It's getting tough out there. Feeling the pinch?

joedenise

@Bluegreen143 - have you thought about making your own ham?  Just boil a gammon joint and slice once cooled.  Freeze in meal sized portions.  I sometime also roast the gammon after boiling with honey and mustard rubbed into the fat.  This far cheaper than buying those wasteful packs of 4 slices from the SM.

Bluegreen143

I used to that years ago @joedenise. Red is a bit picky and sometimes doesn’t like it and says he prefers packet ham 🙄 however I may force the issue again.

IMO a proper cooked gammon joint is far nicer!

London_1

joedenise said:

@Bluegreen143 - have you thought about making your own ham?  Just boil a gammon joint and slice once cooled.  Freeze in meal sized portions.  I sometime also roast the gammon after boiling with honey and mustard rubbed into the fat.  This far cheaper than buying those wasteful packs of 4 slices from the SM.

I pour a cup of full fat cola into the slow cooker, and spread some honey over the top, turn it on to low and leave it all day, until the skewer runs through it easily .Remove and leave to get cold, then slice as you want it
 I portion up slices and freeze in portions, as a joint for me gives a lot of ham. These can then be defrosted and used as and when needed I usually do four slices to a portion.Any left over scraps go well in a sandwich or a pasta dish

JackieO xx

Datchet

I was tittered at for taking a packed lunch into work (2 consecutive days) I asked how much they spent on lunch- £5 a pop… I said they should try a lunchbox. I didn’t mention that money saved went to sponsor someone doing the Ration Challenge.
I drove and then took train to work. Usually I drive all the way. Not sure whether the 40 mile saving was worth the £19.90 train fare? (I recall that, all in, a car costs £0.40p a mile, probably more these days…?) but train was marginally less stressful.
Running  down the fridge/ freezer before (uk) Holiday really makes you focus! 

euronorris

Wow. I'm shocked at someone tittering at anyone else for bringing in a packed lunch. Most people bring a pack up at my work, and only eat out for lunch on the odd occasion.

Though I did overhear a colleague talking about how their OH refuses to eat leftovers. Even considers meals she pre prepares and freezes in advance as leftovers, and won't eat them! That shocked me too. He'd starve in my house, as I do a lot of batch cooking! Lol

Bluegreen143

It’s fairly normal in my work to take lunch in. There’s nowhere to eat locally otherwise except a food van as the office is right in an industrial estate - the van does do quite nice food, but most people don’t eat there all the time.

cuddlymarm

I always take a small sandwich with me to work. I work in a pie/cake shop so food is plentiful to buy if you’re hungry and also a lot more fattening.
I’m another one running down my stores, if I only count the fresh stuff I’ve bought I’ve spent about £7 this week ( including a TGTG magic bag) but I did buy pizza and crisps in for the football. Definitely cheaper than getting a pizza delivery though.
We go just over 5 weeks so I’m aiming for at least another couple of weeks at least but things like cereal are getting low. When I do my weekly online shop some of it is stocking up on dry/canned/frozen and I’ve hardly made a dent in those.
My TGTG bag had a lot of spuds and carrots in which I’ll prep for the freezer tomorrow on my day off. We’ve cut down in salady type meals because we always waste some and neither of us particularly like salad ( unless it’s accompanied by loads of bread which we’re avoiding at the moment)
I’ve discovered that a weekly meal plan doesn’t work for us so I’ve a wipeable planner on the fridge and tend to do 2 or 3 days ahead. Our food waste is at nearly 0 which I’m quite proud of. 

I know the TGTG bags are a gamble what you get but I’ve tried 5 o’clock and I got loads of veg and 6 o’clock where I got more bread and veg. Just out of interest we might try a later one and see what we get. Either way nothing goes to waste in our house.
Anyway I better get on
Have a good day guys

Bluegreen143

@cuddlymarm I’m getting on much better meal planning and shopping twice a week (Mondays and Fridays) - seem to waste a lot less this way than when I did weekly, and it’s less of an onerous chore.

London_1

Datchet said:

I was tittered at for taking a packed lunch into work (2 consecutive days) I asked how much they spent on lunch- £5 a pop… I said they should try a lunchbox. I didn’t mention that money saved went to sponsor someone doing the Ration Challenge.
I drove and then took train to work. Usually I drive all the way. Not sure whether the 40 mile saving was worth the £19.90 train fare? (I recall that, all in, a car costs £0.40p a mile, probably more these days…?) but train was marginally less stressful.
Running  down the fridge/ freezer before (uk) Holiday really makes you focus! 

Ignore the daft titterers, you know that you are doing a sensible thing. I cannot see how saving around £1200 a year would be a thing to laugh at. But then there are some daft folk who like to throw their cash away.

Well done Datchet, and if you think about it with the price of petrol, plus the stress on you by driving all the way to work you are doing both yourself ,your pocket and probably the planet a good deal of good as well by using the train I think you deserve a pat on the back.

I use my car far less than I used to, mainly because of the ever rising cost of fuel with petrol at around £8.00 a gallon its becoming more and more of a luxury to use. I use mine on a Tuesday to go to coffee morning ,then afterwards i go if I need anything to the adjacent supermarket and then on the way back I will do the library run as well so three things are done on the same journey.

As I too am running down my freezer and fridge (hoping to defrost the freezer before my uk holiday in 5 weeks time) I am eating from my existing stocks and consequently buying far less at the moment . I squirrel away any surplus cash left over at the end of the month and on return from my holiday I will have the surplus to help restock my freezer.

I think everyone ,because of the rising costs of fuel and food are being a lot more careful than usual as no one really know how this food crisis and shortages will affect us all. having lived through several recessions and post-war austerity and many lean times I think its only sensible to have even a little bit in reserve, as a buffer against the wolf knocking on the door  

My late Mum bless her used to say 'Pay all your bills owing  or due, buy your food, and keep a store cupboard for the 'just in case moments' but also have a little bit of 'Happy cash' for fun'
So my bills are all sorted , my food cupboards are fine, and the little bit of 'Happy cash' I use normally go towards our family holidays, or treats for my grandchildren or even just something I would like . (I'm a sucker for a good book from the CS ) 

Years ago when a very broke, hard up, Mum of two little girls  in the 1970s ( the years of the three day week, power cuts and 17% mortgage rates)  I sometimes only had a few shillings left over for my 'Happy cash', but the girls and I and my late husband would have a treat ,even if it was only a bag of doughnuts it was a treat, and it made us smile, and no matter how tough things were even a small silly treat cheers you up.

So ignore the folk who laugh and sneer as they aren't worth worrying about You are being very sensible and are doing whats right for you. Helping with the Ration Challenge is excellent and as you say focusing is the key and by focussing we will all get through the coming months I think

Well done  

JackieO xx

Flugelhorn

retired now but wherever I worked in the last few years just about everyone took a packed lunch (or heated up soup etc) - far too expensive to eat out and anyway usually eaten on the hoof. Take no notice of people who sniff about that 

only time I couldn't was when working away and had to stay overnight before inspection, lack of fridges made it tricky used to take some bits and find a local supermarket for a sandwich or whatever