Fiscal Fast – 7 days no spending (at all)

Kiwisaver_2

Hi all, I have not been here for a while so I'll just wade in without catching up.

I just feel deperate to have another go at this, as the contents of the larder and freezer are back up to unmanageable proportions. My excuse is the winter months of hibernation have seen me hunker down and hoarding all the special offers that the supermarket sends - but as we all know they're no saving if you don't use the blessed things.

My freezer has returned to it's usual crammed chaotic self - essentially just a holding pen for rubbish and leftovers that I think I will magically rescue and use in some useful way - rather than the neatly stacked building blocks and lovely prepared meals that I so aspire to. :rotfl:

The big C is but a few weeks away and I dare not think of extra shopping until I have made some room and used up fair whack of the stuff we already have.

I went shopping on Friday night, so I am going to try and go for two weeks straight with just a mini shop this coming Friday for bread, milk and any other absolute essentials.

Kiwisaver_2

Reached the end of Day 3 and already the road ahead is looking rather bumpy

Todays dinner was the remains of yesterday's stew and a couple of slices of bread, which in itself is not a problem but left me with only two slices of fresh bread for a sandwich tomorrow. I do have some odd slices in the freezer but prefer just to use that for toast if desperate.

Tomorrow I will make a big macaroni cheese / pasta bake thing with some leftover bacon and a bit of a the mahoosive leek; at least that will do dinner and lunch the next day and then we'll be on the downward slope.

donnajt

Morning All,

Week 2 started yesterday Sunday = NSD, hoping Monday is too! Free lunch and dinner today at my sister's - but I have made a lovely chocolate sandwich to take with me

Also made £20 on Facebook Selling Pages....not bad for 10:50 on a Monday morning

camNolliesMUMMY

Hi I've come I join this thread?
I've been lurking for motivation but I think joining should do the trick.
The truth is I'm terrible with money especially nipping out for bits like milk and spending £50.
I'm aiming to not shop at tesco or any other big supermarkets, I'm hoping to be able to just do my shopping at lidl, greengrocers and the butchers.
Il be sticking to a menu plan and only buying what's needed.
Today I have been in lidl and bought some bread milk and other bits to get us through till Saturday.
Il be going back to lidl on Saturday as their is an offer on the perfume so il be picking some up for mil and my mum for Xmas, and il do my shop then.
I really need to sort myself out as we are saving a deposit up for a house, I have been saving money each month towards Xmas presents so I don't need to worry about that its just getting out the habit of....I need some milk, l go to tesco and before I know it I've spent a fortune!!!!
Day 1 starts tomorrow!!!

kettlenic

This will help - I am doing another tough challenge and was reading this thread for ideas on not spending... you can get these boxes - just remember to cancel after the free one...

I live in London so you will need to check if available in your area:
http://www.natures-window.co.uk/free...veg-box-scheme

https://www.kellysvegies.co.uk/Boxes...stomerID=19727

oh sorry should say its the fruit and veg boxes people get delivered

Kiwisaver_2

Starting to feel slightly less twitchy now I am more than halfway through the week. I decided against doing the macaroni cheese thing and made a bacon and leek quiche instead. That'll do lunch for tomorrow also.

Getting very low on fresh stuff and the fridge is a bit bare; I am almost out of my favourite breakfast yoghurt but do have some Easiyo sachets, so I'll survive. Someone gave me a massive orange so I'll save that for the weekend and conjure up a fruit salad with a tin of pineapple and perhaps some other fresh fruit.

I was looking for some quick bread recipes and might give this cheesy garlic bread a crack tomorrow. Although I may cut down on some of the cheese as I sure could do without the extra calories. :rotfl:

camNolliesMUMMY

Nsd number 1 for me!!!
Took ds1 to school and came home and did some much needed decluttering and cleaning.
Enjoyed being home and pottering about, as I got into a habit of shopping everyday and scared to look at the bank balance.
Tomorrow will be a nsd too I'm hoping to get to Saturday but I have a feeling ds2's nappies will run out?

donnajt

NSD for me today - apart from bus fare but this is refundable at work as I am expected to travel around the district

3/7

Kiwisaver_2

Tomorrow will be tricky now, I had such a long day and got home really late with a pounding head. So no bread made and no idea what's on the menu for lunch or dinner tomorrow. I might rouse myself shortly to start off a tub of yoghurt and see what I can fix up for lunch - at worst it might just be cheese and crackers

[Deleted User]

Well done everyone for all your great efforts I know it feels strange at first, but once you see how much you are accruing in your purse it will make all the differance.I feel sure that often we shop on 'automatic pilot' and don't realise how much we actually do spend until you look in your purse and suddenly its empty.If you have to shop, try shopping from your cupboards.I make a list of all my stocks and rotate them as I go along and cross off stuff as its been used .Inside all of my kitchen cupboards blue-tacked on to the inside of the doors are lists of contents which get replaced as they are used every month so I can see what I have as my running total of stocks .That way sometime if something has been stuck at the back of the cupboard you can use it up.I am pleased at how the month of October has gone for me as I started with £100.00 for the month and now have just under £40.00 left just by shopping from the cupboards and going to the shops far less and then only taking enough cash with me to cover urgent necessities.