I'm eating out of the freezer and cupboards challenge

ms_night_ryder

Hey guys, have been naughty during the day, as i forgot to bring the last box of porridge with me to work, so i went to mr t's and bought a bunch of reduced red grapes, not overly reduced but they are in date until the 5th and just had some sellotpe on a rip, a crossaint and a box of kipling fancies, havent eaten the fancies, will be a treat for next week, as me and my friend planned to have a cream tea at work today , but she has bought the stuff tonight for tomorrow instead.
For lunch i thought i would treat myself as yesterday was payday, so had an escolope rap from a place my friends frequent daily but i have never tried. Also have been dieing to try thos macaroons the colourful ones, so i treated myself to 2 at a posh braisserie that has just opened up around the corner.

But on the upside, i got home and was really hungry, so i used the last of the wedges, along with some crispy chicken i cooked and froze, bunged both in the oven, really should have had some veg now im typing this i think.

My freezer is packed as i had a huge mr t's order, so i am trying to clear stuff out in anticipation of all the reduced items i hear you guys talking about on christmas eve. Although taking out the chicken and wedges have made no dent.

So i asked my cousin if she wants to come for dinner on sunday, she is a student and doesnt have loads of money and she loves lamb, i have a rack in the freezer that i got free from a mystery shop, so she will be happy and i have a bag of reduced potatoes the red rooster ones, that need using up, so win win.

Does anyone know if i can freeze potatoes? if so, just peeled and bagged? or must i cook it?

Sorry for the waffle lol

Lynsey

Ended up going to Sainsbury's tonight and loads of bargains (sadly no fresh meat).
Spent another £4.09 on:
2 x free Cravendale (coupons)
1 x large Belgian choc mouse cake - 74p
1 x pack salmon ginger and chilli fishcakes - 49p
1 x pack muffins - 19p
1 x pack peeled prawns - 69p
2 x large pepperoni pizzas - 99p each

So just scraped in budget with only £2.40 to spare!! Could have nabbed another 2 large pizzas. lol

Freezers pretty full again, had to take large lasagne out for tomorrows tea and toasted muffins for breakfast.

It's been pretty much fun and great to see support, help and recipes from one another.
Thanks to Middy for starting this thread, it's been a bit of an education and thanks to all on the coupon thread - made budgeting so much easier gaining free and near free food - some even being paid to take away (my fave food)!!
One thing I've learned from all this is not to buy too much and to just keep the fridge ticking over (that's where most of my food waste came from).

The 2011 budgeting has come to an end and I've managed to eat out of the cupboards and freezers for 4 months (minus 10 days holiday) for less than £350 (food and drink for 2, but not including alcohol). I've probably got more food now than I've ever had, so failed to clear my stock, but managed to live with what I had together with a budget. Big saving made by not buying too many cakes/biscuits/crisps/sweets etc., these can take up a massive amount of any budget. Should have lost a few pounds, but sadly not.

I'm having a December break now, but will try and hammer the freezers these next two weeks, to create space - son's a veggie and coming home for Xmas, so need some veggie stuff (hopefully cheap!!).

Good luck to you all, just lurking now until 2012 - enjoy your Xmas.

Lynsey

Nancy888

ms_night_ryder wrote: »

Does anyone know if i can freeze potatoes? if so, just peeled and bagged? or must i cook it?

Hi

If I've got some that are going sprouty I make them into wedges with the schwartz sprinkle stuff and when they're cooled I open freeze them than put them in a bag (open freezing means they don't all go into one lump).

I also save any l/o mashed potato (or purposefully make more than I know we will eat) and then put it into a bag in the freezer that I then use to make HM fishcakes from

HTH

Nancy888

Lynsey wrote: »

It's been pretty much fun and great to see support, help and recipes from one another.
Thanks to Middy for starting this thread, it's been a bit of an education and thanks to all on the coupon thread - made budgeting so much easier gaining free and near free food - some even being paid to take away (my fave food)!!
One thing I've learned from all this is not to buy too much and to just keep the fridge ticking over (that's where most of my food waste came from).

The 2011 budgeting has come to an end and I've managed to eat out of the cupboards and freezers for 4 months (minus 10 days holiday) for less than £350 (food and drink for 2, but not including alcohol). I've probably got more food now than I've ever had, so failed to clear my stock, but managed to live with what I had together with a budget. Big saving made by not buying too many cakes/biscuits/crisps/sweets etc., these can take up a massive amount of any budget. Should have lost a few pounds, but sadly not.

I'm having a December break now, but will try and hammer the freezers these next two weeks, to create space - son's a veggie and coming home for Xmas, so need some veggie stuff (hopefully cheap!!).

Good luck to you all, just lurking now until 2012 - enjoy your Xmas.

Lynsey

Good luck to you too Lynsey - your coupon shopping has been inspirational to read about. Have a great break and hope to hear from you in the New Year

bramble1

Hi all,

Went out for dinner last night, was so delish.

Today, got some eggs that need using up, think i will bake, some bits and bobs. Going to lift out chicken breasts tonight to have with a potato bake for dinner and will have the last of the lasagna for lunch. Although OH got a dominoes delivery yesterday (Even thought we've a pizza in the freezer!!!) so theres pizza to eat too.

also got a milk out the freezer, so started to make some more space. Usually payday means i go spend a ridiculous amount on food, but i'm not going to bother this month, we need to make use of what we've already got in the stores.

quintwins

still using stuff up, we might be moving house and i really don't wanna move it all with me so must use it, today were having sausage rolls from the freezer, mash and beans for tea, lunch will be soup from our many tins and just plain old toast for breakfast, i really will stick to this this month, i'm not goings to any big sm just lidl and the farm shop and will only buy bread, milk and fruit and veg, i have no ham but i know theres a gammon on my freezer somewhere i just need to find it, i'll cook it on sat morning to we can have warm gammon sandwichs for lunch which is hubbys favorite

cheerfulness4

Lynsey - shall miss your very encouraging posts and well done. Big acheivement!

Today I'm going to have that 'bready omelette' for lunch. Finally getting round to it. Will make HM pepperoni pizzas for tea using some of my pizza base mix from BigBrands and some mozzerella from the freezer. Have some cheap tomatoes off the market that will top them nicely and have some tomato pizza topping from AP foods I found in the depths of the pantry.

Have a huge delivery coming from AP Foods today - that explanins the huge leap in my spends in sig. Actually having another coming tomorrow, too.
Most of that one is mum's as she was a tad disappointed I didn't phone her to add things to my first order. Had to place a second for her and added some extra bits I found for me.

Nancy- does the mash come out the same as when you cook it fresh? Was thinking about potato cakes or bubble and squeak.

Nancy888

cheerfulness4 wrote: »

Nancy- does the mash come out the same as when you cook it fresh? Was thinking about potato cakes or bubble and squeak.

Hi Cheerfulness

Yes, it generally comes out the same - sometimes it might be a bit more 'wet' due to ice crystals that have melted but when I make it into fishcakes I use a tin of tuna and a sprinkling of flour to bind it. The wetness helps them stick together without adding an egg or anything

HTH

recovering_spendaholic

Lynsey - well done - I will miss your posts! What will I do now to find out about coupon glitches!!!!!

Went to Tesco at 1am as I couldn't sleep and bought most of my Christmas meat as it was all half price - got a huge leg of pork, huge piece of bone-in gammon and an extra large free-range chicken (3kg!), plus streaky bacon. It's all in the freezer now.

breakfast was tuna on toast - the kids do my head right in because they mix up a tin of tuna with salad cream or mayo and then use it but leave some in the bowl which is not enough for a lunch but too much to throw out!! So I had that for breakfast and lunch is corned beef and hm coleslaw (kids had that on butties too) and dinner is avocado chicken and bacon salad with baguettes (bacon and baguettes out of the freezer!)

My cupboards and freezer are full but not overflowing and I have managed to free up on cupboard which used to be full of tins and packets so it must be working!

ms_night_ryder

Evening all.

Done o.k today, had brekkie of an apples 2 satsumas and 2 small filled pancakes, whoopsied and defrosted, for lunch i had 2 thighs of chicken from the freezer i brought with me to work, then i bought coleslaw and chips from the canteen at work to go with it.

i am in tomorrow and then off to a buffet in the evening with my friend.