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

FatVonD

I'm new to this but when I'm about to throw something out instead of thinking 'what would Elvis do' I think 'what would the Old Stylers do'?

I have to skedaddle as I'm *supposed* to be working but I'm sure more helpful people will be along soon

JulieGeorgiana

As for meal planning I tell you what I do, because you have to do what works for you... I have a plan for the week:

2 nights Vegetarian
2 nights chicken
1 nights fish
2 nights beef OR pork (alternate weeks)

The I look in the cupboards and see what I have and plan around that. So maybe I have haddock so I will make fish and chips, or maybe it's tuna and I'll make tuna pizza.

I then try and make sure we don't eat rice all week, or pasta! Kind of just even out the carbs.

Then I note all the ingredients and buy what's missing.

if I have extra money in the food purse that week I 'top up' on dried goods because the next week the extra ingredients could cost more.

I add in pot lucks (ie. HM freezer dinners) and a treat now and then (HM Chicken Kebabs, or Burgers!)

Your budget is what you can afford. We have £50 a week for 3 of us. We buy in bulk on meat and fish (every 8 weeks), and wholewheat items (flour, pasta and rice) and non perishable items (3-6 months) which makes my weekly shop £15 - £20 for bits I need. I buy weekly most items we use week to week, until it's on offer then I buy in bulk and my weekly shop comes down again!

My freezer is groaning... but it really does work.

I also make my own stoneground wholewheat bread, which saves money and space in the freezer!!

I hope that helps... did I cover everything??

Eels100

Fab, that helps.

I have a freezer, and tend to shop online once a month buying meat to freeze when it's on offer. Then top up with milk/bread/veg locally. I also have a breadmaker but tend to use it for fun more than sustenance - that could change.

So the mealplanning framework is there, it just needs some application I guess

JulieGeorgiana

Eels100 wrote: »

Fab, that helps.

I have a freezer, and tend to shop online once a month buying meat to freeze when it's on offer. Then top up with milk/bread/veg locally. I also have a breadmaker but tend to use it for fun more than sustenance - that could change.

So the mealplanning framework is there, it just needs some application I guess

Absolutly, and it takes time and effort, so I used to always have bread in the house to fall back on... we've just stopped that! It's terrifying! I use a no knead recipe, a bag of flour makes 4 2lb loaves... it looks small... but 1 slice fills you up very well!

I bought a slicer so that we could freeze it and every night take out what we need for the next day.

It sounds like you have a good basis. I do swear by meal planning, it's saved us so much waste, and helps with the batch cooking.

I try and bake and cook on a larger scale every second weekend... so that inbetween weekends, i just do a 'top' up bake if required... then you have more time to yourself and you are running the oven less.

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi, I actually think some of this OS stuff takes a bit of practice to get it right. It took me a while to get the meal planning sorted. I do it fortnightly and making a list of main meals and then buying the ingredients is easy, but making sure you have everything else you need is more tricky. I now know exactly how much bread, fruit, milk etc we need for a fortnight but its taken me a while.

I also think its a personal thing and depends on your lifestyle too. Its got to work for you and how you and your family live.

Do you keep a record of exactly how much you are spending on food? Would that help to keep you focused?

Linda32

Hi, This is what I do.

I only really plan for for evening meals, (Cerials and Sandwiches for breakfast and lunchtime) So I write down the days of the week, not including Friday as we have chippy chips on Friday

So, I look in the freezer to see what I've got/need, this is next weeks plan:-

Sat: Courgette and Mushroom Pizza on Naan Bread (already in the freezer/fridge I'd got half a Courgette, Nann Breads and Tomato Purree), So Mushrooms and Cheese goes on the list to buy. With Salad - See Mondays dinner as well

Sun: Beef Casserole. Last week, I bought a pack of stewing beef and made two casseroles. (I always make two at a time, no more gas as the oven is on anyway) and freeze two portions.

Mon: Sausage Rolls (Party size left over from December ) Wedges, salad things. So to buy salad things, such as cuc/caulslaw/beetroot/tomatoes etc

Tue: Pasta Bake, Previously made a big saucepan full and froze batches. I'm carp at making cheese sauce it just seperates so I use Campbells condensed soup, only dilute by half, so you get a nice thick sauce rather than soup. Mix in Pasta, peas etc. When we have this I serve with crusty bread. Make sure you freeze whats left, if you use this, as it goes stale quickly, but freezes perfectly.
But this will be more solid, so I spread in a flat dish and grate cheese over and cook, I mixed in a lone sausage cut into pieces last week as well.

Wed: Now you might not agree with this, but I've got bought pies McDougalls in Tesco, box of 4 pies - £1.25, I can't make a pie for that. With Potatoes and veg - your likely to have frozen veg anyway so obviously you won't need to buy this every week.

And having written all that out, I realise I've missed off Thurdays to make the week up. Lentil and Pasta porridge anyone???

I know those dinners might not be the most healthy, but I tend to do the meals as cheaply as possible, but make sure the fruit bowl is full. Apples and Satsumas not expensive berries, although they are quite good if you buy them frozen and defrost in portions.

Fruit Juice, OH has dried fruit for puddings Figs/Prunes/Apple - buy from the baking isle though, not the fruit isle/wholefood isle. Something to do with no VAT on baking items I prefer tinned rather than fresh fruit, I understand it all counts though.

HTH

villagelife

It takes time to be successful with meal planning and brekfasts and lunches should be planned aswell. I find that it is these and snacks which increase the cost of the shop rather than planned meals.
Baking does reduce spend on snacks and can be used for pud if someone feels like having something sweet to finish a meal with.

kate_pixie

Hi there, I'm new to OS really but seem to have got into the swing of things. I go to our local butchers once a week and buy two types of meat, a lb of each (I like to alternate so things don't get boring). I go to the greengrocer and spend whatever I have left over from my £10 note on what's in season.

Then I get home I meal plan for each 1lb of meat to make two meals for the 3 of us. That's four meals dealt with and then we try to have vegetarian meals for the rest, or as it's a busy house and nobody's ever home often there'll be an evening of "on toast" lol.

I make my own bread, cakes, puddings from scratch. Then I order from tesco the remaining bits I need to stop me being tempted in store.

Eels100

Fab stuff folks, thanks SO much for your time. I've written out meals for the rest of the month based on what's in the freezer. I just need to top up with a few odds and ends from the shop and we'll be sorted.

Now I just need to work out my budget for next month and stick to it, and that means getting my darling other half to buy into this ... wish me luck, I'm going to need it!

Tink_04

Good luck!!! im going to meal plan for next month and stick to my budget for shopping too if i can as wasting so much money!!!