Using up stuff - minimal spends

[torthecatlady]

So we're making a conscious effort to spend less, particularly on our food shopping.

Our pantry is bursting at the seams and our freezer is well stocked so we'll be using those up along with a top up shop (hopefully once a week).

The last time we went shopping was last Tuesday. Today we did a top up shop at Lidl (£14) mostly fresh fruit, veg and sandwich stuff for dh's work lunches.

We shouldn't need to go again for another week.

If anyone fancies joining in, please do

All the fruit sounds lovely,@torthecatlady. I have bought a pineapple which needs to ripen somewhat, we have grapes in which we need to eat and kiwis for DP.
We tidied out our linen cupboard and sorted the toiletries we have. Lots of Dove soap and minis of bath bombs, shower gels etc. And three tubes of Clarins body lotion! It comes with the scent in gift packs at Christmas. I shall have some nice pamper sessions.
We ate all the cheese, meat and potatoes so restocked at Costco. I’ve still a lot of tinned stuff to finish though. I’m happy we are not wasting food.

I love fresh pineapple, it's so juicy. I've got a few tins of pineapple in juice knocking about in the back of the cupboard. I'll dig those out for Dh and I to snack on.

I normally take the body lotions from perfume sets into work and chuck them in my draw to use as hand cream as my hands seem to get really dry in work. I had a sort through them on Monday and they're all empty so 1 of my part-used bottles in on Tuesday to use up!

I haven't actually bought perfume since the start of the year! And that was only a small bottle of the Lidl's own as I was saving money and couldn't justify £50+ on perfume. I've had loads of perfume samples through the door over the last few months and have been using them instead. My birthday is next month though so I may ask for a bottle of something nice.

Like you, we've had no food waste either. Everything is being used.

This weekend is going to be a bit more expensive than usual as it's dss' birthday and he has requested a "Super Mario" cake from Tesco (£10) and wants to have a party (even though it's just the 3 of us) so I need to get some party food (£10 max as well) but I'm sure there will be lots of leftovers.

Oh and I need to buy cat food.... I'm down to 1 pouch and have 2 cats

@torthecatlady, hope it was a lovely birthday with nice cake!

Re scent, I tend to keep my nice scent for home and going out and at work use Boots’ own lavender water. It’s inexpensive and I decant it into an atomiser as it comes in large bottles. Surprisingly, it gets many compliments, it’s clean and fresh, not at all grannyish.🌿

We have been relatively good re using ups with only small top ups of fresh stuff but succumbed to pizza from the pizza craft waggon over the road last night, augmented by garlic dough balls we had in the freezer. I’ve just finished three night shifts and was very tired. I’ve been buying ice cream cornets and lollies from the Coop also.

Puss has been hot and disconsolate, how are your kitties holding up?

Hi @TheDuchessofDukeStreet

Thanks for the lavender water recommendation! I'm going to have to look out for that next time I'm in there!

We went food shopping today and managed to spend £35 in Lidl. But we needed lots of extras like toilet paper, cleaning products, toiletries etc. So we had a lot to show for it. Will get away with a small top up of fresh stuff on Friday I think!

I also got lots of salad stuff for lunches for work too as I'm now up to 4 days instead of the initial 2.

The dcats have been flopping around all over the place. Their favourite place seems to be the cold kitchen floor tiles! Any tried and tested tips for keeping them cool? I've tried ice cubes in the water bowl which they ignore. Extra water in the tinned tuna for fluids. I've seen on Facebook people are using those cooling mats, not sure if they're any good though!

I've started my Christmas shopping too Everything has been very bargainous though so I feel less guilty about it. Budgets have been set, lists have been typed up on my phone and it won't be too extravagant this year as Dh is probably going to be working on Christmas Day and we don't have DSS until Boxing Day.

Hello @torthecatlady
Puss has had catmilk from the fridge which she seems to enjoy. She has a drinking fountain. We purchased one of those cool mats and she won’t go near it although they do seem to work. My sister gave us a home aircon unit which we’ve been using. I shudder to think what the electric bill will be but as she’s a house cat in a warm flat we did not dare leave her in the heatwave. She’s perked up since it cooled off.

We have started our Christmas shop too. We celebrate in a low key way as there are no children here, although we all have stockings! I hope you will have a nice day to yourself even if your OH has to work.

We had a fairly frugal weekend, with a picnic lunch and walk at a National Trust place on Saturday with my Mum and sister. We had booked tickets for yesterday also, we are all members so free, but the forecast was so bad we went to my sisters for the afternoon and dinner instead. I had some cooked beef and Yorkshire’s in the freezer also some strawbs, so just picked up meringue nests and a pot of cream and we were set. Nice and relaxed.
DP brought home baking potatoes, sausages and Thai green curry sauce from the farm shop. There are two lovely farm cats there we always say hello to. We did a top up in Aldi for packed lunches and I did a yellow sticker run in Marks,which is next door. I found a punnet of greengages, reduced to £1.50, at the peak of ripeness, and a pineapple so we will be having some nice breakfasts.

Sorry I joined the thread then lost it! Had to buy some moisturiser in the end as the sun oil was too greasy but got a £2 tube of Nivea reduced from £4 so happy with that! I used to be a Clinique addict and can honestly say I notice no difference.
Trying to push my shopping to an extra day this week...so instead of Friday get it Saturday and make do. We were really naughty and had a takeaway Monday after a busy day! But onwards and upwards, trying not to dwell on what I could have done with that £17! It wasn’t even that nice!!
What sort of thing are you guys buying Christmas shopping wise already? I love the idea of getting ahead!

I have also opened a starling bank account where they do spaces...I read about it on another thread. So I now have a Christmas space, a car insurance space, a birthdays space. It is very motivating to want to save into those pots for when those costs come around and helping me want to use stuff up rather than buy new!

I think saving money can be so addictive! The only trouble is I don’t want to be a tight arse and stop everyone’s fun or deny myself everything. It’s hard to get the balance right!

Can anyone help me in regards to freezing meat? I’ve never done it before but trying to save money have been reading the thread and very intrigued about freezing the m&s meat? Can you freeze on the day it’s going off? Sorry if I seem silly no knowledge of freezing food.

I have just cancelled my online shop for this week also as I have realised how much I have in the kitchen, will buy milk and bread only as my freezer is full, I am the person that goes in for one thing, see things on offer and buy them, have to stop! Watching this thread closely!

I think I read somewhere you must freeze meat within 6 hours of the use by date ending. So if you buy it reduced at 3pm on the use by date it will be fine if you freeze ASAP but if you freeze it at 10pm that is too late. It needs time to freeze. Sounds a bit ridiculous writing it down though

Sandys mam thank you! I’m wasting so much with not getting chance to use it so trying to stop this I often batch cook so did not know if I could thaw it cook it and re freeze it. Tried looking online but contradicting advice.

Hi @Ghost9525
I bulk buy and freeze meat and chicken from Costco. I either portion it and freeze it raw or have a big cook up and portion it into meals and freeze it. It’s ok to freeze it again cooked if initially frozen raw.

Thanks so much I was unsure if I could do thst only me and two toddlers eating it so always loads left over but was wasting it due to not no how to store but got some great tips now hopefully be able to save some money planning on going yellow sticker hunting to try get ahead with my stash

@sandysmam, Hi! Re Christmas presents I haven’t much yet. I think it’s going to be a modest Christmas this year. DP has bought two jigsaw puzzles for his sister which he found in a National Trust shop and I have a Stanley hip flask for a neighbour which I bought in the post Christmas sale in a NT shop last year. I have Christmas napkins purchased at the same time and some crackers left too. We do have stockings and I put home made toffee in my Mum and sisters. The latter makes chocolate coated honeycomb to put in ours which is delicious. I’m planning to buy presents in stages, a few each month. I keep a list on my iPad so I don’t forget.

I’ve also a great deal of dried fruit which will become Christmas cake.