I'm eating out of the freezer and cupboards challenge

Kirri

Welcome Ilona £10 a week is very impressive, it's less than what I am aiming for and I have huge amounts of stock at the moment! Do you mealplan too or just see what comes up on offer day to day?

Ilona

Hi Kirri, I don't meal plan at all. I decide what I am going to eat ten minutes before I cook it. I don't eat meat which makes it a lot cheaper. I never buy ingredients for a specific recipe, I make up my own recipes from whatever I happen to have in the cupboard.

When I am shopping I don't take a list, my only priority is to buy as cheaply as possible and not buy junk. I miss out whole aisles of the supermarket, cakes, sweets, crisps, fizzy drinks. I cook from scratch, dont buy microwave ready meals, and rarely buy alcohol. Every penny I spend is carefully considered, I dont impulse buy. If I can't find something at the right price I walk away, and wait for it to appear later at the price I want to pay. I am that determined.
Ilona

Kirri

I do a lot of the same now, but I do have a list and still buy the odd thing that catches my eye so I could improve! I hope you stick around, your posts are quite motivating reading!!

Lynsey

Morning and welcome Ilona, are you just buying for yourself as it looks that way?? Very impressed at your commitment and determination - it must be "flippin hard work".
"If I can't find something at the right price I walk away, and wait for it to appear later at the price I want to pay." - makes sense and something I do, try not to pay over what can be achieved - my meatballs is an example, I know they will be available at 74p per pack and will NOT pay full price for them in Lidl, simply wait for the half-price offer and stock up. I try and have a "target price" for most things.
Your £10 must be an average if you stocked up spending £26?? Very low average though and you have obviously highlighted the aisles you miss, low value food items, using the term "food" lightly.

Well done though, you show what can be achieved through dedication.
Timing - where and when to buy, can reap massive rewards, especially for reduced items. Xmas, Easter, Bank Holidays can also be a time to max up with "whoopsies".

I also hope you stick around, I am motivated by your posts also and hope to pick up a few tips.
BTW, do you use coupons??

I don't meal plan really, but more organised than your "10 minutes", I have a general idea what we are having.

Grapefruit again for breakfast with some toast and a pasta bake again later, got some mushrooms to get rid of and will try the Aldi meatballs.

Lynsey

Lip_Stick

Morning all. Quick visit before I tread off to ds' school for a visit. He's having a bit of speech therapy and he pays more attention when I'm there, apparently the last time I wasn't there he was running around the staff room.

No idea what I'm having for meals today. It was going to be haggis but I think I'm getting swede with my veg box so will save haggis for that. I might have beef burger, feeling like something meaty.

Need to visit a shop today for bread and milk. May do without the bread if I make a quiche.

Lynsey - thanks for the info re: printing the coupons out twice and the bar codes. I wasn't sure if you could and ended up throwing one away for a full box of roses as I was too worried about using it. Now I realise I could have! arghhh.

Gotta scoot or I'll be late. Catch you all soon! x

Lynsey

Lip_Stick - I'm assuming you are hitting the backspace button when printing the coupon printer coupons?
Check the coupons, the PINS are different and are OK to use.
I get 6 as I use 3 laptops, it's 2 per pc.

Nothing beats a good PDF coupon though!!

Lynsey

recovering_spendaholic

Hi Illona - you sound really disciplined - I wish I was!

Lynsey - thanks for the info about the printing 2 coupons. I didn't like the soups either, but I only ever bought the celery or mushroom ones and I use them for tuna pasta bake which is nice. It is from a recipe that I got online and you mix the soup with milk and pour it over cooked pasta and tuna and top with crushed tuc/ritz biscuits and grated cheese.

Today I have coupons for a free bag on Iams puppy food (sent in post from Sainsburys), McCains jackets (on offer at half price in Tescos), McCains French Fries and also Wrights bread/cake mix. I don't usually buy the Wrights bread mixes as it is cheaper to use my own ingredients, but with the coupon it is about the same so I will get some. The Cravendale is back at 2 for £3 in Tescos - I really do prefer it to "normal" milk but won't buy it unless on offer.

Breakfast was Bacon on toast, lunch is chicken noodle soup (made yesterday) and tea is chicken curry and rice. I have everything in for all of that, but will need to go to the Supermarket later on for fruit and cleaning stuff. I must have a look at what the Aldi super six are at the moment.

Have a good day everyone!

cherrypies

Lynsey, I did well out of the coupons last year too, I still have loads of Sacla sauces, pesto and anti-pasto jars, that pdf coupon was fantastic for us as my husband is veggie and loves italian food. I don't liked canned soups but did pick a few up as emergency stand bys for the cupboard, I also printed out extras and handed them out to pensioners who were browsing the soups in the supermarket, I like the share the coupon love! I still have about 6 boxes of honey shreddies left too from the knitted by nanas coupon! They're rationed as I dont much like the kids to have sugary cereal but they are good standbys and handy when eldest has a sleepover.

Ilona, you really are an inspiration, but I know what you mean about it being hard work, my budget is a fair bit higher than yours (needs to come down much further) but i still find myself trailing round the shops daily. Luckily I have the time to do it at the moment, but littlest one is approaching two and I'm going to have to go back to work at some point, not sure how I'll fare then.

I've almost recovered from the shock of the horrendous gas bill, keep calm and carry on, not much I can do but pay it and be more vigliant about energy consumption for the future. Think I was in a false sense of security as bills for last year up until October were manageable and cheaper than in our last house despite this one being bigger. Live and learn.

Kids had toast and berries for brekky, husband muesli and I had some crustless asparagus quiche that I made last night (gorgeous). Lunch will be turkey salad for me and hummous, salad and pitta for them. Dinner is chicken stir fry with asparagus, babycorn and mange tout (tofu for veggie husband). I made a huge batch of banana bread and banana nut muffins last night from 3 bags of M&S organic bananas that I got for 10p each yesterday, so they will do for snacks / desserts for the children for the next day or so and there is plenty in the freezer for the next week or so.

Lynsey

cherrypies - you must live on a decent sized Island to use all those coupons??
I gave loads of coupons away in the supermarket, especially for the Sacla stuff. I also give away my Tesco £2 and £3 off £20 WYS vouchers, but they (receivers) look at you strangely when asking if they want them. Money for nothing, but they still look puzzled??

Hope that Sacla one returns. lol
I also got quite a few Sacla products for my son (veggie), he uses pesto's etc a lot.

Made my pasta bake with the Aldi meatballs, they don't seem as good as the Lidl ones as they didn't keep their shape, broke up a little - see how they taste later. Might make some potato skins and use the rest of the potatoes for pie and mash again tomorrow.
Have another free pudding, they are nice, but would never ever buy them.

Lynsey

Lip_Stick

'ello all

Having a cuppa before I make my quiche. Going to put some red pepper and bacon in it.

Lynsey, the bar code on the bottom left of the coupons, is that for the product, and the bar code in the top right is the coupon identity?

Mam uses Cambells mushroom soup to make a chicken pie. She uses the left over chicken from the sunday roast and a tin of the soup. Don't think she likes the soup as it is.