I'm eating out of the freezer and cupboards challenge

[Deleted User]

Evening all!
Soworried had to :rotfl: on you having to joint the chicken to fit it in the freezer!
Edwardia - good luck with all the DIY!
Lynsey- always inspirational with the couponing! sounds like a lot of people thinking foodbanks, Im gonna have a sort out of my cupboards and find the local one I think!
ammonite- how long is the £269 for? you always seem like you are doing really well with the challenge!

Have managed to do well with freezer and cupboards challenge this week
OUT - 1 loaf bread, 1 portion chilli, 1 pack syrup pancakes
IN- 2 portions casserole

Freezer now fit to bursting, have used up all leftovers which were about to go out of date and have meal planned to take up till payday at the end of September!

Now... just need to keep myself out of the shops! :rotfl:

Lynsey

Deleted_User wrote: »

Lynsey- always inspirational with the couponing!

I'm/we are going to hammer the couponing in September and donate stuff. Gave some stuff to neighbours and far too much stuff for us and the stuff cost pence anyway ................. it's nice to help.

Update time (very sorry, but it keeps me focussed).

Never went back out, so weeks spends only £19.63 - that leaves £5 to spend next week on M&S cakes. lol
Days spends were only £6.10

Weeks 1-6 = £84.74
Weeks 7-12 = £126.69
Weeks 13-18 = £165.57
Weeks 19-24 = £113.86
Weeks 25-30 = £130.98
Weeks 31-36 = £136.14

36 weeks total = £760.98
36 weeks average = £21.14
34 weeks average = £22.38 (taking into account 2 weeks on holiday)

16 weeks left leaving an average of £46.19

Although I'm not keeping a weekly budget now, I still expect some weeks to be pretty low and that's down to using stuff up. I'm amazed that freezers are still both full and cupboard stash is still high ................... even higher after this weeks couponing.

I've almost still got half my budget left and that's with 8 full months gone, by far more than I could ever have expected.

If you have read this post, thank you and hope it shows what can be done and could have been done even better.

If a "numpty" like myself can do it, then it should be easy for most.

NO PLANS FOR NEXT WEEK - WHOOHOO - well apart from couponing.

Lynsey

ammonite

Well done Lynsey :T:T:T Those are excellent figures! Enjoy your M&S cakes, you deserve them!

Deleted_User - I had £700 for July to December so have spent £269 in just over 2 months (according to the credit cards!). I have mostly eaten out of the freezer and cupboards with top up shops along the way. I've got about £430 to last me until the end of the year. I don't have a big Christmas shop to do this year but as my cupboards and freezer almost look like Old Mother Hubbard's, I do need to do a huge meat shop soon and re-stock the freezer with meals. The £269 in 2 and a bit months is pretty good going for me. I joined here in April and couldn't get my spends down past £40 per week (or more) and in some cases regularly spent more than £200 a month for 2 of us. I've lived mostly out of the freezer and cupboards since April and managed to reduce the spends to about £20-£30 per week.


OUT: 2 Garlic bread, Chicken Breasts, Pack of Bacon, Mushroom Sauce jar, 5 stuffed jacket potatoes, tin of low fat chicken soup, portion of peas

IN: 6 home made macaroni cheese.

Just done the meal planner for the week, it really takes the thought out of early morning freezer diving!

Lynsey

Morning all and to a lovely looking day.

Had toast and cheese slices already for breakfast and we're having ................... (drum-roll) .................. Green's pancakes for lunch. lol
Cheap meal before deciding if they are any good (printing more coupons of now!!).

Pizza tonight with wedgers - nice easy day.

I want my M&S cakes, but possibly no shopping today .................. though I do need bread and may pop to Asda??
I might decide to use a Wright's bread mix and have a NSD (never had one last week).

Have a nice day all, catch up later.

Lynsey

ammonite

Done a 'lunch and some meat' shop in Sainsbugs - Spent £50 but got a fair bit of meat so was pleased. Tesco tinned shop coming tomorrow. Will update totals when they are charged to my card to stop me being confused (doesn't take much :eek::rotfl:)

Meat will be cooked into new meals for the freezer...with the hope of having it full up again by December so that the new mum and dad can eat something without too much effort :T (that's the plan anyway )

miss_emmajane

ammonite wrote: »

Meat will be cooked into new meals for the freezer...with the hope of having it full up again by December so that the new mum and dad can eat something without too much effort :T (that's the plan anyway )

That is such a great idea, will remember that when we start our family. Bet it will be such a help :T

Morning all :beer:

Nice day here, we've been out to Home Bargains/ASDA/ALDI this morning - we have three birthdays in the next two weeks and I have no birthday cards left from the Funky Pigeon offer last year Got three nice 50p cards from ASDA which I would be happy to receive myself and then got some chocolates to go with them from Home Bargains. It is our Nans, and a friend from uni so I know they won't be expecting much as we've not long moved out (and I am at uni). Used some change in my purse to get a pack of apples, bananas and carton of passata from ALDI also - £1.89 for all three if I remember right

What will be out today - last of YS chicken, passata, YS asparagus, dried noodles x2, stock cubes x2, YS apple pie (from the freezer, going to heat it up on the oven for OH's dessert)

Hope everyone is having a nice, chilled Sunday

ammonite

miss_emmajane wrote: »

That is such a great idea, will remember that when we start our family. Bet it will be such a help :T

I generally do this anyway, but want to make sure we have lots of healthy food in as mummy doesn't need to pile on any more pounds after the birth! I can't be bothered coming in from work at 6.15pm starving and cooking dinner for us both but I do enjoy cooking so tend to do it at the weekend and freeze big batches of chilli, curry, chicken in mushroom sauce and a whole host of other things. Come in from work, bung it in the microwave for 5 minutes while pasta/rice/potatoes cook and we're basically eating by 6.30pm. Plus I make so much mess cooking its easier to do it in one big go and clean up just once :rotfl: Lots of people say how organised it is, which I guess it is but it really comes from being super lazy!! :rotfl:

You've done well with your shopping today missemmajane!

[Deleted User]

Wow well done ammonite!! thats great going - another who is able to easily spend nearer £200 p/m for 2 of us! though I do try and use everything up so there is no waste and I dont even think Im that extravvagant with the shopping - but there we are!!

Am gonna set myself a september-december challenge I think , wonder if I can do it in £400 .....

ammonite

Deleted_User wrote: »

Wow well done ammonite!! thats great going - another who is able to easily spend nearer £200 p/m for 2 of us! though I do try and use everything up so there is no waste and I dont even think Im that extravvagant with the shopping - but there we are!!

Am gonna set myself a september-december challenge I think , wonder if I can do it in £400 .....

I didn't think we bought extravagantly I often bought offers - but I did stock up loads and loads and loads (as evidenced by the Tomato Sauce stock levels which only I eat and will not use it all up by the BBE date: November 2012!!) so regularly had meat that had been in the freezer god knows how long. I had pastry in there that was definitely 2 years old and whilst it tasted fine, it isn't great to have stuff in there that long. It has however been great eating it all up and having reduced food bills for the last few months, I've noticed a huge difference in how much we've been able to save. Food and petrol are the only 2 areas we can really cut down on.

Good luck with your challenge, I bet you'll be surprised. If you are willing to eat a few weird combination meals from the freezer you'll be fine!

Lynsey

Deleted_User wrote: »

Am gonna set myself a september-december challenge I think , wonder if I can do it in £400 .....

:T :T :T :T

Good luck.
Is that just for food stuff and not toiletries??

NSD today, but wish I had went out as I've got no bread.
Just waiting for my dough to rise now as just used a Wright's white bread mix - dough was fab.

Took out the brisket for meals for the next 2 day, took out a pizza and the last of the bread this morning. A little space created, but just a little.
I'm going to try and attempt to clear 1 freezer drawer this month - 3 weeks to do it. Using a few ready meals should easily clear some decent space ............... I think!!

BTW - the 10p Green's Pancake mix was good. 2 pouches of Golden Syrup which weren't used and will come in handy. I'm after more of them this week if possible.

I'll either get my M&S cakes tomorrow or Wednesday.

Off to check my bread, catch up tomorrow.

Lynsey