I'm eating out of the freezer and cupboards challenge

dasophster

It's a good job you have that cookbook and I can really recommend giving it another look because looking at your list of stuff you have in you could probably make at least half the recipes in it without having to buy anything else . Tonight's offering was barbecued potatoes and carrots from there, tomorrow am making calico baked beans for a crowd-I got quite a few bags of the waitrose 10 bean mix when it was on offer and it works perfectly for that dish xx

recovering_spendaholic wrote: »

Hi everyone!

I am in the mother of all bad moods today! DD2 refused to go to school this morning and it took an hours argument before she finally went, which wore me out! STILL no fees so I am down to my last £6, or I was until DD2 came in from school and had a hissy fit because I wouldn't give her £2.60 to go to the pictures. I wimped out in the end because I couldn't stand the argument and shouting any longer. Then when she had gone the school rang and said that she should have been in detention for lates and she hadn't gone.

Made home made McMuffins for breakfast - muffins from freezer with sausage, bacon, egg and a cheese slice on. Lunch was some Quiche from freezer and dinner was just some skirt beef (YS from freezer) done with onions and mushrooms and a sachet of Maggi red wine sauce with hm foccaccia bread - well it was a packet of Wrights mix!

My freezer is down to about half full now. I have the following left:

A pork fillet tenderloin
two quarterpounders
braising steak
mince (loads)
stewing steak
haddock (fillets)
haddock (battered, two pieces)
lightly dusted sole fillets (2)
hm chilli (enough for 3 or 4)
l/o sausage casserole (2 portions)
various different veggies
Cornettos
frozen fairy cakes (for lunchboxes)
blocks of cheddar
chicken breasts on bone (about 12)
chicken thigh fillets
turkey mince
pork mince
bacon
roast potatoes
rosti potatoes
pork cheek
meatballs (2 packs)
unidentifyable frozen meat - possibly stewing steak
lambs liver
rump steak
fish in butter sauce (2)
2 Aberdeen angus half pound burgers

Fridge hasn't got that much in -

Carrots
Parsnips
celery
cheese (about 7 packs of 400g)
bacon
tomatoes
butternut squash
potatoes (not many)
onions
peppers
milk
Flora
eggs (12)
soured cream
Mayo and other condiments and jams
Rolo yoghurts (rank but kids like them)
l/o beef in red wine from tonight's tea

Cupboards

2kg rice
4kg pasta (various types)
packets of savoury rice, cous cous, noodles (loads)
1kg lasagne sheets
2kg lentils
1kg split peas
1kg barley
loads of stuffing mix
flour and bread flour
custard powder, blancmange and cornflour
tea bags
bread mixes (loads)
tuna (about 16 tins)
corned beef (only 1 tin)
packet soups, sauces etc (about 6 packets)
tinned beans (8)
tinned tomatoes
tinned kidney beans and other mixed beans
tinned salmon
vinegar and all other condiments and sauces
oil (olive and extra virgin)
tomato puree
oxos and Knorr cubes(LOADS I mean LOADS!!- all different kinds)
Marmite
Bovril (why??? it's rank!)
tinned fruit
tinned carrots
mushy peas
Homepride sausage casserole sauce
Uncle Bens sweet and sour sauce
Nandos piri piri rub (LOADS)
tons of herbs and stuff
porridge oats
baking stuff, flavourings, decorations etc
squash
coffee
hot chocolate mix and marshmallows
Jam
Lemon curd
cornbread mix (I'm sure I go shopping in my sleep sometimes)
tinned soup
Stagg Chilli
sugar free jelly mix

One thing I haven't got in at the moment is any sugar or sweetner - kids are doing their nut about it!

As you can see I have enough in to last ages, but I am still making lists for when I get paid!! DD1 was moaning tonight because we had no food in - however she only classes pizza and other such stuff as food.

Quintwins - if you haven't got scales a heaped tbs flour is 25g/1oz, a level tbs sugar is 25g/1oz - I remember that from domestic science at school!

Lynsey - going anywhere nice on holiday? I don't think I can afford to go on holiday this year - might go down to Winchester though as my Aunts live there.

Dasophster - I have got that More with Less cookbook!! Mind you I have a serious problem with buying cookbooks and it is probably easier to list the ones I HAVEN'T got - no wonder I'm broke (and fat).

DD1 has just come in so I am going to read the riot act!

cherrypies

Hi all, hope you're all well. No time recently to sit down, let alone post! Just had a quick read and catch up and it seems you're all doing well, totally envious of those of you who are organised enough to catalogue your freezer and cupboards!! and Lynsey, you're always an inspiration, sorry to hear you've felt a bit 'low' have you got a goal set? A reason you're challenging yourself? Sorry to be nosey!

Would love to be organised enough to catalogue everything but would need a whole day (at least!) with no Husband or kids mythering me... never going to happen!

I was doing pretty well at getting the stocks down, seem to be recycling lots of glass jars and packets/boxes recently and then this weekend, an old friend came to stay... she knows some items are hard to get over here, (particularly asian ingredients, there is a huge asian grocers but prices are at least double those in the UK) so she brought me a huge wheely case full of goodies. Very gratefully received but it has filled all of the gaps and my only spare shelf left in the garage. PLUS, I popped to Tesco earlier for a bottle of red and a santoku knife from the knife deal (brilliant, by the way, amazed at the quality for £5) and I noticed that loads of the 'World Food' items were price cuts and I got stacks of fab things....

Lots of Cypressa goodies... cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, cous cous, antipasti, sundried tomatoes.

and Bevelini bargains... roasted peppers, orzo pasta, marinated olives with feta, chili onions, garlic salad. Too many to mention really, there was stacks of bargains, all about 1/3 of their usual cost. We eat a LOT of greek/italian/indian/asian food, we love it and we can usually find dishes that we all enjoy. Cooking here can be long winded as I low carb, husband is veggie, almost teenager who used to eat anything I put in front of him is becoming fussy and my toddler is well, a toddler!

Anyway, long story short, bought loads, all had good dates, some as long as 2014 so now I have 5 bags of goodies with no home, going to have to do some SERIOUS organising tomorrow, which is easier said than done with a toddler who causes chaos at a rate quicker than I can restore order!

Also, we're off to Cyprus in just over 2 weeks so I REALLY need to stay out of the shops and use my gigantic stash of food stuffs. I bake my own bread for the kids, have a huge stash of fish and frozen veg in the freezer and storecupboards that rival Waitroses' stock. Realistically, I only need to buy milk, yog, fruit, chicken, fresh veg and salad, but we'll see, I'm a hopeless shopping addict! Just need to stay away from the shops!

Thanks for all of your fab posts, keep them up, love reading them and how inventive you all are xx

Florenceem

Freezer update - Mr F took out a tub of rhubarb crumble tonight but - filled that space with a bag of flour. I always put my flour in the freezer for a while before I put it in a container in my cupboard. Had those dreaded flour weevils once - totally traumatised! :eek:
So freezer remains stuffed!
We had Roast pork, roast potatoes, cabbage, carrot, onions, Yorkshire pudding and gravy for dinner.


Toad in the hole tomorrow - sausages already in the fridge for that.
I will only be taking some prawns out of the freezer for Friday's dinner - got to fit in two helpings of tomorrow's TITH. :eek:
Thats one of my problems - take out a small pack of sausages - turn it into three day's worth of dinners - still not a bad fault to have! :rotfl:

AlwaysHappy

I am continuing with the eating up journey - this morning I have taken some salmon out for tea tomorrow and some slices of bread which are in the toaster as I speak to go with my scrambled egg! Everyone seems to be doing really well so keep it up!!

Lynsey

Morning.

cherrypies - nice to see you posting. Enjoy Cyprus, we fancy going back there next year or perhaps a Greek resort. Limited in the North East with cheap flights though and don't want to pay brochure price!!
Cyprus can be a little expensive and even more now since they joined the euro, though the supermarkets are cheap if s/c.
Feeling "low"?? Only the second bout of feeling down, so can't complain too much. I would rather spend and grab bargains at the minute rather than save ........... but can't.
My "goal"?? To get to the end of June having spent £600 max and have £900 for the 2nd half of the year which obviously includes Xmas - keeping my Nectar points for Xmas to lighten the load (should have enough for one weeks shopping at least).
I think this challenge/game is a bit of a marathon - didn't realise how long a year is!! lol
What I have learned though with this challenge and really feel for and admire, is those who HAVE to live like this and NOT by choice. It's not easy at times, you need to think and try and "get as much as possible for as little as possible" (that's my mantra anyway).
It's harder now since all the Xmas stuff has gone, though still got 1 Xmas pudding left.

Weather not good today, so catch up on housework.
Veggie day 2 of the week - toast for breakfast and Linda Mc sausages with onion gravy, mash and swede.

Have a great day, despite the weather.

Lynsey

bramble1

Hello all

Still eating our stores, even more so this weekend as have no money!!

Lifted out mince for spag bol tonight, and plan to have Chicken kebabs and rice tomorrow, pork and prawn stir fry Saturday and Lamb chops, pots and veg sunday. Hopefully!!

Only need to buy some fruit and some milk and that should see me through till monday!

Lip_Stick

Morning all. Weather is awful here, again. Rained all day yesterday and looks as though today will be the same.

Just bought milk for ds yesterday. Won't be buying much today either but I'm meeting dad at Asda so who knows!

Had some seeds for brekkie, ds had coco pops.
No idea what I'm having for dinner or tea. Might have breaded chicken for tea. May have a look to see if I can find anything that'll be a bit more inventive.

Have my course to go to this afternoon. Yesterday's course, only 3 people turned up. Was fairly interesting but I'm only going for the TA course and to get a few extra tips. I know, and practice a lot of what will be taught already.

Cherrypies - bet you're looking forward to the hol with the weather we're having here right now!

Lynsey - was watching on BBC news this morning about an increase in people using food banks. People waiting weeks for a new benefit seemed to be a popular reason which I find shocking.

quintwins

morning all, lifted a loaf out of the freezer, used to rolls/baps i lifted out last night for breakfast.

Need to go to the old house tonight as my cest freezers still there and lift something out for tomorrows dinner, gonna try move a few more bits today but i've no car til lunch time so will see how it goes.

Lynsey

Lip_Stick - It's totally disgusting that people are living in poverty in the UK. I'm not against the mega-rich, but the balance is so, so wrong - the gaps are getting much bigger and something will have to give. I think there is a LOT more unrest to come in the UK, but hope I'm wrong!!!
Off my "Soap Box" now. lol

Just hung up my onions and an even bigger bargain, the sewn in label states 10kg (not 9kg as advertised at shop) - 10kg 60-80 (assuming size in mm's??). Maybe the sacks are under-weight, hence the price?? Not bothered, loads of onions for under 8p per lb.
London markets sell onions in sacks very cheaply, my son buys them all the time - sure only £1 per sack??

Still waiting for my email regarding the rest of my "free money", got most of it though. lol
Thinking of a new stair carpet.

Lynsey

cherrypies

Lynsey wrote: »

What I have learned though with this challenge and really feel for and admire, is those who HAVE to live like this and NOT by choice. It's not easy at times, you need to think and try and "get as much as possible for as little as possible" (that's my mantra anyway).
It's harder now since all the Xmas stuff has gone, though still got 1 Xmas pudding left.

Lynsey

Absolutely. From reading all of the different boards I'm totally in awe of people who are feeding families on tiny budgets, and doing it with style, truly inspirational. Have you set a reward for yourself when you complete the challenge? I bet it will be very satisfying when you complete the year, oh how I wish I was so disciplined!! I too have one small, sad, Christmas pudding left!

Really looking forward to Cyprus, it is very expensive there now since the conversion to the euro which is why we're going all inclusive. We've stayed in the hotel before, lovely 4* so we know the food is good, was amazed at the deal we got in the end, picked it up through teletext holidays a few weeks ago and the package has only cost us a few quid more than flight only would have cost... very pleased! Not been to Paphos for a while and a friend who lives there has told me they've opened a new Lidl... can totally see myself going in there for a nosey when I go for my morning walk, despite not needing to buy anything, how sad am I!

Anyway, back on topic. Kids had toast for brekky, Husband porridge and I had scrambled eggs with mushrooms. Lunch will be a greek salad with lots of feta and dinner is thai beef with asparagus, mange tout, peppers, mushrooms and spring onions.

Hope you all have a good day, despite the weather!