a few toms and some limp lettuce:D so spent about £12 on essentials from there. tea bags, fruit and veg, bread, butter etc.That take it to just under £20 in February so far.