Anyone up for a Use it up and Don't spend January thread?

[nocutsnobuttsnococonuts]

I've sorted out my cupboards in the kitchen and bathroom today and realised I have so much stuff I have never gotten around to using and desperately need to use up.

we are on a tight budget and I seem to keep buying without using up the store cupboard stuff. I want to get to a point where we have 2/3 tins of each item and a packet of lentils/rice etc. not the 15 tins of chopped tomatoes, 4 bags of lentils and 12 soaps (Dr botanicals thanks to the bargain thread), 8 bottles of contact lenses solution I currently have!!!

we are in a smallish house and there's stuff everywhere so storing all this is ridiculous. plus I'm a terrible cook I have no idea what to do with lentils....

who's up for joining me? share your hoards and let's use up our cupboards up together 😁

@ katmarie it has been well played with since we got home so was money well spent

chicken breasts used from the freezer for dinner - used herbs and then made wedges and some vegetables. clear plates and I feel much better for eating proper food rather than convenience ones! got 2 breasts left that weren't quite defrosted at dinner so going to cook them in a bit, shred up and mix with mayo and sweet corn for sandwich filler.

going to make Savoury flapjack with new potatoes tomorrow.

spent £39 in Lidl yesterday stocking up on fresh stuff and a few bits like sauces/essentials we had run out of.

I dropped 2 bags to the charity shop today, took the glass to the recycling centre and ended up clearing the shed out too!
Tomorrow I am planning to (finally) clear out and make a note of everything in the kitchen cupboards and freezer and go through my clothes properly

Savoury flapjacks? Recipe please! I have two bags of new potatoes left over. Used up 500g pack of mince and slightly limp celery and carrots to make cottage pies today (Nigel Slater recipe) Also two banana breads for lunch boxes. No spend day.

Just discovered our boiler is leaking, because there is water coming through the ceiling. This is obviously bad news (although DH is confident it's an easy fix). However I have learned that we dont use an awful lot of the towels and blankets in the boiler cupboard. The very tiny leak has been happening for months apparently, my bath has a pile of wet towels and blankets in it which are now going to be washed, dried and donated, since I've not reached for them in at least six months apparently. If I had needed them, I might have noticed they were wet and spotted the leak earlier! Not how I intended to clear out my linen closet but I'm trying to see the positive!

clipityclop savoury flapjacks I haven't got the exact recipe as I learnt it on a weaning cooking course 10 years ago!!! but it's roughly 200g porridge oats, 200g cheese (I use feta), a large onion finely chopped, 200g grated courgette, 200g grated carrot, 2 large eggs. mix all ingredients together well in a large mixing bowl. grease a large roasting tin (I use frylight) then press down the mixture into the pan. cook on 180 until it starts to go golden on top. it's nice hot or cold and keeps well in the fridge for several days. I usually serve with potato salad (new potatoes, mayo and chives) and some salad leaves.

Feeling very pleased with myself having poached some pears that have been in the bottom of the fridge for weeks and used the leftover gingerbread for a crunch topping courtesy of Nigel slater! Mmmm

Dinner was a fish curry made entirely from
things from the cupboard and freezer. Working my way through odds and ends of skincare products and have finished off two bottles in the last week.

We do this most Januarys...freezer and cupboards are filled to capacity, so certainly no need for any major supermarket spending....just milk/bread/cheese

I am also trying to de clutter, have sent lots of odds and ends to the charity shop recently and am going to continue to do that
Did a big cull of clothes/bedding in the summer, but there is more to go that I couldn't bear to get rid of, that is still there...waiting...just in case.... soooooo it's going.

This is going to be the year of RUTHLESS!

...and we WILL be eating less meat, and more veg, I just won't tell dh, who thinks veggie meals are a crime against life.

Leftover roast lamb from the freezer being turned into curry for dinner. Have discovered a packet of plums and some shortcust pastry in the fridge so will make Bakewell traybake later. Spend day today in a good cause. I'm off to the big supermarket to seriously stock up on the stuff we like that I can only get there. This will hopefully minimise trips to buy one thing (which usually end up in me spending loads on other stuff we don't really need). I have also set up a cat food subscription on Amazon.

Bad news on the Use It Up plan - freezer has defrosted itself & wasted a massive amount of food. All I could salvage was some bread, cheese & pastry; simply no way I could safely serve the meats, fish, ready meals that were in there.
Disappointing, to say the least. Not prepared to calculate the actual value as it'll depress me too much!
Oh and of course we'll have to add on the cost if fixing the darn thing.

Oh no what a pain @ RoseyOldCrow

I have just spent £10 but I think it hope it will be a good purchase we are doing up a bedroom for my daughter and the curtains are in great condition but the colour isn’t going to match the new room so just bought some dye they are currently in the wash so fingers crossed 🤞

We had a big sort out at the weekend and took 16 bin bags to the charity shop. This included baby clothes (DS2 youngest child is now 13...)

9 bags went to rag recycling and Ive kept some back to make a dog cushion for the car boot.

So very nearly managed to only buy butter, cheese and grapefruit in Lidl but then I saw the massively reduced turkey crowns and so one of those is for dinner and should make at least four meals.

Also made a years supply of cleaning rags from old Tshirts/shirts plus I have an odd sock mountain ready to make dish scrubbers.

And Ive used up three small sample sized beauty products since christmas.

Used up Christmas cheese on cheese scones and aged bananas on a banana loaf... one step at a time we will conquer the excess!!!

@RoseyOldCrow that’s so annoying-is it covered on your house insurance?
Well done to other clearers too...

I had to throw the Christmas ham as it was growing mould-annoying had just spent ages thinking of the best way to use it up...

I'm using up mini toiletries at the moment. Shampoos in between my shampoo bar washes. I have loads of moisturisers.

Also trying to wear something every day that I haven't worn for or a while. If I really don't want to wear it and it's weather appropriate and has things to go with it, fits but I'm not keen I'll pass it on.

I had 2 days off but I need to get back on it tomo, I am away all this weekend and start back at work next week, urgh!! Sorted my wardrobe though and have another bag for the charity shop and cleared the out of date stuff from the kitchen. Now Ive started, the small still cluttered corners are really bugging me!

Had to buy some more tops for DD yesterday, hers were getting too short in the body. However, she's at preschool 4 days a week so I kept it to 4 t-shirts, plus the 4 she has which still fit.

Luckily I have a younger one so old tops packed away for future use.

In the interest of not spending too much, I've just sorted the renewal of our car insurance, shopped around a bit and managed to knock £250 off the renewal cost. So that is definitely a win. I've also booked for my old car to be removed, I've sold it for scrap since it's beyond economical repair. So that's a very big bit of clutter gone and some money in, by the end of next week. I've been meaning to do it for ages so I'm feeling very happy abut finally getting it done.

Well done so far everyone! @roseyoldcrow did you get your heating sorted yet? It's bloody cold where I am today! Doing more clear outs today for books etc then need the youngest to clean his room and I'm near enough done on the tidy front!!
Really want to try and have more money at the end of the month so need to sit down and look at the family finances but that prob wont happen until friday now. Its so frustrating

Please may I join.

I am the worlds worst food hoarder. We have THREE freezers all full the food cupboards are bursting at the seams and both fridges are pretty full as well. Some of it is stashing for Brexit but not really all of it

I've got a lot of toiletries as well.

I'm aiming to only buy fruit, veg and bread and milk for the rest of the month UNLESS I've run out of a particular ingredient there there seems to be no reasonable substitute

So far this month I've spent on household / family stuff

£3.75 on washing powder (we have this on subscription)
£100 on shoes for children (previous pairs had holes in them)
£12,30 on treats for DD having a sleepover with 4 friends
£2.71 on bread and milk
£1.38 in M&S (not sure why!!)
£47.75 on a Gousto box (We have them fortnightly but I've cancelled hte next one)
£4 on books for DD (ebay)

That's £171.89 so £21.48 a day

Actually I suppose if you exclude the shoes which I'd have had to buy anyway its £71.89 which is just under £10 a day so not quite so awful.

Still I have to rein it in I don't NEED to spend much money at the moment I NEED to use what we've already got

Just cleaned out the fridge, which was quite depressing. Ended up throwing quite a lot of stuff away. However we're having pork stew and rice from the freezer for dinner, and I found a load of chicken thighs in the freezer, so chicken curry tomorrow night too :)