I lived from my store cupboard for two weeks – here’s how
A swift glance at my bank statement has confirmed that it's high time to be more cautious with our finances and get our household budget back on course. The frequent meals out, weekday socialising over a pint and festive treats have not only taken a toll on my purse but also on my weight.
The holiday season is now over, and it's clear that the fridge could do with some replenishment. On the other hand, the food shelves and freezer still have a lot in them, and it might be a good opportunity to stock up by making use of what I already have rather than going out to buy more. Instead of going back to my usual shopping routine and buying more food, perhaps I could tidy through my cupboards and freezer and find some things that I haven't used for a while. Here's how:
Develop a game plan
Instead of mindlessly digging through the fridge trying to come up with ideas for an easy lunch and a decent dinner when the cupboards are almost bare, it's better to plan meals more carefully.
While I am prepared to purchase a few fresh essentials periodically, including milk and eggs, my priority is to reduce my expenditure as much as possible while utilising the food items that are approaching their 'use by' dates. This involves initially referencing the products already stored in my pantry and taking advantage of the freezer contents, which comprise often-overlooked items such as sliced bread, fruit, and vegetables.
Sort and declutter
While there doesn't seem to be any vintage items, we do have a fair number of half-used packets that need to be tidied up and transferred into containers, as well as a few jars and cans approaching their "best-before" dates that should be used up before they expire.
I keep a note of the items that haven't been used or ones I've bought in bulk, so I avoid purchasing them again. It's a good opportunity to use up any emergency supplies as well. For me, tins of tomato soup and microwave packets of rice are always lingering, just in case my nearly grown-up kids might need them if I'm delayed on public transport.
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Create a list of meals for the coming week.
I'm not exactly the sort of person who comes up with meal plans easily, but a great way to guarantee a well-rounded mix of dishes is by creating a weekly plan of meals. It doesn't have to be an overly complicated process - a simple schedule for each day with the ingredients needed and a shopping list will give you a good starting point.
A pesto and pea mixture. It typically involves mixing pesto, which is a sauce made from basil, garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan, with frozen peas.
I've come across a surplus of dried beans and lentils that will be fantastic in soups and stews, but pairing them with quinoa and bulgur wheat requires a bit more thought. I also have a decent store of longer-lasting root vegetables like potatoes, onions, carrots, and garlic that can be used to add substance and flavour when needed, along with a few oranges and lemons.
Balance the nutrients
When deciding on what to prepare for lunch or dinner, I often begin by thinking about carbohydrates like rice, pasta and cereals. They're readily available in my pantry and the numerous options ensure that I can have a different one each day without getting bored.
Beans, tinned fish, nuts, and seeds, such as protein from frozen meat or fish, are next up. To avoid buying much, I find it rather tricky; I need to plan my options carefully using what I already have. Things like eggs and basic dairy products, like milk, will be on my "essentials" shopping list. Due to having cheese in the fridge - parmesan and mature cheddar, as well as half a tub of feta – these can add protein to dishes that don't include meat.
I intend to utilise only tinned, frozen, and dried fruit and vegetables, and I'm particularly keen to make the most of the numerous half-empty bags of peas, soya beans, and frozen spinach blocks that have been sitting idle at the back of my freezer for a while.
The meals
Breakfast
A brilliant hole in the baking cupboard, utilising dried fruit, seeds and an ample quantity of desiccated coconut.
Lunch
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Add some sophistication to the broth by whisking up some eggs into it, incorporating frozen vegetables for extra fibre and bulk, and topping it off with a sprinkle of sesame seeds, crispy onions or dried seaweed from your store cupboard to give it some added texture and flavour.
from Xanthe Clay.
Dinner
Comforting pasta dishes, casserole and many various traybakes make up the core of my family's meals. My slow cooker is a great asset both for the flexibility of being able to go out and knowing dinner will be waiting and for the energy and cost benefits.
Treats
They are simple to whip up over the weekend. However, I only have one packet of butter in the fridge and want to make it last, so I will look for recipes that use olive oil, coconut oil, or suet as the primary source of fat.
How easy was it?
Like any plan, it's those that you consistently adhere to that ultimately prove effective, and cooking from scratch does indeed require more endeavour, particularly when one's only recourse is to utilise available resources. Nevertheless, being unable to rely on my usual repertoire does prompt more innovative thinking – albeit, sometimes when I'm starting to grow tired of lentil soup.
As a family, we develop a fondness for fluffy dumplings and suet pastry, and in the process clear out a box of unopened vegetable suet that's been taking up space. We discover that making pizzas over the weekend isn't just thrifty, costing approximately £1 each, but also a fun activity, and the food is absolutely scrumptious. I also get rid of old meat and fish that's become freezer-burnt, although it's no longer as fresh-tasting as it should be, the food itself is still safe to eat and I couldn't justify throwing it away.
Yes, we had plenty of beans and pulses. We finished off most of the wine in the house and finished off the Christmas sherry. The only items I purchased were milk, eggs, and one ball of mozzarella to combine with cheddar for pizza, saving the household around £300 over the two-week period, and also resulted in me getting back to my usual trousers size.
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