Need help to get back in the swing of being thrifty

Angelraesunshine

Having just logged in I realised other than visiting the site on and off for credit cards or utility info etc I have not actually been on the forums for 3 years and 11 days!!!

I have now come to realise I no longer meal plan, or make my own bread or use the bread maker I insisted I needed last year, I hardly ever bake (other than cake sale for my eldests fundraising). Don't even get my started on the house i now have 3 teenagers none of which help and make more mess than ever and cleaning seems a disaster. I do though cook a homemade meal every night but i have got lazy with them and it feels like the same things most nights (we have to eat a lot of pasta for middle child the cyclist as i refuse to make 2 meals we all eat the same).

Help I need to get it all going again but do not know where to start and it has to be slowly (I don't have time between working, running 3 kids about, fundraising for eldest to go to Cambodia next year and middle child is a national cyclist so we are often not at home) so i can get myself back into it all.

Any ideas to get me back in the swing of things would be greatly appreciated. I remember years ago my monthly shopping due to this forum was no more that £200 now I would be lucky to see it under £600 I know it is practically 5 adults eating now not 2 & 3 children but and I just cant pay out that much any more.

TIA

VfM4meplse

Good for you, and welcome back!

One step at a time, the fastest return you will see from this board is the grocery challenge (sticky). Good luck.

helcat26

Hope this goes well for you.


My suggestion is to really work hard to reduce food waste- it is bad enough spending money on it without throwing it away. So my top tips
1. Get everyone to input into what they want as meals- no excuse for not eating it
2. Use your freezer- bulk cook, and save. Also saving leftovers - like uneaten takeway, or that last portion of lasagne.
3. Make soup with any ageing veg- you would be surprised what veg you can find soup recipes for on the internet and you can do things like use the stalks from broccoli and asparagus not just the best bits
4.Make core base stuff that can be frozen then bulked out to make different meals- eg mince can be bulked with kidney beans etc to make chilli, mushrooms and courgettes to make Bolognese, potatoes to make cottage pie, aubergines for mousakka
5. eat more veg than meat
6. bagged salad invariably goes off
7.growing herbs last longer
8. keep an eye on use by dates- especially expensive stuff like meat then you can freeze rather than throw away


hope this helps

amandaatnumber7

I find my biggest expense is food (apart from the mortgage), last year money was tight and I got my food bill down from $350/wk to $300/fortnight I had no choice, now it sits comfortably at $220/wk.
We still have a few treats but I shop the specials and eat up or freeze left overs for when I can't be bothered cooking. I have a baking day every other week and make a few cakes, slices etc and freeze for school and after dinner treats.
This forum was my biggest help, the grocery challenge and the thread about eat for a week on £20, sorry I can't remember the exact name at the moment. I love the OS community everyone is always happy to help.