Fiscal Fast – 7 days no spending (at all)

DundeeDoll

Ran out of olive oil spread so now using stork. OH not impressed but i pointed out she wouldn't be able to taste it under all that jam. Milk seems to be lasting well.

atypicalblonde

Hi everyone :hello:

TGI Friday, it's been a long week. Hubby bought my milk today which means I should have a no spend weekend - I will report back on Sunday to let you know. I ran out of shreddies this morning and my first thought was "I'll go and buy some more tomorrow", but I am going to refrain and have porridge instead as we already have that in

On tomorrow's agenda is banana bread making, veggie lasagne making and defrosting a pheasant

Keep up the good work everyone x

catznine

Even though the fast is over here we still can't bring ourselves to spend, spend spend! Have we broken a bad habit at last? Time will tell. We went for a swim today and again refused to buy any food or drink from the cafe, we went home for a couple of mini cheese and pickle scones and an apple juice. Apart from some fresh milk we are still living from the freezer/larder.:j

Good luck everyone with your fiscal fasting, substituting ingredients, store cupboard shopping, cooking from scratch, make do and mending card and gift making etc., You can do this!:T

Catz x

[Deleted User]

<<<'Need to buy' list
5 Bananas
ground coffee (that will cost the most I think but its my one favourite treat to myself)
Longlife Elmlea cream (Once opened on Sunday morning it lasts me almost a week in my coffee)
digestive biscuits
1 Burgen soya and linseed loaf (Icelands are selling it for a pound at the moment and a loaf lasts me a week as I portion it up into the freeze>>

Well yesterdays shop was a tiny bit more than I thought it would be butI eventually came in to under my £10.00 limit
this is what I managed through whoopsies and special offers .

7 x small lamb chops was 4.75 reduced to 1.19

Pork Joint ,was 7.18 reduced to 1.79

2packs of 2 Herb and beef Taste the differance 1/4 lb burgers was £6.00 reduced to 1.48

2 loch fyne salmon cutlets was £4.09 reduced to £1.04

2 xpack large naval oranges special offer was £4.00 now £3.00

4 x bananas 38p
Large pack of 700gms assorted biscuit £1.00
2 x longlife cream was £1.00 special offer £1.00
Large tub Yoghurt 99p
1/2 cucumber 50p
washing up liquid 55p special offer reduced from 89p
1 x pack of Warburtons 'pockets' (I had promised the boys if I saw them I would get them a pack to try)89p
1 pack fairtrade fresh groound coffee special offer £3.00 reduced from £3.50
4 x chocolate bars for my dgs's as they had been good and patient helping me and I treat them to a bar of chocolate on a Friday as they help with the shopping £1.80
Price it should have been in total was £37.27 price on bill £18.61 less £10.00 nectar points I had on the card toatal I paid was £8.61 so i think I had a brilliant shop (the soya bread I wanted to get my DD had picked my up a loaf when she was in Icelands getting milk and wouldn't take any money for it so the bread was free.This shopping will more than do me for at least a week if not more so hopefully another fiscal seven days ahead.:j:j
The whoopsied items were just too good to miss

modern_millie_2

Wow, Jackie, fantastic shop! There should be a 'respect' smilie! What time did you shop to find all those whoopsies?
Meant to say yesterday, we are also ground coffee fans and have been buying from the 99p shop lately - they have had 125g Douwe Egberts packs for - guess what- 99p. May not be fairtrade though.

Oh well done Dundee Doll on the Stork/ spread substitution and everyone else on their endeavours!

Got to go to work now, wiil check in later.

[Deleted User]

It was around 5.00p.m at Sainsbobs,I had looked at the lamb chops and they were only reduced to £3.20 and as they were only small ones still thought that was a bit too much I walked away and about ten minutes later my DGS Henry said 'Granny the ladies changing the prices again' so I swooped back and got them for £1.19 Bless him he is becoming as canny a shopper as I am and he's only 10
Guess whats for dinner tonight in my house I strain off the fat and put it in a jar after I have cooked them as it makes great dripping for cooking (and its free)
I don't have a 99p shop near to me but I will ask my DDs ma-in-law as there is one in Bexleyheath where she lives and DD sees her everyweek so it might be worth her getting me some for my cupboard I only bought the fairtrade as it was on offer I love my coffee and although I sometimes drink decaff kenco I still prefer a bit pot of 'proper coffee'

taplady

What an interesting and motivating thread this is!:T

JackieO - well done on some brilliant bargains!:T and well done to Henry for being a chip off the old block and bagging granny a bargain!:T

I would like to join you but am going away next week for a mini break to Mums so will start when I get back. I've made an inventory of both freezers as a start. Getting DH to join in might be hard as he's a devil for throwing things in the trolley but I might persuade him if I can put any saved money into our holiday spending money fund.

I think for those struggling just do the best you can - every penny saved is a penny saved:D

I shall look forward to hearing how everyone has done!

Winchelsea

I have and have not been on the Fiscal Fast. Haven't formally committed to it, but have pretty much been doing it, in the interests of staying within my Grocery Challenge target.

What I have been naughty about is book buying - I ordered two knitting books from Am*z*n this week. One has already come and is brilliant ("Around the World in Knitted Socks") and the other one (2nd hand) is on its way from the USA. Am a bit addicted to knitting socks at present, but have stocks of wool to use up. And toasty feet mean less heating needed in the house!

DD2 and some of her family are coming tomorrow, so it may be that we go out and spending might be difficult to avoid. All I can do is be as careful as I can. So here's to a 7-day major effort to live without opening the purse.

Have enjoyed reading about how everyone else has got on - you're an inspiration, all of you!

lally666young

We went to Asda today as I went to my parents. I was disgusted at the price of some of the stuff. I told DH and he turned round and said I thought you would fancy a change. So back to Aldi next week. I understand he has different tastes to us and some of the stuff he likes you have to get out of asda. But I couldnt afford to shop in there all the time. Plus I started to feel sick and I had to leave. But my mum is going to do this with me as she really wants to help me do this and to prove a point to myself.

modern_millie_2

Hi all,

Jackie, your DGS sounds like a chip off the old block! Good for him.

Hi Winchelsea and Taplady, keep popping in. I love every penny saved is a penny saved!

Made one purchase today which was the Saturday paper - doing without was a step too far for Mr MM. Otherwise today has been fine - had Quorn spag bol for dinner with last of value coleslaw, with extra grated carrot mixed in. That was a tip from someone on here, worked well. Might broach the out of date tinned grapefruit later - strange how these things become more attractive when you have no alternative! Milk is just about holding out, will def. need some soon though. Day 7 is Tuesday for me, will probably buy milk and maybe bread at local co op, then shop at bigger town on Wed before re starting challenge on Thurs.

Keep going everyone!