Fiscal Fast – 7 days no spending (at all)

taplady

lessonlearned - I'm doing the same challenge as you - just trying not to spend extra money on grocery.

This week I spent all my budget but we'd run out of a lot of things that I dont buy every week such as washing powder, coffee and sauce so my aim is to have a few minimal spend weeks now I've stocked up so I cant spend anything else in the next 7 days on food.

I also bought some Aldi 39p and 69p veg - need to up my 5 a day I think.

I made 6 individual quorn cottage pies for the freezer today.

Good luck for the next week everyone:)

Iera

Hello all, must confess that I've been 'lurking'. Originally found the site by accident. This thread is absolutely brilliant, a huge THANK YOU to all of you, have read the all your posts and they've given me so many ideas. Am trying to shop once every ten days. Have started to plan menus for at least a week if not more and making lists of what I'm putting in and taking out of the freezer. It's amazing what you find in cupboards and freezer when they've been sorted. Planted some seeds today and will probably put potatoes in at the weekend. Live in the countryside in rural France, about half an hour to a supermarket so try and plan my trips. Good luck to all and thanks once again.

determined_new_ms

welcome Iera - oh how lovely to live in France, am imagining some château with loads of wild flowers, you walking along, very tall and elegant with a long dress and a little wicker basket, with french people talking to you with their seductive accents....

Anyway welcome, that's some dedication to read 26 pages! I love this thread, its become my favourite. since joining the ff I am doing a monthly shop (well you know that since you've read the whole thread!) and not spending so much time thinking and doing for groceries - meal planning, going through the cupboards/fridge/freezer each week, going to various shops, spending about 1-1 1/2hrs in the shops, unpacking etc etc etc - I have so much more time for other things

Kittenkirst

Hi all! Suffering from a terrible headache today (boo!) but silver lining is it means I haven't gone out for pay day drinks which was to mark the end of our fiscal fast!

I'm pleased though as OH & I have only bought: Headache tabs for the boy midweek as we didnt have any in the office, and one naughty £1 spent on a coffee at work for a particilarly hard meeting.

This is such an improvement for us both as we were both saving hard but still managing to fritter away odds & ends here & there!

Preparation really helped, so we made breakfast bars at the weekend for brekkie on the go, I made hoummous (using new pressure cooker) for wraps for the week. We also mealplanned more regorously and have missed out our weekly shop completely as we had more than sufficient stuff in!

Reading all your posts has really helped, we're determined to keep going and have as many NSD's jointly as possible! Its payday today so banking and errands tomorrow, as well as food shoping but have £30 sainsburys vouchers so will try to use them rather than any cash!

This gets a bit addictive doesn't it!

calicocat

NSD again.
i think i was fairly good with the food thing to start with but i have ended up saving more due to this by using food past its best...which has been perfectly fine and hasnt as yet killed me:)
Iwant to get into the habit of not flying off to shops to get a dress or handbag on a whim,and this is training me to do that .I will fall eventually,nut will have saved spending leading up to that for sure,which will mean i dont hammer my credit card for silly things that i dont need.......and may even get to start towards clearing it.
i am going to try to do this untill payday (28),and if i havent spent any of my happy cash will maybe seperate that saving putting half into 'emergency fund' and other to credit card. In May i have a wedding to go to ,but am going to wear a dress i already have from last year,i have a bag that matches ,and got a pair of shoes on ebay (would normally have headed off to K.Geiger and spent £100) the ones i got cost £18 ,and will possibly only wear them once so silly paying more. Actually i always have a pair of flip-flops in bag anyhow and end up wearing them by the end of the night as dont really do heels for long.
Anyhow,i'm rambling now (drawback of working nightshift)..............................WELCOME to all starting again or for the first time.
MOTTO...........walk away from the purse.

catznine

Good morning peeps!

Welcome to all the newcomers on the fiscal fast! It's very friendly here and we are learning so much from each other. We all have different reasons to save. Like JackieO, Mr Catz and I are off for a week away next month (self catering on the norfolk broads, on a boat, can't wait:j) Then it will be to add to our savings towards (hopefully) paying 10% off our mortgage.

I'm feeling much better now so back on board, though strictly speaking I haven't been anywhere to spend any money! Mr Catz has though, he felt sorry for me and bought me some ice cream and a fish and chip supper.

I know I'm feeling better when I start to see the house in the mess that it's in and know I need to do something about it.
No more spending on expensive cleaners though, while ill I surfed the websites and found one with home made cleaners on, so each time I have eaten an orange I placed the cut up peel into a jar of white vinegar - for wood cleaner but adding a couple of drops of washing up liquid to it and it cuts through grease really well and has brought the stainless steel cooker up a treat.

Just enjoyed a game of lucky dip/chest freezer dive and found 3/4 pack of organic diced beef (stew tonight) and one gluten free tea cake (breakfast today with last of the Easter cherry jam) Yay!

Yesterday I sat down and made my friend a new home card, she has just downsized into a bungalow and is now mortgage free, very jealous but Mr Catz is not ready to move anywhere just yet. Our house is not very grand and needs a lot of de cluttering first.

Well the sun is shining and I might just manage to walk the dog for the first time in nearly 2 weeks! Hoping to manage a bit more cleaning too if I pace it. Have a lovely fiscal fasting day all!

Catz x

determined_new_ms

Morning Catznine glad to hear you are back on your feet! Have you had your op now?

Ok as I've been itching to get back into this I am going to do it from today - We have run out of eggs but I may save that till later in the week. Have 1 egg left so will use that for yorkshire puds tomorrow & the rest of the mixture I will make some pancakes. Veg box was delivered yesterday :T and we got some lovely beetroot so will cook that tomorrow for lunch mmmmm will be sad to stop getting the veg box as it has been quite exciting having a surprise on a Friday but think that it would be more cost effective if I go to the farmers market. Will have to continue being adventurous and get a selection of in season - i.e. cost effective - veg.

Still have loads of food left at the 1/2 way point of the month. Am looking forward to clocking up some NSDs as the last couple of weeks have been expensive!

Good luck to all you newbs - its so much fun wait and see!

[Deleted User]

Catznine that cleaner sound brilliant, I may make some tomorrow as I have lots of oranges in the fruit bowl. I always have a fairly full fruit basket as I am a bit fanatical about eating fruit daily as it keeps me feeling well I have an impaired immune system so can pick up bugs and germs quite easily but I have found by eating extra fruit I rarely now get colds or infections I have secondary lymphodema which means if I am poorly I have to go on very stong anti-bios as my right arm balloons up and I feel quite awful for a few days (a bit like a very bad does of the flu) so I try to keep and eat as healthily as I can.Another reason for staying away from shops when they are crowded.I don't think I have had a cold in well over a year (touch wood)
Today I have already got a lemon drizzle cake cooking which will use up the lemon in the bottom of my fridge and I shall make some small cakes tomorrow and some cheese scones as after my cake is cooked I am off to my friends for the day in Dartford for lunch and dinner two more weeks to go unitl we go on holiday and I am just hoping the weather will cheer up a bit.NS food shopping for me as I am eating up what I can from the fridge .Breakfast this morning was porridge and some wholewheat toast with a sliced banana on it .very filling and will see me through until 1.00 when I have lunch at my friends house.Tomorrow I shall be rearranging my freezer list to see what's in there,It is going down slowly and hopefully the food mountain as well .have a good week-end every one and keep hanging on to your cash if you can
Cheers chums JackiO xx

taplady

morning!

JackieO - hope you enjoy your lunch out with your friend x

NSD for me as I'm off to work later. I'm going to make some leek and potato soup in a while with some cheap leeks from Aldi for lunch.

Am stirring and feeding my friendship cake daily. Might also make some more crumblies this morning if I have time.

Catznine - glad you are feeling better x

Have a good weekend all x

Ninno820

Morning (oops afternoon now). I am spending the morning tidying up and sorting out loose ends. Tidying one cupboard I found a battery for my pedometer which has just started to flash so that was good timing.
Lunch today is some form of breakfast brunch - bacon, cubed potatoes, baked beans and eggs - using up the contents of the fridge!
Dinner is steak and sw chips with mushrooms and peas with fresh fruit salad for afters.

The lounge carpet is now clean - who knew it was blue? I will need to wait until 23rd (pay day) before I tackle the next carpet - I need more carpet cleaning fluid. The sun is shining here so I think that its a dog walk and perhaps some gardening this afternoon. Keep going everyone!