I'm eating out of the freezer and cupboards challenge

dannie

I calculate my budget per month. Judging by the grocery challenge for this month, it does look difficult for 2012. Nevertheless, still determined to be more resourceful.

It was nice to receive a few edible presents recently so this may slow down using up some "old" food items. Also, some of a Xmas cake recipe might be frozen.

Lynsey

bramble1 wrote: »

Lynsey - I've cut my annual budget into quarters to see if that makes it less daunting!!

Makes sense to me. I'm also looking at that as it gives £375 per quarter average.
1st target will be tighter though!! I'm away at the end of March for a few days, so 12 1/12 weeks and hoping to make £250 last for this period (£20 per week average). 13 weeks for the second quarter and I'm away for just over 1 week, so 12 weeks and looking at £30 per week as stock may go down a little (depends on what I can pick up, bargain wise). That would be around £610'ish for the 1st half and a whopping almost £900'ish for the second half of the year including next Xmas. That would be a doddle..............if the 1st half goes to plan.
I'm going to print off monthly calendars and keep them in a poly-pocket, write on each days spend. Hoping for a few blank days though, as many no-spend days as possible initially.
A few packs of bacon from Lidl this weekend and hoping to pick up some cheap veg. Already got my Easter joint, keeping the cheap stuffed turkey joint in the freezer until then. Got enough sausages for the 1st quarter, so we'll not starve and if those meatballs come up half-price, I'm sorted. Might try a pasta bake with some sausages, roll the sausagemeat into little balls. I did this with burgers last week and it was lovely.

Good luck to all that's trying...........stay strong.

Lynsey

bramble1

Well lidl was successful, i like to time my shop for early in the AM as i now know where to locate their reduced stuff, then i go round the rest of the store. Picked up reduced cheese, ham, pork chops and some trifle for afters tonight (for 69p!) The meat is good till the end of the year too!

Also go lots of veg and some crisps etc for OH lunch box, total spend of £19.42 so within my budget. Just need to start planning my first proper shop of 2012!! picked up the leaflets so start making a list, and will get my cookbooks out for inspiration later too.


Food for today
B - i had a bagel, only 1 left now, OH had nothing
L - I shall pick at things, there are bits and bobs that need to be eaten.
D - Possibly a stir fry with the pork i got today. It's hard to plan as we don't know if we will be invited to relatives' for dinner etc.

I also need to cook some of the chicken wings and sausage rolls from the freezer for OH's lunch tomorrow, I am working to! But might do a salad with the bits i got today.

Good luck all!!

ms_night_ryder

Oh My WORD!

Just very nearly had a mini heart attack! a fuse blew when i went to turn on the cooker to heat something from freezer up, so i called housing association and they said it was an all day call out until 5pm, i had no lights or cooker, but tv was working.

The leccy just came, he had a look then said your cooker is gone, its what keeps tripping the lights andit will always do that, yo will need a new one, after all the are you jokings, are you sures he left, so went to look at currys website, when my door rang again, thought he had forgotten something, he came in and said, i have just had a thought, it may just be 1 hob and not them all, so i came back up, shall we try? so we tried and it was just the 1 hob! thank christ!, he took the nob off, incase i forgewt and trip it again!

All the time i was thinking about my freezer food and what i could and couldnt eat.

Also because i was about to pop a hovis loaf in for my lunch, i couldnt so had the lamb and rice, i was gonna have for dinner lol

Last night, i read on this thread someone saying warburtons square wraps make a great pizza base, so i'm gonna get some out the freezer, use some of the ham a lil bit of cheese and a small can of tomato puree, will bake the home bake at the same time for tomorrows lunch

Crisis diverted!

bramble1

i had to go to sainsburys as OH wanted some beer, got some reduced chicken breast and jamie oliver spaghetti was reduced from £1.67 a pack to 25p! Thats less than the basics one! so picked up 4 packs for the store cupboard Don't see us needing to buy any pasta next year! Chicken is in the freezer too

Nancy888

gailey wrote: »

Congrats nancy on new job.

I so need a job.

Thanks Gailey

I was being made redundant from my previous job - hence the issues as they were messing me about with my leaving dates and I had another job lined up that I might have missed out on but it all came right in the end...

Nancy888

Nancy888 wrote: »

Got back from mum and dad's yesterday and she sent me with the remnants of the turkey crown - I say remnants but there's enough for 2 curries and a pie at least - Lord knows why the heck she buys one so big - I'm sure there are smaller versions but hey ho!! 3 meals for us.

She also sent me with 2 packs of bacon and 2 wedges of Stilton. They had already come out of the freezer so they went straight in - after a shuffle about but I have NO WAY of getting the turkey in there just yet - need a major overhaul in there :eek:

Well the turkey was made into a turkey and leek pie with one of the packs of bacon. That fed the 3 of us with 2 other portions back in the freezer for me for another day. I sliced some turkey for sandwiches and open froze that so i can take out what I need and also pulled some into shreds to put into a pasta bake at some point.

That left a hunk of meat that's been forced into a little corner that will make a fair sized curry for us all

I did a Sainsbobs shop (mostly using my Nectar points) and spent £53 - that should do us for this month and into next except for milk and veg...fingers crossed :rotfl:

123budget

Went to T***o yesterday and bought two large joints 1 pork and 1 beef as they were half price. So now have 4 hug joints in freezer. Today am going to use up the very last of the turkey. Have puff pastry sheet in fridge so will make some sort of turkey and veg pie. have already had cold leftovers and a curry from it

quintwins

put loads of breadly stuff in my freezer last night all reduced

today the kids had reduced pancakes, hubbys away shooting then i'm gonna make us bacon butties, lunch will be soup, dinners gonna be pizza and garlic bread so a nice easy day

ms_night_ryder

In my head, I thought I had used up loads, but I actually havent, had an apple for breakfast, had a meal deal from sainsbos for lunch as I was out doing promo work and visiting my gram, as I left my pepper and pumpkin that I bought.

for dinner yesterday I took out a tapas tomato and potato. Thing and thought oh good space, iits 1 portion, then while doing promo in mr t's got whoopsied paellas from same tapas range I love this one, good for lunches etc, so I bought for and discounts etc kickeed in, so in the end got 4 for 50p, ate 2 with the other tapas which wasnt great and 2 tiny strips of letover chicken.

have taken out bread to have a fry up of ham and eggs tomorrow, forgot I had a hovis to bake,but im making soup for dinnerr in sc tomorrow, so it wont go to waste.