Need Calming Down and Help

EllieA_3

Things have gone horribly wrong this month and we have compleatly run out of money meaning i can't do any food shopping.

I've got plenty of food in the cuboards but i've gotten myself into such a panic i can't see the woods for the trees, i'm just failing to see any meal's in there.

I normally do a fair bit of batch cooking because i work long hours and it's easier to defrost and re-heat than it is to cook from scratch.

I'd assigned this weekend to cooking but every time i go to the cuboards i end up in tears. It's silly things like we have no bread, milk, tinned tomato's all the essential's are missing and im a creature of habit i know there is food there but i just can't seem to get it organised.

Penelope_Penguin

EllieA wrote: »

Things have gone horribly wrong this month and we have compleatly run out of money meaning i can't do any food shopping.

I've got plenty of food in the cuboards but i've gotten myself into such a panic i can't see the woods for the trees, i'm just failing to see any meal's in there.

I normally do a fair bit of batch cooking because i work long hours and it's easier to defrost and re-heat than it is to cook from scratch.

I'd assigned this weekend to cooking but every time i go to the cuboards i end up in tears.

OK, deep breaths. Make yourself a cup of tea, and start making a list of what you've got in already.

I started a thread to help people who couldn't see how to use the stuff in their cupboards, so I'll just fetch the link .........

Try listing your store like this; it helps me to plan.

I'm about to go out, but there will be plenty of posters along to help you.

Good luck!

Bitsy_Beans

Like Penny says write a list of what food and stuff you have already got and post that. Then the lovely lot on OS will be able to suggest some meals etc for you using what you already got.

How long til payday? How long is all this supposed to last for? Do you have a penny jar you could raid to buy some milk and bread? If you can find the small amount of funds I would suggest you either opt for Value UHT (49p per litre) or even powdered milk - depends on what you are going to buy it for.
With regards to bread I find buying it reduced the best option, my local Sainsbury's reduces bread most night although I think for some reason Thursdays are the best day to go in my local. Even if you are buying it half price it's going to help and hopefully you'll have room in your freezer for any surplus.

EllieA_3

I feel very silly. I know i have loads of food in i have 2 full freezers, i'm just struggling to bring it together. My main problem seems to be lack of the essential's. I get paid on the 30th so my brain tell's be this shouldn't be too hard, i've just got myself in a flap. It's things like what im going to give the kids for breakfast and packed lunches thats got me upset and now i can't see anything straight. I have £0.84p in my purse.

Edits - In Red

Protien.

Fresh - 1 whole chicken, pk Chicken thighs, 12 eggs
Tinned/packets - 3 tins Tuna, 1/2 pk lentils, 2 tins haricot beans, 3 tins baked beans.
Frozen - 1 whole Chicken, Diced Lamb, Chicken Breast fillets, sausages, minced beef. 2 fish fingers, 1/2 pk Veggy Mince, 1/2 pk veggy chicken bits.

Veg

Fresh - 1 cabbage, 2 butternut squash, 1 aubergine, 3 sad looking carrots, 1/2 cucumber, 1/4 lettuce, 1 green pepper. lemons??, small pk cherry toms, 1 courgette.
Frozen - sweetcorn, peas, cauliflower, greenbeans, onion, mixed peppers. 2-3 stalks Rhubarb in the garden

Carbs. (ok heres where i struggle)

oats, 1 meals worth of pasta, 1 meals worth of rice, breakfast cereal (but no milk), Frozen SC and puff pastry, 2 sweet potatos, 3 normal potato's. Tiny bit of soup mix

Misc

1 carton pure orange, 1/2 tub fresh salsa, mayonaise, 1/4 tub natural yogurt, stork marg, Olive spread, 1 pk real butter. loads of herbs and spices, balsamic vinagar, olive oil, seasme oil, white wine vinigar, beef/veg/chicken stockcubes, jar of olives, drinking chocolate, tea, coffee, white sause granules, soy/worstershire/tomato and brown sauce, mustard, beef gravy (suitable for veggy child), salt, pepper, peanut butter, 1 bag plain flour, 1 bag self raising flour, 1 bag brown sugar, 1/4 white suger, chopped mixed nuts, dessicated coconut, baking powder, almonds, sunflower seeds, chocolate chips, golden syrup, banana chips, dried apricots, raisns , dried mixed fruit, custard powder, and a tub of cream of tartar which i have no idea what it's for!

I've also got various herbs etc and some bits for baking and some other odds and ends but i'd be here all day listing it all.

MyRubyRed

Where do you live? I'm sure we can rally round if any of us are near you to help out with a few bits

Spendless

You could make pies/pastries/flans using your pastry and your meat and veg for your main meals that would leave your rice and pasta to be used on packed lunches with tuna & sweetcorn or chicken and salad. You could also make soup.

Do you and hubby both work f-time? If not is kids coming home for lunch for dinner an option? Very OS;) but would open you to more options for feeding them at midday than ones you need to be able to transport.

I am sure I have seen somewhere either on here or in one of my cookery books a recipe for breakfast muffins to get round the nothing for breakfast problem.

lostinrates

EllieA wrote: »

I feel very silly. I know i have loads of food in i have 2 full freezers, i'm just struggling to bring it together. My main problem seems to be lack of the essential's. I get paid on the 30th so my brain tell's be this shouldn't be too hard, i've just got myself in a flap. It's things like what im going to give the kids for breakfast and packed lunches thats got me upset and now i can't see anything straight. I have £0.84p in my purse.

Protien.

Fresh - 1 whole chicken, pk Chicken thighs, 12 eggs
Tinned/packets - 3 tins Tuna, lentils, 2 tins haricot beans, 3 tins baked beans.
Frozen - 1 whole Chicken, Diced Lamb, Chicken Breast fillets, sausages, minced beef.

Veg

Fresh - 1 cabbage, 2 butternut squash, 1 aubergine, 3 sad looking carrots, 1/2 cucumber, 1/4 lettuce, 1 green pepper. lemons??, small pk cherry toms, 1 courgette.
Frozen - sweetcorn, peas, cauliflower, greenbeans, onion, mixed peppers.

Carbs. (ok heres where i struggle)

oats, 1 meals worth of pasta, 1 meals worth of rice, breakfast cereal (but no milk), Frozen SC and puff pastry, 2 sweet potatos, 3 normal potato's.

I've also got various herbs etc and some bits for baking and some other odds and ends but i'd be here all day listing it all.

Do you have any flour?

(you are going to be fine btw, don't worry. I just know some one here is going to plan it all for you, ) but how many are you feeding? Adults/children?

EllieA_3

Feeding 2 adults and 2 kids. (one child is veggy, i do have veggy mince/veggy chicken)

Both me and my husband work full time so the kids need packed lunches and me and my husband need to take lunchs to work though microwaving food is an option for us.

flour ... hmm *runs to check* .. yes i have plain and self raising.

but for baking i only have 1/2 bag of brown sugar and about 1/4 bag of white.

lostinrates

EllieA wrote: »

flour ... hmm *runs to check* .. yes i have plain and self raising.

Great! You have carbs then! I'm not by any means as great a planner as most of the Oldstylers, but I know knowing this will help them help you!

Spendless

Ok- so I'd save the ingrediants for cold packed lunch items for the kids, and you and hubby have the stuff you can microwave to help things stretch.

Just looked again and see you have oats, porridge made with water an option for breakfast? I realise [STRIKE]it tastes like wallpaper paste[/STRIKE] not everyone likes it.

EllieA_3

Spendless wrote: »

Ok- so I'd save the ingrediants for cold packed lunch items for the kids, and you and hubby have the stuff you can microwave to help things stretch.

Just looked again and see you have oats, porridge made with water an option for breakfast? I realise [STRIKE]it tastes like wallpaper paste[/STRIKE] not everyone likes it.

hehe i'll eat it, not so sure about the kids and husband, i've got some raisin's/golden syrup maybe they could liven it up? might not be the most nutritious brekky in the world but could work.