Prepping on a Low Budget

[AlohaMolly]

The prepping boards have been extremely useful to me over the last year, but I feel a bit lost as to what to do next.

I’m in the tourism industry on furlough and also in one of the devolved nations. I’m on a low wage anyway, but feel I’ll be on furlough till the very end and then either made redundant or struggle for business until at least easter 2021. I want to continue my prepping but have to balance the cost of replenishing stocks/building supplies with continuing to save for what will probably be a hard winter.

Does anyone want to join me for a low budget, long term prepping thread?

Bananas: thicken a smoothie, mash and have with peanut butter and/or Nutella on toast, mash into porridge or ready brek, these chocolate banana muffins are v easy and delish, we make them quite often

www.forkknifeswoon.com/one-bowl-chocolate-greek-yogurt-banana-muffins/

Or can chuck in a fruity curry with chicken and/or chickpeas

Ohhh peanut butter and banana on toast!! I haven’t had breakfast yet - genius!

Mumsnet recipe: ripe banana and oats mashed together, bake in oven =cookies

@lexloofah that muffins recipe looks amazing!!

@FloggingMoll I bought enormous plastic growbags from Poundland for my spuds. Between that and using canvas shopping bags we have quite a few growing! I wouldn't say it would be enough to sustain you but there are some veg which you could quite easily grow enough of to keep you supplied; salad, peas, beans etc. Maybe not wildly exciting but good yields, easy to grow quickly and you could re-sow more or less all year if it's a sheltered yard.

@AlohaMolly we normally buy quite a few basics level things and I have noticed quite a few of those bits coming back into supermarkets eg the 20p smartprice spaghetti etc which we would also use for carbonara / minestrone, 29p smartprice pasta, 80p value choc spread, that kind of thing - if you could set aside even a few pounds a week to buy some extra now might be a good time to stock some of that stuff up as long shelf lives

@RubySlippers77 Thank you! My problem is I want to feed the three of us for a year from the results of a window box. The yard is quite sheltered in the corners so I will focus my attentions there.

There are some great salad collections you can buy ready to put in a window box @FloggingMoll

If you have a bit of space to put them in - maybe with shelves or something - Rocket Gardens do a great salad collection which has a lot of cut and come again plants included in it. Add some peas and tomatoes - quick and cheap to grow yourself - and you'd have loads of veg!

By the way @AlohaMolly, I bought some nice chocolate biscuits as they were on offer; lovely chunky chocolate ones where I'd be satisfied with just one, they'd last me a while. DP discovered them in the fridge and scoffed the lot and then he will ask why we have no biscuits for him to nibble on?!

Has anyone seen the news about meat? I don’t think I can afford to stock up on meat

I haven't seen it @AlohaMolly - is it bad news? I'm vegetarian but DP is a big meat eater. I keep thinking about doing a bulk buy but don't have enough freezer space!

What is the news about meat?

Eek I may have unduly panicked then! DP sent me a link about the rising price of meat due to Covid/the packing/meat plants being hit by outbreaks etc. Sorry to be hysterical!!

@RubySlippers77 Thank you so much for the suggestion! Hopefully that's going to be our next purchase, alongside a bigger freezer.

I've already noticed the price of things slipping up - not meat yet, but definitely fruit and veg, has anybody else noticed that?

I have noticed quite a few things have gone up in price. We are trying to pay everything off while husband has money coming in. He is self employed but most of his work has stopped and has been cancelled. We have worked out we can just manage on my wage but won’t have money for luxuries. I have been buying tins for helping out in the months we are struggling.xxx

@Kitkatandcoffee

I have noticed quite a few things have gone up in price. We are trying to pay everything off while husband has money coming in. He is self employed but most of his work has stopped and has been cancelled. We have worked out we can just manage on my wage but won’t have money for luxuries. I have been buying tins for helping out in the months we are struggling.xxx

Huge sympathies, I'm in a similar position. Thank goodness for threads like this.

I've noticed that we seem to get less in the veg boxes we get @Kitkatandcoffee

I went back to Primark for the first time too - I was desperate for new pyjamas! - and a lot of their clothes seemed to be more expensive than previously. I'd read the articles about items being sold off ridiculously cheaply to get rid of a backlog; well, not where we are!

@FloggingMoll the shops near us have freezers for sale again and there seem to be plenty on ebay/ Facebook too, I think people are perhaps upgrading and selling off their old ones. Hopefully you'll find something suitable

@RubySlippers77

I've noticed that we seem to get less in the veg boxes we get *@Kitkatandcoffee*

I went back to Primark for the first time too - I was desperate for new pyjamas! - and a lot of their clothes seemed to be more expensive than previously. I'd read the articles about items being sold off ridiculously cheaply to get rid of a backlog; well, not where we are!

@FloggingMoll the shops near us have freezers for sale again and there seem to be plenty on ebay/ Facebook too, I think people are perhaps upgrading and selling off their old ones. Hopefully you'll find something suitable

I hadn't thought of eBay, good shout! DP is on board and we're replacing the fridge as well before winter, as we're both of the opinion there might be a second wave (or crashing out of the EU, whichever comes first).

I think keeping an eye on Facebook and eBay is a brilliant way of getting second hand white goods.

I really upset myself yesterday thinking about how winter might be, so I took myself
Off to my ‘pantry’ (a couple of shelves in the shed ) and made a list of my stock and it calmed me right down.

I think my plans need to be, now -

• concentrating on my savings and debt. Snowball any payments I can and I think I’m going back to work this week. I’ve proved I can mostly live on what My furlough is, so I’m going to try and split any overtime - 30% savings 30% debt 30% disposable money. That’s about £65 x 3 a month so not masses but something!

• use the surveys more and pump that into amazon for bulk buying sweets/treats, which will hopefully cut down my bloody grocery bill!

• concentrate on stocking my Etsy shop. I have a little knitting one but never pay any attention to it and I have a feeling winter gear might be more in demand this year

Posted by accident!

My friend said she’d send me a pack of her winter seeds so I’ll pop those in, but they’ll just be for supplementing and a project really, we don’t have a big enough garden to feed us all.

I’ll also try and stock up on clothes for DS and a decent coat and shoes as well as home schooling supplies.

I’ve really been lax on filling DPs repeat prescriptions as well and I wish I’d kept on top of it as I forgot about possible medicine shortages come no deal brexit.

Should we all share any deals/bargains/hints and tips on here as well?

I’ve sprouted leftover garlic cloves and spring onion ends and planted them and the spring onions have regrown. I’ve harvested some and am waiting to see if it grows back again, and I’ve planted the garlic too.

I got Who Gives a Crap toilet roll delivered this weekend too. It’s not cheap but it’s not bag - £36 I think I paid for 40 or more double length toilet roll and I’ve stashed some in the shed to remain as stores. It also means I’m not having to shell out £4 for 9 or whatever on my
Shops.

We really rate WGAC loo rolls as well, and have plenty set aside for the winter, I'm going to reorder slightly earlier than I need to each time so we always have surplus and so that we are a regular subscription customer which will hopefully mean we can get some if things get lively again in November or whenever.

Cooked a chicken yesterday in slow cooker.
Had chicken with roast veg and potatoes. Had chicken salad for my packed lunch today. Made a curry for tea today, two portions of curry left going into the freezer. Still leftover chicken so will make a chicken pie for tomorrow.
I have been buying some extra coffee for the cupboard. Trying to be really frugal with meals. Went out a walk and took our own picnic.
Hope to stock up a bit at a time.
I have been buying gift cards for Asda hopefully for Christmas. If worst comes to worst I can use them for my own shopping. Trying to save as much as we can.

It’s a grim kind of balancing act isn’t it? Save with this hand, spend a bit on extra rice with the other...

Yes it is AlohaMolly. Hopefully my job will be okay. My husband has picked up a few weeks work at the minute so just have to keep pottering along.
I have some fabric and fat quarters so was going to make some homemade gifts for Christmas. I was thinking tote bags, and microwave bowl cozy.

@Kitkatandcoffee That sounds like one of the famous Mumsnet chickens, that lasts for 20 meals! I'm a terrible kitchen picker (and wear the bigger knickers to prove it) so I'm crap at stretching food out for several meals. That needs to be a skill I acquire over the next few months. Thank you for the Christmas nudge, I've realised I've got a few projects I can absolutely start putting my hand to now, and have a nice little stash of homemade things ready for when they're needed.

@AlohaMolly I've started using Plum on your recommendation (I think, from another/this thread?) and am really seeing the benefits. Thank you for the recommendation!

@FloggingMoll if you have any ideas of things I could make for homemade gifts I would love to hear them😃.
I haven’t long took up sewing so any ideas for gifts would be great.
I am very good at making things like chicken last. I usually buy a whole chicken as it works out cheaper. If I am needing chicken breasts I take them off the chicken. The cook and use the rest. My chicken and veg soup is amazing according to my husband😋
Mostly spread things out by adding lots of veg and sauce.