Well frugal Feb turned into a disaster.
I have just totalled up the spending for the month on FOOD alone which I have been tracking very carefully. £207.53 was spent and I thought I was being good. Somehow gone from £5.28 per day to £7.16 per day.
Rushed back to the kitchen for a review. There is enough meat and fish in the freezer for 20 meals. There is enough flour, rice, pasta, tins and sugars etc in the cupboard for at least the first 2 weeks of March. But the "fridge items" are practical zero. So what I am I going to do? as we know the man is coming to mend the conservatory windows on Monday and it will empty our bank accounts right out. Though we are well within our overall annual budget of £3000 total for food in 2016 next month will be a squeeze.
Setting off to the kitchen to see what I desperately need for the beginning of the month until the pensions come in. A strict meal plan may be needed here!
Today Weds
Lunch: beans on toast and last of lemon cake made on Friday.
Dinner -
Leek and potato soup (leeks from garden) with enough left for lunch Thursday.
Cauli cheese and sausages (from freezer). Brought an enormous cauli on the market yesterday for £1. Last of parsnips from garden to fill out plates if needed.
I may make some sort of scones or cake as there are definitely no biscuits or nibbles to have left!
Rice pudding
Tomorrow Thur
Porridge for breakfast
Lunch - soup. Spinach and pea risotto - spinach from poly-tunnel and rice etc from store.
Dinner
Slow cooked casserole with beans to fill it out with the last of the swede from the veg patch. The meat is in freezer and casserole will last 2 or 3 days. Semolina if needed for pud.
Friday: I will pay out for a sack of potatoes and a tray of eggs and a large milk: total £11 which should keep us going till the following week when I can think about a supermarket delivery and using some points to reduce the costs.
Its strange how the food budget jumps around. I have expensive months and cheaper months. I've just seen coffee on offer and I'm tempted to blow the budget and get it while its so cheap. I have plenty of food, meat, fish, and other pantry bits.
ReplyDeleteI am trying to take the long term view of an annual budget but your right it does jump about! Resist the spending!
ReplyDeleteI love cooking, and also making the most of a handful of ingredients in interesting ways - but sometimes it is that "what on earth can I do with these?" that is the straw that breaks the camel's back! Not that I'm short of a few cookery books for inspiration, mind, but that initial feeling of ARRRRGHHHH what will I amok? often hits me! Meal plans are the way to go, for sure. We are trying not to eat so much bread, but when we do, I bake our own…so much cheaper than buying. (Though the occasional really nice sourdough is very acceptable! ) Lxx
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