Fiscal Fast – 7 days no spending (at all)

nannygladys

Well I had a small spend day,so really pleased. Next week whilst I'm away I am going to cut down on spending cos I usually go a bit mad - 'on holiday mode' so when I come back I will start again.

Nannyg

[Deleted User]

Well best laid plans etc, :) I made the fishcakes for dinner tonight, ( jolly nice they were as well and four have gone into the freezer for another dinner) ,also knocked up some biscuits and a cake as well.

Then sat down to find my Ipod wouldn't charge up properly.Looked up the nearest Apple shop and it was Bluewater so after lunch, drove up there and was relieved of £15.00 for a blooming new wire lead Grrr.Still I paid for it out of my 'happy stash cash ' not my food purse

But whilst there I thought I'll use up my September John Lewis voucher so had a nice coffee and chunk of carrot cake (Thank you JL very nice it was too:):))then I had a foray through the kitchen dept to find they no longer do their great lock'n'lock boxes only some other make with coloured lids which I didn't really like. Had a quick mooch through the food hall, and decided folk who use it must have more money than sense :):)

Then wandered round M& S and spent a whole £4.30 on eggs £2.00 for 10 (theirs are lovely ), and a reduced pint of milk 25p I'll use it to make custard tomorrow, and a reduced packet of battered fish at £2.05 for 2 pieces of cod it was a bargain. These had gone seperately wrapped into my freezer.With some new potatos and mushy peas from my mushy pea mountain, its a reasonable meal for about £1.25 per meal
So although I spent £4.30 I think it was good value as the egss will be used over the next 10 days or so. Might make a quiche with some tomorrow as I have 4 mushrooms in the fridge and plenty of cheese.

I have just switched on the casserole in the SC and found more than enough in the freezer to make a big pot of it.By the morning it will be cooked and delicious, and once cold I'll portion it up.
I used some red diced onion,some cut green beans,both from the freezer, a good dollop of lazy garlic and a good seasoning of rosemary and slug of wine with the gravy.Topped off with some chunked, quartered up new potato's it will cook overnight.

I have found two good sized courgettes in the freezer that someone gave me ages ago all wrapped that I had forgotten about.
A. any ideas what I could use them in
B. what are courgettes like when defrosted ? I must admit I chucked them in there and had forgotten they were in there
Apart from that I have had a reasonably frugal day
Cheers chums
JackieO xxx

GreyQueen

Hi JackieO, can I ask about the red onions in the freezer?

I've never frozen onions but I do grow my own and, although they last for months, they're getting past their best by the following spring. How to you prep red onions for the freezer and how do they come through the experience/ what do you use them for?

I haven't any reciprocal advice about freezing courgettes as I've only ever frozen them as chopped, cooked ingredients in a pastsa-saucey type meal, although I would be interested to know that, also.

Have had a lie-in (accidentally, must have been overtired) and will pootle up to the allotment later today to work the soil and harvest some loveliness such as runner beans, beetroots, carrots. That, with the already-harvested potatoes and white onions, will form the bulk of the next few meals, probably with something from the freezer, I think I will go have a rummage now............yup, sausages.

Keep sitting on those purses, lovely peeps. GQ xx

[Deleted User]

GQ I had a bag of red onions about a month ago reduced to 35p for 10 so it was snaffled quickly.:) when I got home I just peeled and diced them all, and put in a zip-lock bag and rebagged again into a polythene bag (once they are frozen no oniony smell so the otside poly bag can be removed) into the freezer. I do this with all onions I see reduced, if I have the space in the freezer as peeling and chopping onions is a bit of a faff, but once done is great as a time saver when cooking.True they tend to stick to gether at times in a lump but once given a wallop with the rolling pin then they soon separate again (let them know whose boss :):))

My casserole is delicious, and the meat just melting and I have got at least 5 good sized portions to put in the freezer.
If I recall the meat was Y/S anyway and in total I think I paid about £2.35 for it so adding the rest of the ingredients I think its costed out at about £3.00 for 5 dinners. 60p per meal is fairly frugal, and a lot cheaper than going to the supermarket for 5 meals for one :):)

I try to cost my evening meal to between 60p-£1.00 plus a small pudding.With a cereal or porridge for breakfast, and HM soup and crackers for lunch my budget is reasonably good, and as most of the things are HM I can keep the costs down.

Whilst rummaging in my freezer yesterday I found some Rhubarb that a friend had given me ages ago so that's been dug out and now its defrosted in the fridge I shall make a crumble this morning using some of the reduced price milk I snaffled at 25p a pint to make some custard for it. All helps to streeetch stuff out.I always either have HM soup then dinner, or dinner then a small pudding. It's how my late Mum fed my brothers and I during rationing, two course seems to make you feel fairly full up, so they don't have to be huge dinners.

I keep scrubbed clean peelings of veg, spud,carrots,leek ends,celery bendy bits,brocolli stalks etc frozen in a poly bag in the freezer and when there is enough I make a pot of soup with some stock,a handful of pearl barley or lentils and can make a decent sized pot for less than 50p which does for either starters before dinner or lunch with crackers.If you throw a handful of fussili or small pasta shapes in when you reheat slowly it bulks the soup out if your having it for lunch. I had a small pot of left over baked beans in the fridge and threw that in on one lot last week. Nothing gets wasted if its at all edible in my house.
I had a taste in M&S yesterday of their salted caramel spread and was very tempted to buy some, but at £3.00 for a small pot I decided no, its just justified for such a small amount.

Very tasty though I may drop the idea into one of my grandchildrens head before Christmas as they always ask me if there is a little present I would like .One of them bought me a jar of redcurrant jelly with port in last year, and it was delicious.The grandchildren know I have enough slippers to last the rest of my life in, so I'd rather have a little something that's out of the ordinary.

Most folk my age would. I make a little box up of goodies for a couple of my housebound friends, and the daftest things go in it sometimes ,not just soap, but small food things as a treat. My sis-in-law makes 8 miniture Christmas cakes, and I always get one and its lovely as I like christmas cake, but would never do one just for myself, and the rest of my family aren't keen.DD gives me pots of chillis or pickles that she brings back from her U.S. trips.Small things but much appreciated.
Every little helps as the saying goes :):)

[Deleted User]

still NSD at the moment ,but as I have got my date for the hospital I shall be doing a shop next Monday hopefully and that will be my last shop for this month.Have spent just over £22. so far this month.Very pleased as I am using up more stuff from the freezer

nannygladys

Hello just sat here tired out after travelling back from my short break wondering if I can manage a few days without spending, so here goes. Tomorrow I will go through my freezer and cupboards and sort out a menu plan for the week and hopefully my purse will stay firmly shut!

Nannyg

[Deleted User]

Last nights dinner was a couple of pork,leek and mustard sausages (from freezer)new potato's and cabbage and carrots.Tonight's will be chicken thighs (again from freezer) wrapped in bacon (freezer as well) left over new pots from last night along with left over cabbage from last night. I like to steam a quarter of a cabbage at a time and it does me for veg two nights in a row as I microwave it on the second night . Doing my best to use the freezer food as much as possible (stops me going anywhere near the shops :):)) Not much to buy next week so far I will try to go either Monday or Tuesday for anything I need ,at the moment its only some tomatoes and fresh fruit needed so nothing I can't adapt what I have indoors first.
Menu plan so far for next week is

Sunday at DDs for dinner so nothing to cook (I make a crumble to take with me though, apples from freezer )

Monday curry from freezer with rice

Tuesday lamb casserole from freezer with green beans also frozen

Wednesday out to celebration dinner for DGD as she graduates from Uni

Thursday lasagne from freezerwith some garlic rolls from freezer

Friday & Saturday Away for two days, meeting up in Scotland with cousins from overseas (Canada & Australia )so definitely no cooking at all for me
It's going to be a busy week really, so not much time for shopping anyway

:).I am hoping I can run down my freezer so I can defrost it before Christmas anyway as I like to start the New Year with lots of YS goodies after Christmas when the shops sell off their over-ordered stuff.Last January I managed to get some super turkey bits the day after New Year for a fraction of the normal price also things like Christmas left over bits from the shops .I snagged three jars of mincemeat at 20p a jar which made some nice mince pies during January and February.Forward planning saves the pennies :):)

nannygladys

Just made a bottom of fridge soup with lentils for tonight and I will follow that with bananas and custard and this lunch time I will be having a pasta salad with mackerel, all from stores so no spending for me - hooray!

GreyQueen

Afternoon all.

Have spent 5 hours on the allotment so have had a darned good work out and did no spending. I did fall through a supermarket's door on the way home and added a few bits for the storecupboard. Under £3 worth.

Will be eating h.g. veg with some of the chili tonight (it was streeetched with two big handfuls of porrige oats) and will ring the changes on that for the next couple of nights.

[Deleted User]

Back from Scotland (great couple of days ) and back to belt tightening again.NSD today as I am eating up from the freezer and fridge if I can for a few days I am going into hospital next Sunday for my reconstruction op. So this week I am washing,ironing and cooking like mad so I don't need to be doing much when I come home.
Spent quite a bit when I was away but its a one off and came from my happy-cash-stash. Reality and frugality is the watchword now as Christmas will be the next big expence looming on the horizon soon:):):)
Onwards and upwards chums xxx