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Monday 15 October 2018

Living high on the cheap


Sue from A Smaller Life blog has set herself a challenge to live on £1 a day for the next few weeks. She has done the "live below the line " challenge several times in the past.
Sooze from Her Indoors, Him Outdoors blog is planning on a similar challenge for her and her husband.
I want us to "eat down" the freezers over the next few weeks. I have said this a few times over the past weeks/months and have made space and then promptly filled it again. Mainly on yellow sticker bargains, I do this as my preferred time to shop is when the rest of the country is eating, around 6-7 o'clock, happily that is when my local Tesco is doing the final round of mark downs.

I was talking to the SO and he feels that we should focus and not only do the eat down, but have a bash at No/Low spend November. We have done this a few times in the past and it has helped to use up the older dried goods and make room for new, fresher supplies.

As we do like a bargain, and I needed some soft cheese for tomorrows dinner we pootled off to Tesco for 2:00.



Lots of fresh stuff here, and some really good savings.


I do normally make our bread, I can not make it for these prices, plus it will make portion control so easy. I have 2 packs of the rolls and 2 of the loaves, all safe in the freezer.

I spent £8.36, the cost at full price would have been, £26.85 giving me a saving of £18.49.
This is not a true saving as some of these items would not usually figure in my shopping.
A. Because they are too pricey, I would buy "own label".
B. Because I do not normally use them.

There were 2 items that I paid full price for, bananas 35p and Oatcakes 99p, these were the cheapest per 100 grams on the shelf. I bought these solely to use for the base for the cauli cheesecake. I would normally make them myself but it would involve running the big oven for one item, something that just does not happen.

Sugar snaps for 25% of full price, very nice. 1 pack went into tonight's masala and the other will be eaten tomorrow. I would never buy these, I grow them and eat them as often as possible in season.
The sprouts, another 75% saving are prepped, blanched and in the freezer. Boom, one Christmas Eve job taken care of.
Le Roule, 43p from £1.70, Oh Wow. One of these will be in the Cheesecake and the remaining 4 are in the freezer, they will be an instant jacket potato filling or a pasta sauce.
The Ricotta, again a 75% saving will also be in the cheesecake. I would not pay the price for these big name brands, I buy the own label closest item for a far lower price.
That's because I am a bit of a tightwad, it is never a case of "can I afford it?" but always "will I afford it?". Most often the answer is a resounding NO I WILL NOT.

I did pick up a pack of fresh chestnuts reduced from £3 to 99p, I have some vacuum packed ones in the pantry but these will be roasted and enjoyed through the pain of burnt fingers. 
                           Because they are worth it.

Now I need, with the help of the SO, to draw up a list of meals, making the most of all these goodies and the contents of the freezers. Which, I hasten to add, I emptied and listed the contents (tidying as I refilled) before we went shopping.

We will see how well we do, and if we can resist the temptation to buy bargains for the sake of it. I would love to start December with very little in the freezers. Starting to use a good dollop of common sense in what I put into them, rather than buying willy nilly, with no thought of planning rather than instant saving.

It is Tea O'clock so I will catch up with you all tomorrow.

                               TTFN                                    Pam


















21 comments:

  1. It s so nice to get bargains. The best things I got a few weeks back at Willo was gardening odds and ends and they make little stocking filers.
    Hazel c uk

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    1. I look upon Wilko as a a cave full of treasure so only go when there is something that I really need. I nearly always leave with a bag full.

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  2. We nearly always go shopping in the mornings, when of course there are very few reductions - and not much off. We must try going in the evenings or Sunday afternoons.

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    1. I pick the quietest time as far as possible, I can not do with the pushing and shoving.

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  3. Hi Pam
    We have two freezers a small one which I keep meals made in and fruit. I sorted that one yesterday and found things to eat up. Chest freezers are like that find things in the depths. You have helped greatly Pam with cooking from scratch and helping me organise too long in a rut - Thank you. I now need a nice chicken curry recipe. Hilary xx

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    1. I will post one that I use this week Hilary.

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  4. You're right, chestnuts are worth the pain!

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    1. I love them and use them at least weekly.

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  5. Am a huge fan of the y/s cheapies; without them i would not be able to afford much so they're a bit of a lifeline for me, (and always a bonus when you get the posh stuff for pennies!). I would love to join you in the no/low november challenge, if ok? I don't have much stockpiled but I find it much easier to keep going if I know there's someone else in the challenge.

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    1. Feel free to join in, the mainstay of my weeks will be soup for lunches. There is a pot bubbling away as I type.

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    2. brilliant thank you... and I am just about to raid the freezer for a y/s pack of veg to make my slo-cooker lunchtime soup today, yum!

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  6. Great minds think alike Pam. My freezers are sorted and tidied and I am starting today on using stuff up and hoping to have them both empty by the beginning of December.
    Cauliflower Cheesecake sounds very interesting.
    Hugs-x-

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    1. I often pick up amazing bargains during December, the shops seem to think that we start eating Christmas food from the 1st. Then of course lots of it gets yellow stickers. My Ham joint last year was a top of the range Yorkshire cured reduced by 80%.

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  7. Wow an impressive haul of yellow stickers, such a great saving.

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    1. It was a lucky haul and will stretch over a few weeks.

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  8. I would love to have our freezer empty by December. I'm planning on using up until then hopefully with the exception of milk, fruit & fresh veg. I hope I can stick to it!
    My daughter (she's 25) came across our local Tesco's final mark down brawl yesterday at about 3pm - she said she stood there and watched as it was getting quite heated. Whenever I find anything though it's all just lying on the shelves waiting to be purchased - but I usually go in the mornings when it's not as busy.

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  9. There never seems to be many in our shops, we must go at the wrong times, but who doesn’t love a bargain xx

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  10. Great bargains Pam, I have did a yellow sticker shop yesterday, it save a fortune doesn't it.

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  11. Emptying the freezer here too this month, new mantra 'walk away even if if it is a bargain, unless you are going to use it and not freeze it' x

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  12. I can't wait to get in on the yellow sticker hauls when I move. It's hard resisting a bargain, hence like you my freezer is never empty.

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  13. You got some lovely bargains. No yellow stickers here so I use coupons (very few for actual food) and shop the sales.

    I have been trying to eat down one of our two freezers and things are moving right along. Hopefully by November I can do a real stock up shop.

    God bless.

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