Oops! I've fallen off the OS wagon.....

lynzpower

OS is all about babysteps.

I think Im OS, but then I cant make pastry for toffee & buy it, and dare I say it sometimes its easier to just throw something out than bother with blanching & freezing.

BUT
Ive found it much easier by tying it in with flylady. Ie i set myself time aside to do something OS, be it make a quick cake ( one of black saturns fruit cakes takes seconds to mix, then bang in the oven) and try to write in cooking to my routine.

Doing a menu plan on a set day also can help

If youve been falling off the rails why not have a good root through of the cupbaords , fridge, freezer and do a menu plan including drinks & snacks from the "storecupbard" If youve been spendign that sort of money, Im guessing you have quite a bit of food in? Have a good sort out, and write a small list of the essential things ( such as milk F&V) you need to get you through the next however-long. Im gonna do that tomorrow I think it helps me get back on board

And if you have something unusual lurking at the back of the cupbard, ask - someones bound to come up with a yummy use for it!

ellas9602

I work full time too and try not to beat myself up too much. I find a lot of spare time at work to make meal plans and think about organisng things (even the odd online shop :shhh: ) so I suppose I am lucky but even then I do fail sometimes. Just dont beat yourself up about you can only do your best. Do you have a slow cooker? Last night I got a spag bol ready in the SC (using best mince reduced to 20p in Sainsburys) and then just switched it on on my way out this morning. This is the type of thing that gives me a boost and keeps me going. Planning is the key to OS. :hugs:

weegie_2

Thanks Guys. I've literally just planned out a quick meal plan for the coming week and already know I have some things covered as I have a fair bit in my cupboard. I have tons of pasta so think I will make quite a few meals over the next few weeks with this (and hubby will just have to like it)!

I do try and buy yellow stickered stuff (quite often get a big bread shop for £1!) but then i still find myself wasting a lot too.

I'll try to set aside some more cooking time when the kids are in bed - after all do I really need to watch another reality programme or soap! And I think if I perhaps take out my food shopping money at the start of the month and try and live off that, perhaps that would make a difference.

Nice to know that everyone else slips! Much appreciated guys.

weegie_2

Seriously thinking of getting a slow cooker - I think this would really help and I see a lot of people use. I'm hoping to perhaps pick one up on Freecycle if I can. Is it really just a matter of bunging everything in....? And does it not eat up a lot of electricity???

lynzpower

theres loads of info on SCs on here, I think theres even a load in the indexed section

I do a few stock things in mine , certainly dont use it as much as others. But I do a mean steak & ale casserole in there and I prep the veg the night before, bang all the ingredients in the bowl bit, stick in fridge overnight then put inb SC and turn on before going to work. Come home, its ready JOB DONE and hardly any washing up!

taplady

Hi Weegie! I work full time too and muddle along somehow:rolleyes: as someone else said take baby steps, just do what you can and don't beat yourself up over what you cant manage. We're not all superwomen /men on OS you know!:D I'm sure we can all admit to slipping occasionally;)
Good luck!

weegie_2

Ok ....helps to put it down....my plan for October is to take another three baby steps :-)

1 Turn Tv off at night when kids are in bed and either cook or mealplan
2 Take money out at the start of the month to cover food and stick to it.
3 Somehow get a slow cooker - perhaps from freecyle/perhaps buy and start using it with the help of the threads on here.

As well as the above I'll still stick to buying yellow stickered goods which I have been doing and cooking more from stratch.

Re slow sookers - are they all the same or is there ones that do particular things that I should go for?

mirakl

Tescos have one half price at the moment.

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.100-2168/btnResultSort.x%3d34/btnResultSort.y%3d11.aspx

When it comes to the grocery bill, just plan ahead and never, ever go shopping when you're hungry! it'll all end in tears!.

Sarahsaver

Biggest tip, apart from of course not having the money in the first place;)
No ready made food, at all. You will save loads that way. I do my budgeting by putting the weeks money in a separate purse then its there in front of me and I know straightaway how much I have left.
I had a big wide slow cooker - packed up working and i got the £8.99 one from argos and it is fine. Did a whole chicken in it on sunday.
Good luck, you are not a failure, we are all learning

Quasar

I know exactly what you mean weegie. I don't have a family so my expenditure is nowhere near yours, but since my work consists in doing transport surveys all over London, the odd sandwich and coffee usually add utp to £5 for lunch. I tried to carry my own sandwiches, water etc, but I need to carry as little stuff around with me as possible.

At home I do much better, but not as great a I could and sometimes I slip up and spend, just to save myself a poxy few minutes of cleaning/cooking. Being truly OS needs to be worked at on a daily basis until it becomes second nature.