Menu Plan w/c 18 Jan

Monday - savoury mince, mashed potatoes, fresh veggies from box

Tuesday - sausage and chips

Wednesday - roast pork, roast potatoes, fresh veggies from box

Thursday - turkey curry, rice

Friday - jacket potatoes, cheese and beans

Saturday - pizza

Sunday - pork casserole, mashed potatoes, fresh veggies from box

Using things up

This last week has seen us using a few things up which have been bought but not used and have languished in the back of the cupboard for a while.

There were a couple of tins of different beans and some green lentils, so the lentils went into a curry, and the beans were added to the chilli instead of kidney beans.

I have made a concious decision to not buy things now on a "we might use it later" or a "I fancy trying that", whim.
Grocery purchases are going to be made for a specified use in the menu plan, obviously if something we use regularly is on a special offer then it will be purchased as it is silly not to, especially if it is a non perishable.

To this end I am going to restart menu planning each week and make my grocery list around this, the menu plan will incorporate meats etc that I have in the freezer and these will be either replaced or an alternative which is better value will be bought instead.

We have an organic veg box delivered weekly so obviously will be using those; also the nights I opt to make a curry or other spicy dish David will have a plated dinner from the freezer as he doesn't like spicy food; I plate up extra portions for this purpose and also for Dave to have for his lunches some days.

Weekly Weigh In 1

The landfill rubbish this first week has weighed in at 159g; and that is allowing for the fact that David is now eating crisps etc again, and that the boys were at home for 3 school days due to the bad weather.

Wintery Weather

The last few days have seen some real old fashioned wintery weather.

The boys haven't been to school apart from Tuesday as the buses were cancelled, and my work was closed today.

I had a reduced gammon steak in the freezer so it was pulled out and used to make a pot of gammon and lentil broth. This was served with chunks of hm bread for a lovely warming lunch.

I also made some fat balls to hang in the trees in the garden for the birds.

As we live in a rural setting with a country lane to the houses, the lane is to say the least very slippery( compacted frozen snow with fresh falling on top); it is times like this when you appreciate your store cupboard and freezer, and not have to worry about getting to a shop.

Starting Afresh

The landfill bin was emptied this morning so we are starting the new year with a clean slate.

We will see how few times we absolutely have to put the bin out for collection.

I do have to take some items to HWRC soon but that hasn't been done since September so we have obviously reduced the amount of packaging albeit recyclable that we have been purchasing.

Weekly Weigh In 52

The final weigh in from 2009 amounted to 178g.

Welcome

So far this new year we have:

a) looked at our budget for the coming year and put in place some savings pots

b) not spent any money as have plenty in the fridge and freezer which will last until after the weekend

c) sorted a few bits to go to the charity shop on our next visit to town

the weather has been very cold and wintry similar to how "it used to be" when myself and Dave were kids

Dave goes back to work on Monday, the boys go back to school on Tuesday, and I go back to work on Tuesday as well.

Once everyone is back into the normal routine I will be meal planning with avengence, so that the odd things in the freezer will be used up and then I can replenish the freezer and cupboards probably in February.

I will be keeping a running total again of how much landfill waste we create over the year.