NOT BUYING IT! 2015 - A consumer holiday

[Deleted User]

Got home last night after yet another meeting I had to go to.But all's well hopefully today I am going out to lunch with my sis-in-law at the local pub where I go to quiz night .Good value at £6.50 for two courses and its good plain home-cooked food in an old country pub with a log fire .So lots of nattering and catching up to do.

I managed to source a black bow tie and a pair of bright red braces for DGS Jack for his Halloween party. He is dressing up as a Zombie nerd
Then eldest DD donated her old lap-top to DGS Henry so he is one very happy young man.Tomorrow is History club and we are discussing the Plantagenet's so it should be interesting Last week we did Fidel Castro so we do get a very wide range of subject

DD gave me the remains of her leg of lamb bone to dispose of and I carved the rest of the lamb off and gave the bone, after a couple of hours in the SC to the dog up the road, and the stock is in the fridge to be used for leek and potato soup

The meat I put into my mini mincer and ground it up Then half an onion a carrot a handful of lentils and some gravy simmered it for twenty minutes Chucked some trimmed stalks of mushrooms in with a good dose of fresh ground pepper simmered for 10 more minutes and portioned into two take away boxes ,topped with cheesey mashed potato's once cooled put in the freezer, voila! two cottage pies ready made and frozen for virtually nothing, and enough stock in the fridge to make a vat of soup with some of my veggies.What my late Mum used to call 'conjuring a meal up from nothing' or in my case two meals plus what ever soup I can make DD had trimmed as much off the bone as she wanted to and knew I could do something with the rest :):) she knows me only too well.
No cooking tonight for me as I am out for lunch today so tonight I will probably have some cheese and crackers with some yogurt I expect I never eat two cooked meals a day.breakfast will be a hearty bowl of porridge as its a bit nippy
Have a good day everyone Aiming for Saturday as my second shop of the month

Lynplatinum

Evening all

Well, as you may remember, I currently have a cold box but no fridge. It has really highlighted to me that I buy stuff just because and to have store cupboard. Not that I waste much - but the end of odd bits of cheese about twice a year or salad at the end of the bag when its gone soggy at the end of the week at the back of the fridge!:o

Because i havent got the fridge chilling stuff I can only eat what I can consume within a day or possibly 2. So over 2 days I have made some burgers - and eaten them once as burgers and once kind of as meatloaf (kept in cold box!) with BBQ sauce. I invented a version of this that is really quick:

Into a pan melt together - 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar; 1 tablespoon honey; 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup; 2 drops of tabasco + salt and pepper! that's it!!! Either add a little water to thin out and use as a pouring/covering sauce or bubble away a little to make a condiment.

V nice with my meatloaf/burgery thingys!!

I concocted this because on way home from work today, v hungry, tired and really fancying BBQ taste since I had some delicious ribs yesterday (see MM&M thread for the details!! involving 2 hours playing i-spy!!)

I also made a baked custard (to use up milk which was threatening to go off) and a sultana cake (to use up some baking powder - I ended up with 2 boxes because I bought one on hols) and at the same time baked a slice of pumpkin my friend gave me to go with the meatloafy/burgery thing!

So very NBI today!!!!!
Frugaling on folks!:rotfl:

DuranGirl

While I've been looking at how I've spent my money this month, something occurred to me. I've spent more on socialising, but much less on "stuff". That means I've spent more time with family and friends, sharing meals and experiences, than acquiring extra bits and pieces to weigh me down. I'm actually pretty happy with that.

RicardaRacoon

Evening everyone

Hope everyone is doing fine!

Jackie, I wish I could come to your history club! It always sounds so interessting! My history club is called Wikipedia and the one or another documentory on tv.

Durangirl, I also try to spend more money on doing something than on stuff. I was shocked at how much money I've spent this year on holidays, weekends away, day trips and so on, but then, it was time spent with family and friends and I could certainly have used the money for something worse.

Need to come back on board this nice ship. I haven't been too bad these last weeks and months, but I did lost focus a little bit and bought loads of things I didn't really had to buy. Like crafting things for projects that never happened and books to add to my stack of unread books...

But will now focus again, although it isn't really that easy with Christmas cominig up and two short trips planned till the end of the year. I know that I will shop there, but will try to limit the things I buy besides that to a minimum.

Went knitting with friends this morning, had a tea and a muffin there and then home to warm up some lo mash with onion gravy and an apple muffin from yesterday as a dessert. Dinner was a very delish potato and leek bake with apple, inspired by WWII Homity Pie (though without a base) Gave three very big servings and I'm full to the brim now.

So, need to go over to my sisters to feed her cats and then it will be an episode of Foyle's War on youtube with my mending basket (loads of socks with holes) and my knitting, once the darning is done.

Have a nice evening everyone!

GrannyKate

I realised today that I have developed a new good shopping habit as a result of the carrier bag charges. I have always taken my own bags but never thought too much about having to take plastic bags if I got more than planned. Today shopping for vegetables I got a few other things but also found myself putting things back on the shelf because they wouldn't fit in the two shopping bags I had brought with me.

Lynplatinum

Ahoy there fellow frugal sailors

Duran girl - creating good memories with friends and family is my biggest expenditure. Recently, tho, I have been more honest with folk and told them that to save monies/keep on loosing weight I would rather do cheap or free things with them such as walking somewhere beautiful or coffee round mine/theirs or meals with vouchers. Folks have been very enthusiastic in their help and declare that they prefer it as they can talk more confidentially than in a crowded coffee for shop.

BTW gripe of the day - why do ALL vouchers for meals refer to two people or a pudding for free!!! How about us singlies? :mad:

Ricarda - very welcome back. Dont worry about being away and spending - we all do it - but the great thing about this thread is that some one is always here to help you clamber back on board!!

NBI today a bit curious - my friend that I go walking with on a Sunday bought us coffees - they are currently in work and so are v pleased to be able to treat me as they say 'after all the years you have looked out for me' It is so great when good things come back to you :j

Other NBI - using up freezer (ergo not buying stuff out)- I finally ate up the last bit of fish (smoked haddock) from that job lot of 3 bags for £1 that I bought in January!!! (or was it Feb??) also ate up romanesque cauli and carrot!! yum yum yum.
Nite all

[Deleted User]

Hi all,

I am now back from my holiday,and unfortunately, it was not good. I became very ill whilst we were away; luckily we had travel insurance but we need to put n a claim which means waiting to be reimbursed for quite a bit of money. I ended up buying a fair few bits at the end of the holiday which were planned to cheer me up but I was relatively reserved.

Our freezer and cupboards are quite bare at the moment so it looks like we are going to have to do a big shop tonight. On the plus side, I've got a lot of work coming in, I got a tax rebate and I will be working on Christmas morning so I will get a fair bit of pay for that.

I now need to go back and catch up on posts - I hope you are all well and enjoying those NSDs!

Lynplatinum

Ahoy all

First of all Sophie - I am so sorry that your holiday was rubbish! It is supposed to be a time of relaxation and refreshment
Hope you get lots of pennies back and manage to get more time off so that you can take a real holiday!

Well, son comes home to help me renovate the house (plastering/re-hanging doors/new back gate/pointing at the front) Then I can decorate :-)

However, as wonderful as it will be a) to get the help and b) to see him but he is always hungry. Have been shopping today and hope not to have to do anymore food shopping while he is here as I am making: flapjack; a baked ham; a terrine; a savoury coritzo roll (like a filled bread loaf) and have planned a series of meals so hopefully we will stay within the extended budget of £40 for 2 weeks. Bear in mind that my 'stores' were largely wiped out by my fridge freezer conking out! Wish me luck!
Nite All

[Deleted User]

Just back from my second shop this month and pleased that because I have been using up stuff already in the cupboards and freezer I have £16.25 left in my food purse budget.No more shopping to buy now for around 10 days or so.I have stocked up on fresh fruit and veg and some eggs and a few other essentials So the remainder of my food purse cash will go into my holiday fund on Sunday as it will be the start of a new month and I draw my £60.00 budget out for November then.Very pleased at my 'shopping from the cupboards' as I didn't realise exactly how much stuff I have in store.I only have four dinners a week to make so that helps as Sundays I eat at DDs and bring home left over bits for Monday nights dinner from her house .Then Tuesday nights (tonight) I go to quiz night where I get a cooked supper in with the price of the quiz so no cooking required on Tuesdays.Its been very interesting using up odds and ends from the cupboard and I have been eating about half and half veggie and meat menus which help quite a bit I quite enjoy veggie meals and try to alternate them one night meat and one night veggie/fish.Great way to streeetch the budget as well.
frugally onwards chums :):)
JackieO xxx

eandjsmum

Have cleared out food cupboard and found quite a bit of dried fruit so today I have made mincemeat. HM is much nicer than shopbrought. On the down side I had to replace my work shoes I have had the 18 months and I am on my feet all day. A pair of flat Ecc0 laceups is now £80 and they no longer have the the built up insoles in them thats another £8. http://static.moneysavingexpert.com/images/forum_smilies/speechless-smiley-040.gifCant wait til Hotter moves back to town.