It’s relatively easy to do anything once.
Doing something day in day out, week after week, takes a little more effort.
That’s what forming habits are all about. A habit is something you don’t have to think about, you just do it.
I’m probably not quite there yet with making the reduced grocery spend a habit – not yet anyway. Hitting a target of £50 each week is still a challenge.
How do I meet that challenge now the honeymoon period is over?
It’s Friday Guys and time for No Waste Tastes Great!
I don’t know how much of my philosophy on life I have shared with you all, but I subscribe to the ‘boomerang’ theory and my main mantra is ‘You get back what you give in life’. Be that work, relationships, home life, pretty much everything.
Another belief I hold is that ‘pride comes before a fall’. I’ve been pretty proud of my no waste habits of late haven’t I? Perhaps a tad too much?
Boy have I come down to earth with a bump?
Simply Being Mum’s Friday Fridge
It’s Friday Guys – time for No Waste Tastes Great
Click here to find out more about my Friday Routine
Let’s get straight to it… I’ve lot’s to share today…
Simply Being Mum’s Friday Fridge
I mentioned Friday that I had a ‘Use It Up Week’ planned. This was mainly due to the guilt of my overspend on the previous weeks groceries. I’d spent £75 by online grocery shopping, which is 25% lower than what I used to spend but it’s still £25 more than what I have been spending the last few weeks. If anyone’s in any doubt how much blogging can keep you on track with developing new habits – don’t be! Since I posted about my reduced spend I feel totally accountable to meet that target as much as I possibly can…
As a fanatical meal planner I don’t carry much surplus in my cupboards, fridge or freezer, there’s no need and I believe it leads to waste. I like to think I work on more of a ‘Just In Time’ basis. But food items do creep into our home, so every once in a while I have a ‘Use It Up Week’.
It’s Friday Guys and it’s time for No Waste Tastes Great!
Click here to find out more about my Friday Routine
This Friday it’s bought to you by someone feeling very sorry for themselves! Whatever Second Born was off school with last Friday he affectionately passed onto me. And I’m starting to lose my sense of humour.
The spirit is willing but the body is weak, so in addition to missing one training run already (the half-marathon is just 9 days away), the laundry is piling up also.
Regardless, surprisingly it would seem that no pesky little cold bug is going to undo all the progress I’ve had with Chez Wright’s Food Waste habits.
Simply Being Mum’s Friday Fridge
Top Shelf - Spread (in date), Margarine (I have a birthday cake to make), Cheddar and Mozzarella, Garlic Cloves (in blue tub), 2 yoghurts (in date).
1st Shelf - Pyrex container with grapes, cucumber and pepper.
Bottom - Pyrex container with stewed apple, and 3lbs of carrots.
What’s the plan for No Waste Tastes Great today then?
Well… lunch is just Dan and I (yes, the little cherub that infected me 
) and that will be cheddar and crackers with crunchy veg (cucumber, pepper and carrots) and grapes. That’s the Pyrex container emptied!
The mozzarella is for pizza which I am making from scratch for dinner for the Kids (First Born has a playdate/sleepover here). The Hubby has requested a takeaway, and due to lack of energy I’ve relented.
That just leaves the bottom shelf. Now I don’t know if the neighbours have secretly found my blog but we had an impromptu donation of a large bag ofcooking apples this week. Yay! Yesterday I stewed about 4 and used half of it on top of pancakes with ice-cream and maple syrup. We have half left, and this will be used up later today. The remaining apples will keep a while longer, and I have an apple crumble planned for Sunday and will stew and freeze what ever is left over when I prepare that.
Finally the carrots - it’s a no-brainer – Soup. I may try a new version of carrot and coriander. They’ll be hitting the slow cooker later today and then frozen for lunches as I have a ‘Use It Up Week’ planned.
Last week I overspent on my grocery budget, which I have now managed to reduce to £50 most weeks. To compensate I will be doing a bare basics shop and scouring the cupboards and tiny freezer for ingredients and staple items to feed a family of four for a week. My aim is to spend no more than £25 on everything for the forthcoming week (including household items). I’ll be posting on Monday how I did it, with some exciting images of my cupboards! Now that’s something to put in your diary
How’s your Fridge looking this Friday? Sparkling with a nice shine, or are there forgotten veggies hiding behind a slightly mouldy lime? (Must be the head cold affecting me!!!!)
Well it’s Friday again Guys – It’s time for No Waste Tastes Great…
Click here to find out more about my Friday Routine
Simply Being Mum’s Friday Fridge
Not a lot going on here! Once again a HUGE thank you to The Frugal Girl for her inspiring Food Waste Friday. 12 months on and I really am not getting any waste by the time No Waste Tastes Great arrives!
This week in the fridge I have about 1kg (2lb) of donated homegrown tomatoes (off my Mom) – and these are to be used in two ways. I’m going to slow cook a tomato soup, just a straight forward one, no lentils or chilli or anything else. I’m also going to make some ragu for spaghetti bolonese and I’ll come onto why in a moment…
There’s the usual margarine for baking and spread for sandwiches and crackers.
The pizza is waiting for the Hubby (don’t fret it was wrapped up I removed for the photo and have put back on). I made the Kids pizza last night for dinner (we had soup) and made an extra one. Friday Night is normally Date Night at Chez Wright but… I’m out – yes again! Last week the Hubby was meant to grab a takeaway on his way home and didn’t. Easier to just leave something for him to heat up on his return.
The reason I’m making ragu this week is that my physical grocery shop hasn’t worked out and I cannot bear to pay the price for the chopped tomatoes when I know I can get them half the price from Home Bargains. Since reducing my spend by 50% I’ve been out and about shopping as frugally as possible. I have been doing this on a Friday once the kids are safely deposited in school. After Sharron’s comment this week I had a trip to Aldi planned! However second born is poorly and off school, so I turned to the internet once more to help me. Somehow I managed to get a delivery slot for tomorrow, and have placed my order. It came to just under £75 plus delivery. This was expected. I’d already reduced my online spend to £75, but had to take further action to get it down to £50. To compensate I’ll have a ‘Use It Up’ week this month, and hopefully just do a bare basics grocery shop at some point. I’ll share this with you when it happens.
There were some other items that I just couldn’t bring myself to buy from the supermarket including loo roll, but we have enough to keep us going – Fingers Crossed!!
((p.s – if anyone’s wondering why I can’t shop tomorrow instead, I had already promised to take Leah pottery painting in the morning to make a start on some Christmas gifts. Tomorrow afternoon is my last long run (11.5 miles) before the half marathon with my running buddies ))
How’s your Friday Fridge looking (and smelling?), clean and crisp or stuffed and stale?
