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?
Love looking at the pictures of your bare fridge. Could we see pictures of your pantry? I don’t know how you eat for a week with what we see in your refrigerator.
Sure can! In fact I have a post planned titled ‘What’s in your cupboard?’ – I’ll cover a few things there also. Bear in mind that this is my fridge right at the end of the week. We had cheese and tomato omelettes for lunch so that took care of two eggs for Dan and I (and the tiny block of cheese you may be able to see). The other two eggs I am using to make pancakes for the Kids later, and the pizza is for the Hubby. I’m eating out with the ‘TeddyMums’ a group of friends I’ve had for years since becoming a Mom. My freezer just has a few frozen veggies in it, some frozen home-made soup and a block of puff pastry. I have started shopping Friday morning, but couldn’t today hence I had to get a delivery tomorrow as we cannot last the weekend with what I have in stock – well we could but I’d hear a few moans I think! I’ll do a bare all shortly! 🙂
ps if you check out facebook I did take a photo of my fridge after a shop a couple of weeks ago… a bit fuller!
Love looking at the pictures of your bare fridge. Could we see pictures of your pantry? I don’t know how you eat for a week with what we see in your refrigerator.
Sure can! In fact I have a post planned titled ‘What’s in your cupboard?’ – I’ll cover a few things there also. Bear in mind that this is my fridge right at the end of the week. We had cheese and tomato omelettes for lunch so that took care of two eggs for Dan and I (and the tiny block of cheese you may be able to see). The other two eggs I am using to make pancakes for the Kids later, and the pizza is for the Hubby. I’m eating out with the ‘TeddyMums’ a group of friends I’ve had for years since becoming a Mom. My freezer just has a few frozen veggies in it, some frozen home-made soup and a block of puff pastry. I have started shopping Friday morning, but couldn’t today hence I had to get a delivery tomorrow as we cannot last the weekend with what I have in stock – well we could but I’d hear a few moans I think! I’ll do a bare all shortly! 🙂
ps if you check out facebook I did take a photo of my fridge after a shop a couple of weeks ago… a bit fuller!
Love looking at the pictures of your bare fridge. Could we see pictures of your pantry? I don’t know how you eat for a week with what we see in your refrigerator.
Sure can! In fact I have a post planned titled ‘What’s in your cupboard?’ – I’ll cover a few things there also. Bear in mind that this is my fridge right at the end of the week. We had cheese and tomato omelettes for lunch so that took care of two eggs for Dan and I (and the tiny block of cheese you may be able to see). The other two eggs I am using to make pancakes for the Kids later, and the pizza is for the Hubby. I’m eating out with the ‘TeddyMums’ a group of friends I’ve had for years since becoming a Mom. My freezer just has a few frozen veggies in it, some frozen home-made soup and a block of puff pastry. I have started shopping Friday morning, but couldn’t today hence I had to get a delivery tomorrow as we cannot last the weekend with what I have in stock – well we could but I’d hear a few moans I think! I’ll do a bare all shortly! 🙂
ps if you check out facebook I did take a photo of my fridge after a shop a couple of weeks ago… a bit fuller!
That pizza looks amazing…..
Jo, your not doing too badly if i remember right you used to spend £100 per week?
I did online tescos last week as i was short on time, it came to £86.70 (with a £10 off code) and a trip to costco (£25) and a further £9 at tescos i felt as though i had to have a use it up week this week too. Today i shopped for packed lunch bits, fresh fruit and something for sunday dinner, and the usual pet food. I spent £23.50 @aldi, £19.05 @homebargains (including weetabix 🙂 ) and £6 @iceland so that should do all 10 of us for the week!!
I read another blog and she mentioned feeding everyone for £2 a day, i like that idea so i’m gonna give it a shot next week.
Hope your little ‘un is on the mend and has nothing too nasty x
Sharron x
Hi Sharron – I’ve got to say the pizza was fab, I had a little taste before I went out.
Yes I did used to spend £100, so I have reduced considerably. It’s been an eye opener this week going back to online shopping, as I really could not bring myself to buy some items as the price difference was so dramatic. However it has been lovely to have some of the items I used to buy.
Popped into Aldi yesterday (on your recommendation) a new one has opened, it was very smart, and we were passing! The eggs were a good price, comparable to Home Bargains and they have medium and large which is good as I don’t always want large but now buy them as HB don’t seem to stock anything else. I’ve also picked up the OJ to give it a try, I know its freshly squeezed and that’s a huge plus. The Hubby was with me, and I asked him what he had thought of the OJ he’d been drinking this week (49p from HB – the lowest priced I’ve seen in there), and he said it was okay and drinkable. It’s concentrated however, so need to have a think about it!!
Hope the Sunny Bisk is okay? And I hope the ‘Use it Up Week’s working out!
Feel free to drop a link in to the blog you’ve found I’d love to check it out.
xx
ps – Dan on the mend now… the usual back to school sniffles and sore throat me thinks
That pizza looks amazing…..
Jo, your not doing too badly if i remember right you used to spend £100 per week?
I did online tescos last week as i was short on time, it came to £86.70 (with a £10 off code) and a trip to costco (£25) and a further £9 at tescos i felt as though i had to have a use it up week this week too. Today i shopped for packed lunch bits, fresh fruit and something for sunday dinner, and the usual pet food. I spent £23.50 @aldi, £19.05 @homebargains (including weetabix 🙂 ) and £6 @iceland so that should do all 10 of us for the week!!
I read another blog and she mentioned feeding everyone for £2 a day, i like that idea so i’m gonna give it a shot next week.
Hope your little ‘un is on the mend and has nothing too nasty x
Sharron x
Hi Sharron – I’ve got to say the pizza was fab, I had a little taste before I went out.
Yes I did used to spend £100, so I have reduced considerably. It’s been an eye opener this week going back to online shopping, as I really could not bring myself to buy some items as the price difference was so dramatic. However it has been lovely to have some of the items I used to buy.
Popped into Aldi yesterday (on your recommendation) a new one has opened, it was very smart, and we were passing! The eggs were a good price, comparable to Home Bargains and they have medium and large which is good as I don’t always want large but now buy them as HB don’t seem to stock anything else. I’ve also picked up the OJ to give it a try, I know its freshly squeezed and that’s a huge plus. The Hubby was with me, and I asked him what he had thought of the OJ he’d been drinking this week (49p from HB – the lowest priced I’ve seen in there), and he said it was okay and drinkable. It’s concentrated however, so need to have a think about it!!
Hope the Sunny Bisk is okay? And I hope the ‘Use it Up Week’s working out!
Feel free to drop a link in to the blog you’ve found I’d love to check it out.
xx
ps – Dan on the mend now… the usual back to school sniffles and sore throat me thinks
That pizza looks amazing…..
Jo, your not doing too badly if i remember right you used to spend £100 per week?
I did online tescos last week as i was short on time, it came to £86.70 (with a £10 off code) and a trip to costco (£25) and a further £9 at tescos i felt as though i had to have a use it up week this week too. Today i shopped for packed lunch bits, fresh fruit and something for sunday dinner, and the usual pet food. I spent £23.50 @aldi, £19.05 @homebargains (including weetabix 🙂 ) and £6 @iceland so that should do all 10 of us for the week!!
I read another blog and she mentioned feeding everyone for £2 a day, i like that idea so i’m gonna give it a shot next week.
Hope your little ‘un is on the mend and has nothing too nasty x
Sharron x
Hi Sharron – I’ve got to say the pizza was fab, I had a little taste before I went out.
Yes I did used to spend £100, so I have reduced considerably. It’s been an eye opener this week going back to online shopping, as I really could not bring myself to buy some items as the price difference was so dramatic. However it has been lovely to have some of the items I used to buy.
Popped into Aldi yesterday (on your recommendation) a new one has opened, it was very smart, and we were passing! The eggs were a good price, comparable to Home Bargains and they have medium and large which is good as I don’t always want large but now buy them as HB don’t seem to stock anything else. I’ve also picked up the OJ to give it a try, I know its freshly squeezed and that’s a huge plus. The Hubby was with me, and I asked him what he had thought of the OJ he’d been drinking this week (49p from HB – the lowest priced I’ve seen in there), and he said it was okay and drinkable. It’s concentrated however, so need to have a think about it!!
Hope the Sunny Bisk is okay? And I hope the ‘Use it Up Week’s working out!
Feel free to drop a link in to the blog you’ve found I’d love to check it out.
xx
ps – Dan on the mend now… the usual back to school sniffles and sore throat me thinks
I can’t get over how bare your fridge is! lol! I take it you’re not snackers? I have 4 kids & never in my life has my fridge been so bare. Do you ONLY fork for what you’re cooking that week?
Mind you, it wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t SOO full either! 😉
Thanks for this comment Carla it really made me think! No we aren’t snackers and I didn’t realise that particularly before. Basically I only really buy what will be eaten in 7 days, and meal plan also. This includes snacks, which in some cases do last longer than a week. Our snacks are fruit, crackers, breadsticks, nuts – that kind of thing. I do buy treats, but not in abundance, the kids eat chocolate mainly as their treat… and so does the Hubby and I… but we are talking small treat size bars. Occasionally crisps make an appearance, but because they are my achilles heel I limit what I buy of these, and they are not eaten on a daily basis by anyone in the house even if we do have stock. My fridge by Friday is pretty bare, very little gets carried over. However after a shop it’s full as it is so small… this has it’s advantages in that I have to watch what I do buy as I don’t have the storage.
I can’t get over how bare your fridge is! lol! I take it you’re not snackers? I have 4 kids & never in my life has my fridge been so bare. Do you ONLY fork for what you’re cooking that week?
Mind you, it wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t SOO full either! 😉
Thanks for this comment Carla it really made me think! No we aren’t snackers and I didn’t realise that particularly before. Basically I only really buy what will be eaten in 7 days, and meal plan also. This includes snacks, which in some cases do last longer than a week. Our snacks are fruit, crackers, breadsticks, nuts – that kind of thing. I do buy treats, but not in abundance, the kids eat chocolate mainly as their treat… and so does the Hubby and I… but we are talking small treat size bars. Occasionally crisps make an appearance, but because they are my achilles heel I limit what I buy of these, and they are not eaten on a daily basis by anyone in the house even if we do have stock. My fridge by Friday is pretty bare, very little gets carried over. However after a shop it’s full as it is so small… this has it’s advantages in that I have to watch what I do buy as I don’t have the storage.
I can’t get over how bare your fridge is! lol! I take it you’re not snackers? I have 4 kids & never in my life has my fridge been so bare. Do you ONLY fork for what you’re cooking that week?
Mind you, it wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t SOO full either! 😉
Thanks for this comment Carla it really made me think! No we aren’t snackers and I didn’t realise that particularly before. Basically I only really buy what will be eaten in 7 days, and meal plan also. This includes snacks, which in some cases do last longer than a week. Our snacks are fruit, crackers, breadsticks, nuts – that kind of thing. I do buy treats, but not in abundance, the kids eat chocolate mainly as their treat… and so does the Hubby and I… but we are talking small treat size bars. Occasionally crisps make an appearance, but because they are my achilles heel I limit what I buy of these, and they are not eaten on a daily basis by anyone in the house even if we do have stock. My fridge by Friday is pretty bare, very little gets carried over. However after a shop it’s full as it is so small… this has it’s advantages in that I have to watch what I do buy as I don’t have the storage.
I love seeing your empty Friday fridge! It’s good to know that I’m not the only ‘weirdo’ around who does not like wasting food and money! 🙂 Friday is the day when my kids have play-dates, and occasionally when a mum stays as well for coffee and sees my fridge they tend to get a bit of a shock!
re snacking: my boys always seem to be hungry, but apart from the main meals, there’s always breadsticks, fruit, Tucs, nuts and extra cornflakes/Weetabix around.
Here’s to being a Food Waste Weirdo! 🙂 Love it!!
Now you’ve mentioned it we snack on cereal also… if the kids are hungry after dinner very often I’ll suggest that as an option. We also eat it dry, shreddies taste great like that! The other snack item I’d forgotten about was microwave popcorn – I’m not that keen on the sweeteners that are in it, but as an occasional snack its pretty good and relatively healthy…
The other day, for afternoon snack I boiled some milk, mixed semolina into it and kept stirring in the semolina until the whole mixture got as thick as custard. Then poured the mixture onto plates, it solidified within a minute or so, put some cinnamon on top….the kids loved it! 🙂 (could work with jam or drinking chocolate on top as well.)
Laura I haven’t had semolina in years…hmmm may give this a go! I could pour into ramekins and top with toffee sauce etc…
I love seeing your empty Friday fridge! It’s good to know that I’m not the only ‘weirdo’ around who does not like wasting food and money! 🙂 Friday is the day when my kids have play-dates, and occasionally when a mum stays as well for coffee and sees my fridge they tend to get a bit of a shock!
re snacking: my boys always seem to be hungry, but apart from the main meals, there’s always breadsticks, fruit, Tucs, nuts and extra cornflakes/Weetabix around.
Here’s to being a Food Waste Weirdo! 🙂 Love it!!
Now you’ve mentioned it we snack on cereal also… if the kids are hungry after dinner very often I’ll suggest that as an option. We also eat it dry, shreddies taste great like that! The other snack item I’d forgotten about was microwave popcorn – I’m not that keen on the sweeteners that are in it, but as an occasional snack its pretty good and relatively healthy…
The other day, for afternoon snack I boiled some milk, mixed semolina into it and kept stirring in the semolina until the whole mixture got as thick as custard. Then poured the mixture onto plates, it solidified within a minute or so, put some cinnamon on top….the kids loved it! 🙂 (could work with jam or drinking chocolate on top as well.)
Laura I haven’t had semolina in years…hmmm may give this a go! I could pour into ramekins and top with toffee sauce etc…
I love seeing your empty Friday fridge! It’s good to know that I’m not the only ‘weirdo’ around who does not like wasting food and money! 🙂 Friday is the day when my kids have play-dates, and occasionally when a mum stays as well for coffee and sees my fridge they tend to get a bit of a shock!
re snacking: my boys always seem to be hungry, but apart from the main meals, there’s always breadsticks, fruit, Tucs, nuts and extra cornflakes/Weetabix around.
Here’s to being a Food Waste Weirdo! 🙂 Love it!!
Now you’ve mentioned it we snack on cereal also… if the kids are hungry after dinner very often I’ll suggest that as an option. We also eat it dry, shreddies taste great like that! The other snack item I’d forgotten about was microwave popcorn – I’m not that keen on the sweeteners that are in it, but as an occasional snack its pretty good and relatively healthy…
The other day, for afternoon snack I boiled some milk, mixed semolina into it and kept stirring in the semolina until the whole mixture got as thick as custard. Then poured the mixture onto plates, it solidified within a minute or so, put some cinnamon on top….the kids loved it! 🙂 (could work with jam or drinking chocolate on top as well.)
Laura I haven’t had semolina in years…hmmm may give this a go! I could pour into ramekins and top with toffee sauce etc…
Thanks for your reply! I’d be embarrassed to post a photo of my fridge next to yours… *blush* I’ve subscribed to your blog, I think I can learn from you! I’ll add you to my blogroll as well.., 🙂
Thanks Carla – You may have noticed I popped over to your blog! Your post on multiples is something close to my heart, I believe the road of less is the one to follow, you take more care, there’s less room for error! Anyhow! Perhaps you should do a photo of your fridge and post it? Seriously it may be a great incentive to see the improvement week on week. I’ve been doing No Waste Tastes Great for about 12 months now, and each week I look forward to seeing how I’ve done – it keeps my head in the game 🙂
ps – and by the look of your gravatar I reckon you may be a dab hand with the ole camera!
Thanks for your reply! I’d be embarrassed to post a photo of my fridge next to yours… *blush* I’ve subscribed to your blog, I think I can learn from you! I’ll add you to my blogroll as well.., 🙂
Thanks Carla – You may have noticed I popped over to your blog! Your post on multiples is something close to my heart, I believe the road of less is the one to follow, you take more care, there’s less room for error! Anyhow! Perhaps you should do a photo of your fridge and post it? Seriously it may be a great incentive to see the improvement week on week. I’ve been doing No Waste Tastes Great for about 12 months now, and each week I look forward to seeing how I’ve done – it keeps my head in the game 🙂
ps – and by the look of your gravatar I reckon you may be a dab hand with the ole camera!
Thanks for your reply! I’d be embarrassed to post a photo of my fridge next to yours… *blush* I’ve subscribed to your blog, I think I can learn from you! I’ll add you to my blogroll as well.., 🙂
Thanks Carla – You may have noticed I popped over to your blog! Your post on multiples is something close to my heart, I believe the road of less is the one to follow, you take more care, there’s less room for error! Anyhow! Perhaps you should do a photo of your fridge and post it? Seriously it may be a great incentive to see the improvement week on week. I’ve been doing No Waste Tastes Great for about 12 months now, and each week I look forward to seeing how I’ve done – it keeps my head in the game 🙂
ps – and by the look of your gravatar I reckon you may be a dab hand with the ole camera!