Frugal Friday

My intention is that for the duration of #FrugalFebruary I will do a Friday update each week focusing on a particular aspect of the stuff I'm looking at along with some more general notes on the challenge as a whole. Now regular readers will be fully aware that my intentions on the blogging front do not always meet my achievements so we'll have to wait and see how this goes - but for now, let's assume that's the way it will go!

I reckon that my very first task for this month needs to be to sort out the food aspect of things. As you probably know for meal planning purposes I work on the basis of planning evening meals and having an established set of foods that cover lunches and breakfasts. For us, that works - breakfasts are generally a piece of fruit or cereal in the week,and toast or porridge at weekends. Lunches on working days are either a filled roll or a sandwich and some pieces of fruit, MrEH also takes a bag of crisps most days. Non working days are often soup, but sometimes vary depending on what I have that needs using. Having those guidelines in place means that it's one aspect less of planning things out that needs to be considered, and knowing that we have the right stuff lined up saves on the risk of "needing to nip out for a sandwich". MrEH sorts out lunches, I sort out main meals, on weekdays, as a general rule. We budget for one takeaway a month but for this month (and last, as it happens!) we're not necessarily going to have that. My aim for the month is to thin down the freezer, use up some stuff that's been languishing in there for a while, and make use of what we have as far as possible.

Meal planning and good shopping habits is in my view one of the most important subjects for anyone wanting to live life more carefully from both a food waste and a financial point of view to master. Once you have the hang of it, your bills drop considerably. Cooking from scratch is undoubtedly another - kudos to all you parents out there passing the message on to the next generation - being able to feed yourself on a fraction of what others can manage? That's a super-cool skill-set! (Not least as it frees up more money for beer which I believe is a key consideration for your average student!)  Whether you've emerged from Christmas feeling as though your bank account has been plundered or the New Year has provoked a lightbulb moment on wanting shot of credit card debt, then tackling the grocery spend can be a fabulous way of boosting your finances and uncovering money you never realised you could have spare.

First job is to work out what you have - so grab a notebook and a pen. Initially your aim is to discover what you have in your fridge, freezer, cupboards and any larder, pantry or storecupboard you might use. Storecupboard space is a fantastic thing to have by the way, as it allows for the possibility of buying foodstuffs in bulk where this will save money. Once you have your list, then the next priority is to make a further list (or use a highlighter on the first one) of anything that needs using up - veg in the bottom of the fridge starting to go a bit bendy? Half a packet of bacon that's only got a day to go on its use-by date? A packet of bread bought for toast with only a couple of slices gone? The last few eggs in the box? All that stuff needs to get dealt with as a priority as otherwise it ends up in the bin, and that is like rolling up £10 notes and feeding them through a shredder. That bread - freeze it, then you can just take out a slice or two as needed. The bacon might also work to freeze - separate it into the number of rashers you'd use together and interleave with greaseproof or plastic film. While eggs and veg can be frozen I'm always a fan of just getting on and using them - so think about whether they will work together for a frittata for the next meal you have to cook? Otherwise there is always the soup option for the veg of course - home made soup is one of the quickest and easiest things imaginable, honestly!  Get into the habit of each week, before you shop, evaluating the stuff you have that needs using and incorporating that into your plan and you'll quickly find that both your rubbish bin and your food spend will slim down dramatically. Remember - "Best before" means that it's still safe to eat after that date but may change in taste, colour or smell. "Use by" needs a far more careful assessment and if you are in ANY doubt then bin it - I'm not getting too far into here but let's leave it that you have eyes and a nose - use both and if either say they're not sure then don't risk eating, please! (This applies to stuff that's within date too - don't just blindly assume!)

OK - got your full list and your "use me up" one as well? Next steps then is to start thinking about meals that you can make using entirely - or mostly - the ingredients you already have. Obviously prioritise the things that are in urgent need of using.  I've made a start on ours for the next month already, with my aim being to spend as little possible in the supermarkets, and so far it looks a little like this:
- "All day breakfast" to use remaining eggs, plus some bits from the freezer that have been there a while
- Batch-cook bolognese sauce - each pack of mince will make 2 x double portions and this will use up some onions and some carrots needing attention, plus the final 2 peppers
- Stew - I have diced beef in the freezer.
- Pasta bakes using veg to bulk out the dish and incorporating bacon and cheese for an extra pop of flavour. (A really good way of using up veg too!)
- liver and onions with mash (yum!)
- Hearty salads made more "wintery" by adding cooked mushrooms or peppers and with the centrepiece being some rather tasty smoked mackerel we got at the Good Food Show in December and froze when we got home
- a pasta dish with smoked chicken - again from the GFS and frozen, and just a single breast left so this dish will help it stretch to feed two of us.
- sausage and bean casserole
- Couscous salads with chickpeas, veggies and usually something like Halloumi as the star of the show

Initially it's best to just try to plan a week ahead - anything more gets more challenging. Cross items off your "what I have" list as you use  them, and make sure you revisit those "need using" items weekly. Your shopping list is of course those items that you will need to complete your chosen meals, storecupboard items that you will use up (we usually replace rice, pasta, couscous etc when we open the previous bag) and of course your routine bread, fruit etc.  For vegetables as far as possible plan around what is seasonal and thus generally cheapest. If you live alone frozen veg might work better for you than needing to eat - for example, cauliflower for a week. Personally I LOVE frozen sliced peppers and frozen sweetcorn to have in the freezer as it means I can just add a handful to a dish without needing to have fresh in or open a tin. If you have a discount supermarket nearby then look out for their "Super 6" and "Pick of the Week" offers as those can be brilliant building blocks for your week's meals too - this week Aldi will be dictating some of our fruit - I'll be buying apples elsewhere and these will be British, but it's tricky to get a lot of home-grown fruit at this time of year so my citrus will come from Aldi, along with almost certainly plums (crumble - yum!) and blueberries (to have with yogurt or in porridge at the weekend). MrEH may well put in a request for pears too. Lidl meanwhile will offer me British Leeks at a great price - and as I will be in the area anyway I'll almost certainly grab a pack or two of those. I also have a quick scout about online to see what is particularly good value and this influences where I shop each week to a degree. Write your shopping list, and shop according to it - try not to stray even if an offer looks tempting - oddly enough all the really good offers tend to come around again and again, and regardless of how cheap something is, if you won't use it then it's no bargain at all!

For so many people cracking overspending on groceries can make a HUGE difference to your budget - it's one area where you can see an immediate saving too of course. Why not establish what you've spent previously and then set yourself a budget to come in at a certain level less, to start with? And then any savings you make could be paid off a credit card perhaps, or stashed aside as the start of an "emergency fund". And if you have any great tips for cutting your food spend or planning meals, please do pop them in as a comment below!

Robyn.