NOT BUYING IT! 2015 - A consumer holiday

I_want_a_baby

I've just added 3 bags of homemade crumble mix to the freezer.

I've made 24 mince pies which I've put in the freezer and put a big ball of homemade shortcrust pastry in the freezer for another day :-)

Our homemade mincemeat is delicious but definitely not cheaper than shop bought.

A typical blonde - I'll get back to you with what we tend to eat etc soon as little one needs me x

I will say however that it doesn't include nappies/formula. And doesn't include alcohol as that comes from our spends if we want it. X

I_want_a_baby

Atypicalblonde

For breakfasts we normally have aldi cornflakes, aldi shreddies, aldi weetabix or porridge. Toast if we need to use bread up.

Snacks are normally a couple of biscuits or a slice of cake and some fruit.

Lunches my son has free school dinners as he is in reception, my husband has a packed lunch normall two sandwiches (four bits of bread, cheap ham), a pack of aldi crisps, an aldi mars/snicker bar and two pieces of fruit. My daughter and I alternate between eating leftovers from tea the night before if there was some left or a sandwich (cheese, ham or jam), a yoghurt and fruit.

Teas in a week may be:
Sausage, mash and veg (frozen sausages, homemade mash with just milk added, any veg on offer)
Tomato pasta with a sprinkle of cheese (aldi pasta, aldi passata and herbs).
Chicken curry, rice and naan. (Meat from leftover roast, aldi jar of curry sauce, small portion of boiled basmati rice and a naan bread, kids have half a naan bread each).
Sunday is normally a roast - a whole chicken, aldi stuffing, roast potatoes and whatever veg is on offer.
Chilli enchiladas - I batch cook chilli con carne, put two large spoonfuls in a tortilla wrap and roll up, sprinkle with cheese and oven bake, serve with salad.
Lasagne - batch cooked (as I did this morning), a chunk of lasagne with salad and a garlic bread slice (I buy the packs of nine garlic bread slices which does three meals as we would have one slice and the kids have half of one).
Leftover day - we normally have one day a week where we would use up any leftovers, typically this day we all eat different things, hubby might have leftover pasta, the kids might have tomato soup and bread to use bread up and I'll have whatever! Normally we would have a filling pudding this day as the portions of tea would be smaller.

I only buy cheddar cheese 1 kg blocks for £5, at the moment only buy cheap meat from lidl (something I'd like to change). Veg is chosen by what's on offer rather than what we fancy. Milk I get 3 for £3 each week, bread I'm quite good at finding reduced normally 60p a loaf and we use 2-3 a week. If not lidls 89p loaf.
I try to save everything I can, I cook the chicken in the slow cooker as the meat just falls off. I normally get three 'portions' from one chicken, any not used in the day or two after goes in the freezer.

We repeat our meals and lunches quite a lot and despite wanting to each healthier and better quality we don't really have expensive taste. Things like steak and whole chicken breasts are a major treat!

Also I tend to do an approved food order every 2/3 months for around £30 it's amazing what you can get for that, lots of dried goods and jars and lunchbox things. I got three packs of 8 sunmaid raisins for £1 in the last order - something I wouldn't normally buy.

Cleaning products are rarely purchased. We don't go through that much, a bottle of fairy lasts ages, laundry liquid is aldis.

Toiletries, I buy my own from my spends as I have favourite brands, hubby does the same. Kids bubble bath etc lasts ages and we don't buy a lot anyway as we tend to get lots for birthdays/Christmases.

I hope that helps.

IWAB x

Tamara_2

Great to see this thread growing and growing!
I love this time of year for various reasons. I like being at home with the Christmas tree lit up and candles everywhere, tucked up under a throw with my husband and our cats. I love the peace and quiet. We go out occasionally, but mostly to visit family or for walks around the beautiful Shropshire countryside. Simple pleasures that mean the most.
One thing we never do after we've bought our Christmas food around 23rd December is go shopping. For anything. We live out of the fridge and freezers until well after New Year, and talk of Boxing Day sales is banned in our house. I love it.

mynellie

Mother red good luck with your new hip it takes time but you will soon be back to normal/ better I have had both my hips done and also my knee and I must say the knee was the worst to get better from found the hips a little easier I was born with flappy joints as I like to call them and they dislocate as and when they feel like it which can be really embarrassing when I hit the deck whilst out doors have broken odd bones due to it but I am still a lot better than others so on I will keep going and just pleased I have quite an ample bum that is a fairly good cushion :rotfl:
Lillian1997 we do the Royal Mail surveys and the stamps really do come in handy and as my hubby runs the pigeon club I sell the large stamps to the club for newsletter posts and use the smaller stamps on our own personal post certainly helps out and most of the postings I do when out with the dog so it is no great problem sending them off I also take part in the non addressed mail surveys they do and get a £5 love to shop voucher from them every time I take part which goes towards frozen shop from Iceland
I also want to agree that teachers are fantastic and feel that they are scorned far too easily now days there is no way you would get me in a room full of hormonal teenagers for all the tea in China let alone try and teach them teachers are real :A
It was a bad day here yesterday my hubby suffered necrosis in his mouth after his chemo and radio 3 years ago and it caused his gum to die and part of his jaw bone to fall out well the dr's got it under control and it managed to heal up after being put on a trial of meds well yesterday it has opened up again and some bone is already breaking through so he is back on 2 different antibiotics and also we have to be so careful with his mouth as the slightest bump and it makes the necrosis spread so he is having to eat soft food again and has had to increase his liquid food which thankfully we get on prescription otherwise it would cost us a fortune as he has at least 4 bottles aday just to keep his calories up or he would wither away and now it is a case of rethinking the Christmas dinner and what we eat as he struggles to swallow as it is so if any one has any ideas for soft food let me know it will come in very helpful as I don't want him to miss out at Christmas
Today we have been to sainsbugs as had to get dog food and had a look at the coats as hubby desperately needs a new one but none he liked so not too big a spend and now we are snuggled down indoors against the cold northeast wind
Hope everyone is doing good

Nellie xxx

I_want_a_baby

My Nellie -

Sorry to hear about your husband x

What about homemade smooth spiced parsnip soup?
Something warm and festive xx

I'm sure others will suggest some great things x

mynellie

That's a great idea IWAB I was just looking at your meal menus and they look lovely we are the same simple tastes and the Parsnip soup is great as we all love parsnips my dad used to grow them and they were a staple in our house growing up but the soup is a great idea I will have a look on net for a recipe as he loves soup and if I could get him some very soft rolls it would be ideal

Nellie xxx

I_want_a_baby

Also what about really finely diced chicken breast/turkey,nreally finely diced cooked cabbage and (made up but not cooked so not crispy) stuffing mixed into mashed potatoe? As kind of potato cake type things served with gravy but will have the flavour of a kind of roast/bubble and squeak thing. X

elona

mynellie

DH is having energy drinks at the moment after chemo and radiotherapy and we are trying to get him to have some real food if he can manage it. He is eating boiled eggs, very liquid porridge with full fat milk and sugar, blended soup, very liquid mince and mashed potatoes and home made milk shake with fruit and milk blended.

Daisy58

Hello everyone, Would love to join you all.

I left work a few years ago through ill health.
There is only OH and myself.
I have read through the thread and found myself, agreeing and smiling to what everyone was saying.
I found a lovely note book that was a present a few years ago so is going to be my journal for next year.
Also gone through the toiletry sets that I have given ,birthdays and xmas. I have opened them all they are now in cupboard waiting to be used.I have enough S gel, Bath bubble and body creams to last a year or more so will save some money there.

mynellie

IWAB that sounds great it will have to be chicken as Turkey is a no go too dry he has to drink with every meal since the treatment and it's weird how certain things just get stuck in his throat and won't move we have certainly had a few hairy moments over the last few years and his food always has to have gravy

Elona my hubby is on the Ensure milkshakes he tried the juices but they burnt his mouth as did honey dew melon it is weird how some foods have now been a no go area
We used to blend all his food and one day he got a craving for beef burger and chips so off I went cooked them then out came the blender and a quarter pounder and chips with gravy were turned to sludge he smiled with every mouthful,he also has porridge every morning made with ensures and that he gets down as long as the texture is just right I think I'll have to call him Goldilocks bless him and for his supper he has cake and custard every night one to take his pills can't swallow them with water and two to keep his calories up he lost 4 1/2 stone during treatment so cannot afford to lose anymore and he has probably only gained just under a stone since I think he is so gutted to be back on such a restricted diet again though he loves my homemade milkshakes ice cream an ensure and cream loads of calories and lovely and cool on the throat he finds if it's too runny he can't swallow it he didn't have a peg tube put in so had a o eat orally all the time which was very hard he had an NG tube for a couple of weeks at end of treatment but he hated it so took it out and just survived on high calorie shakes and blended dinners I hope your hubby is soon back on his feet and enjoying life again it certainly puts everything into perspective

Nellie xxx