Friday 22 June 2012

Stocktaking in the kitchen

I received a lovely gift today from Barry, flowers, chocolate cake, and a bottle of wine, what more could a girl wish for. I was most chuffed, so now I am sitting here supping the wine with chocolate all around my chops. Yummy. Pity it's so wet outside, I could have relaxed on the decking. Never mind chocolate and wine taste good anywhere.

Today I had a sort out and a tidy up of my food cupboard and freezer, I like to do a stocktake every few weeks so I know exactly what I have. It's easy to push things to the back and forget about them. Last week I fancied spaghetti on toast, but I didn't have any in so that was a bit of a disappointment.

A few months ago I ate almost everything I had and my cupboards were bare, but now they look quite full. Here is my stock list.

In the cupboard
30 tins of rice pudding. I bought a lot while it was cheap because I thought it might go up. Instead it went down 1p.
15 tins of baked beans. I buy them when I see them at 25p a tin
39 tins of evaporated milk. Tesco was selling these off cheap at 30p because they were changing the label. I was looking for a cheaper alternative to soya milk which has been steadily increasing in price
15 tins of JW tuna steaks. I bought a case of these, it worked out at 45p a tin, which is a good price, even though they are several months out of date
7 tins of chopped tomatoes
6 tins of mushy peas
2 tins of mandarin segments
2 tins of peaches
2 tins of chick peas
2 tins of spaghetti
2 tins of sweetcorn
2 tins of black eye beans
1 tin of red kidney beans

10 cartons of pineapple juice. I have been getting this from the cash and carry at three for £1. I dilute it 50/50 to make twice the amount.

2kg bag of brown rice
2 bags of 1kg porridge oats
1 packet of spaghetti
half a packet of black eye beans.

In the freezer
2 bags of Quorn fillets
2 Quorn sausages
2 big bags of frozen peas
6 portions of peas
bag of mixed summer fruits
6 Staffordshire oatcakes
2 plastic tubs of home made veggie stew
2 plastic tubs of home made soup
1 small Hovis loaf
4 potato pancakes

I like to keep track of what I have, and by constantly checking, my cupboards and freezer stay tidy. Everything is stacked in rows so if I want to use something I can easily find it and don't have to root around underneath other things. Each time I unpack my shopping I make sure I stack away it in the right place, I hate messy cupboards. It saves time in the kitchen if I know exactly where everything is, and you know I am not a fan of slaving over a hot stove for longer than I need to, ha ha. Quick meals, in and out, that's me. Toodle pip. 

14 comments:

  1. I can't stand messy cupboards either, you can never find anything.I have all my herbs and spices in alphabetical order...just makes it easier for me.
    Jane x

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  2. What a lovely gift for you from Barry. You weren't expecting it perhaps but it is nice to be appreciated.

    I don't like messy cupboards either. Sadly, they are always messier than I would like because they are so small. It is hard to stack anything and have room for everything. I don't have a separate panty like you do or that would help a lot. Oh well, at least I do have food to eat ;-) Have a wonderful weekend.

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  3. Oooo wine choccy's and flowers ...you lucky girl! Now thats what I call a night in...never mind the weather ...sunshine will back soon and we can get out and about.
    Funny really but I find it facinating ... the contents of anothers ccupboards ...its a bit like that thing where people emptied their handbags ... I supose it tells a lot about us as individuals.
    Vicky x

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  4. My freezer over the refrigerator is so messy as in "I can see it, just not safely remove it." It's always an adventure looking for something and having to dodge a frozen food avalance that heads straight for my toes. It hurts as much as having a brick dropped on my foot. Plus, it is hard to keep ice trays straight since none of the packages in there are square. The chocolate looks delicious.

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  5. My kitchen cupboards are tidy 'cos they are usually empty!

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  6. I don't imagine that you will be leaving Barry to cope on his own though he is home again. You are a very good neighbour Ilona.

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  7. You can't have a bad day with a bottle of wine and choccy cake. Very well deserved for being such a good friend.
    My cupboards get a sort out when I can't stand the clutter any more, but I'm more organised with my freezer.

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  8. What a nice gift from Barry! Hope he's recovering well.

    Time to do a stocktake also.

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  9. What a lovely gift. I'm obsessed with doing a kitchen inventory. I think it really helps me keep the shopping down as I know exactly what I have. I make a meal list for the whole month and cross it off each day. It changes of course, depending on what I buy cheap, but I think it helps me not to overspend. I've also done the stocking up in case the price rises and found things to have been reduced, frustrating.

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  10. That as nice of Barry. I take it that he is out of hospital now? Glad he's feeling better. Scruff must be pleased!

    WOW that's a lot of rice pudding. If I found that in my cupboard I'd think someone was playing a cruel joke on me - I hate the stuff! :)

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  11. Aldi have reduced their tins of mushy peas this week from 10p to 8p. Every little helps : )

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  12. Out of interest, would it not be cheaper to buy dried chick peas and red kidney beans and could them yourself? I do this in a pressure cooker which cuts down on the cooking time and fuel used. I have found a pressure cooker invaluable for stews, puddings, preserving fruit in jars etc.

    Gillian.

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  13. Hi Gillian. Dried beans and peas would not work for me. I hate planning in advance on what I am going to eat. I want to spend as little time as possible in the kitchen, and I don't need a pressure cooker. I don't make puddings or preserve fruit, and I make stews on the gas hob in a saucepan. Thanks for the suggestion though, but not for me.

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  14. 'very nice display /gifts ilona who's Barry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...
    Best wishes -Levi
    ps I'm reading some previous stuff from your blog ,

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