NOT BUYING IT! 2015 - A consumer holiday

DuranGirl

Lyn and JackieO - I'm completely with you on the "less stress with less shopping" front. I have done nearly all my Christmas shopping this year without leaving the house! That doesn't mean I've gone bonkers, I've kept to a stricter budget than ever before, but using t'internet means I'm not tempted by anything extra for my friends and family, or for me! I also hate seeing the car parks rammed at the weekend, there are so many more fun and interesting things to do, in my opinion.

GreyQueen

I'm all for not buying it, too.

Yesterday, the city was rammed with fraught shoppers struggling to get into carparks and blatting around the stores. I was serenely pottering about on my allotment, enjoying the unseasonably mild weather, getting some gentle winter sunlight on my face, admiring the newly-sprouted broad beans and the blackcurrant bushed which I struck from pruned branches stuffed into the soil exactly 366 days earlier.

So restful being able to forget that there's this big mad fuss going on. My purse is staying as shut as possible, as I am aiming to run down the freezer and like very frugally right up until Xmas itself, whereupon I am taking myself off to family for a relaxed, quiet Crimble.

[Deleted User]

Snap , me too GQ As yet I haven't bought any food this month and I have about 8 or 9 things on my shopping list.I am aiming for Thursday for shopping as the stuff I need ,and it is need only will be fine by then as I am ekeing what I have out.
Today for example I have breakfast Cereal and a banana,Lunch will be HM Carrot and coriander soup and pate and crackers, and dinner tonight will be at the quiz night which is covered by the entrance fee of £2.00 already budgeted for at the beginning of the month.
Tomorrow will be breakfast porridge and remaining banana,lunch scrambled eggs and crackers using up the last bit of cream in the fridge, and dinner will be shepherds pie with veg from the freezer,so everything I have is in stock at the moment.
I have a hospital appointment with my DGS this morning and when I come home I shall be baking some cake and biscuits for the tins.I may put a nice rice pudding in the slow cooker as well I do it all day and by tonight it will be done and will do for several days deserts with some gloopy HM custard.Using up my stock an stores if I can will save me from going to the shops for several days ,and when I do it will only be stuff I have run out of that needs replacing.
right, off to put the kettle on and watch the early morning news
Cheers chums
JackieO x

GreyQueen

I've spent a whole £2.64 on food thus far in December; milk, fruit, a tub of coleslaw. Am eating from a vat of chili con carne which I made on Sunday with YS mince from the freezer and storecupboard ingredients plus a bargainous load of cheap peppers from my independant greengrocer.

Don't you find that it's amazing how many meals there are actually to be found in an apparently nearly empty fridge?! You keep working at it and there's still more to be found.

Yesterday I was given a box of chocolates and half a pint of milk by a friend, so will finish the milk up in this morning's porridge. The chocolates are safetly tucked away in the fridge, will probably give them to someone else but may succumb and scoff them myself, we'll wait and see.;)

VJsmum

Did that last night - fridge virtually empty, milk older than it should be. But - ah, we have eggs. If you have eggs you have a meal - no? Had some sourdough bread - which lasts forever. Sniff of the milk - it was fine. So egg on toast, cuppa tea - dinner served within 5 mins of entering the house.

And i found a bonus chocolate digestive for pud....:T:D

[Deleted User]

Yay well done on conjuring meals out of seemingly nothing,:j:j:j
its great isn't it when you start to think about whats actually in the stocks.

I have just got back from the hospital appointment with DGS Jack two hours sitting around then the consultant decided that as its not hurting him they won't bother taking it out.He had this extra tooth appear in the roof of his mouth,:eek: and our dentist sent him to the hospital in the hope of getting it removed !!! I just hope it stays undamaged and free from any decay.

So half the day gone and nothing achieved yet.But the rice pudding is in the slow cooker and it will be cooked by tonight.
I shall knock up some biscuits and a sponge cake I think later today.I am trying to find the Marmalade recipe for Mary Bakers tray bake I had some given to me yesterday and its absolutely gorgeous .light and fluffy and doesn't taste of marmalade at all.:) The lady who made it said it came from a very old Mary Baker book

I may put her book on my 'I would like for Christmas list ' for one of my DDs.

Rain has eased off at least so I am off to scour the cupboards for more inspiration
Cheers fellow frugalers

JackieO xx

gran3

pm2326 wrote: »

Has anyone made a cake in the Slowcooker before and did you use some sort of liner?

I decided to try it and I've made a ginger and mincemeat cake using a recipe designed for the oven, also used up half a jar of OOD mincemeat and the remains of the golden syrup from Jan 2014......I wasn't sure how long it would take so thought I might be lucky and have some today but it took longer than expected.....then again ginger cake is better the next day anyway!

Only problem I have is that it stuck to the sides even though I lighted oiled the sides of the pot....after some reading on inter web it seems liners are the way to go but I don't know if they're worth it as they're about £2 for 4 liners best deal I can find is 20 for £7 & free post....and whether I could use something else like cling film?

Just put some baking parchment in, doesn't need to fit just scrunch up, you can then lift out in a oner!

suki1964

Ok ladies, I've two pork chops needing using up ( previously frozen) and got to feed three of us

I usually do pork with spring onions with boiled rice, but no spring onions


Suggestions?

I have a full compliment of herbs, spices, flour etc

boultdj

What other veg have you got in? Can it be sliced thin and battered and do a sweet & sour sauce and rice.

suki1964

boultdj wrote: »

What other veg have you got in? Can it be sliced thin and battered and do a sweet & sour sauce and rice.

I have sod all in the way of veg other then onions,carrots, parsnips, cabbage and sprouts ( all in the garden)

Hence my lack of inspiration ATM lol

Sweet and sour may be a plan, I've lychees in the cupboard

I'm sorted for tonight, have shepherds pie, with the obligatory sprouts and carrots

I think I've become bored with the veg, hence my meal plans gone for a burton. I'm happy never to eat them, but I do make an effort to serve them

Might have a look in tesco tomorrow lunch and see what's on ys,,was only spinach and broccoli yesterday ( which I already had )