Afternoon all. We have a horrible suspicion that a certain hole in my back might be leaking again so it's an evening of laying on ones back and popping ones legs in the air. Not sure the legs part actually makes a difference but it's worth the entertainment value....

Anywho rather than sit here with day time television *shudder* I was trying to do my maths revision... only I think I am in need of some serious help in that department so am awaiting my Nerd in shining armour (well a Peugeot 405) and doing my accounts instead.

And at last we get to the point!! (Hurrah I hear you cry!!)

How much do you spend a month on food?

I'm trying to set a budget as my wages have been slashed by £1037 a year and the house is haemorrhaging like a mad thing demanding new kitchen parts (oven hasn't worked for months now and the cupboard doors are held on with duct tape) / work in the garden (aka that muddy puddle that seems to be void of the gardeners I'm paying to make it look beautiful) / and general DIY / GSETDI (get someone else to do it) ... basically I am somewhat on the skint side right now. Things like household bills have already been pulled as tight as I can get them in my attempts to do something good for the environment.

I know one of my awful habits is wasting food. a habit is seems is shared in the UK Link to the BBC website and I'm thinking that if I stick a budget down and stick to it I might stand more of a chance of keeping my waste to a minimum and my wallet less in danger of being sucked completely dry.

So, how much do you spend a month on food?

(Apologies for rambling - pain medication & insanity = loose fingers)

As you FINALLY got to the point, amid a leaky back (I hope you get it corked and soon ), I'd honestly have to say, beats me?

I should budget better.

Clara I think that day time TV has fried your brain...
How will knowing what I spend on food help your budget, but seeing as you asked I’ll join in. on an average month I spend that & a bit but if I let the kids out of the cupboard & treat them to a cream cracker its pushed that up to that & a bit plus a bit more.
There has that helped

Well according to Dr. Shitstick, my VA health care "professional" and chief torture specialist I should be consuming nothing more than trace amounts of cardboard with ice chips for dessert. On Sundays he says I can have all the spackling paste I want but to be careful cause that stuff'll stop you up like nobody's business.

I agree whole heartedly! Which is why I'm so unbelievably PISSED OFF 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, week in and week out all year long.
Just the other day as I'm pouring gasoline all over this inconsiderate peckerhead who'd cut me off in traffic I start thinking to myself while digging around for some matches, "if I only had a dang doughnut right about now, maybe it would save this poor schmuck's life."

But alas, Dr. Porkbrain's words of imminent sagacity chime through the fog and remind me I'm diabetic, morbidly obese and in need of shaving a pound or two from an otherwise world class physique.

Needless to say, I found the matches and got that nasty piece of business done. One less half witted blind epileptic behind the wheel of a rolling two ton chunk of jagged metal and glass. Doin' god's work. That's me, and there's lot's of it to do.

Anyway, you get an idea of what I spend on food each month. Nothing! Which of course leaves lots of money for gasoline and internet porn.
Guess I'll have to live on love.

E

Cheers guys

Oh, that's easy.

Eleven pounds, seven shillings and thruppence farthing.

(At least that's what it was the last time I let her drag me out shopping.)

I have a pretty heavy tendency not to waste food, but I think that that comes from my background. I also do a lot of mass cooking, and freeze the crap out of it. That way, I have individual-sized portions of chicken noodle soup, or pasta sauce, or whatnots, for when I don't feel like cooking.

Take a chicken for example:
Typically, a chicken in the USA is without the innards. I will roast the chicken, and make loads of chicken things for days - chicken pot pies that are frozen in the freezer, or chicken a la king, or chicken pho, or chicken chilli, or whatever. I also make sure that once the carcass has been all but picked over, I'll boil out the bones for chicken stock. And finally, once that's all done, I'll dry and grind up the bones for bone meal for roses and whatnots.

Maybe there is a way to join a farmers' cooperative, where you're helping out the environment, and you get local fruit and veg delivered to your door. Also, the only time I go purchase ingredients is when I'm going to go nuts with the cooking. I try not to purchase loads of perishables unless I'm going to cook them that day or the next, considering my pain or energy levels.

In London, I spent about 30 pounds a week on food, which included little trips up the road to Borough Market. I also spent about 10-20 pounds on wine. Here in the Cities, I'll spend about 30 dollars a week, plus I will have my farmers' co-op deliver a little basket to my house. I also signed up for a city garden plot for 2010, which I'm hoping to get. I am also planning on planting some fruit and veg at my new house, along with herbs and edible flowers. A lot of the flowers that are in the front garden are going to be ripped out (and replanted elsewhere, I guess), and some pretty edibles are going up there.

BLAH BLAH BLAH.

Save money, eat strays.

Don't forget the roadkill!

Since the credit crunch, we've been going to Leicester Market, and getting beef ribs, they're cheap, roast them in a bottle of red wine, onions, thyme, and make a big batch up, take out the bones, trim the fat, and split into foil tins for the freezer.

Then just defrost them in the morning, and 25 mins in the oven and they're done! (if you can get your oven to work).

Also, don't get suckered by supermarkets into BOGOF bargains, unless you can freeze the excess, and unless it's alcohol!

Simon

In addition, to save money .....

Turn off radiators in rooms you do not use.

If your thermostat is programmable, check to see if you can turn the temperature down at certain times of the day.

Use low wattage energy efficient bulbs.

Rather than use a large ceiling light, use table lamps with 20 watt bulbs when watching TV.

Don't fill the kettle to the top, if you're only making one cup of coffee/tea.

Anything with an electric heating element in it will cost a fortune in electricity, so use sparingly.

Try not to use the emersion heater.

Use a tiered steamer to cook your vegetables.

Make sure outside security lights use low wattage bulbs.

And the biggest money saver of all, pay off/make extra payments where possible, to any loans/credit cards charging APR.

Any more thrift idea's?

Simon

One thing I've tried to cut down on is take out/delivery and eating out. It's so easy after a long day to pick up the phone or go out to dinner instead of cooking at home but it just sucks money. Convenience is expensive, lol.

hmmmm I dont know how but our average shop a week is £80-100.. we dont eat out much.. about twice qa month going out with friends... we tend to cook at home if we're having ppl round. I like nice food ;)

Roadkill is lovely when cocked correctly & I just love going out in the car to create some, but my biggest problem with this is what to do with all the bikes I've collected.

SIR!

Please send me a video with instructions on how to "correctly cock roadkill"
Every time I start to put the condom on they tear off the duct tape and start screaming for help.
What am I doing wrong? Do I kill it before I cock it?

BTW, I have an almost new mountain bike for sale, please make offer.

E

Take your 2-ply toilet paper and separate it by splitting the plys apart. Roll the first ply on an already empty cardboard spool, then re-roll back onto the existing spool the 2nd ply.

Voila, instant money saver . . . . . or just wipe with newspaper,

Clean windows, stainless steel appliances, with distilled vinegar. I hear it works.

I've read it five or six times before noticing my mistake,
Love your reply Dog

It should only be cocked if you like that seasoning on your food, but do kill it first as the meat becomes tougher if stressed before it dies.(A bit like turkeys)