Reverse Meal Planning

EssexHebridean

Agile with an EV would be a bit risky I would think, although there are folk who make it work but generally I think the feeling is that octopus have better tariffs for EV users. The main advantages to us I think are that thanks to 20 years of living with Economy 7 we're already well adjusted to shifting use for various things to overnight when the prices are often cheaper, that does take some learning but once the mindset is there as long as your home and appliances are suitable for it it's relatively straightforward. For a household like yours though with small people who perhaps sometimes create seemingly a never ending succession of laundry it may not be as practical! 

Yesterday lunch ended up as breakfast for lunch as it enabled us to get some stuff out of the freezer and eaten - black & white puddings, sausages, tattie scones - I already had eggs, there were mushrooms that needed used and there was bacon in the fridge too. This evening I have got out one of those batch-cooked tubs of ragu from the freezer, and we'll be having that with the last of the packs of gnocchi that was bought on special offer (I think in Lil's)...and is now past its BB date so should be finished before it grows spots!   

rtandon27

Woohoo - we are back on an even keel this week after a week of very poor eating habits & too much expenditure!

Meal Plan for the week...
Monday - leftover White Chicken Enchilada Lasagna (once in a while across the pond recipes make an appearance)
Tuesday - Chili Salmon Noodles (a Waitflower recipe card - we were supposed to make this last week - cooked salmon is ready in the freezer)
Wednesday - Chicken burgers and homemade wedges
Thursday - Shepard's Pie & green beans
Friday - Beetroot & Tofu Tart (another Waitflower recipe card)
Saturday - Higgidy festive pies (lunch) Food Truck Fare (roast pork on a bun)
Sunday - Chicken & Date Pilaf (think middle eastern spicing - similar to tajine - a third Waitflower recipe card)

Christmas week's rough plan - pickety bits for the 25th & eating from the freezer for as many meals as possible for the rest so that we can make use of any bargains we find! - and when we find a bargain joint, we'll have a twixmas meal to make use of our xmas veg box!

EssexHebridean

I'm still firmly of the view that the second freezer is going to get switched on to deal with bargains that might be found around Christmas and new year - and I'll then work on the basis of making January a super-frugal month as far as possible. 

Primrose

It's a fine line, isn't it,between the extra cost of electricity and the money you save on food 
bargains?. But against that I,d always add in the reassurance of having good food stocks if you're suddenly snowed in by an unexpected heavy snowfall and unable to get out to the shops.  I reckon peace of mind is worth paying the cost of extra electricity for, if you can afford it. There are enough uncertainties in life these days anyway without risking the ones you can avoid!

fionaandphil

I think there is a special Octopus tariff for EV users, might be worth a look on their website

rtandon27

@Primrose - I totally agree with your reasoning! - Having grown up across the pond, I can firmly say that being snowed in was a reality, as was not being able to source affordable or even good quality food in the winter!  It has been ingrained in me to have stores even now when we have 7 supermarkets in our town all within 5-10 mins from our home!  We have a double shelf of stores and an upright freezer. Our fridge however is objectionably small and rellies from across the pond can't fathom that a 'bar fridge' is all we have & can barely store a week's worth of fresh stuff!

EssexHebridean

Yes, in reality being snowed in isn't something that will happen to us with any degree of likelihood at home - we're a very short walk from Al's and only a slightly longer walk from several other large supermarkets, so unless they were unable to get supplies (in which case I think the ensuing panic would be a bigger problem, if the completely illogical run on toilet rolls and pasta during Covid is anything to go by!). We do have plentiful stores though, and in contrast to RT we also have a ludicrously big fridge for two people (an American style one left by our sellers, with freezer at the bottom and fridge at the top). At least it gives us room for plenty of beer, I guess!

I've got some leftover lamb from a recent roast out to go with the usual couscous this evening - and although MrEH won't be keen, I'm considering mixing that with some well flavoured lentils plus the mushrooms I cooked the other day for a bit of a change. 

Tomorrow is I think going to be salmon with veg and sweetcorn fritters - quick and easy to do and we have eggs in, plus some tinned corn too. The salmon will also be something else out of the freezer! 

I need to have a think about food through the next week generally, too. I'll do a pasta bake at some stage I think, Mum is coming over for tea on Sunday so that will be picky bits (and I  need to remember to get sausages for sausage rolls, plus make some more mince pies) - as a rule in the few days running up to Christmas I like to keep it fairly light, as let's be honest, the few days following will be likely to be "food heavy!" 

Frugalistamama

I need to start reverse planning again. Even though it coming to Xmas. I made a bit of space in the freezer  already for some Xmas bargains. But I need to do better to save some money.

lilian1977

Hello everyone

I'd like to join this please - we have been trying to run down the freezer as our fridge doesn't seem to be as cold as it should be and I'm hoping thr freezer just needs a good defrost. 

So, this week our plan is/was:

Monday: LO curry for lunch, sausage and mash for tea
Tuesday: salad for lunch, risotto for tea (DS had nuggets and chips)
Wednesday: Leek and potato soup for lunch, pesto pasta for tea
Thursday: LO pesto pasta for lunch, jacket potatoes for tea with beans and cheese
Friday: not sure yet for lunch. Likely fish and chips for tea if DS is home, but it's his last day of school so he may stay out. If he does, we'll have something quick and HM.

Nor sure about the weekend as trying to plan a festive day out. 

Suffolk_lass

Welcome @lillian1977 - everyone is welcome here. We are all about maximising the use of food we already have in, substituting ingredients we do have for those in the recipes (and reporting back!), and sharing our frugal hacks and regular meals alike.

And mmn, I may have to use two of the leeks I have in for some leek and potato soup, and maybe buttered leeks with a chop or two from the meat stash. We currently have a chilli I made yesterday, with half left (DH snacked a second bowl as I was going to bed - better this than the biscuit tin!) - I had better check if it needs padding out having said that!