No buying until I’ve used up ALL my stashes

ariarnia

jackie oh no! that will definately be a meal you remember at least  

i dont use the oven. i didn't have a full size one for a long time when it was just me in a little flat but i liked to cook for friends and family (especially if they bought the ingredients because i was broke!) so got used to managing without. then my mobility got worse and using and cleaning a big oven is just a faff. 

we have an instant pot, remoska and now just recently an air fryer. and i can happily make a christmas dinner for 6 no fuss. the air fryer is great (they do some good size ones that arent much bigger on the counter than a microwave) and you can cook roasts like there in a fan oven. and chicken skin or crackling is the best! but some things like roast potatoes arent so great (they dry rather than go crispy) and cake or baked goods are a bit hit and miss (you can do them but its a lot of trial; and error) so having a remoska or halogen oven can been a good option to. 

sorry. i know that turned into a bit of a ramble and encouraging you to get more kitchen things is kind of the opposite of the idea of the thread but i dont think its about having less stuff as much as sensible amounts of stuff that does what you need it to? 

but. so today i need to spend some money. not on food but dd has excema and needs some zinc cream and has told me we've run out. i;m taking mil into town for her flu jab at 11:30 so i'll pick some up from the coop while shes there. just need to make sure i dont wander into the food or reduced iles to pick anything up! 

i havent really thought about what i'm cooking today. everyone is catch as can for breakfast. might do soup and sarnies for lunch (and rock cakes!). will think about dinner while i'm out (but not buying anything but the cream!)

update. well that was frustrating! got to the pharmacy 15 mins early and popped into let them know MIL was here and decided to ask about dd's rash as well.

they suggested holding on to get a drs appointment as if shes been using the sudacrem and its not cleaned up already it could be causing the problem. poor dd will be uncomfortable for another day or 2 as we always struggle to get not urgent appointments at the gp even when we ask for a nurse but she has her normal cream which i think helps a bit. 

the frustrating thing was apparently theres no pharmacist. the dont have a perminant one and dont know how we managed to book that day...! so i've just got off the phone and booked her in for the jab on friday morning at the pharmacy on the other side of town thats a bit bigger. 

so no spend at least. 3/31

oh. and i think i'm going to go for pasta bake with tins of tuna and frozen veg and a jar of sauce. really can't think of anything else right now!

Poppy_Golightly

Dressmaking fabric, yarn and vintage sewing patterns are my dirty little secret! Then of course there are all the nice Knit Pro Zing Needles that must be bought to make up the jumpers etc! I've got them all!

annieb64

Our local fabric shop used to have a list of "Ten good reasons to buy fabric" on the wall. I can't remember them all but the last one was " buy it now. One day your husband will retire and come on all your shopping expeditions with you!"

littlemoney

pamsdish said:

I would like to join please, managed to get my toiletry and cleaning stash down through the last year, I don`t craft although I have a few bits for repairs.
 It`s food, fridge freezer and an upright freezer, rammed, cupboards groaning and overflow in the hall cupboard, I buy fresh veg most weeks and never seem to get around to using any frozen, except for parsnips and carrots, which brings me to my carrot stash, I managed before Christmas to slide my parsnips in, I do like when possible to slow cook using up some c and p, I have some carrots in the veg drawer and a bag hanging in the shed with loads in, will be trying to prep and freeze throughout this week,.

I have a similar problem with food stashes and buying fresh. I have tins and jars and dry goods. I purchased in prep for brexit and covid but not used. Also extra meat in freezer, just in case. I keep buying fresh meat and vegetables. Slowly working my way through my pasta stock. I'm buying milk and not using my dried milk.

I just can't break the need to have a large stock in reserve as I keep wondering what the next issue will be and I have to be self reliant.

Just can't break the habit. I look forward to reading your ideas on stash reduction.

jackieblack

pamsdish said:

I would like to join please, managed to get my toiletry and cleaning stash down through the last year, I don`t craft although I have a few bits for repairs.
 It`s food, fridge freezer and an upright freezer, rammed, cupboards groaning and overflow in the hall cupboard, I buy fresh veg most weeks and never seem to get around to using any frozen, except for parsnips and carrots, which brings me to my carrot stash, I managed before Christmas to slide my parsnips in, I do like when possible to slow cook using up some c and p, I have some carrots in the veg drawer and a bag hanging in the shed with loads in, will be trying to prep and freeze throughout this week,.

Welcome pamsdish 🙂
Congratulations on beating your toiletry and cleaning stashes!

jackieblack

Nothing taken from the freezer today - I went with my daughter and granddaughter into town to get my granddaughter’s first pair of proper shoes 🥰 - we had lunch while we were out so I didn’t need to cook a meal tonight.
 

mandy47

I wanted to use up my toiletries stash partly because there was loads taking up valuable space and because I'm making an effort to reduce single use plastic.
I wanted to use bars of soap and shampoo bars instead.
Finally got down to the last few bottles and started to look at alternatives then Christmas came along. 
Seems that everyone thought I would appreciate plastic bottles of shower gel etc. Not quite back where I started but another 6 months of stock to use up. Sounds ungrateful but a few bars of fancy natural soaps would have been lovely.

I'm getting through my wool stash. Work mate expecting a baby girl so lots of blankets getting crocheted. 

Best not mention the fabric stash, whoops just did.

jackieblack

Poppy_Golightly said:

Dressmaking fabric, yarn and vintage sewing patterns are my dirty little secret! Then of course there are all the nice Knit Pro Zing Needles that must be bought to make up the jumpers etc! I've got them all!

Ooh, pretty! 😍 
Are they circular needles?

I have to use circular needles as I have cats… it’s so much easier - keeps the knitting in my lap and there’s no twitching ends, which used to send the cats into a frenzy! 🙈

jackieblack

annieb64 said:

Our local fabric shop used to have a list of "Ten good reasons to buy fabric" on the wall. I can't remember them all but the last one was " buy it now. One day your husband will retire and come on all your shopping expeditions with you!"

I can’t use that excuse as I’m divorced 😁

jackieblack

kazwookie said:

OP if you have so much wool and material why not contact a local crafting group and see if they will buy it from you, or sell it on eby FB.

That way it is gone in one hit, less stress on you to use it up, and £££'s to put towards something you do want / will use, more space in the room it was in.

I sold a load of stuff a few years ago I was going to use, but never did, it was so much better with it gone.

I will watch from the side lines

Good luck

What I really need is the time to complete the projects it was bought for - literally every length of fabric was bought with a specific project in mind and the same for a lot of the yarn.  I knitted a temperature blanket for myself in 2021 and another for my granddaughter to record her first year, and a couple of pram blankets, but I’m taking a break from knitting blankets this year in favour of jumpers and cardigans. 

My daughter has just started crocheting so I’m hoping she might take some of the spare yarn off my hands 😁