I'm eating out of the freezer and cupboards challenge

cherrypies

I got £1 philly coupons too, think was via beforeishop, got 2 free tubs from Tesco as currently on offer for £1 a pot.

Sulking a bit today as we've just had a *huge* gas bill, £460 for 2 months!!! It's our first winter in this house and the bills up until October were reasonable.... guess this cold snap is taking it's toll

Anyway, today similar to yesterday, kids had fromage frais, toast and berries, husband muesli. I havent eaten yet, gas bill stole my appetite! Will have some sort of salad later on I think. Eldest child has friend coming for dinner so we're having chicken kebabs with pitta, salad and tzatziki. Courgette, mushroom and red onion kebabs for husband as he's veggie. Dessert is homemade banana bread for the family, i'll have berries and cream. Wednesday is always a good day for reductions in my M&S so I'm going to walk there and pick up some bits with my livingsocial gift card.

Lip_Stick

cherrypies wrote: »

I got £1 philly coupons too, think was via beforeishop, got 2 free tubs from Tesco as currently on offer for £1 a pot.

Sulking a bit today as we've just had a *huge* gas bill, £460 for 2 months!!! It's our first winter in this house and the bills up until October were reasonable.... guess this cold snap is taking it's toll

Anyway, today similar to yesterday, kids had fromage frais, toast and berries, husband muesli. I havent eaten yet, gas bill stole my appetite! Will have some sort of salad later on I think. Eldest child has friend coming for dinner so we're having chicken kebabs with pitta, salad and tzatziki. Courgette, mushroom and red onion kebabs for husband as he's veggie. Dessert is homemade banana bread for the family, i'll have berries and cream. Wednesday is always a good day for reductions in my M&S so I'm going to walk there and pick up some bits with my livingsocial gift card.

Eeek that's huge! Is it an estimate or your actual usage?

gailey_2

Sorrry guys got the grumps today.

was up most night with poorly baby
ful of cold myself so is my toddler.
wanted nice family dinner last night with reduced roast chicken but me and hubby had row over house despite everyone being ill , me trekking out looking for reductions, me doing housework most day yesterday as well as 20party invites for edests party next week so saw red!

Not doing so well on storecupboard as even with what we have probably spent about 50quid last 2weeks on food money raised from selling stuff as much as possible!
We havent really had many luxuries eitehr most of what was brought was value, on offer or reduced so not sure where im going wrong.

My feeling is started with nearly empty storecupbaord which has not helped.
need to build up stockpiles of stuff again as ran out of basic staples like

sugar
coffee
rice/pasta
flour
tomatoes/passatta
herbs/pepper.

then theres the constant fresh

fruit and veg -weekly
eggs
ham
cheese
milk
yogurts

non foods we out of binbags, foil and clingfilm.
ran outr washing powder last week found easy box in corner shop for £1.
nappies-least a pack a week so thats £5 a week.
we ok fore wipes at moment and washing up liquid.
3bog rolls left.

Hubby likes his meats.
kids like their biscuits
brought value crips for their lunch box

freezer not much better either out of oven chips.
got frozen veg and 20bags plums still!
nothing breaded.
no fish
no chicken
little bit partyfare/pasties
few pasties.

cereals running low nothing I like but have stuff for kids and hubby.
The big mass buying reduced bakery products really helped as for brekkie and snacks we enjoyed

criossents and jam
crumpets
muffins.
scotch pancakes even reduced donuts.

theres been foxes custard creams in biscuit barrel-reduced
apples in the fruitbowl

yet family still feeling deprived!

went to co-op spent £9.73 today on

cheese-reduced-nearly run out
value squash-have run out think 35p
reduced tomatoes
tomato soup on offer its col im ill with reduced rolls -real treat for lunch /3portions 50p a portion as big tub and 3pack rolls reduced to 59p nice warbertons seeded.
value yogurts for baby/kids
baby food £1 his fave as hes off his food.
c0-op gold coffee
value garlic bread bit bargain at 39p hubby moans if has pasta minus garlic bread or curry without naan , poppodoms and chutney as says its incomplete drives me potty as adds extra costs to a meal.
doing spag bol tonight for tea.

will cook reduced chicken carcass to make soup for tommorow
also reduced chicken thighs make a chicken casserole served with leftovers potatoes.

coulkd really do with another aldi trip but hubby needs any remaining money for petrol!

its payday next wed!

have to wait until tommorow to buy toddler her pullups as broke until tommorow.
got £10tax credits and quidco suppost to have paid out £10 but have things to post so cost there!

will list lots more and hope for the best!

no wondering best stategy next month.

we have coped im suprised but feel we done a lot of top ups as reguarly do reduced hunt.

Think need to go big on frozen at farmoods not exactly healthy but least have lots standbys.
we have money off coupns and can stock up on weeks worth of milk. as get through 28+pints a week and cancelling milkman.

need basic tinned/pasta shop at lidls.

keep doing lilds weekend deal
aldi super six
maybe spend £20 at butchers on sauasages, beef and bacon.

need to kepe to £200-250 feb.
that includes party foods for next week too
household and toilitries which is also low.

Lynsey-how much have you spent on food in jan? was confused by your sig.
like your idea of stockpiling stuff when on offer as things keep going up!¬
Bless you and your meal ball fetish!
Thourght you had kids too.
I would love an upright small freezer as chest a nightmare but dont know where would put it.

need to get laptop and printer fixed to take advantage of coupons.
bit baffled as have disc toi set up printer but my netbook has no disc drive so think need to invest in portable disc drive.

Thats some gas billl cherry pies you sure its correct you not got a leak as had faulty boiler and high gas bill in previous flat!.

its freezing here think we might get more snow.

dissapointed in lidls deal weekend just gone as people got beef and my store just pork!
hubby hates pork so dident go.

cherrypies

Lip_Stick wrote: »

Eeek that's huge! Is it an estimate or your actual usage?

Actual usage! We live on an Island, gas is stupidly expensive and there is only one provider so we're stuck with it.

Kirri

cherrypies - I would feel sick at that gas bill :eek: can you have an open fire at all?

gailey, I would like to see your OH do any better with your budget, I bet he doesn't realise how much trouble you go to with your budget and shopping! He would be lucky to get dinner cooked from me even!!! Could you bake cakes/biscuits if they are moaning about feeling deprived, not sure if would be cheaper than shop ones but they may feel it's more a treat??


TODAY:
Breakfast - hm bread toasted
Lunch - will be Quorn meat sarnie
Dinner - no idea yet but want to use something up to create space

Lynsey

gailey wrote: »

Lynsey-how much have you spent on food in jan? was confused by your sig.
like your idea of stockpiling stuff when on offer as things keep going up!¬
Bless you and your meal ball fetish!
Thourght you had kids too.
I would love an upright small freezer as chest a nightmare but dont know where would put it.

Just under £50 in actual cash for the month gailey, obviously used a few coupons and some Nectar points. As above, had a good starting point with Xmas stock as son wasn't back "home" for as long as originally planned. I work on a week to week basis, rather than monthly (13 weeks per quarter).

My son is my "kid", 26 though and long left home, seems like ages since he first went to Uni and then off to live in London. So my budget is only for the 2 of us, which makes life easier, though my "kid" probably costs more now he's not at home as we are still supporting him - hopefully one day he will end his Uni lifestyle and look after us!!

Meatball fetish. lol
Never thought of it as that!!
No meatballs this week either, just been to Lidl and bacon medallions is my meat offer. Meatball budget will have to wait until another week .....hopefully.

Stockpiling helps, buy big'ish when the offers are on. :money:

Anyway, spent a little today - bought 4 bottles of garlic oil, some eggs, quiche, muffins, peppercorns and mushy peas - £8.79 to add to sig.

Lynsey

Lynsey

Big gas bill cherrypies - OUCH!!!

We'll have to find ways of helping you to reduce your food bills to offset the gas costs.

gailey - hope you and baby don't suffer too much.

Off for a coffee.

Lynsey

Lynsey

gailey wrote: »

need to get laptop and printer fixed to take advantage of coupons.
bit baffled as have disc toi set up printer but my netbook has no disc drive so think need to invest in portable disc drive.

Gailey, just google your printer model and download the software and any updates.

You do need to get "couponing", especially for household products - massive savings there, quite a few free!!
"Couponing" has put me in the position of just relaxing (doesn't seem like it though) now and going for the offers. Six months of "couponing" and I've almost got my own small corner shop - most stuff nicely arranged - not on shelves though - garage, cupboards, lofts etc.

Get that printer sorted today...........or I'll tell you off!!

Lynsey

frizz2

Hi everyone on this thread,
You are all such an inspiration. Can I just ask what you mean by couponing? I know they do this in America, but I am not really aware of it here in the UK. Also, when you buy in Bulk, do you have a chest or anadditional up right freezer? I am watching the pennies at the moment and trying to cut down on my food bill. I only have a half size freezer, but am just thinking about the initial out lay for a new one being £140 and what with running costa if it will help me to save money. Do any of you know the running costs of a A rated Freezer?
I am trying to use up all my stuff in the freezer and cupboards before buying much more. I melted some value milk chocolate bar and used some cheap choco rice crispes from aldi to make chocolate rice crispie cakes.
I also find when I stock pile stuff (Nice things) despite me trying to hide it my children always find it and eat it!
I am also going to get a breadmaker to help save money. I am shopping at Aldi and Lidl and only Tesco for the bits we can't get there.
I have always watched the pennies and gone back to monthly planned menus, as I have just started to make over payments on the mortgage.
I also write down everything I spend.

Lip_Stick

Still waiting on my veg box. Don't they know I'm an impatient person?! :mad:

Lynsey - Rather than considering getting another freezer, I think you should opt for a bigger house!

Cuppa all finished. Back to cleaning.