The 'Your Dictionary' website define miserly as 'someone who is cheap'. (adjective).
The Free Online Dictionary says about someone who is miserly 'she practices economy without being stingy' and is 'unwilling to spend'.
Well this month when it comes to food shopping that is ME !!
I am rising to the challenge of hanging onto as much of my £2 Housekeeping money as possible. I have put twenty pounds from the £2 Coin tin into my purse and there I am hoping it can stay. To aid me, in case of any food related emergencies I still have the back up of £15 of M&S vouchers which I managed not to spend last month. It does help not having a Marks and Spencer near where we live :-)
Throughout the month of March to inspire me and keep me on track I will bring back Thrifty Thursdays, with lots of tips on food related money saving that I use on a regular basis.
I am going to cook my way through the contents of the freezers ready for a defrost, and hopefully get planting in the greenhouse so that in the next couple of months we will be eating from the Veggie Patch and not the supermarket or greengrocers and freezing the surplus in the newly discovered space.
Join me on my Miserly March journey and leave any tips that you think will inspire me. I'm sure lots of us do the same money saving things but it's always nice to have your mind refreshed and know that you're not the only one out there hanging onto that hard earned cash.
Sue xx
good luck!
ReplyDeleteI`m doing pretty much the same. We are eating our way through the freezer, too. And I`m also planning to grow a few things this year in my garden, weather permitting. Since stepson as finally moved out we also find that we spend half as much on weekly shopping. Every little saving will help.
ReplyDeleteOoh good luck! I've just posted up my summary post for Frugal February, and surprised myself thoroughly with the groceries spend, but I didn't manage to get my cash spend quite THAT low!
ReplyDeleteGood luck I know you will succeed ,I'm still trying to work through freezers and also hoping to grow more this year.
ReplyDeleteI know roughly the area you live and I'm racking my brains as to where m&s is near you
X
The nearest one is actually just a food store on the Reading services, for a 'proper' store we have to drive into Reading, which would cost us in parking, £7.50 if you are there over 2 hours and it's not worth going all that way for less than 2 hours :-(
DeleteI'm setting off to Manchester to visit Mum in a few minutes so I am taking my vouchers with me, I might get to use them there :-)
Hello Sue, we're attempting to keep things tight here too, and it's encouraging to see and read about how other people are going about it. So far I've found that a menu plan - even if I end up straying off a little - is my best defence against overspending. I have two teenage picky eaters, so we have to have some flexibility, but it's working quite well.
ReplyDeleteThere's a saving to buying full size oranges and cutting in half for 2 people, rather than having a smaller clementine each. The other half can always go in the fridge for tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI have done this with large apples we bought recently! I really thought I was just being stingy!! It is so reasuring reading blogs ...
DeleteGood luck Sue! I've totally blown my grocery budget the last two months, so I'm hoping to have a miserly March too. :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck with March and your aims :)
ReplyDeleteNowadays I never go shopping without planning my meals for the week ahead and then writing my shopping list according to what I need for those meals. I check the cupboard so I don't buy duplicates and make sure any leftovers are used in future meals.
ReplyDeleteI take my daughter to a youth bible study group on a Thursday evening, and it is just round the corner from a Simply Fod M&S. I get there just as they are doing the final round of reductions. I've picked up some great, budget busting bargains. My freezer is stocked up with 50p quiches, 60p fruit pies, 10p litres of milk and 20p cartons of luxury custard. Absolutely great for stretching the pennies, and no extra petrol costs as I would be driving there anyway!
ReplyDeleteWe're stocked for the month of March, too. There will be some expected twists in our days this month including the birth of our first grandchild. It is my intention to go shopping next Wednesday for items to prepare some quick meals for the mom to be. Hopefully that and what perishables I need will be all we pick up this month.
ReplyDeletewe are having a similair month, we are also aiming to be pretty much meat free too only having meat at sunday lunch. Any ideas for veggie meals from the slowcooker greatly appreciated
ReplyDeleteMiserly March - love it!! I'm continuing to build up our freezer stock this month with the view to running it down in April to save some pennies then.
ReplyDeleteGood luck for the month ahead - although I'm a new reader I can tell you'll do very well.