Fiscal Fast – 7 days no spending (at all)

GreyQueen

:j Day One.

Strangely, I feel wildly enthusiastic about the Fiscal Fast. Woke up feeling positively gleeful.

I got a good start last night by using the potato water as the base for soup. After supper, I rounded up some stray veggies from the [STRIKE]prairies [/STRIKE] countertops and dismantled 2 onions which had gone very soft and sprouted. I knew from past experience that even an onion which looks hopeless usually has some good parts. Each onion had about 50% good bits plus I used the green sprouted tops, too.

I made the soup with the onions, a couple to tablespoons of red lentils, a broccoli stalk, some stray mixed herbs and a stock cube. Once it had cooled, I whizzed it with the stick blender and is now refridgerated. That should do lunch for today and two more days. Great example of something from nothing much.

Today I have an errand which involves crossing the city centre and would have normally been diving into every charity shop that I pass on the way. Of course, that won't be happening.;) Whatever shall I do with all the time I shall save? I may even have to do some housework......:rotfl:

Breakfast was wholemeal bread (h.m.) with honey. I've got the dregs of a large jar of honey which has been hanging around for far too long and it will be good to use it up.

The evening meal will be steamed veggies and half a previously-cooked Fray Bentos pie. I cook these 3 at a time to save the gas and freeze the other two. I'll heat it in the top (solid) level of the steamer and make a small quantity of gravy, with about half a stock cube.

Hope everyone has a great day.

determined_new_ms

Morning he he he GQ I know it is wildly exciting isn't it????

Just had a mad panic about my car keys, but panic over now!

Today's menu will be porridge for breakfast - we have a mountain of it! - tuna, cucumber & mayo rolls (cucumber needed using up pronto!), apple & 2 oranges, tin of fruit salad and 1/2 a yogurt, dinner will be salmon, rice & veg. mmmmmm think am going to m=have to make a desert as have been hankering sweet things all week.... think I may make some banana & coconut muffins this evening.

GQ I am loving all the spare time, I think I have saved a minimum of 4 hours over the month.

Oh did some top up shopping yesterday - eggs, milk, makeral (he eats a high protein diet) & squash. Came to £7.50 (he was really plsd with himself that it cost so little!!) this is the first time we have bought any food items since 31st

Looking forward to NSD 2

lally666young

Hiya girls, slowly on the mend. I have made some homemade pasta and the doctor has given me some enlive so drink as I need to get some nutirents in me. Little missy is being miss nurse and is making sure I am getting plenty of fresh air and that the animals are getting fed.
they boys are being boys and are doing the cooking. Still little miss dragged me to the charity shop and I got some cheap wot nots to pick me up. But I am glad everyone is doing well with the fiscal spend. Mind you DH bought me a hoddie and I made him take it back as the price was well over the top. OMG I am turning into a proper oldschooler!!!!

Puddleglum

Hello. Glad that you as starting to feel a bit better Lally. Day 3 has been safely negotiated and the purse stayed shut.

Boiled eggs and toast all round for breakfast. Packed lunches. Dinner was not the finest if I am to be honest with myself. Sweet pepper and tomato stir fry sauce with an assortment of veggies over mashed potato. Still, if dinner worked out well everytime I would have nothing to aspire to. Will get it right tomorrow!

So the good news is that the humongous food stores are being chipped away at.

lessonlearned

Didn't quite make the full seven days, had to shop today so decided to do quite a big stock up including meat for freezer, cleaning materials, toiletries. Hopefully that should do me now until the end of the month.

From the money I've saved this week I spent £12 on plants for the garden, 3 flower shrubs and 1 blackcurrant bush. This year I've bought a redcurrant bush, blackcurrant, blackberry, already have strawberry plants doing nicely from last year. Just want to get some raspberry canes now and that's it fruit wise.

Last year I bought some mini fruit trees, apple, pear, plum and cherry. No fruit last year but keeping fingers crossed for this year.

Going to try another 7 days, allowing just milk, maybe some extra bread and F&V if necessary.

Thanks for the soup recipe Grey Queen. I've thought of saving potato water for added vitamins - will definitely give it a try.

calicocat

Hmmmmm.............................
today hasnt gone quite to plan,the chicken pie that was to last 3 days is nearly gone and there is a fair chance i will end up eating the remainder when i get in from work in the morning. Just as well i dont make a pie every week.......and thank god i didnt have enough flour left to make the crumblies!!!

Thanks Taplady for the twinks recipe too !

G.queen.that is exactly how i felt starting this !

Still have loads of veg left though so will see how long i can go without spending anything.

Keep going everyone.

Walk away from the purse:T

GreyQueen

Good morning all.

Well, it was very strange walking across town yesterday and not going into my usual haunts (every single charity shop ). I almost had to force myself not to cross their thresholds. Made me realise what a creature of habit I am.

I did go to the library to get some more books so that I could satisfy my hunting and gathering urges. Got three, one of which is "Tescopoly; how one shop came out on top and why it matters" by Andrew Simms. As I'd been listening to their CEO on the Today programme on Radio 4 with my breakfast and almost shouting with fury, it seemed an appropriate choice.

Well, the soup has turned out to be good for two portions not three so I will finish that up today. It wouldn't win any prizes in a beauty competition as it can loosely be described as greenish with bits in, but it's tasty enough. I shall have to look for some more stray bits and make another batch. One thing I will say from mucho experience over the years; if you're going to use broccoli stalks, don't use too much in proportion to the other veggies or you'll end up with a rather disturbing gelatinous texture in your soup.

I defrosted two of the four portions of stewed pears which I'd frozen after getting 16 large over-ripe pears for pence a few weeks ago. I made crumble to my own recipe. I used up the last of the light golden caster sugar which I'd bought for a recipe back when dinosaurs walked the earth and substituted porridge oats for 2 of the 6 ounces of plain flour so they have a nice crunchy texture. I have some smallish Pyrex casserole dishes which came from a boot fair at £1 a piece and are very useful for things like this. I made 2 crumbles and ate half of the first one. Don't know the total cost of what will turn out to be 4 scrummy puddings but I imagine that it was pence...........

Today I'm out and about for several hours so propose to follow that old adage about breakfasting like a king etc by having an omelette with one rasher of bacon snipped into it for more flavour. Lunch will be a snack on the hoof of oatcakes and an orange, which has a manky bit so I shall sort it out at home and pop it into a plastic container for ease and speed.

Well, another day of spendlessness. I feel really good about the Fast and re-watched the Jeff Yeager YouTube videos to firm my resolve. It's a great feeling to be catching up with some of my food items to avoid waste and makes me realise how spoiled I am, compared to most of the people in the world, past and present.

Let Day 2 commence! Hope it's a good one for everyone. GQ x

lizzyb1812

Days Six and Seven

Lots of rain yesterday which meant my internet connection went awol. My provider is trying to fix it but the fault is intermittent and has proved difficult to trace. More rain coming in so posting now whilst I've got the connection.

Day Six - no spend, Day Seven - no need to spend so should get to target :T

Don't want to do a weekly shop on a Friday/Saturday/Sunday so may extend Fast to 10 days and do a shop on Monday.

Lunch yesterday was kidney bean, tuna, cucumber mayo and soup. Sandwich in the evening as not bothered to cook and not really hungry - left half of it and just had it for breakfast.

HM coleslaw for lunch with some chunks of sausage in it and freezer something tonight. Not got much of an appetite.

Have got all the bits in to make lots of cloche hoops for the allotment so will be doing those today plus a big clean of the downstairs floors - pup has tracked mud all over the place

Then paperwork - I'm a big procrastinator re this so some is rather urgent now :eek:

Keep it up everyone :T

Kiwisaver_2

Time soon does fly, sadly had to break my fast again at day 6.
I haven't yet made it past the six day mark. :mad:

I have mitigating circumstances though, a stupid meeting across the other side of town, left me scrambling in a panic to get out of the house an hour earlier than usual so I forgot my lunch. I tried to limit the damage though and went to a supermarket, bought a cheese scone and some nuts rather than going and buying some expensive thing from the cafe.

My word it's that time again already and just planning the shopping list for tomorrow. Have $51.90 (Pounds 25.90) remaining of the two week budget and have decided from that I will buy a nice happy chicken along with a few basics of usual bread, milk, salad and bananas. I'm desperately low on sugar and only have a tiny bit of porridge left, so in total I should have about nine dollars to spare in case I spot any bargains. :T

lally666young

Hello girls, Alison asked me to pass her hello's on. She got admitted last night with chronic tummy pains. She said she is fine in herself appart from the pains. She wishes you all well and soon as we get he transfered to a hospital near her mums she will be online. Mind you she is trying to escape. And likes swearing at the doctors. As soon as she can eat and keep it in either way she can go home. You sound a lovely bunch of ladies and gents and she is always talking about you.