I'm eating out of the freezer and cupboards challenge

Kirri

Mmm protective gas ^ sounds lovely lol.


I've been analysing spends in more detail, out of my £900.19 whole year 2012 spend, it added up to:
£547.96 on food
£438.25 on fruit and veg
Then £86.02 was deducted in total by using vouchers.

Most of the veg I had to buy is more for the pets when I don't have the right things growing but I do share 'their' stuff! plus that is all on top of the huge amounts I get from the allotment so a lot of veg is consumed here all round!!

My final two months of the year shot up and were my most expensive months due to having more new vegan food in my diet as this was a lot more expensive than veggie alternatives. It could be cheaper though if I didn't buy any vegan convenience items... So most expensive monthly spend was £93.41 in November and cheapest month was £13.45 in April but can't count that as I wasn't well enough to get out!!!

Am not setting a budget as such for 2013, thinking about it, it may be about right with the odd bit less waste I could save on. But taking away the fruit and veg I only spent an average of £45 a month on actual foods so to keep up the organic foods I don't really want to cutback any further so more a case of see how it goes but being reasonably restrained and still cooking most stuff from scratch and maybe aiming not to go over my 2012 spend.

Edwardia

Anything you see which says 'Packaged in a protective atmosphere' refers to the gas in the packaging. It doesn't mean people in white with hairnets and gloves in the factory (what I thought at first)

Mostly the gas is carbon dioxide, according to the customer services agent at Waitrose who explained it to me. By removing the oxygen it means the meat/veg will keep fresh longer as they aren't oxidising.

Blimey Kirri you eat a LOT of veg. Are you still vegan ?

Kirri

Must admit I've never looked into what that term meant, it's a bit shocking really.

I have 3 small furry veggie helpers here but yes huge amounts get consumed here!!! Hence when I first got the allotment my food bill dropped by about £100 a month just on veg! We have a lot of veg stored now for winter use though bigger savings made in the summer.

I am staying largely vegan but this month has been a bit mixed - I won organic honey the other day plus the organic hamper win had lots of butter, milk and egg products in, I got given chocs for xmas and had a veggie xmas dinner provided (though I took vegan PIB with me).

I'm not generally buying anything non vegan myself now - apart from a Respect Organic Carrot Cake that got into my trolley as an xmas treat but then I have to think about visitors too I may also have the odd few eggs for baking next year. It's very hard though as not much of the vegan convenience food is organic - so it's working out the best way round it.. Oh and I haven't found a decent vegan butter alternative so still on YV but that is the only thing I am now regularly buying.

Kitty_Ears

Edwardia wrote: »

Kitty_Ears, goose fat keeps for months in the fridge, as long as the spuds look/smell OK should be fine - besides which they are probably packaged in a protective gas to stop them going brown, anyway.

LOVELY! Ill keep them until new year then!

Kitty_Ears

Kirri -- well done! I was vegan a few years ago & it was SO expensive. Plus I missed eggs, haha!

Edwardia

I could happily give up meat (and honey eww) not sure about fish and definitely couldn't give up dairy and eggs - although I have to say I'm not sure what to think of Brown Cow organic Christmas Pudding yogurt...still eating our way through the fridge here..

Rabbits ??? I've always wanted a house rabbit. OH is worried labrador would eat it. Actually I think they'd probably curl up together and eat carrots (lab lurves carrots).

Respect Organics carrot cake is verry good I agree, I buy them for my mother so she can feed people when they visit. I've ordered her one of the insanely gorgeous organic baked chocolate cheesecakes from Abel & Cole next week for a change.

Vegan margarines are a bit thin on the ground I would think ?? Have you tried Tomor ? (Rakusen's Dairy Free Tomor Vegetarian Margarine). You can get if from Ocado for sure.

Must confess nothing in or out of the freezer today, NSD though OH has gone down to Poundland looking for Sun-Pat California raisins in the little boxes (big kid !). Hayward's piccalilli, Branston pickle, pickled onions, pickled herrings, pickled quail's eggs, Abel & Cole and Sainsbury's organic mayo out of cupboard this week.

Kirri

Kitty_Ears wrote: »

Kirri -- well done! I was vegan a few years ago & it was SO expensive. Plus I missed eggs, haha!

Yes and I really wasn't expecting it to be more expensive! I missed everything the first few weeks, really hated it but then not sure what happened but I stopped missing things as much. Cheese and butter are the things I like most or omelette... I've been using agave syrup, a low GI organic syrup which works like honey on parsnips though I did buy it to go in a dessert.

Edwardia - rescue guinea pigs here but would love house rabbits if I get a bigger place! Most I've had is 6 gpigs or was it more?? had up to 5 of my own and 3 foster ones at times before but they ate SO much. I literally can't chop a vegetable without getting squeaked at here. Not sure I'd trust a dog totally but labs are normally not as bad as other breeds? Used to have a dog who ate carrots but only out of jealousy of the guinea pigs..

Not tried Tomor here but apparently the veg society use it in place of hard butter in biscuits etc (vegan biscuits using marge were horrible). Will check Ocado. Everyone seems to recommend Vitalite for taste but it has additives. Vitaquell has been mentioned as a more expensive brand but not seen that yet, think it's health shops only, might have a look in ANI as might be going there this week for some toiletries.

Poundland are advertising Kettle crisps for £1 today, I know these are often on offer at that price in the supermarkets but be good if Poundland have them all the time - there are only a couple of crisp brands I buy.

Edwardia

Kettle Chops are my weakness..seasalt and cracked black pepper.. not low carb at all so I rarely get to eat any

Labs are generally verry soppy and loving

ms_night_ryder

Evening all

Popped into waitrose to see reductions, £4.72 later, got some jerk chicken quarters and a beef meat loaf £2 for both, got some pancakes, brown bread, mist of it us now in the freezer, a pack of nacho tortillas and a milkybar polar bear reduced, in fact all but nachos were reduced, I know i said no more chicken but it was practically a freebie, will go again new years eve, my freezer is full, so will looking mainly for f&v.

Got a huge piece of cooked ham, will put half In freezer somehow, some lamb, 2 meals worth and a drumstick that i stuffed myself, oh and 3 Cupcakes, I took home same gateau crimbo day, but ate it for breakfast boxing day lol, still no cooking, tomorrow I'm at my aunts will be making macaroni and cheese muffins for My cousins bday which is Saturday cant wait, just need to decide on dinner.

Lynsey

NSD (food), but itching to go o Sainsbury's. lol
Must be getting withdrawal symptoms!!

Did buy a light tan leather bag from M&S Outlet shop for just £14.

Kirri - your annual spends are really good taking into account the amount of fruit and veg for your pets.

Couldn't get Groupon for today, but booked for lunch tomorrow - so easy day then. Just snacked and finished off meat and bits and bob- still too much stuff and that's with being extra frugal!!

Lynsey