Need help planning

wanderingwondering

In the nicest possible way you might ask yourself why you keep buying the food when you know you don't necessarily need it. Is it because its exciting to find yellow stickers or big bargain deals? If so try to get that again through 'rediscovering' your bargains from the freezer. If you don't need anything then just don't go shopping!
Remember if you don't need it and are throwing it away its wasted money twice over - you're wasting it when you're buying it in the first place and then wasting it again when you buy junk food or caf! food to eat instead. So you spent twice when you didn't need to spend at all!
To plan, write a list of meals/recipes you really want to eat or try and then make your meal plan from that, working out what to take out to make it happen. Unless you're excited to eat them you will likely deviate from the list and just go buy/eat something else.

HOWMUCH

Make meals from the freezer until you've reduced it, and the money you don't spend pop in a jar for your freezer bargains once you've used up what you have. Do not go to the YS area in the supermarket until you've used up what you have. Meal plan for the week and only buy any fresh items as and when you need them. You could also use the extra cash for Christmas?

dekaspace

wanderingwondering wrote: »

In the nicest possible way you might ask yourself why you keep buying the food when you know you don't necessarily need it. Is it because its exciting to find yellow stickers or big bargain deals? If so try to get that again through 'rediscovering' your bargains from the freezer. If you don't need anything then just don't go shopping!
Remember if you don't need it and are throwing it away its wasted money twice over - you're wasting it when you're buying it in the first place and then wasting it again when you buy junk food or caf! food to eat instead. So you spent twice when you didn't need to spend at all!
To plan, write a list of meals/recipes you really want to eat or try and then make your meal plan from that, working out what to take out to make it happen. Unless you're excited to eat them you will likely deviate from the list and just go buy/eat something else.

I am on benefits and up till my mid twenties I was so badly off when not working things like butchers meat would be a luxury in fact I dont think I ever cooked butchers meat till I was 24, it was always reduced meat from supermarket if I did, plus took me ages to grow out of being thrifty with money, before that I lived off pasta, frozen pizzas, maybe 2 take aways that cost £4 each a week giving me leftovers and the occasional ready meal that cost £1.

Then I gained weight at uni and my appetite increased and I started getting more money so I wanted to spend it as was used to going days or more with no cash at all and just basics in cupboard.

The only things I normally chuck are things like cakes which get dry, or leftover pizzas which are also dry when reheated and even then I only chuck when freezer is overflowing.

I do also have depression and dont leave the house for days so if I go out and get bargains it means the cash I save from the reductions I can use to treat myself to something.

Towser

This happens to me too.
For a start I would batch cook a few meals with things that go together. Especially your favourite meals
Such as:
chicken and bacon casserole with a puff pastry top.
Bolognese -starting off with the mince for the cottage pie finishing by adding chili for a con carne.
When doing the mash for the cottage pie make enough for a fish pie ect.

That way you have enough meals to cook chill which are ready to eat rather than frozen and in the fridge. Much easier to heat and eat. This is why I build up stuff in the freezer.

The other reason stuff builds up in the freezer is I buy too much stuff. Meal planning for 7 days instead of four. Something always happens such as going out, invites, birthdays, takeaway laziness ect So now I meal plan for four days making sure I take out my ready meals out of the fridge first.

That's a start what do you think?

edwink

Just a little tip for some of you that take meals out of the freezer to defrost before cooking them. If you take the meals out the night before and put it in to your fridge to defrost it will keep your fridge cold overnight. That way the motor of the fridge will not kick in for quite some time because the frozen meal will keep it cold.. This will save money on your electric. I have done this for years now.


We always portion our food up for the freezer as soon as we get home from shopping. It makes it easier for us to see exactly what we have in there. We mostly cook from scratch and those meals are portioned up and labelled. It makes life easy for when we are busy and do not have the time to cook a meal.

IndigoGirl

Frugal gave some great advice there.

And what Wandering said gave me an idea. Why not 'shop from your freezer' each week until you've reduced your stash? You could look through it as if you were in a shop buying it, just about a week's worth, and then put that together in one drawer. Plan what you're going to make with it. Then next week, do the same. It will be like grabbing a bargain but you haven't spent anything.