Fiscal Fast – 7 days no spending (at all)

GreyQueen

Justamum wrote: »

You could have made a batch of scones with it.

I have heard of this but I've never made a scone in my life so I wasn't minded to start at that time of night. I shall have to learn to bake a few things other than bread so that I shall be prepared for the next incident.

I have just been a bit of a piglet and scoffed the last of the second big bar of Areo which was intended to last me the whole 7 days of the Fast. My defence was it's that special time and I'm a bit hormonal but what the heck, chocolate goes off quickly once you've opened it, right? It was only prudent to tidy it up.

Saturday today and I treated myself to a rasher of bacon divided between 2 of my wholemeal rolls baked yesterday for breakfast. Had a wee bit of cheese in 2 more rolls for lunch at the allotment and came home and had a funny old "scratch" tea of 3 cold cooked Lincs sausages, sliced and added to a Pyrex of the other half of the baked beans from yesterday and heated on the oven sheet with the last handful of oven chips from the bag I bought to feed visiting family on Monday.

I don't normally have oven chips and it's not because I'm some kind of gourmet but I because I have a 50 litre counter-top freezer and they take up a lot of space. However, my family (3) were visiting and decided to hang back to avoid catching the rush hour so they were going to have fish and chips but these are £4.60 a portion so would have been £18.40 for us 4. I enacted a cunning plan and went to Iceland the day before where I got a pkt of Youngs breaded fish fillets for £3 (6 smallish fillets), a bag of chips for £1 and a bag of peas for £1. So, a supper for all of us for £5 with 2 portions of fish, 2 helpings of chips and some peas left over for me.

Hence some strange combinations of meals. I warmed the last portion of the pear crumble thru at the same time and very nice it was, too.

After I came back from the lottie I was still a bit restless and felt that I wanted to "go shopping". It's my custom to do this on a Saturday afternoon. I'm not talking anything extravagant, just a trawl thru the charity shops, a poke in the discount stores and I might well buy nothing, it's the thrill of the chase, really.

As I wasn't going to spend anything, I decided not to risk c.s. browsing but did go for a wander in the shopping streets watching the interplay of shoppers and shops. The place was fairly buzzy mid-afternoon, despite it being a day of intermittant showers and quite chilly. People seemed in good spirits but less than half the people were carrying any shopping bags, and of those who were burdened, it was rare to see more than one bag.

That was interesting. Because of the time of the day, and the direction of the wander taking me against the main flow of foot traffic, I figured that most of the people were heading towards the carparks and thus completing their trips. I suppose that some of them could have bought really small stuff and be carrying it in their pockets but it did make me wonder if there are a lot of skint people out there who are "going shopping" out of force of habit and aren't really able to buy stuff but just can't stop looking at it...............

Ummmmm, interesting how taking a conscious step back from purchasing makes you notice other things.........

Anyway, mega congrats to us all, we're doing great. Keep up the good work. I still have one of my 4 carrots left, y'know.:rotfl:

calicocat

Modern Millie..............i was just thinking about the petrol thing this morning as will need to get some i think before payday.........i am certainly spending more on petrol than food since doing this.

NSD again,but have been asleep ..but didnt go to shops en-route to work which is good.

Had an amazing bowl of cornflake dust and milk before work,and HM garlic mushrooms and salad for tea here at work.Didnt get time to make anything more before work so will live on toast here (which is free!)

Have a good weekend everyone,it might be next week when i next pop in ,when back at work as doing this here on a computer is so much easier than at home on my mobile that keeps crashing.:mad:
Obviously nuts nearly two years out of date are fine by the way.

Keep it going everyone.

Walk away from the purse:T

Kiwisaver_2

I agree regarding the petrol, they're saying that we're likley to exceed the all time high that was reached here a couple of years back. Everytime I fill the car (only once a fortnight though) it costs more and more and undoubtedly if I added it up I probably have spent the almost the same on food as I have on petrol. We might have to start a petrol fast before long. :eek:

I've been doing a cabinet reshuffle in my larder cupboard and now shifted everything off of one shelf so that I could give it a good clean. Just here for five to make sure it's all dried before I put the stuff back. I found an ancient tin of plums, a tin of potatoes someone gave me more than two years ago and two bottles of sweet chilli sauce. I can't remember the last time I had any need for sweet chilli sauce, so my next mission will be to find 101 things to do with it and the plums are destined to be a crumble next weekend. Tinned taters I suppose could go in soup or stew.

calicocat

Got another 5 mins spare........I'm doing a bit of a petrol fast already to be honest as just can't afford not to, I have cud down tootling about visiting friends as much,and plan routes to catch everything I need to do so don't have to pop out again.

Sweet chili sauce you can put into loads of things,if you like prawns sauted in garlic ginger and lime,add a bit of s.chilli at the end for a few mins and some noodles. It can be added to any salad dressing for a bit of punch,and you can also add to soup if you're doing a kind of oriental soup,it's also nice added to coconut milk sauses,mixed with mayo to make a hot mayo dip. Also nice caramalised on duck.

I'll stop now.....bit of a sweet chilli sauce fan if you hadn't gathered:D

Better go,meant to be working.

craigywv

Kiwisaver wrote: »

I agree regarding the petrol, they're saying that we're likley to exceed the all time high that was reached here a couple of years back. Everytime I fill the car (only once a fortnight though) it costs more and more and undoubtedly if I added it up I probably have spent the almost the same on food as I have on petrol. We might have to start a petrol fast before long. :eek:

I've been doing a cabinet reshuffle in my larder cupboard and now shifted everything off of one shelf so that I could give it a good clean. Just here for five to make sure it's all dried before I put the stuff back. I found an ancient tin of plums, a tin of potatoes someone gave me more than two years ago and two bottles of sweet chilli sauce. I can't remember the last time I had any need for sweet chilli sauce, so my next mission will be to find 101 things to do with it and the plums are destined to be a crumble next weekend. Tinned taters I suppose could go in soup or stew.

try putting the tinned potatoes in the deep fat fryer for a really nice change ....small roast pots taste great:)

Kiwisaver_2

craigywv wrote: »

try putting the tinned potatoes in the deep fat fryer for a really nice change ....small roast pots taste great:)

I don't have a fryer, but yes a brilliant idea I could perhaps slice and fry/saute them in a frying pan. Mmm, giving me ideas now, fried potatoes for breakfast sounds so decadent I haven't had fried potatoes in years either.

I made custard tarts as planned and they hit the spot, so pleased I have four more for tomorrow and the next day.

Seems any thought of dieting for this week are entirely scuppered (once again).

The only thing I ended up throwing away today was a jar of Salad Cream: with a best before date of October 2010. Looked a bit brown and dodgy so I didn't have any second thoughts about parting with that, I don't even like it at the best of times. :eek:

Chilli sauce regime starts tomorrow with the first dose rejigged into dinner of 'special' fried rice and mini spring rolls. The 'special' being anything suitable I can find. I have a handful or so of roast chicken I found in the freezer and eggs, loads of onions and peas, so should be fine.

It's very strange to see the fridge with some bare shelves in the door now. :eek:

taplady

kiwisaver - re chilli sauce. I use it mixed in with tuna and may in a jacket spud and mixed with soy sauce its great over a salmon fillet ans oven baked - goes all nice and sticky:)

Did our weekly shop yesterday - spent the budget again which is annoying as its 2 weeks sinced I've saved any out of my budget towards my holiday. I've told DH that we're not doing a shop next week - only the bare essentials if necessary as I want some more in my holiday fund!

Lots of food in though so am hopeful.

I had some HM vegsoup for lunch just now made with leftover Aldi veg - there's some left for DHs lunch tomorrow.

Tea tonight for the chaps is an Aldi chicken breast roast - will freezer leftovers in gravy for next week.

I treated myself to a tiny salmon fillet as I dont eat meat but do have the odd bit of fish.

There's yoghurt or jelly for pud and I'm going to make a bit of custard to have with the 2 manky bananas.

Am going to make a meal planner this afternoon too.

Have a good day all x

lally666young

Hiya guys, Thank you all very much for your kindess, I love this forum and I dont intend in keeping on doing the fiscal or mini fiscal as you lot call it. I am still in but have been moved to a private hospital and it has Wi-fi!!!! So I am a very happy bunny. I had a blockage in my small intestine, but that has been dealt with now. I am meant to be sleeping I dont think so. I will be out on Wednesday and I have to eat meat poo poo. Paul has been fab he has been doing the food shopping and keeping the kids on their toes!!! So I havent spent a penny lol!!!
But I am glad everyone has been doing well and keeping it up. I just read a recipie today were you can use natural yoghurt!!! So I am going to have a go when I get home and my mum gave me some old cooking books one on slow cooking and freezer cooking. So See you when I get home.

taplady

lally - glad you're feeling a bit better x x x

GreyQueen

Good afternoon all.

Well, it's Day 5 on my Fast and apart from the complete absence of chocolate in my home (evidence from past consumption is padding my beam end, of course ) all is right with the world.

In fact, it is better than right because, whilst forking weeds out of a patch of my allotment, I discovered 2 humungous self-sown parsnips. I let some parsnips set seed in 2010 and they have been coming up like cress ever since. But should I sow the exact same stuff in a row and will it germinate? Will it heck. I suspect I have a special strain of Anarchist Parsnips which will only flourish where they want to.

Today was going to be the last day on the fresh veg as I am using the last big carrot and the last bit of broccoli. I shall have an omelette with bacon bits in. Still plenty of food on the premises but all the milk has just been used. I shall not break my Fast as can drink tea perfectly well without it.

Think I may do some baking tomorrow as I will need some sweeties to help me on my way. I have some rather tatty looking eating apples which I could trim down and have in a pie with some sultanas and cinnamon. There is a part-used pack of Jus-Rol pastry in the fridge.........

Y'know, it's truly amazing me how many meals I can get out of what looks like not a lot, when I've committed to buying no more stuff...........

Steps away from the purse...............