Fiscal Fast – 7 days no spending (at all)

joedenise

Don't think you'll have any problems with the taste of stuff from Aldi's. Don't think I've ever had anything I wouldn't buy again. In fact my DH actually prefers Aldi's cream crackers to Jacobs! Says they're much crisper.

Denise

Ninno820

Day 1 of my Frugal fast. Breakfast was a bowl of fresh fruit salad and yoghurt, lunch was yesterday's left overs and dinner is smoked haddock and veg. I always have a bowl of fresh fruit on the go for my diet so I can always "pop in" and gorge.

Tonight is my sw weigh in and I usually take some diet coke with me (have to limit the fluid intake before iykwim) but have run out. INstead I will take a bottle of sugar free squash.

pinkypig

Hi everyone, hope you've all had a good day. What a lovely, welcoming lot you are, you've made me feel right at home. Thank you:D

Well done with your frugal shopping Jackie O that was amazing :beer:

Really busy day at work today so it was great to be so organised at home. Everything I needed for packed lunches was ready and easily to hand. This evening's dinner was HM cottage pie with veggies found in the freezer and there is one portion left for Mr PP's lunch tomorrow.

Packed lunches for tomorrow are done and in the fridge and contain the last of the jam crumblie which hasn't lasted long:mad:
Have taken a joint of pork out of the freezer with some breadcrumbs to make some stuffing so lovely roast dinner tomorrow night. The joint is about 1.8 kg so it will do us at least three meals (I hope).

Anyway, my second NSD today so feeling really chuffed:j

Another long one at work tomorrow so off for a nice, long bath and then bed with my (free )library book.

Good luck with your fasting!

PP xxxx

taplady

evening all!

JackieO - I had a giggle at you sounding like Jean from Eastenders with your sausage suprise:D:rotfl:great idea though! I get a lot of ideas from you I have to say:T

I made 2 quiches today - cost nothing( well nothing extra anyway) as I'd got it all in the cupboards - used up some past it mushrooms and a pepper. Very tasty with some new spuds from the garden and baked beans. We ate one and froze one.

Ninno - good luck at SW x

Taplady

lilian1977

Not doing very well at FFing although have definitely massively cut down my spending so I suppose it doesn't matter too much if you spend a couple of quid here and there if it's a lot less than usual.

Just made my first ever jam crumblie - can't wait for it to cool down so I can try it!

Got a thai red chicken curry in the SC at the moment, I haven't used it before so I'm hoping it's nice!

pinkypig

Hi everyone. Not sure if I've succeeded or failed miserably! I have had to pay for a school trip, fuel for the car and my house insurance renewal. Does that count? If it doesn't I have had 6 NSD :j. If it does I have only had 3 .

Have managed to eat really well this week. Everyone has taken packed lunches. Any left over portions from evening meals were saved and frozen and we had them tonight (was rather nice that everyone could have what they fancied and nobody had to cook!).

Cake tins are empty and I had a very sad looking salad with my left over risotto but it tasted alright with a big slug of balsamic vinegar dressing on it.

Have enough stores to bake tomorrow and to see us through until Sunday but I will have to shop then (that will be my 7 NSD) otherwise we will struggle for fresh stuff. However, i am amazed that it will actually be a really small shop as I have meal planned and I do still have most of the key ingredients. I was under budget last week (£33.45/£50 for the four of us) and should be under budget this week too :j I am so looking forward to putting the extra in our new house fund - much better in there than in the till of a supermarket :j

Thank you so much to everyone involved in this wonderful thread. This week has been a real eye opener. Not only have I saved money but we have eaten better and because I got my self organised juggling work and kids doesn't seem to be anywhere near as tiring as it usually does! Also, I feel strangely proud of myself for having done something positive to ease our situation.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend despite the awful forecast.

PP xxx

[Deleted User]

pinkypig give yourself a big pat on the back you have done amazingly well.
Its not easy at first, as old shopping habits are hard to break.I too am refilling my cake tins tomorrow with some home baking rather than go out to spend at the shops.
Not been to a shop to buy anything foodwise since Monday, and I am hoping that I can get over the weekend and go next Monday, so it will be my 7 day fast done o.k.
Today I raided the cupboards, and opened a small tin of tuna and a small tin of sweetcorn and mixed them together with lots of black pepper and a dollop of mayo.
Tonights dinner was tuna/sweetcorn lettuce,cucumber beetroot and a tomato, and was delicious.
Lunch was a jacket spud with half a tin of beans and some grated cheese on top.
Tomorrows lunch will be the rest of the tuna/sweetcorn probably topping a jacket spud
and dinner tomorrow night will be a cheese and mushroom omelette with the other half of the tin of beans
.Breakfast will be wholewheat toast and marmalade.I have enough milk and fresh fruit and veg to get me over the week-end so Monday it will be shopping day but so far on my list of essentials I only have bananas,red pepper and fruit squash to buy at the moment so fingers crossed not a lot more will be needed. Every penny saved at the end of this month will go towards our holiday next month so lots of diving into the freezer and store cupboards for me .Last Saturday I made a quiche with left over bits and pieces I may make another one tomorrow as the wholewheat flour mixed with some herbs makes a very tasty base.
Plus I have promised my youngest DD that I would make her a coffee cake tomorrow so its going to be a bake-up day for me I think.

The more I make, the less I have to buy.I got some HM soup from the freezer tonight and will use that as a starter tomorrow night before my omelette streeeches the meal a bit and is quite filling as I made it a really thick chunky soup when I made it last week.(used up the brocolli stalks that were in the freezer as well)
Well time to go have a frugal weekend everyone onwards and upwards
JackieO xxx

CW2

pinkypig wrote: »

Hi everyone. Not sure if I've succeeded or failed miserably! I have had to pay for a school trip, fuel for the car and my house insurance renewal. Does that count? If it doesn't I have had 6 NSD :j. If it does I have only had 3 .

Have managed to eat really well this week. Everyone has taken packed lunches. Any left over portions from evening meals were saved and frozen and we had them tonight (was rather nice that everyone could have what they fancied and nobody had to cook!).

Cake tins are empty and I had a very sad looking salad with my left over risotto but it tasted alright with a big slug of balsamic vinegar dressing on it.

Have enough stores to bake tomorrow and to see us through until Sunday but I will have to shop then (that will be my 7 NSD) otherwise we will struggle for fresh stuff. However, i am amazed that it will actually be a really small shop as I have meal planned and I do still have most of the key ingredients. I was under budget last week (£33.45/£50 for the four of us) and should be under budget this week too :j I am so looking forward to putting the extra in our new house fund - much better in there than in the till of a supermarket :j

Thank you so much to everyone involved in this wonderful thread. This week has been a real eye opener. Not only have I saved money but we have eaten better and because I got my self organised juggling work and kids doesn't seem to be anywhere near as tiring as it usually does! Also, I feel strangely proud of myself for having done something positive to ease our situation.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend despite the awful forecast.

PP xxx

I think that easily counts as 6 NSDs! Well done, you've done incredibly well! :T

[Deleted User]

DD arived with a big bag of YS stuff for me this afternoon so I don't think I shall need to go to the shops on Monday after all:j:jI gave her in exchange a large fruit cake that I had baked this morning and she was very pleased She wouldn't take any money for the stuff as she had bought loads for herself as well and she said it was reduced to silly money and looking at the stickers she was right I think I have about enough for about a dozen dinners and at least half a dozen lunches so a few more NSD for me next week.I don't think I could get anymore stuff in the fridge or freezer anyway:j

pinkypig

Hi everyone - hope none have you have been washed away in this glorious July weather!

Thank you all so much for your kind, encouraging words. I've said it before and I'll say it again, you are a lovely lot :A

I have had a bit of a mixed weekend. I managed my final no spend day :j which was great! I also had a really good baking day in anticipation of another full on week (roll on the end of term, it cannot come soon enough). I made another batch of jam crumblie and had a go at twinks biscuits which were lovely. I used up the last of my marg so nothing left to make cakes so in true FF style I made chocolate muffins and apple and cinamon muffins using vegetable oil instead
I also made some soup and a couple of different sorts of sandwich fillings ready for packed lunches.

We had a lovely family roast dinner as both the kids were away on different outings this weekend so it was great to catch up with their news. I had my first attempt at HM sage and onion stuffing using stale bread crumbs and it was so easy and so nice:j Also, there is enough meat left to have roast pork and stuffing HM bread rolls tomorrow. The kids love these with HM chunky chips. With a bit of luck it will also stretch to a sweet and sour on Tuesday.

My shopping was less successful I had a budget of £50 a week for the four of us and the cat (this is for everything including cleaning stuff and toiletries etc). Is this a lot? or a little? or about right? Sticking to this would be mean a big saving for us but a lot of people on here seem to manage on much less. I'll have to try and pick up some tips and develop some will power.

I was convinced that I would be well under budget this week but I actually spent £46 because I was weak!!!! Mr M had pork joints (which we all love) on offer at £2 a kg so I got two for the freezer even though I had one in there already. I also got a 12 pack of cat food when I only really needed 6 as they were on offer so it seemed a bit daft not to. I also doubled up on salad stuff at Mr A because we eat masses of it and it was the last day of the Super 6. Wish I was a bit more like Jackie O who is the best frugal shopper ever! Next week I must try harder...

Wishing you all a successful week.

PP xx