The last day of the month already, wow where has January gone.
I know for a fact a good selection of my fresh foods have been eaten over this long month, but I'm not too worried as I still have lots left in the cupboards and freezer ... I'll do a financial and cupboard round up tomorrow on 1st February.
I have just finished working out a menu plan for this week, making good use of what I have left, taking care to include most of the fridge foods that now have short dates.
I found this in the fridge door as I was taking some photos ready for tomorrows post - it went out of date in November of last year ... why didn't I notice that at the start of the Challenge?
I thought it was worth cooking the croissants to see if they would be edible as the roll of perforated dough smelled okay. But I had one of those 'Great British Bake Off' moments when the contestants just can't remember the shape of something and unfortunately as I opened the packets the little picture instructions were ripped through and illegible.
Close enough!!
I ate one straight away warm from the oven with a cup of coffee and yes it tasted fine, so I have the other two for later and I gave Alan the other half to have for his elevenses.
Going through my cupboards, fridge, freezer and other spaces each month is going to be a really good habit to get into for this year and for into the future and needs to be done a bit more carefully I think. Those of you who have read along for the last 14 years will know that I am not a stickler for dates, common-sense is much more useful and sensible in some instances ... and it cuts down on food waste and saves you money.
Sue xx
That little tip right there...I've wasted an awful lot by simply forgetting that I had it. It all seems so much easier to keep track of now that I retired. I've been seriously applying this challenge, and I do have a question. Maybe it's been answered, but I missed it. What do you do about haircuts? I guess that I am not a 'natural woman'. I need a good hair cut.
ReplyDeleteYou're right this was something that I missed off mentioning. At the end of last year I worked out that as I have my hair cut once every 6 weeks ... I have a short choppy style ... I needed enough money for up to 9 cuts for the year, plus my normal tips which adds up to a total of £208.00 for the year. (9 x £22 (including tip) plus £10 Christmas tip)
DeleteI also have an Amazon Prime Subscription and Netflix fee that comes off my credit card, so I overpaid the card by £400, so now I am in credit enough for all my haircuts and for my entertainment costs.
I don't think the shape matters. When our daughters were small, Jusrol croissants were a Sunday treat. We'd unroll the pack and cut each triangle in half. That way it was easier to share 12 mini croissants between the 4 of us
ReplyDeleteNow that sounds like a better idea, half sized would have been perfect. They went down very well with the Vego spread that I am trying to use up, it made them taste more like Pain au Chocolat ... which I love even more.
DeleteChild of parents who were brought up during the War here - take absolutely no notice of dates on anything! I just use my eyes and sense of smell. In fact I used a packet of cheese sauce the other day that my Mum had given me - it was only when I threw the packet in the bin I realised it said best before Nov 2014 and, shock horror, I'm still here alive and kicking!! Fiona x
ReplyDeleteWow ... you've even beaten me there!! We used up a jar of homemade jam the other day that had a date of 2016 on it and it was delicious. If you think about it best before dates are a very recent addition to packaging and especially to fruit and veggies, common-sense seems to be the thing that's in shortest supply these days.
DeleteI pretty much ignore dates here as well, as you say, common sense is the key. A few months ago I found a well out of date long life soya milk carton in the cupboard and thought I'd use it to make a rice pud.....well, when I opened the pack and (fortunately) poured a bit into a cup first, it had gone all lumpy and smelt funny, so that went down the sink. I've just this morning found another carton, skimmed milk this time, which had got pushed to the back of the cupboard, it's 5 months out of date. I'll do the same thing - put some in a cup first to see what it's like, if eye, nose and taste says it's ok, then it'll be rice pud, with half a tin of evap (which is leftover in the fridge) mixed in. The croissants look fine, I'm sure Alan appreciated his!
ReplyDeleteYep, our eyes and nose are our best tools in the kitchen. Oh yes, Alan loved his warm from the oven croissants. :-)
DeleteI have 2 of my grandsons (3 and 5 years old) coming to stay with me for 2 weeks so lots of grocery shopping will be done this week to get in the foods that they like to eat. My son sent me 5 pages of helpful hints and schedules to assist me! He and his wife are going to Rwanda to visit her family.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you do during your no shop year when you have unexpected or special events?
Gosh, you are going to have your hands full, good luck.
DeleteWell I've managed to rustle up one birthday cake up to now, but if anything else crops up I will deal with it as and when there's no point in worrying just yet.
Given the cute shape of your baked croissants, you might want to call them crabissants. :)
ReplyDeleteHaha ... they are definintely claw-like :-)
DeleteI go through the fridge and pantry twice a month and pull up stuff that needs using up. I'm glad the bread rolls were good.
ReplyDeleteI've obviously been a little bit lax in the past to have missed the croissants, but from now on while I'm planning out the menu the fridge will be checked over weekly. Imagine how upset I would be if I had to throw something away ... it doesn't bear thinking about!!
DeleteMy middle son came to stay with me for a week while I had cataract surgery and recovery; providing the transport to Exeter and back, 2 days running, did several jobs around the house - and took over all the kitchen duties . . . To my shame e found several items that were WELL out of date. He then went and bought 1 small bag of Plain flour and one small bag of Self Raising flour to replace the 2018 and 2019 large bags he'd thrown out!!! There was a suspect half jar of jam in the fridege with mould on the top, but I persuaded him to let me remove the mould. (Funny thing is, now he's gone back home, I can't find that jam anywhere.
ReplyDeleteI wonder where that went Rambler? 🤔😁
DeleteA very interesting shape there Sue! I'm getting better at using up stuff just within the date but if it's gone past it I do rely on sniff and taste. My worst thing is spices. I have a tendency to buy, use once and then rediscover the jar about 3 years later when there's no taste left in it 🙄
DeleteYou have reminded me that I must find a cheaper hairdresser. The one I go to charges £32 for a cut and finish. Its much too pricey for me this year as I'm cutting down on everything for my Frugal Year.
Naughty boy ... you should have frisked him on his way out Rambler!!
DeleteYes, a rather weird shape for sure :-)
DeleteI want to streamline my spices for sure, I'm moving any that I use to the first row of the drawer when I put them back and we'll see how the order changes. Any not used during this year will be jettisoned for good.
My haircut is £19 and I give a £3 tip each time. It was cheaper when we lived in Wales and over twice the price when we lived down South. I do tend to stick to one hairdresser once I find someone on my wavelength, but the best one ever was Margaret and Kathryn in Wales.
I have eaten a great many foods past the date on the package and have never had any issue.
ReplyDeleteMy grandkids and I use the croissant dough to make mini cinnamon rolls .. quick and easy! They sometimes turn out looking strange but the taste is wonderful!