Living out of my store cupboard & freezer, how little can I spend to feed my family?

Caterina

Another tried and tested comfort recipe for poorlies in my family was pasta and pea soup, literally just cook macaroni or broken spaghetti in water and stock cube or bouillon, sprinkle a bit of grated cheese on top. My son is nearly 27 years old and still has it when he feels in need of comfort food. I hope your children get well soon.

MallyGirl

My name is MallyGirl and I am a freezer-holic!

I have spent the last 2 days cataloguing the contents of the freezer. It is all on a list with the number of portions against each item. I have just added up the portions for what I call main meals - meat, fish, batch cooked spag bol etc, with a few quorn things in there. I did not count soups.
I have 127 main meal portions in my freezer!
There are 2 adults and one teenage DD here. Given that we only eat dinners here 5 days a week (max) and then lunch and dinner at the weekend that is a full month's food.
I am on a mission to get this back under control - I had to restrain myself from picking up a bargain in Morrisons this morning and only bought berries and some bones for the dogs.

missymoo81

Oh Mally, you sound like me!!!! It's awful when you add it all up, and it's soooo hard to say no to a bargain. I'm going to get through that by only doing an online shop once every 3 weeks, if I can make the fruit last that long, that way I can just spend the minimum £40 for delivery on fresh stuff, freeze the milk and yogurts etc and try and make the veg last as long as possible. That way I'm not going into Tosco, picking up everything that I don't need?!

missymoo81

Ok dinner tonight will be smiley face pizzas (hm) or imlete, depending on appetites. I will put some veg curry in slow cooker for dinner tomorrow, and make some chipattis, need to make a tray bake and biscuits too, no work or school tomorrow so should at least get some stuff done! And may give the veg patch a going over and plant some things!

barnaclebill

I am so pleased to see that we are not the only ones with full cupboards, I'm surprised ours are not falling off the walls, I am ok at buying things but my wife just impulse buys and if I say 'we have 3 of those' she gets upset and says since I retired I am telling her what to do.
Worst thing is she will fill a trolly and leave it with me to pay, I do run around and replace some things as I am the one who unpacks in the kitchen so she does not notice.
Last time we moved I had to empty the cupboards and had two bin bags of out of date things.
I am trying to get my wife to see how much money we are wasting and now on a pension we can't go on like this but she takes it as a personal attack.

missymoo81

barnaclebill wrote: »

I am so pleased to see that we are not the only ones with full cupboards, I'm surprised ours are not falling off the walls, I am ok at buying things but my wife just impulse buys and if I say 'we have 3 of those' she gets upset and says since I retired I am telling her what to do.
Worst thing is she will fill a trolly and leave it with me to pay, I do run around and replace some things as I am the one who unpacks in the kitchen so she does not notice.
Last time we moved I had to empty the cupboards and had two bin bags of out of date things.
I am trying to get my wife to see how much money we are wasting and now on a pension we can't go on like this but she takes it as a personal attack.

Oh Bill that's awful. Could you maybe meal plan around what you have and tell her you've done it, to save time and make things easier, maybe list everything you have and take it in to the supermarket so there's evidence of what you have? Chin up

missymoo81

Going to try and maybe make some iced bun type things and mozorella!!!! Why not?! Might have a go tonight when littlies are in bed. There's videos for the cheese on YouTube!

missymoo81

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/iced_fingers_34133

http://www.italiantribune.com/how-to-make-ricotta-and-mozzarella-in-your-own-home/

These!

lessonlearned

My full freezer, cupboards and fridge will be my lifeline for the next few days......

Put my back out yesterday, can't drive but can just about shuffle round the kitchen and prepare meals from my stocks. I'm afraid my back does give out from time to time so I do like to keep at least a weeks worth of food in hand just in case.

Having said that I have stopped stockpiling as much as I used to. I have got rid of one freezer so that does help me stop overbuying now.

I do keep an up to date inventory and I check the fridge every few days to make sure nothing is going off.

I noticed we have a lot of flour and baking goods at the moment, so as soon as my back is better I think I will need to get baking.

Pollycat

barnaclebill wrote: »

I am so pleased to see that we are not the only ones with full cupboards, I'm surprised ours are not falling off the walls, I am ok at buying things but my wife just impulse buys and if I say 'we have 3 of those' she gets upset and says since I retired I am telling her what to do.
Worst thing is she will fill a trolly and leave it with me to pay, I do run around and replace some things as I am the one who unpacks in the kitchen so she does not notice.
Last time we moved I had to empty the cupboards and had two bin bags of out of date things.
I am trying to get my wife to see how much money we are wasting and now on a pension we can't go on like this but she takes it as a personal attack.

I recall your previous threads as your username is unusual.

Can you not leave your wife at home when you go shopping?

Do you do meal plans?
That's a good way to use up stuff in cupboards and veg.

I do meal plans for 3 weeks at a time and I'll buy a family pack of peppers and mushrooms and will use them in (for example) tuna risotto and goulash and what's left will go into a pasta dish.