A Thread for After Debt?

tiff

That is a fab haul, when I think what I spent on my two when they were that age it makes me feel ashamed. I love how organised you are too, I never had a clue what I had lol.

I havent had much luck lately for my 11 year old, I have to think will she wear it and she doesnt do floral or pink, doesnt like tops that show her scar etc etc I went to the car boot today and it was rubbish, not as many stalls probably because it rained first thing and they charge for parking so I felt I had to buy something to make it worthwhile. All I got was a brand new pair of flip flops for DD for 50p.

JulieGeorgiana

Thanks tiff... I feel the same way about DS... I always bought new for him since he was a baby, but now I don't work I have the time to do this and i need to save the pennies as living on one wage with an extra mouth to feed is really hard!

I find it very hard to if very hard to find stuff for DS (12-13 clothes), there doesn't seem to be mush of anything past age 6-7years for boys or girls... I got really lucky today, yet normally I never find anything! Most of it's too smart for him and I am sure he will complain (but at least he has church clothes)

I have decided to be organised when it suddenly dawned on me I had 8 pairs of PJ's 3-6m and 2 people have offered me their sons... so I will end up with 15-20 PJs in that one size! yet i bought 3 of them today! Doh! At 50p each it's cheap... but it could be better spent on the trousers she needs! So DH helped me drag everything out of storage and write it all down

I see saving money as my new job... and I am trained to go into companies and install electronic management systems... basically I OCPD them within an inch of their life! So I can use that skill at home

SOT2011

Thanks JG

First thing I need to do is a full freezer audit, work out properly what is in there and eat some more of it up!

I don't have room to freeze anything more, so there must be weeks worth of food in there really! I know there are still 5 generous portions of beef stew and two of lamb and spinach curry. I also spotted at least one portion of freezer surprise earlier (unlabelled)

This week I'm eating up a portion of frozen stew, frozen swede and red cabbage. Chicken Kiev wedges and leeks all from freezer and using some frozen rubber chicken and frozen peppers to do a curry for at least two nights if not three but that will barely make a dent in one corner of a drawer!

Still, it's a start I suppose.

SOT x

JulieGeorgiana

SOT sounds like the place to start! I find frozen food tastes better when defrosed then it did when made fresh!

I have a HUGE chest freezer so I do an audit once a month and make sure I use up Freezer LO all the time... if you don't then you end up throwing away food... and it's such a waste. Also as I tup mine up using old margarine tubs I find after 2 months freezer burn sets in... so I always try and use mine up within a month!

Having a list is the way to go

Good luck, i'm rooting for you to have a takeaway at the end of march x

tiff

I think freezer burn is due to too much air in the container? I have been reading up on once a month cooking (batch cooking) and the Americans say to freeze flat in bags and wrap and double wrap making sure no air is in the bag. I'm hoping to get a chest freezer soon, never had and found a post on here that I made in 2005 saying I was going to get one! Only 7 years ago lol

Re CS clothes, no theres not a lot in that age group, my shop usually has a few things and we have the size on the hanger unlike a lot of places.

JulieGeorgiana

Tiff i found that the Salvation Army was very good for that... the lables had the size on them... so you just flicked through and found what you needed very fast! I loved it

SOT2011

I want to batch cook more, but a) there is no room in the freezer to store any portions and b) I seem to have a hoarder type mentality when it comes to food and really struggle to then eat any of it, let alone use up the last portion of anything!

rising_from_the_ashes

SOT2011 wrote: »

I want to batch cook more, but a) there is no room in the freezer to store any portions and b) I seem to have a hoarder type mentality when it comes to food and really struggle to then eat any of it, let alone use up the last portion of anything!

Ohhh this is so me too!

I have 2 freezers ...... I really struggled with just the wee one with the fridge so DM gave me her old one when she bought a huge chest one.

*Theory* is that the outside one is used to raw ingredients and the inside one for cooked stuff / frozen veg - *reality* is that they both end up jammed..... and I have to cram stuff in where I can which means I forget what I've got.:(

I am getting better - and having both has def saved me money as I can now take advantage of good offers (eg 3 chickens for £10) and I do have a drawer full of blackberries & apples that were picked last year, neither of which I could do before.:)

I did do a batch cook last weekend and now have 6 portions of Spag Bol and 6 of mince but def need to get some other things done for some variety!

I may just go and take out some chicken breasts and do a big casserole when I get back from DMs this afternoon!

I have set myself a mini-challenge on my GC this month which is not to buy and meat so I can try to use some of it up!

Tiff thanks for the tip about freezer burn as I find it happens too JG I use margarine tubs too!:)

JulieGeorgiana

I use chicken legs for casseroles (basic one) and find the meat doesn't dry out like breast and saves a fortune.

I only buy breast for HM gousions now...

... I'm in the process of bidding on trousers for Eliza on ebay as its all the 3-6m she's missing. if I win it all her whole 3-6m wardrobe (including new vests) will have cost me less then £30!!!

I'm so happy about it all

SOT2011

I daren't get a second freezer, though I do want one and have plenty of space in the garage for one.

Maybe if I can sort out my approach to this one I might think about it again though, I'd love to take advantage of more yellow stickers. There was loads of fish and good meat stickered up yesterday but I just don't have space atm.

Fingers crossed on you bidding JG

SOT x