It's STILL tough and not getting better - so how are we coping?

Hardup_Hester

Hubby always thought I kept way too much food in, but when it snowed last year I worked out that I had enough food in to last us a month!

renegade

sammy_kaye18 wrote: »

Well I made dinner last night for friend who came over and let me use his credit card to pay a bill and I'll pay him back part tomorrow, part the beginning of September so made up shepherds pie. He didn't inform me before hand that he has had a stomach bug recently so his portion size is smaller than normal (he's a BIG guy) Only problem now is I still have half a pot of mince/veg/gravy mix sat doing nothing. So going to get that potted up and put in the freezer I think for when I CBA to cook. think I'll get about 4 generous portions from it and then will strain some of the gravy off and anything left can go to muttley with his biscuits.

Will start looking to get my store cupboard up before winter - I live next door to a coop but its the only decent sized shop in the village so once its gone its gone and there is only 2 roads in our village - one is too twisty and turny for lorries to get through and the other is prone to landslides and the road everyone and buses use out of the village. Plus I doubt the kids will be wanting to walk into town (about 40 minutes) in the freezing cold to get to Tesco if the weather is that bad and there is a landslide!

Spoke to my mum yesterday too and she has a breadmaker sat on her kitchen side that she has used once so I've told her f it needs a good home then I will happily give it one. Was considering buying her a slow cooker if I have some extra money left over. She has my sister and her 4 year old daughter about to move in with her and she works shifts but generally 7 - 4 most days so was thinking a slow cooker could be prepared the night before and left to cook all day and she could have a hot meal when she comes in. Know my sister will cook her meals too (she's good at main meals but sucks at puddings) but its a minimal effort meal especially if my sister manages to find/get a job. Did wonder too if I might treat my mum to a surprise Tesco shop to help her out a bit. Mainly cupboard stuff like tins/pasta/packets etc but figure since she is feeding an extra two now it will come in handy.

What a caring person you are hope people appreciate you!:A

parsonswife8

I've gradually stocked up with tins, frozen veg and meat ,dried pulses, powdered milk, pasta, pasta sauce, toilet rolls, tissues, long life fruit juice, tea, coffee, sugar, bread mixes and bread flour, toiletries, paracetamol, cough syrup, etc.

Last year when the snow was so bad, the major supermarkets didn't deliver for at least a week and the snow had formed ice. I fall over at the best of times in normal conditions, had to use crutches twice after falling, so I won't risk going out when there is ice.:eek:
OH has made a spreadsheet so we know what we have and we know where it is stashed.

How sad are we? But it works!
:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

sammy_kaye18

renegade wrote: »

What a caring person you are hope people appreciate you!:A

Well Im a huge believer in karma so it will come back to me someday.

You only get what you give.:D

gailey_2

Morning guys.

Wheres cheapest place for lentils.

Do want to stockpile store cupboard beyond a month dont eat much tinned veg but got lots in freezer.
Might get uht milk and have lots bread mixes on standby.

So much need to do in next couple of months

forage
sort garden
preserving jams and chutneys
foodshopping-several different places now
xmas shopping
As well as usual batch cooking,more baking to save money

Stayed up late last nite watched

edible garden-winterlarder on bbc1-wondering what we can plant for winter and when we plant.
Like idea of all year round food,might check out gardening board

Then the simple life-vicar who tried to live without money,missed the end as fell asleep.
Maybe its easier as he was rural and knew a lot of people.

Right off to take eldest messy play followed by gym.
Never enough hours in day.

catch everyone later.

Primrose

jamanda - well done on passing your garden produce over. It's difficult to do this without embarrassing people, especially if they're proud about their poverty. Another ruse, if needed, is to claim you're going on a diet and are removing all the tempting things like biscuits, chocolates and snacks from your cupboard and ask her if she can find a use for them, rather than you throwing them into the dustbin. But then you'll have to be jolly sure you don't start munching a KitKat in her presence!

Primrose

parsons's wife - you're not sad at all for stocking up. I think a lot of sensible people are doing this now, and keeping a spreadsheet inventory is very sensible too, as when cupboards are crammed, it's all too easy to forget what you've got and let things get stale, especially pulses. Over the years I've collected a lot of the big glass & plastic jars which are used in sweet shops and I find that pulses, dried beans, lentils and pasta keep better & longer in these than in the polythene packets. Things are easier to spot too.
My freezer inventory alas, is getting a little ragged and needs to be updated now fresh crops are being frozen. We have one of these Pop-Up gardening waste disposal bags. We line it with an old blanket, pop in some ice packs and it holds all our frozen stuff long enough for us to itemise and rearrange it in the freezer so that the newer stuff is packed at the back of the shelves and the older stuff is more easily accessible. I won't confess what my oldest item was last time we did this exercise but it dated back to the last century. :eek:

parsonswife8

Primrose wrote: »

parsons's wife - you're not sad at all for stocking up. I think a lot of sensible people are doing this now, and keeping a spreadsheet inventory is very sensible too, as when cupboards are crammed, it's all too easy to forget what you've got and let things get stale, especially pulses. Over the years I've collected a lot of the big glass & plastic jars which are used in sweet shops and I find that pulses, dried beans, lentils and pasta keep better & longer in these than in the polythene packets. Things are easier to spot too.
My freezer inventory alas, is getting a little ragged and needs to be updated now fresh crops are being frozen. We have one of these Pop-Up gardening waste disposal bags. We line it with an old blanket, pop in some ice packs and it holds all our frozen stuff long enough for us to itemise and rearrange it in the freezer so that the newer stuff is packed at the back of the shelves and the older stuff is more easily accessible. I won't confess what my oldest item was last time we did this exercise but it dated back to the last century. :eek:

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Last century? We have been bad in the past, but not as bad as you.
We have two double door fridge freezers and did a cull of both about 6 months ago.
It wasn't too bad. There wasn't much that had to be chucked and I haven't bought frozen veg for a long time, apart from peas.

mardatha

Remember to have plenty tins for back up, dont rely solely on freezers. Power can go off ... Primrose - being the batty old person that I am, my brain zonked onto a tins of peas dated 1899 !:rotfl:
Gailey, your telly watchign sounds good - what channel ? can I get some of this on catchup?

sammy_kaye18

huh

its surprising how on the ball you can be having a newborn isn't it!

Been busy this morning - so far I've done dishes, got me and kids dressed, kids fed, dog fed, teeth done, stripped beds, got a load of washing on, rescued washing on line form mini shower now hanging on hangers around shower rail, enquired about bus times to Cardiff for Saturday, helped Ben write his Christmas list (don't panic its a list of wrestlers names basically), sterilized bottles, tidied living room, mopped hallway and made a 'still needed' list of school uniform. Plus Im only on cup of tea number 2. :T knew I was ill.......................before baby I would normally still be sat in PJS nursing my 4th coffee!

Still got to nip across road to pick up boyfriend prescription though and going to sit down this afternoon and write thank you letters to an older relative who sent baby gifts now that I've settled into having a newborn again - and apologise profusely that it is a month late! hoping a cute picture will make up for it though.

Plus Ben wants to watch his wrestling DVD for the millionth time as he is convinced hes missed some wrestlers off his list! He's got about 20 on there as it is!

Whilst he is doing that I will sit down with my cook books - Maw Broon, Jamie Oliver and a few random others and meal plan for a month to include baked goods etc for packed lunch boxes and write a suitable shopping list, then hopefully jump back on-line to see how much it comes to on Tesco.

Might see too if I can make myself some sort of timetable too - so say a 7 day week can have 3 cleaning days, 1 batch cooking day etc and one day to chill out! Dont know what the other two will be yet - one might be half Xmas stuff half cleaning and the other day as the kids day.

Off on a tangent I know but oh well - got to stop myself spending money in these tough times (did I salvage that well enough?)