It's been exactly four weeks since I started on my new rationing lifestyle, so I think it's time to have a little recap and check my figures. Here's me just popping on my reading glasses. 😄
Each week up to now I have been able to take my ration foods from the stores of food that I already had in, so for the first month I have not had to buy any of the milk, cheese, fats, oil, sweets, sugar etc etc. It was the same for the monthly, bi-monthly and points shopping. All came from my food cupboard or fridge. So the only spending I have had to do was on bread, vegetables, some washing up liquid ... oh and multipack of sanity-saving crisps.
My spending has been as follows:
Week One from Booths - £5.25
Week Two from Sainsbury's - £13.80
Week Three from Aldi - £1.15
Week Four from Booths - £3.59
So a total spend during this first month of rationing of just £23.79.
As I am allowing myself £10 a week at the moment ... it might change further down the line if that proves too little ... that leaves me with £16.21 of my first months £40 in my royal mug.
Now officially, as I have been doing this for four weeks it should be time for me to have another twenty points to buy the next months Points shopping, but I have decided that doing this mid-month every month is just too complicated, so from now on I will get another twenty points on the first of each month. Luckily I still have a lot of the foods I bought with my points available for me to be able to ride out these three weeks, although the three biscuits that I have left are not going to last me three weeks!! 😄
Now all I have to do is complete the rest of September on the foods that I already have in and the additional weekly rations that I should still be able to get together from the fridge and cupboard each Monday.
I have also decided that I am going to try not to spend any of my money until the first of October. If I have to then I have to, but my aim is to get to the end of the month with NO SHOPPING AT ALL. If I use up the fresh vegetables that I have left in the fridge first and then work my way through the frozen ones in the freezer that I have had since before the Challenge began, this should be possible.
I am already out of bread, but after last weeks mouldy bread incident I think a couple of weeks without eating bread will be just fine. I do have a couple of boxes of crackers in the pre-rationing food cupboard and once they run out ... Potato Pete will be my new best friend instead.
So in a way the last three weeks of September are to be a bit of a reset.
No, or very minimal shopping.
No points rations available.
Use up what I have in the freezer to make space.
Top up The Royal Cash Pot with as much as possible ready for future shopping.
Sue xx
Huge congrats!
ReplyDeleteApart from a little space in the cupboard and unspent cash in your purse, have you noticed any changes in yourself? Mental? Physical? Do you have more time for other things as you are not shopping, cooking anything complicated?
The main difference that I have noticed in myself is my sleep. I have always been a reasonable sleeper but now I am getting a solid eight hours every night. Thank goodness I don't have middle of the night air raids to contend with ... just zombie like toilet breaks. ;-)
DeleteI don't have more time at the moment because of work and blogging every day. I find sorting out a post and getting it up, on this blog and the other one, takes me at least an hour and I frequently fall into the trap of blog-hopping for far too long. I do seem to be washing a lot more pots than usual as well.
Has it been four weeks, already? You did very well to spend just a bit above half of what you had allocated to spend! How are you feeling after one month of being on rations?
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling really good, the meals have been satisfying and I have been surprised by some of the things that I have really enjoyed ... cabbage being one of them. :-)
DeleteWell done, isn't it always a shock somehow to see the price of bread now x
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
It really is considering what we used to pay. Although the Sainsbury's loaf that I like is only £1 at the moment which I think is a good price.
DeleteA fantastic first month, Sue, very well done. It's good to know that you are sleeping better too. I'm finding I sleep better if I don't eat rubbish during the day. No snacking for me between meals ( G still does) and proper meal planning to use up what we have in.
ReplyDeleteIt seems we all have similar plans, which isn't surprising with the cost of food now. Meal planning is just about the best way to keep costs down isn't it.
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