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Eating the Cupboard Bare

October 10th, 2013 at 04:17 pm

Since Monday, we have been eating from the pantry, fridge and freezer. No run to the store for extras or preferred meals. I spent so much money last weekend getting ready for guests, I thought we needed to rein it in. There have been a few complaints but for the most part everyone has had their preferred food for breakfast and lunch. At dinner, we have been eating different things since we don't have the quantity to feed all of us, or we want to use something up.

Today for lunch, I'm going to finish some soup and have some refried beans with sour cream and lettuce on the side. My husband is coming home for lunch and will have eggs and toast, which is what I ate for dinner last night. It feels good to stretch the grocery budget and actually use up what we have already purchased!

I am going to the store today since we really are out of options for dinner. I will also be buying another round of groceries for visiting guests! This should be the last weekend for that for awhile at least. My mother is bringing the ingredients for the meal on Friday, so that helps with the planning and spending.

What is the oddest thing you have eaten for a meal when using up your food on hand?

Posted in Spending, Saving, Family | 11 Comments »

11 Responses to “Eating the Cupboard Bare”

  1. snafu Says:
    October 10th, 2013 at 04:47 pm 1381420053
    1381420053

    Since Friday dinner time is such a scramble of activities ended, places to go and friends to see, it's been designated 'Buffet.' All leftovers and small bits are set out on the counter to heat 'n eat. If it's really cold I combine appropriate ingredients to make a hearty soup or stew. Often the kids make up their version of pizza with a pita bread or tortilla base and squeeze bottle of pizza sauce [re-purpose a ketchup bottle for home made pizza sauce].

    Wednesday dinner is usually meatless so from time to time we do breakfast for lunch with some style of egg, pancakes or waffles or french toast, or a British style full on breakfast with kippers lol

  2. scottish girl Says:
    October 10th, 2013 at 04:51 pm 1381420312
    1381420312

    We had porridge (oatmeal) one night. I guess that's not unusual though, I just think of it as breakfast.

  3. Miz Pat Says:
    October 10th, 2013 at 05:56 pm 1381424172
    1381424172

    One of my favorites is to have breakfast for dinner, since I don't eat breakfast (part of my Naturally Slim Program diet). Eggs on toast or sausage and eggs, or home made hashbrowns with cheese. Yum.

  4. Jenn Says:
    October 10th, 2013 at 07:35 pm 1381430111
    1381430111

    Red beans & rice with cornbread in the crockpot. If there's meat, any meat provides good flavoring.

  5. ThriftoRama Says:
    October 10th, 2013 at 08:08 pm 1381432101
    1381432101

    We've made a lot of soups this week so we can use things up. There has been less complaining than I anticipated!

  6. Permanent Temp Says:
    October 10th, 2013 at 08:09 pm 1381432175
    1381432175

    Nice I have done this too. I'd have to think what the most unusual thing was but I know I stopped buying flour tortilla wrap and and put the bean filling on the fresh bread I already buy from Whole Foods. Why waste it. Smile

  7. creditcardfree Says:
    October 10th, 2013 at 08:54 pm 1381434865
    1381434865

    @PT, I don't think I've had beans on bread, but I'm sure it tastes similar! Good idea.

    Soups are so good for using up small bits of things. I like your idea, snafu, of putting out a buffet of leftovers on a certain night of the week. And Friday is a good day to do that!

  8. rob62521 Says:
    October 11th, 2013 at 01:46 am 1381452417
    1381452417

    I am cleaning out the fridge for our lunches tomorrow. Tonight was leftover soup..love saving money!

  9. My English Castle Says:
    October 11th, 2013 at 04:27 am 1381462056
    1381462056

    Many many many years ago when I had just left college, was very broke, and had two weeks before I got paid, I ate the oddest things for those weeks. I literally had NO money and walked to work to save bus fare. I recall it all too well. My college roommates had dried milk that they used to boost their yogurt, but had abandoned a big box of it when we left school. I had that, some various cans of soup, some Bisquick, cheap margarine, a few fresh vegetables, a dozen eggs, and some jello. I suspect the jello (such a youth!) was from jello shots never made. At least three or four of those days I had a hard boiled egg, some really horrible Bisquick biscuits and cucumber slices for lunch. I left the office to eat it somewhere private, embarrassed by its awfulness. I attempted to make some cream of vegetables soup with the dried milk, marg, and flour, and it was pretty revolting, but I ate it. And had lovely orange jello for dessert. When payday finally rolled around, I remember the couple of hundred in my hand, and the glorious Chinese takeaway I had for dinner. One of the best meals ever.

  10. LuckyRobin Says:
    October 11th, 2013 at 10:19 am 1381483184
    1381483184

    I'm not sure how odd they are to others, but they were odd to me.

    I cooked half a bag of egg noodles in a can of chicken broth and cut up four hot dogs that I seared on each side before throwing them into the mix until it was heated through. We sprinkled parmesan cheese on top because that was what we had. Everybody actually liked it.

    I've done the chili over a baked potato thing with shredded cheddar on top.

    I've made blueberry cornbread pancakes by mixing a box of Jiffy blueberry muffin mix and a box of Jiffy cornbread mix and just pouring the batter out into pancakes. Just had to add a little extra water to thin the batter to pancake consistency. It was really good, actually. Didn't even need syrup, just butter.

  11. creditcardfree Says:
    October 11th, 2013 at 12:50 pm 1381492227
    1381492227

    @LR, clever to combine two mixes.

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