The all new using what you have from your Freezer, Cupboard or Shed (Barn)

cheerfulness4

Planning a tight budget for myself to save money over the next two or three months so its eat the stocks down time!  We have good stocks and I also supplement this with Olio so it will make for some really interesting and frugal meals in the future. 

I have some sweetheart cabbage to use and some mash potato so that is begging for bubble and squeak to be made which I haven't had for years. We shall have that with some eggs that need using up. 

My overall personal challenge is to save at least 30- 40% of my food budget each month this year to add to my savings. This may seem excessive but we have been trialling it and found if we shop smart and Olio we are managing really well and, of course, doing mostly home cooking and having very little convenience foods. 

DH retired last spring and it has made a huge difference to the time we have to home cook and search for bargains so we are very fortunate.

Changeyourlife25

Pack of beef/pork mince out of the freezer today 

greent

Leftover curry consumed for dinner, followed by Xmas pudding and spiced creme brulée flavoured cream (with vanilla liqueur in...)

Chicken now all in freezer - yay! 

Supermarket visited and milk, some fresh veg (onions, tomatoes), loo paper and squash purchased (all needed except squash (although we had no spare bottle) but there was a good offer on) Also bought some rtc xmas themed paper tape, a box of heavily reduced crackers and 2 ion8 travel coffee cups (reduced in argoos) - I've had my ion8 water bottle for 5 years and it's been great, so hopefully the travel migs will be as good. DH bought a rtc caramel 'orange' - I told him we'd tried it before and did not like it, but he couldn't remember. Anyway, he agrees that it is grim, so  I will use it up in baking for work later this month, so at least it won't be wasted.

I think I see a tiny glimmer of hopeful space appearing....

oceandreamer

At last! Reporting some items out of the freezer of doom! Took some smoked salmon and two packets of Yorkshire puddings out yesterday and one chicken breast, half a packet of spinach and some corriander to go in a curry tonight, better still - nothing in yet this year! 

cheerfulness4

Used up some potatoes and leeks in  a Leek and Potato soup today.  That was delish. For tea tonight we had some of the leftover mix from the Bubble and Squeak yesterday and just had a couple of Potato Cakes each which was lovely. 

Got a small Bread Baton out the freezer which we will share later when we have a snack of some cheeses from a cheese selection that needs using. Shall have that with some nice mini gherkins and sweet apple chutney from the fridge.

oceandreamer

Used up the stock from a ham cooked at new year to make pea and ham soup and have taken two sausage rolls out of the freezer to go with it for lunch plus a shepherds pie which was made from leftover lamb ready for tomorrows tea. 

Cherryfudge

Our using up has slowed down dramatically: the ingredients for a spiced carrot hummus have been sitting ready in the kitchen since yesterday, waiting for me to have time to roast the carrots, and DH has got me the sugar for the marmalade, but I've not done that either. Then we went on a walk today and I found some sloes. I have some gin waiting to make sloe gin, but guess what? I've not done that, either.

We had baked potatoes and carrot with dinner, so another little bit has left the Christmas veg stash, but then I bought a half price panettone and three meals' worth of discounted fish, so there's no more space. And (might as well admit it) yesterday I bought about five bags of caramelised, spiced or chocolate-coated nuts (being sold off cheaply) as I absolutely love them and they are a handy protein boost after I've been for a run.

cheerfulness4

Cherryfudge said:

yesterday I bought about five bags of caramelised, spiced or chocolate-coated nuts (being sold off cheaply) as I absolutely love them and they are a handy protein boost after I've been for a run.

Wow those sound lovely! 

Got some fruit tea cakes out of the freezer and had those buttered for a lovely breakfast with coffee this morning. Ham sandwiches from the freezer for lunch but tonight we are having an early anniversary treat of a Chinese takeaway, one of only 3 or 4 we treat ourselves to a year on special occasions.  Looking forward to it!

Changeyourlife25

4 packs of seeded bread rolls taken out today and a bag of cooked chicken.

Have workmen starting on the house tommorow so plan on making up a load of sarnies for the kids, most of the house will be out of action. 

LotsOfTea

DH & DS ate some of the bargain post-Xmas pigs in blankets today with our lunch which was veg fried rice with a dash of sweet chilli sauce. Since I'm a non-meat eater I had a fried egg on top instead. 

I'm going to do a fridge audit this afternoon and see what else needs using up soon. Thankfully it's very much soup weather so any bendy veg can get made into tasty lunches. I shall be pulling half a loaf of banana and chocolate cake out of the freezer later as well to use in this week's packed lunches for DS, alternated with bargain mince pies I bought the other day. 

I should really do a freezer audit but I can't quite face it yet.