Wow … well that's that sorted then … another Challenge it is then!!
I was surprised that there was not a single 'Oh no .. not again!!', which I guess could just be due to all those that are sick to the back teeth of my reduced spending foodie Challenges buggering off to plan spending hundreds of pounds for Christmas.
So I guess now it's time to plan out how to spend the £19.25 that I could spend on a lovely cup of filter coffee at mine and Suky's favourite little garden centre on food to see me through a seven day Challenge week.
To make it more interesting to me and hopefully you too, this time I'm approaching things differently. I am going to menu plan the full week and then go shopping. I have already decided that to keep costs down I will give myself a choice of two breakfasts, alternating each day. Porridge every day for the last Challenge proved just too boring for words, no matter how filling, warming and healthy it is. I will also vary the lunches slightly between sandwiches and soups.
I have also learned a very important lesson after the last few Challenges … this time I will mostly be making things in one portion amounts. I do not want to be making a large pan of dhal for instance and living off it all week, that would be cheap yes, and also very easy, but boring both for you reading along and for me doing the actual eating. And of course that doesn't fulfil the need for a balanced and interesting diet. It also means that I might end up putting more food into the freezer, something I really don't want to do as we are winding down stocks of all food at the caravan. Also with this in mind once I have planned out a menu I will shop first from my cupboards and fridge for full packs of any food that I would otherwise be buying at the supermarket. I will of course charge myself the price it would have cost me to purchase on the day I decide to shop for the rest of the food by checking prices on mysupermarket.co.uk
To keep things interesting I think I will also try to make a different evening meal each and every day, sometimes using very similar ingredients ... because to be fair I'm not going to be able to buy that many different things ... but I should be able to buy enough to be able to vary the meals in some way.
So my first job tomorrow is to sit and write out a menu, next I will shop the cupboards and then on Friday I will go shopping ready for a Monday start at the Challenge. There's something very brain emptying about starting with a blank sheet of paper ... fingers crossed I get some inspiration in the morning!!
Sue xx
Looking forward to it. I always enjoy your Challenges, Sue.
ReplyDeleteThank you. xx
DeleteI guess the hardest part will be creating variety in your meals with so little money,Sue. Small tins and packs of anything always work out more expensive than large ones. Fruit and veg can be pricey too. Thank you for considering this challenge, Sue, I always enjoy reading about them :)
ReplyDeleteI agree completely, that's one reason I never buy small packs of anything … without first checking the shelf edge label, sometimes they can be on offer and the price per 100g is less than the bigger packs, and then it's worth it.
DeletePhew what a relief you will be doing all the hard work sorry Sue:) I did think we would have to spend the equivalent amount of money which ever part of the world we live in and decided what are daily meals are etc and post! Thank you so much Sue for taking the time and trouble to do this to help make this challenge easier especially for me given my history in the kitchen:) xx
ReplyDeleteYou can join in if you feel the urge, even if it's just on paper … a sort of 'what I would buy' list and the meals you would make, you don't have to actually cook ;-)
DeleteThanks for this, sue. I'm going to do it along with you. X
ReplyDeleteOoh brilliant, please let us know in the comments what you buy and what you make with the food each day. It would be really interesting for me to see someone else do it.
DeleteIt'll be fun to do, I hope, and certainly fun to read about. xx
ReplyDeleteI hope so, it's taking a bit of planning because I have so much in stock alreadty and I want to make sure I get my pricing right.
DeleteIt's a great challenge Sue and I look forward to seeing how you a lot the money. As you say a restricted choice makes things boring.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping to make the meals as interesting as possible, hence the plan for no bulk cookathons :-)
DeleteLooking forward to what you are going to plan for and shop for.
ReplyDeleteI agree oatmeal does get a bit tiring everyday. I alternate here between oatmeal and yogurt. Works for me.
God bless.
It does stop feeling satisfying and start just getting boring after a couple of days doesn't it.
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