Please help my family!

sillylittlejill

Hi guys, thanks for your replies, trying to make a list of everything we have whilst feeding baby so will reply properly once she's having her afternoon nap
Its safe to say that I'm not letting OH do a food shop ever again, found so much stuff I didnt know we had!
Everything I threw away was stuff that we got reduced in october/november and is waaaaaaaaay past its use-by-date.

thanks again, will reply properly asap x

Sambucus_Nigra

sillylittlejill wrote: »

Hi guys, thanks for your replies, trying to make a list of everything we have whilst feeding baby so will reply properly once she's having her afternoon nap
Its safe to say that I'm not letting OH do a food shop ever again, found so much stuff I didnt know we had!
Everything I threw away was stuff that we got reduced in october/november and is waaaaaaaaay past its use-by-date.

thanks again, will reply properly asap x

Ok.

Freezing stuff means it's frozen. It is still fine to eat as long as it was fresh going in.

sillylittlejill

The freezing instructions on the pack say must be frozen immediately then used within one month...it had all been in there for at least 2 or 3...

Is that one of the instructions I should actually ignore? When are things safe? I cant put them back in the freezer now, its all in a binbag outside

I went on a cleaning frenzy this morning, I wouldnt normally throw everything out!

x

flubberyzing

Yeah, you can ignore that Jill! I always have and I'm still alive and kicking!

As long as food is frozen within the use-by date, I kinda assume it's safe for... well... forever really! I'm sure that's not true, but things don't tend to live in my freezer forever! I've certainly eaten food that's been in there at least 9 months, with absolutely no problems. As long as you cook it well, and use some common sense (your eyes and nose will tell you if something is really dodgy), you'll be fine.

Sambucus_Nigra

I had a pie last night for tea that had been knocking round in the freezer for about 2-3 years [after my freezer clearing out session on Saturday]. I had no idea what was in it and it turned out to be mushroom. So I ate the pasty [which was norty as I'm low carbing] but had tons of salad with it...so I think I got away with it!

And I'm currently eating peas frozen either last spring or the year before...in a lovely pea soup. Yum.

The_Saver_2

I think, from what you said in your original post, your problem is that you're actually buying too much food and are spoilt for choice. Even with a whole freezer stacked full of food (and, no doubt, your cupboards too), you said you still buy 1 or 2 takeaways a week instead of eating some of the food you've bought.

I think a meal plan is definitely what you need but you might find that diving straight in and doing a week's meal plan at a time just won't work for you and you'll end up feeling overwhelmed. As you're moving soon (and, therefore, don't want to be getting loads of food in), why not sit down and decide what you're going to eat for just tonight and tomorrow night, for example. This will, slowly, get you into the habit of planning ahead and will mean you won't be overwhelmed with the choices in your cupboards, freezer etc. If you know in advance what you're having for dinner, you'll know what time to start the potatoes, put the rice on etc.

Take simple steps and you'll slowly get there. One thing that does strike me is whether you're feeling a bit overwhelmed with the baby and this might be impacting on other areas of your life (like doing a massive food shop and then buying takeaways?). Plus, your user name is sillylittlejill.

Maybe you should make yourself a cup of tea, take a few deep breaths, stop being hard on yourself and change your username to something positive. I remember being 23 and having a baby and it is [EMAIL="bl@@dy"]bl@@dy[/EMAIL] hard! You're lucky that you've got a great OH who works hard for you but don't forget you work equally hard with a baby.

Good luck xx

trolleyrun

Don't worry about what the packet says, as long as you have a proper freezer. As it's pretty cold outside, you could check the food to see if you could rescue some of it? Is it raw stuff that you could cook? And then you could re-freeze after cooking. Just an idea

rachbc

Tops Tips to save moeny on food

Cook all your own meals (No takeaways)

Eat everything you buy (Don't waste food)

Only buy what you need/ will eat (Meal plan)

Sambucus_Nigra

I agree with the name - can you get it changed to FeistyJill or something? I hate women who put themselves down all the time.

FairyPrincessk

Hi--just thought I'd chime in with a few thoughts.

It sounds like in the evening you and your OH are both tired and busy. If you leave the decision making and cooking until then you will almost inevitably end up eating take aways and convenience food. Maybe start small by deciding to eliminate takeaways, even if it means you buy some convience foods in. Then when you're used to making an easy dinner every night it might be time to give yourself a new challenge--such as reducing what you spend. I'd suggest trying a menu plan as well to take some of the decision making pressure off. Even if you don't plan an efficient menu at first it will still save you in waste and you'll slowly get better at it.

Don't plan to make things that you know you won't make! So, first the first week, maybe jacket spuds and beans or tuna one night, Soup and cheese toasties another night, pasta with a sauce, a curry with a bought sauce the next night etc. Obviously it will have to suit your tastes etc. But start small! That way, at the end of the day when you're tired you just look at your menu plan and do it--no decisions necessary! Doing it this way also helps with the shop as you won't be buying things that aren't necessary so there is less to carry.:D

When you're ready for more advanced stuff you can have a go at two nights per week that are all from scratch or maybe have a go at some batch cooking for the freezer to make your own ready meals.