Juggling money so everything fits

The car is back, but what a shocker of a bill. Although it wasn't far off the amount I estimated, it was still a shocker. Paid for with the Tesco credit card so at least I get the points. So, my bank balance is set to take a dive next month when it goes through, already my mind is working out how I can save money elsewhere to limit the pain. One of the easiest ways is to take stock of my food stores, how much have I got in, and how many meals can I cook out of the ingredients I already have without buying more. It's all a juggling act, drop a few balls, and gather a few up from somewhere else. Resist the temptation to scream and shout and shed a few tears, just bite the bullet and get on with it.

This is my stock situation at the moment, I've done an inventory. There are no hidden rusty tins at the back of the cupboard, no ancient packets of dry goods ten years out of date, and no rotting smelly gunge hidden away at the bottom of the freezer. Everything I have in my stores is edible. I keep on top of the situation by regularly checking what I have in, and use everything in date order. I don't care if tins and packets become out of date, they are used on the basis of oldest first. Here is my list.

TINS

4 Tomatoes

2 Red kidney beans

1 Macaroni cheese

4 Chick peas

4 Mushy peas

4 Spaghetti in tomato sauce

7 Baked beans

3 Rice pudding

2 mandarin segments

1 Peach slices

12 Grapefruit and orange

PACKETS

3pkts Sultanas

4pkts Wholemeal pasta

1.5 kilo Brown rice

.5 kilo Couscous

1 kilo Red lentils

1 Mug shot (pasta)

2 Instant noodles

250grm spaghetti

1.5kilo Porridge oats

Huge bag Bran flakes. 3.3kilo

FREEZER

8 Wholemeal bread rolls

1 Wholemeal loaf

500grm peas

100grm sweetcorn

1 Quorn quarter pounder

3 Quorn burgers

1 Vegetable burger

3 pots home made curry soup

FRIDGE

225grm Brazil nuts

Block of cheese

Pkt Ravioli 250gr

Pickled onions

Pickled beetroot

Mushrooms

Spinach

Strawberries

Grapes

Yogurt

Soft cheese spread

1 Ltr Soya mik

2 cartons Cranberry juice

Bananas

Potatoes

Onions

I called in Tesco yesterday after I picked the car up, I was too early for the real bargains, but got a few pence off here and there. As I was looking around I was dismayed at how much prices have risen just lately, I almost felt like giving up eating altogether as a protest. In the past when the price of the food I normally buy goes up I look for a cheaper alternative, that is getting harder and harder to do. Even the cheaper alternatives are now too expensive. I only spent £7, just didn't feel like spending any more.

Maybe if people cut down on the amount they eat, reduce their meal sizes, stop eating snacks, stop buying fizzy drinks, then the supermarkets will be left with a lot of unsold stock on the shelves, and maybe that will lead to more yellow stickers as they fail to shift it within the sell by date. But alas, I can't see that happening, they will continue to stuff themselves silly as they watch their debt soar even higher. 

Anyway, looking at the above list, there are a lot of meals I can make with what I already have. It's time to tighten the belt for a couple of weeks or so, to recover the money I spent on the car. A lot of people will have different priorities to me, fair enough, their choice. Don't feel sorry for me, I am not in food poverty, I do not need to visit a food bank. I could splurge out on a massive online shop at M & S if I so wish, but I choose not to, that would be too easy. I prefer the challenge of creating simple meals out of very few ingredients. Here's one I made yesterday. Boil some wholegrain rice in a pan. Put half a tin of chopped tomatoes in a microwaveable dish. Add garlic puree and half a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard, and some frozen peas. Stir and microwave, and again, until piping hot. Add the cooked rice and hey presto, a cheap risotto. Eat out of the dish to save washing a plate.   

My elevenses today. A peach sliced, black and green grapes, all bought last week, still OK. Yesterday I bought a reduced punnet of strawberries, I went through the whole lot inspecting them carefully and washing them. Then I graded them. Some had to be eaten immediately, some will be eaten tomorrow, and some will last a few more days. The fruit and veg assistant was stocking the shelves and I saw he was putting out large boxes of strawberries for £3.50. There's no way I would pay that, sorting through my punnet was fine by me. There was only one mouldy one to discard.

I have one peach left so I'll have another bowl like this tomorrow. Then I will substitute a banana for the missing peach, the next day.

Be creative in your cooking to save money. Toodle pip.