Fiscal Fast – 7 days no spending (at all)

[Deleted User]

Hi chums well I was at my sis-in-laws today and said I was going to her local farm shop to see how much the cajun spices were and what was in them and she said hang on I think I have some in the cupboard and lo and behold she has a bottle of swartz cajun spices that she gave to me as she said she had got it but found she wasn't keen on it So i had a nice bottle for free and saved my pennies for another day Result
Well done Jan, thanks mate you saved my bacon, (or spices ) :)I shall have £24.00 to go into my holiday stash and I have NSDs at all this week as I have enough to keep me going over the long week-end

Kerfuffle

Hi Folks,

Calico-cat - Coincidently in this weeks email there's a thread about making homemade yoghurt pots instead of ice lollies, but I figure some of the ideas could be adapted for ice-lollies, if you haven't already seen it, here's the link. On the subject of guinea pigs, we had a family of four, Mummmy, Daddy, daughter and son. Amazingly their names were Mummy Guinea pig, Daddy Guinea Pig, Daughter Guinea Pig and Son Guinea Pig :rotfl::rotfl:I really don't know how we managed to be so original .

JackieO - The stewed apples and honey sounds delicious, I think I might just have to try that myself. Well done for getting some cajun spices free, we got some free when my daughter was moving out of her apartment, we used it on potato wedges. Hubby enjoyed it so much we have to buy it all the time now.

M155Piggy - Welcome :wave:. Don't feel like you're the only one here, I'm here and reading, I just don't always have much to say. Thanks for the long post, I really enjoy reading everybody's news and plans. Great news on raiding the cupboards for stuff for the Jubilee celebrations, way better than running off to T*sco and spending 30.00pounds on a carrier bag of junk food. I'm all for being a non-consumer advocate and I think because of the celebrations there'll be a lot of people spending more money than they should really be spending. Giving your son 1.00pound to go to the gym is way better than having him hanging around the streets, a true bargain.

For me planning is a must, if I don't meal plan I find when Hubby is on shift I don't tend to eat very well, so I meal plan and get organised to make sure I have something healthy and handy so I can get it quickly without too much thought. I generally have soup as I'm a homemade soup fiend :T

Kittendothroar - I hope you managed to wing it and didn't have to spend any money.

Spendless - Wow, what a lovely long post, lots of news about family life. It sounds like you've got a lot on your plate but you seem to be holding it all together pretty well.

Forever saving - Well now I know you, I'll make sure I miss you at all times :rotfl: Shame the bread has developed a fur coat, but it tends to do that in warm weather. I used to half my loaves and freeze them then get them out as and when, at the moment we're both eating more bread than previously so I don't need to.

Taplady - Hello :hello: Enjoy your jollies and I look forward to seeing you on your return.

Well news from Kerfuffle Kabin, : the only thing I can say it that I haven't spent any money yet , and today was Day 3 so I'm quite chuffed with that. The rubber chicken has been stretched and we've had 2 chicken meals and the rest has gone into the freezer, along with the carcase.
Monday was homemade lentil soup for lunch, and roast chicken salad with boiled potatoes for tea.
Tuesday was Fried egg sandwich for lunch and roast chicken dinner for tea.
Wednesday was homemade carrot and dill soup for lunch, and prawns and beets salad with jacket potatoes for tea.

I'm not really big on typing my meal plans as I've read threads where people are pulled to pieces as some people are really judgmental. I know my meals aren't very inspirational but I think they're okay and Hubby and I are fairly healthy. (Apart from the 24 hour stomach upset earlier this week :rotfl:;))

calicocat

KERFUFFLE.......thanks for the 'lolly-link'......this could be dangerous ! I dare not get an ice-cream maker , although yoghurt pops and friut lollies are more healthy .

Well NSD today ,but have been in bed after work ,but avoided shops en-route , which is good ,I used to have an obssession with poping in even if didn't need anything ,and would end up with lots of reduced bread,that I didn't eat ,no room to freeze , so it would end up in bin or birds..........however now could make I think it was 'japanesse breadcrumbs' with it to freeze from another thread a while ago, which I did last week,yet to try them.


Had tuna, pasta, and salad for tea here at work. Cornflakes before I came.

So....if I make it to sunday 10am ,that is 7 days (not counting car service/mot on sat though as got to do it now for the mot)



Walk away from the purse............:T


Ooo.....got 13p roadkill..........kerching !;)

joedenise

m155piggy wrote: »

On a brighter not T*SCO credit card sent both DH & myself a 650 point voucher for being with them for the year which in total converts to £13 voucher (we both pay our credit cards off in full every month and never pay charges)

I received one of these as well yesterday. DH hasn't received one but maybe another one will arrive today (hopefully:))

Denise

mcculloch29

Just found this thread - and what a great thread it is!
I quite often do 'fiscal fasts' as I'm disabled and on bad arthritis days - or during bad weather, don't get out to spend money. The weather was so bad in April that I'm sure I did a few 7 dayers!
I work from home (as an e-tutor) and have few work-related expenses so that's another reason not to spend.
When I was teaching in the community I was always popping in to shops like Home Bargains and BM Bargains and congratulating myself on saving money, but realistically I was spending on a lot of things I didn't really need.
I've been doing the No Buying Toiletries Challenge for 18 months now - I do recommend the thread if you find that you spend unnecessarily in that area. We'll be starting a new monthly challenge tomorrow and it's such a friendly bunch.
My one 'extravagance' is a weekly night out at the local live music club, an absolute lifesaver - so my 7 day fast would start at 11.20 pm Tuesday and end at 8.30 pm the following Tuesday.
This is a lovely, supportive and friendly thread and thank you to posters who keep it that way.

nannygladys

Hi everyone, I have been absent for MSE for a little while and really feel the need to come back so Im starting with the fiscal fast as I have plenty of food in the pantry, cupboards and freezer and things have started to grow in the garden (mainly spinach at the moment and the amount Im eating I think my new nickname should be popeye:rotfl:) so I can probably go until my next payday which is about 2 weeks away. Mind you I will have to buy milk at some stage, and my really big thing is that I really enjoy buying food which is why I have so much in when I actually live on my own so let the challange begin:) and cold turkey I am agoing!!!!!!
Jxx

m155piggy

2nd NSD here!
Breakfast was toasted HM bread with HM plum jam
Kids lunches were hot x buns, jelly with fruit in, hobnobs and an orange.
I had a philly & marmite sandwich and jelly & fruit.
After school snacks were hobnobs
Dinner tonight DH had frozen curry with rice and mini naan
Kids had red pesto pasta and cheese with huge fishcake, followed by HM fruit scone and butter
I had toasted red pesto & cheese tortilla and a banana

Today I also made HM bread, HM fruit scones, victoria sponge cake, and 3 mini naan bread pizzas from the other 3 naans in the packet from AF - they will be good for the kids lunches tomorrow.

Sorted some stuff from the freezer for the street party while we are away in the caravan this weekend so we will be able to feast on: mini HM quiche, sausage rolls, mini choc brownies & doughnuts, and quorn nuggets.

Need to go to the shops tomorrow to get some stuff for the week away but def will not be spending anywhere near the £90 I usually end up spending on a SM visit every week - must try to be strong!
Have HM wine & beer stashed away along with sloe gin and a 3/4 bottle of Pimms from last year so things are looking good!

Kerfuffle

Hi Folks,

Calico-cat - I know exactly what you mean about popping into a shop on the way to work or on the way home. I had a thing for Hula-Hoops at one point and it eventually lead to spending 10.00pounds per day popping in for hula-hoops and picking up other stuff as I went around. Eventually gave myself a stern talking to and made sure I had some boiled sweets in the car when driving to stop the craving :rotfl:

joedenise - I hope you receive another voucher, every little helps

mcculloch29 - Hello :hello: I recognise you from a couple of other threads I frequent, it's good to see you here. I'm a newbie to the Fiscal Fast Challenge and I'm enjoying doing the challenge, I hope you do to.

nannygladys - Hello :wave:Wow I'm impressed you can jump back into the challenge and manage until payday without any planning, thanks for coming back to the challenge.

m155piggy - I was drooling for your HM plum jam :drool:, I don't know when I last had some plum jam. Well you sound like you're getting ready to have a really good weekend, I hope you enjoy yourself.

News from Kerfuffle Kabin: Today was Day 4 for me, and I very nearly cracked as Hubby and I were debating what to do today (it's his day off and I'm unemployed), we were going to renew our annual membership for a local Heritage site but then it started to rain so we didn't go. We'll put it off until I can squeeze it in inbetween Fiscal Fasts . Foodwise
Thursday lunch was HM carrot and dill soup, leftovers from yesterday, and tea was tuna pasta bake with salad. I also put some leftover mandarin oranges from a salad we had a couple of days ago into an orange jelly and we had it with Creme Anglaise, it was supposed to be custard but it didn't set hard enough It was an idea I copied from JackieO a couple of weeks ago. Thanks JackieO :T

[Deleted User]

Your welcome Kerfuffle,I filled half a dozen small yougurt pots with jelly and dropped some grapes in and topped off with some rasberry blancmange yesterday I had one last night after dinner and it was just enough for a small pudding.well day four of my seven days and have nothing to buy foodwise today.On my list of things to buy at the moment is only eggs,celery and mushrooms.I have enough to get me over the weekend but will probably shop maybe Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.I am out to dinner tonight,tomorrow and Sunday so have not much need to buy anything in.I managed to put £24.00 in my holiday stash from last months food purse and I'm very happy with that.
at some point over the week-end I am going to do a re-inventory my freezer as I am sure I have some more bits in there that I can be creative with.
Well done to us all I think, we are becoming a lot more receptive to the idea of spending less and less if possible in the supermarkets.My youngest DD has even started adding up how much she is spending every time she goes in there and thats something I never thought I'd see.She has been down branding as well.She thinks she has managed to cut back by at least £30.00 a week and she normally has quite a hefty food bill as there are 6 of them in the family including four lads who seem to be permanentley in the cupboards.With the price of food rising it vital now that every penny is spent wisely and I try to make my ones streeetch till they squeek :)

Spendless

Kerfuffle wrote: »

Spendless - Wow, what a lovely long post, lots of news about family life. It sounds like you've got a lot on your plate but you seem to be holding it all together pretty well.

I don't know about that. I got asked to go for an informal chat about a job. 1st time I've ever got beyond sending in an application since losing my job in Dec and I turned up 24 hours early! I don't even understand how it happened cos I am on a course at the time the lady had me down for and I can't believe I'd have said ok to the time, without thinking about the course times going thru my head. I have to go back but competition is so tough at the min, I really feel that I've messed up by showing I don't pay enough attention.

After that we ordered a take out so the lamb and curry did for a diff day. I have loads of odds and ends to use up before our hol, so I intend doing a buffet tea. I got the tip off another mse'r on here years ago, it's when you don't have quite enough to stretch to a full meal but you have loads of bits, so the end of the ham with a couple of halved jacket pots and a bit of salad and the end of the bread all gets laid out on table and it looks like you've prepared a treat.

Oh and I complained to DH about son losing stuff all the time. I don't even think the wrong pe shirt fetched home will even fit him, so will have to get new for the last 6 weeks! And all DH said to me was ' it's quite clear you grew up in a house without any boys' (I only have a sister). Helpful -not!