Minimal/no spend week (£0for me) 18 May!

shewhoguards

Wanting to be able to actually get INTO my cupboards, I started clearing extra foodstuffs into a box, meaning to move it upstairs into my spare bedroom.

Halfway through, I realised the box was nowhere near big enough and switched to a BIGGER box.

End result: two boxes, both full, and the bigger one too heavy to actually carry upstairs. I have 6 tins of baked beans (I live alone and have it maybe once every two or three weeks). I have extra honey, golden syrup, cereal, sugar, flour, rice, condensed milk, soda bicarb, biscuits, pizza-making stuff, angel delight. I have both longlife and powdered milk in case of milk shortages. My freezer is stuffed with meat, fish, frozen chips, ice cream, frozen veg and potato wedges - I could not fit one more item in there. In fact, I'm actually a bit horrified by the amount I HAVE got. It's all in-date at least - nothing wasted - but still! I think that in emergencies I could close up shop and live for six months on this lot.

...so I'm putting that idea to the test, and cutting severely back on the old food budget. £5 a week should be MORE than enough to keep up with milk, eggs and so forth, especially as my aunt's allotment is currently supplying me with salad. The extra can go into my savings account.

So! Saying it here so I can't take it back and stray into naughty extra buying. Let's see how long it takes to use this lot up!

Bobbykins

Blimey, shewhoguards, don't envy you that challenge. I do the grocery challenge but think I'd get withdrawal symptoms if I could only spend £5 a week :eek: :eek: :eek: . Good luck with it.

shewhoguards

I think I just have to keep my nose out of Tesco and Asda! I've got the hang of cutting down USING too much food now - I just have to stop myself BUYING it.

It's the Whoopsie counter that is the problem and my temptress. I cannot resist cheap food, and I forget that there is a limit to how much I actually EAT.

tootallulah

Can I join in for much the same reason? I am living in two different homes but for me that means two freezers, and at one house a massive larder. I am going to give myself £10.00 per week and see how long I can last. I have enough for siege and live alone so I'm not quite sure how or why I have so much.

A tenner a week will make me either really love or give up that early morning skinny latte, we'll see.

shewhoguards

*grins* At a second look, I'm expanding the budget just enough for take-out pizza or McDonalds once a week - I visit my mum at the weekend, and if my kid sister heard our Saturday night shared pizza was cancelled she might not be happy - it's her after-work treat.

But no more than a fiver for grocery things etc. I have packed lunches and breakfasts already, so that'll funnel out some of it. I have to EAT some of this stuff. Or, you know, find someone to live with to eat it for me.

Good news - if we all had to stay in our homes due to petrol shortages, plague or zombie attack I'd be fine?

miserly_mum

I am one of those strange ladies who actually hates shopping (any type).

Anyway, I remember one time I really couldn't get the incentive up to go to Asda on my normal shopping day (Thurs) had a look in the cupboards/ freezer etc and thought,"theres enough there to do us until friday".

Yes there was enough, and for Sat and Sun and right through until Tues of the next week. Admittedly I had to get Milk and Bread which I got from the corner shop. But it was amazing how much food we had lurking at the back of the fridge and freezer.

I also amazed myself at how resourceful I could be in meal planning from just what we already had. Especially things i'd bought meaning to use in a recipe or whatever and never quite got round to doing it.

Having said all that, there's still a little bit of me that gets panicky if the freezer/cupboards/fridge aren't well stocked. I think of it as a "Just in case" mentality. Probably stemmimg from my Mum who was notoriously bad with money. She shopped every day and only bought exactly what she needed and no more.Which in hindsight probably cost her more in the long run

lilac_lady

I like to have a full freezer and kitchen cupboards but I'm retraining myself slowly and find that I can shop less often if I try. I've chomped through the tins of tuna etc and although I have some extra tins for emergencies I've stopped hoarding so much food. It's very liberating but I still have a wee "what if?" niggle about running down my grocery supplies.

Suesy_Sue

Lilac_lady, I know where you are coming from, but I am moving house next month and have emptied my chest freezer and am now slowly working my way through the small one above the fridge. I am getting withdrawl symptoms and also losing inspiration for meal planning. You would think I would spend less but unfortunately not! I am really looking forward to filling the freezers up again when I move!

Pink.

Hi shewhoguards,

We have a thread on minimal spending where you should get help and support from others in the same position so I've added your post to it to keep all the replies together.

Pink

calleyw

Apart from fuel I have not spent any money on shopping and I went in to two supermarkets on monday evening while husband was off getting his hair cut at a training night for £5.

I am off to get my done this monday. They have booked me at 4pm because I have nearly waist length hair got a feeling they will charge £5-£10 so a massive saving. Mind you last time they made me stand up to cut the ends of my hair :rotfl:

I still have £40 out £110 shopping budget which is :j as when I normally say I am cutting back I spend the whole lot :rotfl:

Even though I have run out frozen peas and carrots I have chosen not to buy any more until later on in the week. Suspect I will spend about £10 and hope that will last me until the end of next week when I should get paid. So looks like I will about £30 up on my budget yeah.


Yours


Calley