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No more food purchases for a week...

(57 Posts)
Riverwalk Mon 30-Dec-13 15:03:28

.... this is a personal challenge I've set myself.

Apart from milk for my morning cappuccino I'm intending not to make any further food purchases for at least a week.

In the fridge/freezer I have cheese, chicken soup, eggs, potatoes, smoked salmon, lamb, etc.

My bank account needs some respite! tchsmile

tanith Mon 30-Dec-13 15:06:08

I have said the same thing apart from milk bread and potatoes , oh and a bit of fresh salad.. I need nothing else..

Kiora Mon 30-Dec-13 15:31:43

My food cupboard is full to bursting cheeses, leg of lamb, piece of uncooked Ham, smoked salmon, cakes, cream and fruit and veg Plus tins and jars there's no room in my big chest freezer. There's only the two of us. I don't know why I do it. I think it's a bit like people who hoard clothes and stuff. I keep telling myself to stop. My husband keeps begging me to stop. My sister tells me I'm wasting money and resources as well and making my daily life stressful because everything is stuffed full and I can't find anything. They are all right. I recollect my mother doing it so perhaps that explains it. I'v just made soup to use up a mountain of spoiling vegetables.

FlicketyB Mon 30-Dec-13 16:01:48

I had seven of us, including 2 children, to cater for, for 5 days. The problem then is not so much over catering but knowing what will be eaten.

In previous years very little bread was eaten. This year the two loaves of white bread I bought went in two days and no one would eat the brown granary bread (my favourite). Spare vegs are never very much of a problem in our household as all of us, including children, love vegetables. What were left were put in the soup made when I stewed the turkey carcase. However this year I have far more turkey and gammon left than previous years and an awful lot of fruit juice. Fortunately the turkey and ham can go in the freezer and the fruit juice is in long life cartons.

Trouble is none of this is a guide to what they will all eat next Christmas. If I buy more bread and a smaller turkey. I will have loaves left in the freezer for months and run out of meat by the 27th.

Riverwalk Mon 30-Dec-13 16:09:46

Flickety you are so right about knowing what will be eaten!

I have loads of leftover cheese, chicken, sourdough bread, etc, but no eggs, baked beans, and fruit juice (the grandchildren had to drink water this morning!)

I'm currently polishing-off opened bottles of wine tchsmile wine

Nonu Mon 30-Dec-13 16:18:53

River , have you been peekin" through my letterbox ??
{tchwine] tchwink

kittylester Mon 30-Dec-13 16:20:43

Waste not want not, eh River tchgrin

I assume you know that left over wine confused can be frozen in ice cube trays and used in cooking!

Or, you could donate it to soops kitchen if you can't manage it all! grin

pinkannie Mon 30-Dec-13 16:22:18

I agree entirely - I always seem to have piles of stuff left. Each year I try and get as far into January as possible without buying anything other than staples like milk, bread and potatoes. Last year I almost got into Feb - this year it might even be March!!! (possibly slight exageration- just looks like it at the moment!)
Happy New Year everyone
Annie

Nonu Mon 30-Dec-13 16:26:20

Happy New year to you also Annie.
May it be a good one for us all !

tchsmiletchsmile
tchsmile

Riverwalk Mon 30-Dec-13 16:32:25

Left-over wine? tchconfused

I must get on ..... need to get the bottles in the re-cycle bin!

KatyK Mon 30-Dec-13 16:35:14

No more food purchases for me either this week. We have a ridiculous amount left. Every year I say I won't buy so much but still do. tchconfused

thatbags Mon 30-Dec-13 16:41:19

Why do people overbuy? The shops are only shut for a couple of days at a time. Unless you live at the back of beyond there's no need for it.

I think I've just realised what I dislike most about this time of year: excess.

Followed by diets, exercise regimes, detoxes, etc, etc, etc.

Bonkers.

Tegan Mon 30-Dec-13 16:50:19

What threw me this year was that my daughter was put in charge of puddings; my son turned up at pudding time not wanting to eat any [although we thought the arrangement was that he would have his pudding here] and then the last minute donation of a trifle meant we all ate the trifle instead of everything else. I've ate more puddingy things over the past few days than I've ate all year.

Nonu Mon 30-Dec-13 17:01:04

I am not buying anymore for a week , Except two fillet steaks for tomorrow evening .
We are going to a twosome evening , will be refreshing . Have the smoked salmon & champagne already , so what else it there to worry about ?

tchsmile tchsmile

Ana Mon 30-Dec-13 17:05:20

What's a twosome evening, Nonu? Is it naughty? tchwink

Riverwalk Mon 30-Dec-13 17:07:18

Fillet steak, Nonu? tchshock

You should be eating leftover turkey/gammon/chippolatas like the rest of us!

BTW what's a 'twosome' evening? Sounds very decadent tchwink

KatyK Mon 30-Dec-13 17:09:10

I don't mean to over buy and complain about those who pile their trolleys up but it just sort of happens. We go to my sister's Christmas Day and stay the whole day and then everyone comes to us for Boxing Night. I find myself thinking 'so and so likes that and so and so likes that' and before I know it I've enough to feed an army. Trying too hard to please folks. I try to use what's left though, or freeze it.

Lona Mon 30-Dec-13 17:10:06

Can anyone come Nonu? tchwink

kittylester Mon 30-Dec-13 17:23:07

The thing is that the leftovers are very random. We have

Stilton
Another blue cheese - don't ask me what - that's DH's dept
Turkey - very dry now
Pork - still going strong
Mince pies
Stollen
Another cakey type thing that I have no knowledge of buying
Satsumas blush I forgot I'd bought them and bought some more.

We have no

bread
potatoes
veg - except two very withered red peppers and some red onions that seem to have been around for weeks.

Tonight we are having chicken thighs (thawed), roasted with slightly withered peppers, elderly red onions and freshly bought new potatoes.

Tomorrow we are having Nigel Slater's Christmas Quakers and champagne.

We have quite a few jelly babies confused and quite a bit of chocolate!

Nonu Mon 30-Dec-13 17:26:40

Golly oh gosh you gals have a lot of front , {bit like Selfridges}
I DID SAY HIM AND ME in a shouty voice.
Okay then if you have nothing more appealing , come along .
Thing is though I need to know as I will have get more fillet as butcher may run out .
Still you may be as well staying in your own home , what with the weather being like it is !!

{tchsmile]
xx

Nonu Mon 30-Dec-13 17:33:06

A twosome evening is where you eat nice food then sit and hold hands .
Especially as we after 43 years of marriage 10/1/14 , DO.

Stick out tongue emotion . {why won"t they allow us one of those}
Perhaps they think we would get carried away !!

TEE HEE

Lona Mon 30-Dec-13 17:34:43

Enjoy it Nonu, it sounds like fun. I'm not being a gooseberry! tchwink

rockgran Mon 30-Dec-13 18:16:28

I enjoy making meals with just the leftovers - won't buy anything but milk for a while. I really like clearing out the last of something - oh look .....the last chocolate biscuit! smile

Soutra Mon 30-Dec-13 18:26:54

Can someone explain the concept of left over wine please?

Nonu Mon 30-Dec-13 18:30:25

Soutra , how long you got ?
chuckle