Use it up! Don't throw it in the bin!

tara747

p.s. also, part of my problem is that I can't resist a bargain, like the £2 chickens in Tesco or whoopsies. But my freezer is so full ATM that I am going to have to STOP buying for a while till I've made some more space. A bargain's not a bargain if it gets wasted after all! What about the rest of you - can you walk past a really good whoopsie if you've got a full freezer and enough food for the week?

Chris25

tara747 wrote: »

p.s. also, part of my problem is that I can't resist a bargain, like the £2 chickens in Tesco or whoopsies. But my freezer is so full ATM that I am going to have to STOP buying for a while till I've made some more space. A bargain's not a bargain if it gets wasted after all! What about the rest of you - can you walk past a really good whoopsie if you've got a full freezer and enough food for the week?

I sometimes find myself juggling with space too. I find if I take out say, a chicken that I bought fresh & froze myself, that'll give me a day defrosting in fridge. Then cook it, let it cool, de-bone & freeze it which gives me another day and a bit more space. In this time I can sometimes rejig the contents and sometimes manage to get more in

Primrose

I'm beginning to think that some of us have a little switch in our brains that pre-programmes us to snatch up bargains, even if we have nowhere to store them. I too have cupboards full of stuff. My OH does virtually all the shopping and in his efficiency to ensure we never run out of anything, I sometimes come across duplicates of long lasting items in our stores. (How many jars of Marmite and Bovril do you need?). And our kitchen and garage freezers are crammed full too. I've just picked about 3 lbs of gooseberries and am wondering where on earth I'm going to store them as I still have several batches from last year in the freezer, and the blackcurrants and redcurrants are also waiting to be picked! We just can't eat the stuff quickly enough, and although it sounds a little selfish, I'm loath to give lots of stuff away when I've put such a lot of effort into growing it. I do make compotes and fruit syrups with the soft fruit but am obviously going to have to be more imaginative in reducing our stocks. (Yes, we have enough home-made jam too, to last for ages).

tara747

Thanks for the juggling tips Chris25!

Primrose - I think you've hit the nail on the head - we are pre-programmed to be OS and buy all this stuff, it's like storing food all summer for when winter comes! Oh to have a bigger freezer. :rotfl: I find it very hard to resist a bargain and I think I should now spend a month or two running down my stocks. If anything, it should mean a couple of very cheap months grocery-wise. I just get a bit jittery at the thought of a half-empty larder!

Wee_Bargain_Hunter

tara747 wrote: »

Thanks for the juggling tips Chris25!

Primrose - I think you've hit the nail on the head - we are pre-programmed to be OS and buy all this stuff, it's like storing food all summer for when winter comes! Oh to have a bigger freezer. :rotfl: I find it very hard to resist a bargain and I think I should now spend a month or two running down my stocks. If anything, it should mean a couple of very cheap months grocery-wise. I just get a bit jittery at the thought of a half-empty larder!

Hi Tara, although I'm not very OS, I sometimes make/update a list of what's in my freezer and then do a meal plan around that. It's like shopping from your freezer instead of the supermarket and forces me to be a bit inventive with ingredients. It's really great to have lots of space afterwards to fill up with soup or bargains - so back to square one after a while :rotfl:.

shazzle

Hi Y'all
I'm a new oldstyler and have made some major life changing habits since meeting you all.
So my tip... I dont eat the same bread as DH so I buy 2 loaves, split into four (using saved bread bags) then freeze. He doesnt like crust so these go in another "crusts" bag in the freezer then about once an month I make a nice bread pudding with "free bread" (this I like)
I havent throw any bread products away for about 10 months now x

Frugalista

tara747 wrote: »

p.s. also, part of my problem is that I can't resist a bargain, like the £2 chickens in Tesco or whoopsies. But my freezer is so full ATM that I am going to have to STOP buying for a while till I've made some more space. A bargain's not a bargain if it gets wasted after all! What about the rest of you - can you walk past a really good whoopsie if you've got a full freezer and enough food for the week?[/QUOTE]

Nope!! Which is why both my freezers are bursting at the seams .

I would prefer not to go shopping every week but, unfortunately, I have to take my elderly MIL out and she likes to make a day of it :rolleyes:.

MrsE_2

You can't do anything with left over Sunday veg can you?

kippers

MrsE wrote: »

You can't do anything with left over Sunday veg can you?

I freeze it and use it in currys:T:T:beer:

Primrose

To all my fellow compulsive bargain hunters with full freezers. I think we need a "whoopsie" money box. Every time we spot a foodie bargain when our freezers & store cupboards are full, we should refrain from buying, but put the cost of the reduced goods in the money box. That way we still get the benefit of the bargain in kind but don't have to feel guilty about not having anywhere to store it!