How long can I make £187.15 last?

Floss

Elisheba said:

.... I saw on Twitter last night that Thrifty Lesley has rejigged the website they all set up with budget recipes and meal plans www.cheapfamilyrecipes.co.uk .... 

It could do with another refresh as the costings seem to be at 2019 levels, at least I can't find anything to say they have been updated.

Elisheba

Floss said:

Elisheba said:

.... I saw on Twitter last night that Thrifty Lesley has rejigged the website they all set up with budget recipes and meal plans www.cheapfamilyrecipes.co.uk .... 

It could do with another refresh as the costings seem to be at 2019 levels, at least I can't find anything to say they have been updated.

Yes, I think that's the last time the prices were updated. 

mumtoomany

Hello all, I disappear for two days and the thread moves on nearly two pages! Now where was I? Tuesday. We had some of the chicken for tea, in the end I served it with cabbage, home grown, frozen broccoli, roast parsnips, frozen from last christmas' 19p deal in aldi, roast potatoes, stuffing and gravy. Made three types of jam tarts. The chicken was stripped of all the meat, and about two fifths used for tea. The bones were then boiled up in the water from the vegetables. I then picked the bones clean. Scraps of meat have been saved for soup. Fat, gristle, skin all went to feed the dog. The bones were burnt, free heat, and the ash will go on the compost heap. The chicken was I think £2.79, but I paid £2.37? After staff discount. The remaining meat will make two meals for us all, plus the soup. 

On Tuesday I made scotch eggs. I had seven pork parties in the freezer, the remainder of a huge bag from the cash and carry. I made these into nine scotch eggs. These fed us for tea and S-i-L for lunch yesterday. Served them with chips and beans. DD cooked this as we had to go into town for chicken feed and bread. 

We went to the cash and carry for bread, they sell frozen loaves for 20p each. Bought eight lives and a fruit loaf (10p). Also found a 3kg box of chicken ribs. No idea what they are, but at £6, and 97% chicken they looked like a bargain. On checking when we got home they are a short of burger, but bumpy. Will do as instant teas, for when I have a busy day. Also found butter. I love real butter, but since the prices have got so high, I've been buying spread/margarine. The butter was £6.50 a tub. 2kg in weight, so around 81p per 250gms. They had four tubs, now I have four tubs! We also called into Aldi, for milk, toilet rolls, kitchen roll, crisps,tea bags, coffee, onions, and carrots. Total spend for the day was £51.53. The butter will last well into next year. 

Yesterday we were both at OH's mum's funeral. Four hours drive away, so out almost all day. Everybody else here had to fend for themselves. Luckily there is lots of food! 

Off to update the signature and read back, to see what I've missed. Hugs to all, mumtoomany.xxx

mumtoomany

I've just read Back through the posts. Lots of talk of apples and mention of weezl/thrifty leslie's website. Cheapfami!ymeals, reminded me. On the website and somewhere on this site, is a great recipe for Apple curd. Really cheap, tasty, super easy to make and can be make with windfalls and/or crabapples. 

@eamon. Which freezer? I have three! The upright fridge freezer in the barn has pork chips and belly pork, and now 6kg of butter. A tiny bit of space in there. The chest freezer in the hall, a big one, has frozen veg, home grown and shop bought. Frozen fruit, mostly home grown but a few bits that were super cheap. Pizza bases, a dozen or more, big, reduced to between 5p and 20p per pack of between 6 and 12. Wraps, again 20p pack. A Few ice lollies for the grandchildren. The chicken ribs I bought on Tuesday and a few pigs hearts. The BIG chest freezer in the kitchen has the rest of the pork, including liver and kidneys. We have about 140kgs in total. Seven loaves. Grated cheese. Assorted fish and prawns, fish fingers. Steak and kidney puddings. Whole chicken. Around 25 chicken breasts, some cooked chicken pieces. Cooking bacon. A turkey crown. A roll of pork stuffing. Around six or seven packs minced beef. Pack minced turkey. Couple of packs of sausages. Huge beef burgers. Lots of leftover bits. These will be added to other stuff, or we'll have a "choosing tea". All the bits are brought out and everyone chooses what to eat. I'm sure there is other stuff lurking in both the big freezers, but they are so full that if I empty them to do a proper inventory, nothing will fit back in properly. Freezer tetris! Hope that answers your question, although you may be sorry you asked. 

Of now to triple check on the variety of the mushrooms I've just foraged. Horse mushrooms, I'm almost convinced. If I don't come back, you'll know I was wrong!!!!

Hugs to all, mumtoomany.xxx

Floss

MtoM, how many meals have you got left to make? Is it worth plotting it to make use of some of the frozen things?

mumtoomany

Hi, all. Still here, having just tried the mushrooms. 99.99% sure they are edible. We had horse mushrooms growing quite near these, the year before last. Very tasty. 

Hi, @floss. That is what I've been doing, loosely. I've got a list of 48 main meals, we need 52, for the seven of us. Have plenty of meat/fish. I've also got enough tea and coffee till next year, I think. It's milk we'll run out of most. Probably also need bread next month. Will need potatoes and fruit, fresh fruit for pack lunches. I'll have to get Christmas stuff, mince pies, cake etc. Or get the ingredients and make them. Still got over a hundred pounds of cash and vouchers left. See how we go. 

Hugs to all, mumtoomany.xxx

Elisheba

mumtoomany said:

I've just read Back through the posts. Lots of talk of apples and mention of weezl/thrifty leslie's website. Cheapfami!ymeals, reminded me. On the website and somewhere on this site, is a great recipe for Apple curd. Really cheap, tasty, super easy to make and can be make with windfalls and/or crabapples. 

@eamon. Which freezer? I have three! The upright fridge freezer in the barn has pork chips and belly pork, and now 6kg of butter. A tiny bit of space in there. The chest freezer in the hall, a big one, has frozen veg, home grown and shop bought. Frozen fruit, mostly home grown but a few bits that were super cheap. Pizza bases, a dozen or more, big, reduced to between 5p and 20p per pack of between 6 and 12. Wraps, again 20p pack. A Few ice lollies for the grandchildren. The chicken ribs I bought on Tuesday and a few pigs hearts. The BIG chest freezer in the kitchen has the rest of the pork, including liver and kidneys. We have about 140kgs in total. Seven loaves. Grated cheese. Assorted fish and prawns, fish fingers. Steak and kidney puddings. Whole chicken. Around 25 chicken breasts, some cooked chicken pieces. Cooking bacon. A turkey crown. A roll of pork stuffing. Around six or seven packs minced beef. Pack minced turkey. Couple of packs of sausages. Huge beef burgers. Lots of leftover bits. These will be added to other stuff, or we'll have a "choosing tea". All the bits are brought out and everyone chooses what to eat. I'm sure there is other stuff lurking in both the big freezers, but they are so full that if I empty them to do a proper inventory, nothing will fit back in properly. Freezer tetris! Hope that answers your question, although you may be sorry you asked. 

Of now to triple check on the variety of the mushrooms I've just foraged. Horse mushrooms, I'm almost convinced. If I don't come back, you'll know I was wrong!!!!

Hugs to all, mumtoomany.xxx

My goodness @mumtoomany, with that much in the freezer you could survive until Xmas a year from now 😂😂😂. 

mumtoomany

Hi @Elisheba, yes probably! Haha. I always have lots of food in. Especially towards winter, I worry we could be snowed in, or cut off. Almost all of the food we have in has been bought, grown or foraged in the last year. So part of the £2640, I allowed for shopping. I'm hoping they will be some space in them after christmas, if so we'll probably put a ewe in, as mutton.

Tea tonight, I found a tub of vegan tikka massala curry sauce in the freezer, I'd forgotten they were there, 5p each, so I bought a few. Cooked it with onions, HG peppers and around half of the rest of the chicken. Served with rice. It was very spicy! The grandchildren had theirs with grated cheese to cool it down. Followed by ice lollies.

Hugs to all, mumtoomany.xxx

mumtoomany

Hi all. Yesterday's tea was burgers. I thought they were beef like the last lot. I  got four out and split them into twelve sensible sized ones. They are huge, so I thaw them then put them into a burger press. Turns out these ones are lamb and mint. That's what happens when you buy things without labels. They got eaten regardless, with potatoes, carrots and cauliflower. After was Apple and BlackBerry pie. 

I tried making unreadable butter with some of the butter I bought the other day. It worked ok, but I think next time I'll add a bit more oil. It's still very hard to spread from the fridge, or even if it's been left out. We have quite a cold house. Warm the person not the room. 

For today I've got some belly pork out. Will cook it with passata, veg, (probably onions, carrots, maybe mushrooms,) and some tinned beans. I also have a pork let joint in salt, to make ham.

More compost to get into the tunnel today. Onion seedlings to go in. I hope the rain stays off!

Hugs to all, mumtoomany.xxx

newlywed

What is unreadable butter

Did spill chucker change spreadable for you?