Not Buying It- A Consumer Holiday 2016

Muser1

wildthing01 wrote: »

Have had a lovely day today and not a penny spent! A fab morning playing in the snow with the kids, then an afternoon in front of the fire watching DVDs. Have managed to get a few washes done, persuade one child to have bath and the other to do their homework (now they need to swap!), and have persuaded DH to accompany DS to classmate's birthday party later, so can get in my jamies and truly relax! Have had one of those days where I have really appreciated my house, the area we live in (very easy to get out in the snow, and it looks so beautiful on the trees), and my kids (they've been lovely today, hardly had to tell them off at all!) and husband.

Sorry if I sound smug -not meant to, just trying to be mindful and appreciative of what I have - i try to take time every day to think about the good things in my lfe, and this makes me less likely to spend money on tat to make myself feel good!

Exactly the same here today. Feeling very content.

Primrose

greenbee wrote: »

chirpycheap I also currently have grapes and clementines frozen from YS bargains after christmas that can be used either for juicing or cooking.

Intrigued by your use of frozen grapes and clementines. Can you share some details of how you use rhem in your cooking?

greenbee

Primrose wrote: »

Intrigued by your use of frozen grapes and clementines. Can you share some details of how you use rhem in your cooking?

Both can be used for sorbets or in jelly, clementines for cake, both for juicing. Or just eaten frozen

DawnW

Thanks for the idea of using frozen grapes in jelly. They are about the only fruit when 'past its best' I haven't been able to think of a use for

wildthing01

chirpycheap wrote: »

That is really excellent advice Jackie. I usually head to the shops as soon as I run out of a single item.

I have been doing Slimming World for five years now and I think that I have got into healthier (but expensive) eating habits. I buy an awful lot of fresh fruit, vegetables and yoghurt. With money about to get a lot tighter I need to explore alternative ways of healthy eating.

My plan is to swap some of my expensive buys for cheaper ones so more cabbage and fewer fancy salads. Fewer posh fruits and absolutely no ready prepared pots of fruit and organic will have to be a treat. I'll be looking at offers on fruit and vegetables in the supermarket. I must admit that I'm set in my ways but I'll be exploring frozen fruit and vegetables. I know tinned vegetables are cheaper, I'm not keen but I'm willing to revisit them.

Do people buy yellow stickered fruit and vegetables and find that they are okay? I always worry that they will be inedible. I once bought a YS bag of lettuce and it was rotten when I opened it and it's sort of put me off.
What tricks and tactics do other canny shoppers use to keep down the cost of fruit and vegetables?

I'm lucky to have few fruit trees/bushes in the garden (apples, pears, black/redcurrants), and a massive supply of free wild-growing blackberries and black cherries close to my house, so we pick all we can (the kids love it, although they won't actually eat the fruit!) and freeze it (apples and pears cored and diced or sliced). This is supplemented by YS fruits, esp asda bashed up bananas, 10p a bag often, again skinned/cored/cut up. If you can, freeze the bits spread out on a tray or in a large freezer bag (in a flat layer) so they don't stick together too much.

I then select a few bits to put in my boy's hot oat cereal (own brand ready brek) each morning - put the frozen fruit bits in a bowl, microwave them for 2 1/2 mins, add milk and whizz with the hand-held blender to make a (warm) smoothie, stir in the ready brek, microwave again for 30 secs. makes a fruit-flavoured hot oaty breakfast, no sugar (except what's in the fruit), my boy (who is beyond fussy), loves it, and it's a great way to get fruit into him, as he won't eat actual fruit in its raw state, and I can vary the fruit that goes in, dep what we have in the freezer. So long as it always starts with half a banana, he's happy!

Veggies, i tend to buy frozen where I can, or fresh (YS if possible) and then freeze myself, again I dice/slice them first. Some veggies need a bit of blanching or sauteeing first (e.g. mushrooms). Then it's much easier to make a proper meal from scratch when I'm exhausted from work, as a lot of the work is already done, I just grab the amounts of veggies I need from the freezer. I do this with meat too - buy frozen mince, or fresh mince or meat and freeze it in portions/diced/sliced. Mince can go straight in the pan, chick breasts are defrosted in microwave first. I buy frozen raw prawns too.

I find YS stuff is fine mostly, esp if it's going to be cooked. if you freeze it soon after buying it, it will last longer (if you're worried re best-before dates). Freezing fruit and some veg does often mean it cannot then be eaten raw as the freezing process makes the water in the cells swell, which breaks down the cell walls, making it mushy when it defrosts, but it's fine for cooking or smoothies. My mum often microwaves frozen apple and pear with a dab of honey, or roasts a tray of veggies in the oven.

I also grow my own herbs (or buy YS if I've not got a certain type), and harvest these in summer and freeze these too for use in winter - again, not great for salads as they do go mushy after freezing, (although fresh from the plant in summer is fine), but perfect for adding to cooked meals, and you get the 'fresh' flavour in a convenient way.

I find we can live very cheaply and healthily, food-wise, as we don't eat vast amounts of meat, which is very expensive, I cook from scratch where I can (and this is much easier if I've pre-prepared and frozen veggies etc first) and the freezing means I now waste very little.

for yoghurt, i buy cheapy plain yoghurt and add honey, but guess you could also add deftrosted frozen fruit too (esp berries) (i don't like fruity yoghurt).

Aril

Day 16 & 17/366 I went wild in the sm yesterday and bought a half priced bunch of flowers. It was on my shopping list as I decided that our north facing front room was badly in need of a blast of colour with all the grey days we've been having. £2.85 well spent. £2.50 also spent at the jumble sale on a pair of shoes, 2 gorgeous scarves and 4 pottery cereal bowls as we're down to 2 now. Two days running I've had a snack lunch out but these were planned and we were supporting local businesses rather than big corporations. Free food and drink at an event I performed at last night and a nose around a local church which is a free hobby of mine. A good weekend.
Arilx

[Deleted User]

where I go to History club the lady there makes a sort of fruit 'soup' She,like me is watching her weight so she buys a couple of bags of frozen berries in the winter from the supermarket(if she hasn't any in the freezer) then blitzes them in the microwave for about 8 minutes and leaves them to cool.A box of this in the fridge is nice to have a small yogurt pot of when you are feeling the 'nibbles' coming on.I usually have some after my coffee at her house on a Friday afternoon. and as I haven't a sweet tooth its just nice to put a 'taste ' in your mouth when you are feeling as though its 'biscuit time ' :):)

I have had a nice relaxing day again,DD turned up with a bag of coffee, as part of her Christmas present my grandson has got her a subscription for coffees from all over the world.As its usually at my house that we drink a large potful on a Sunday morning we were drinking some from Borneo this morning and very nice it was as well.
Had a lovely roast beef dinner at youngest Dds house tonight and have come home with some left over roast beef that I will have with salad tomorrow for dinner.
Sticking to my calorie counts though and I have lost 2 lb each week since 1st January so I am 4 lb light now :) Back to my library 'healthy living' walks tomorrow morning run by our local council.As long as its dry I shall just wrap up warm and off I go for a 30 minute trundle with lots of other like-minded folk.Then I will go afterwards to my knitting group for a knit and natter :):) Its all go being retired :)

Happytravelling

My ‘not buying it’ this year will be everyday brands. I’m not too bad with food, we always had own brand baked beans and whatnot at home, but after watching ‘eat well for less’ last year, I’ve been getting better (just stumped up the courage to try own brand mayo and am well impressed!) So keeping up the pace here.
The thing that I seem most to have a problem with is toiletries and cleaning supplies. Except toilet rolls, I think almost everything is branded! How crazy is that, I’m happy to go cheap on the stuff I actually eat but not on stuff that, in some cases, I literally pour down a drain!!
My other ‘not buying it’ is size of meat portions. DH could polish off a chicken on his own given the chance (baffling, he has no weight on him?!) but we could each much less and eat more vegetables.
That’s my start point. I’m not too worried about clothes and need to change my attitude a bit in this respect… Been looking for work shoes for 8 months, but due to stupidly narrow feet, am going to have to accept the need to pay £50+. I need to accept that it is worth it for shoes I wear more than any other.
I’ll try and keep up with the thread, but its growing so quickly. Thanks to everyone for the inspiration :T

Lynplatinum

Hiya all

Got up and rushed out to shops by 10am! As shoe shop didnt open till 11 found myself in Sport! D!rect. managed to buy: walking boots + smart fleece (suitable for wearing to clients - much warmer than jackets )+ new pair of trackie bottoms (for yoga and wearing in the house - they are much warmer than trousers!) and still came home with £40!! :j

OK not NBI but all badly needed purchases which were budgeted for and came in a lot less than expected! :j

Then went to L!dil and spent £13 (included the £10 allowance from last week as I spent nothing last week!). This has topped up butter and salad and an on offer gammon which will make sanis for the week and will freeze for when my son comes home later in the month!
Purse now shuts firmly - maybe for rest of month??? Certainly till the last week! We will see!
Nite all

[Deleted User]

Nothing to buy today ,council healthy living walk from nearest library at 9.30 then off to another library to knitting group for a knit,natter and a free cuppa.

Then to Dds to let the dogs out and back home hopefully by 12.30 for lunch. Potter around until three then off to Dds again to see to my DGS until 6.30, when DD or her OH comes in and I come home for dinner.

Which we be another freebie as DD gave me a few left over slices of roast beef last night so I will have them for dinner tonight with some salad

So I'm not even taking my purse with me today as not going anywhere near a shop where I may be tempted

Purse firmly closed this week I think as I have more than enough in store to eat or cook
Frugally onwards and upwards chums
JackieO xx