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

jcr16

i am always falling off the wagon. but i must say everytime i do i don't fall as far as i had done before . if that makes any sence.

yesterday i went to iceland , and i often fill ou thte freezer with standby foods. ie nuggets etc etc. but yesterday i only bought items that were 100% meat int them ie fish fingers and nuggets. and yes i bought chips. but only because i only like deep fried hm ones.and oven chips is better for me. ( well thats my excuse ) i have really changed how i shopped in iceland. i looked at things like pies. and thought i can make a better one than that etc.
i am a better cook when it is wet and windy and deep winter has set in. this isn't an excuse but i really struggle to cook when it warm. and today it is so warm. i've seen people in town today wearing shorts and t-shirt.

once i have cooked something hm etc i feel so much more better inside.the achievment of it is so satisfying.

Sarahsaver

Well done :beer: (that is a pint of my hubby's homebrew LOL)

Peem

I was having a hard time this week and really thinking my OSing was going to pot.

But then tonight I realised - I had salad in the fridge from the other night and goats cheese in the freezer and all I had to do was buy a potato (and a bottle of wine ahem) and bake it and there was dinner.
(in the past the goats cheese would have sat in in the fridge half eaten until I admitted it was gross and threw it out - DH doesn't like it!)

Also just have to defrost the mince and wine from freezer and buy some celery an I have everything else in for spag bol tomorrow night.

The I also - somehow, don't know how it happened, - have enough food in house/freezer to last most of next week. Just need some inspiration for sunday night.

Somehow, by osmosis i think, it's all kicking in and while I feel I'm not osing any more, I am. It's now habit and I'm doing it subconsciously. (still not perfectly but I am getting there)

woo hoo.

you can do it too - as lynz says - it's all baby steps. And somehow they become a big step one day without you even noticing.

Journey of a 1000 miles starts with a single step and all that:rotfl:

tiptoes

Hi all

Over the past few months I've fallen off the OS wagon and here I am back again ( tail between my legs:embarasse :embarasse ) as I really need to get myself sorted out. My promblems are steming I think from a lack of time and prep. I would be grateful for any idea that help me get my life back in order. As basically I've come off the rails completely as my house work is suffering and my shopping buget has gone through the roof.

scuzz

Start slow. Pick one area, like the housework and conquer that then add more things in

melt71

I am a dedicated list maker! That's the only way I can keep track of everything with work and a young child, dog and a house! My OH lives away for most of the week so that's one less thing to worry about

I would say start with a meal plan and then your shopping list from this. Do this as soon as you get paid. I try to make extra when I cook to cover my lunches; last night we had pasta so I made 4 extra portions which will last me all week, or if I fancy something different tomorrow I will freeze a pasta meal and take a 'leftover' rice meal.

Also, your finances are important, so spend an evening going over them, set a budget (including a food budget) so that you know what money you have free to spend.

The housework isn't going to go anywhere! I would say my kitchen is the thing that depresses me when it's a mess, so if you haven't had a spring clean in there for a while, spend a couple of hours cleaning it and tidying away clutter. All of the clutter that needs to go upstairs, put it on the bottom of the stairs and work upwards - when you go upstairs, carry a bit up with you. I usually dump it all in my room and then when I am reasonably happy with downstairs, I have a blitz in my bedroom (usually just before bed).

Back to the TO DO lists; start breaking down the things you need to do into things that are related. My washing is usually done when I am cleaning the kitchen, so I sort out my washing, put a load in, do the dishes, clean the worktops, take all of the clutter back upstairs, bring another load of washing down with me - do you see what I'm saying?

It takes time to get organised, but I really do think that organisation is the key these days to running a house, especially if you work. It just can't be done effectively if you are running around like a headless chicken!

Good luck.

squeaky

tiptoes wrote:

Hi all

Over the past few months I've fallen off the OS wagon and here I am back again ( tail between my legs:embarasse :embarasse ) as I really need to get myself sorted out. My promblems are steming I think from a lack of time and prep. I would be grateful for any idea that help me get my life back in order. As basically I've come off the rails completely as my house work is suffering and my shopping buget has gone through the roof.

Hi tiptoes

I've added your post onto a collection of threads that are loaded with tips on getting back on the OS wagon. Since posts are listed in date order you'll need to read from the beginning.

Good luck

newlywed

I work full time and find cooking two meals at once is great. Even if I only do it once a week then it saves me cooking one night.

Eg if I make lasagne or shepherds pie, then I'll cook the other one at the same time and put it in the freezer.

I also find speedy meals good for weekdays - like noodles and stirfry, omlette, chops with tinned potato, veg and gravy.

The other thing that has saved me lots of time is chopping a whole load of onions in the food processor and chucking them in the freezer. This lasts weeks and means I can get most of the meals started really quickly.

Why not write a list of all the quickest meals you can think of and then some that you can make in advance and freeze? Do a few at a time to get back on track.

mcbiddy

i wish i had the option of NOT taking a packed lunch into work. the food is horrid here. it does keep money saving mind but lazy mornings with no sandwich making are just not an option.... ever. else we have what we had this lunch time: a tiny portion of lukewarm chips for 90p. i did not enjoy that!

cupid_s

I was also doing so well. I haven't bought lunch at Uni for ages and ages, neither has hubby. There are 5 people in my lab and so we each do something one day for everyone else. I did pad thai this week and it cost me about £2.30 but that effectively is 6 lunches (cos hubby had some too).

However I went to tesco yesterday and managed to spend £63, this is after spending £23 at the weekend. And I bought no meat or main parts for meals as our freezer is so well stocked at the moment. Even if you take off the alcohol we still spent £33 yesterday! We were shocked actually by how much it came too and it's so annoying as we've been menu planning and everything to use up the meat we have in the freezer and only needed bits and pieces.

I'm telling myself i'll stick to £10 for next week and the week after. But me and OH had decided that about this week! It really is difficult