Fiscal Fast – 7 days no spending (at all)

determined_new_ms

aw made me feel all warm and fuzzy the community spirit round here!

day 5 going well - lunch was out, although it was preplanned before I started doing this for my best friend's birthday and it was very frugal - breakfast was (another) banana smoothie mmmmmm and dinner is chicken, spinach & pepper risotto. Am going to make up a sachet of jelly for sweet over the next day or two.

Observations - I am much more careful with the amounts of ingredients I am putting in meals - i.e weighed out 150gms rice instead of just guessing by eye, used 1/2 a pepper so ingredients will go further. I am also eating less - I guess less variety of carp to just munch on. Last night I really fancied something, but as I laid there contemplating what to have I realised there was nothing that would satisfy what I was hankering for (i.e. chocolate or crisps!) so I forgot about it.

oh used the last frozen pita tonight so I will have ryvita with my soup tomorrow lunch & more smoothies - oh always moans at me for freezing them as we usually have about 10 brown bananas in the freezer!

Tomorrow I am taking my dd food shopping so I think I will get coffee, milk, toilet paper & some bananas instead of getting them at the weekend. I think 3 days without coffee at home is a enough! I think with these bits I should be able to last until the end of next week??? Am I being over ambitious?

Justamum

determined_new_ms wrote: »

I think 3 days without coffee at home is a enough! I think with these bits I should be able to last until the end of next week??? Am I being over ambitious?

I thought the whole idea of the fiscal fast was to stop buying stuff which wasn't essential rather than depriving yourself of something you need! Three days without coffee is more than enough!

Ninno820

Three days without coffee is torture!

determined_new_ms

:rotfl: come on guys don't be silly! I haven't gone without coffee as I drink it at work during the day its just been before and after. If it wasn't I would not have gone without!:rotfl:

sammyroser

Day 3 and NSD

Used two bits of bread and opened the only tin of beans in the cupboard for breakfast/lunch. Then dinner was a sausage, spinach and parmesan dish, I used lasagna sheets instead of cannelloni as I didn't have any in the house and have three boxes of lasagna sheets. Actually turned out easier rolling the sheet then stuff the tubes

Have an appointment tomorrow up town and park at a supermarket as it's the only free parking around. Will be very hard not to buy something I'm craving so will see what happens!

[Deleted User]

evening all well done to those of you who have survived so far NSD no.5 here and my purse is firmly closed .I have more than enough to get me through until Saturday shopping,getting a bit fed up of wraps though but I know for sure that once their gone it will be no more for awhile I had two sausages some peas and some mash from the freezer tonight for dinner and some rather soft grapes from the fridge for pudding.Not sure what tomorrow will be I will delve deep into the freezer and take pot luck I think.
Well done everyone

lisakay_2

I could've sworn I posted on here earlier! I declared my months spend on GC before, as DH gets paid on Fri so that's my month end. With thanks to the FF I have come in £30 under budget and I lowered my budget by £50 on last months! total spend for the month of feb £119 :D
That's for 2 adults, although DH eats in work more often than not, 2 littlies, a dog a cat and 2 rabbits and included all pet food/bedding, cleaning stuff, toiletries etc.
so thanks girls, for keep ing me motivated:T
out of 5 weekly shops I did 2 with 1 small spend in the middle, so only 3 spend days in the whole of Feb:j.
I'm aiming for similar in the next month, so I'll be planning my shopping very carefully.

My dad phoned me earlier to say he wanted to but the girls something, to help us out...its a bit of a guilt thing i think, as they do a lot for my sister, so I now have £30 to get the girls some new trainers. I'll be going to sprts direct on sunday and buying 2 pairs of girls trainers and nothing else. any change will be going towards Bethany's sponsorship for her mile run t school next week.:cool::cool:

Oh, I was telling the M&D how I was trying to use stuff up and not spend so much (after he offered me money for the kids, so not motivated by pity:rotfl:) and he was amazed at how little I spent. My mum was telling him how well we were all eating too. she came for dinner one day last week and i made us a beetroot and goats cheese risotto with a side salad and the girls had something just as nice, so they don't think I'm cutting costs and feeding us all crud!!!
It's really making me think about what we are eating, and about getting our meals, especially the girls, balanced and healthy.
My little Bethany decided she wanted to cook tea last night and out of the options she decided on fish fingers, new potatoes and salad. under supervision she did it all herself for her and her sister, she did a fab job and was very upset when I had tea nearly ready for when we got home from parents evening tonight.

correction, 3 spend days in MARCH!
£119 spend in MARCH! must have lost a month somewhere

fletch3163

I just want to thank you all for your insight? I am a super lurker, barely post. I download this thread onto a free read it later app and read on the bus. My journeys have been SO quick.

Keep up the good work one and all? I do hope to join you all soon :T

Kiwisaver_2

I broke my duck and went on a shopping spree in my lunch break today, as I thought it would save me the hassle of shopping about tomorrow night.

After having scoped out the prices in two supermarkets, I then went to a fruit and veg shop and found a few bargains. Hence, I spent the grand sum of $3.30 (one pound, sixty eight) on a cucumber for 0.99c some tomatoes and a few apples. That now makes me feel so much more comfortable about the week ahead.

A last thought today was that I should get a lemon tomorrow, as I already have all the rest of the stuff to make hummus and that would be a good lunch option next week. I have no shortage of carrots for dipping and have some pita bread in the freezer.

Dinner tonight was some really old mash from the freezer, I was a bit dubious about the age and consistency of it as it looked a bit dried out but thought I have nothing to lose in defrosting it to see if usable or chuck away. Anyway decided it would be fine fried up with my second to last red onion in a potato cake sort of effort. Was delicious and received thumbs up from the old man (who was none the wiser) with some sausages and baked beans.

Lunch also sorted for tomorrow, leftover cooked rice from yesterday, some tinned tuna mixed up with some chopped pepper, cucumber and tomato (still from last weeks supplies).

I am looking forward to tomorrows supermarket challenge, although I know almost to the last cent what I am going to get - unless of course I get distracted or change my mind again.

Spendless

Pesky kids. :mad: DS announced this morning that he needed ingrediants to make a sandwich in cookery today (I swear he did more 'exotic' cooking in Reception than he does in Secondary school) and it ranged from he needed a bread mix to he could take in ready done bread, so unable to get to the bottom of exactly what he did need, to cover all bases he's taken the last of the bread mix, the last 2 slices of crusty bread, my last part baked roll, the butter and the only pack of ham I had!!!

Think I need to declare a not joining in day. Am taking Nan shopping in a bit. Will be very grateful for the lunch she buys me as a thank you.