I am just past mid-point on my no-spend month, which is also low-spend January as far as groceries are concerned. Here is an update, my meal plan and a rant about UK dental costs….
Using stuff up
My last post was all about reverse meal planning – that is, shopping from your own kitchen as much as possible and only topping up when it can’t be avoided.
This has been a good exercise to make myself use food items that I purchased on a whim or for a specific purpose but then changed my plan. More unusual ingredients can feel difficult to use. If you are anything like me, you are busy and keep ignoring them (like the roll of puff pastry lurking in the freezer). So, I have continued this theme in my meal plan this week, although I did a bigger grocery shop than last week to top up on some store cupboard items. I don’t like getting too low on things like tinned tomatoes, for example, which I use frequently.
We are well under our £250 food budget for the month. I think it is likely to settle at the £200 mark (hopefully)! This budget includes any cleaning or household products that I can buy from the supermarket, as well as fresh chicken for Archie, who regular readers will know has lots of intolerances to foods most dogs would eat with no issues.
As for general spending, I am doing well. I even got round a few charity shops whilst visiting my mum the other day and wasn’t tempted by anything. That’s an achievement for me!! Luckily, they were all quite overpriced. I did pay for a trip to the dentist, but more about that later.
This week’s meal plan
Anyway, here is this week’s meal plan:
Sunday
A while back I bought Justin a lump of beef brisket that had been reduced. So that will go in the slow cooker for him with some veg and should make at least three meals, if not four. I will be having a veggie casserole, in this case a version of Somerset stew with cheesy mash. I can’t stomach all those beans, though, so will replace them with a can of green lentils.
I am also using the roll of puff pastry and some apples from the garden and making apple turnovers to have for dessert.
Monday
Leftover Somerset casserole from Sunday (it’s just me for dinner tonight)
Tuesday
Macaroni cheese and vegetables.
Wednesday
Me: Leftover mac cheese with veg
Justin: Leftover beef brisket from the freezer with veg
Thursday
Cheesy pasta with peppers and mushrooms
Friday
Fish cakes from the freezer (these were reduced price) with homemade chips and broccoli
Saturday
I am trying a version of this BBC Good Food recipe, spicy cauliflower and halloumi rice. The cauliflower will be substituted for broccoli, however, as we have quite a lot of it.
Having good teeth costs a lot …
The dentist has been telling me repeatedly to invest in an electric toothbrush, and yesterday when I saw the hygienist, she said the same. I am looking into this, but it can wait until next month.
Incidentally, when I was first prompted to book a hygienist appointment I tried to book online and they quoted me £120!!!! My dentist has forced all of his patients to go private unless they are on benefits. Initially, he kept prices on a par with NHS costs, but they have been creeping up. It is clearly (by the look of his Porsche) a very lucrative business these days, and he is even pushing cosmetic surgery alongside the dentristy.
Last time I paid £67 to see the hygienist, but £120!? I don’t think so. When I complained to my dentist (not the owner of the practice), she said that was the upper level price and that I could still get it for £67 if I rang up. I moaned that I wasn’t on benefits but was on a relatively low income, and this kind of profiteering annoyed me. She was sympathetic enough to tell me there were hygienist students in the practice currently, and they only charged £36. So, I booked them and they were extremely competent and thorough.
If you have similar issues with your dentist, assuming you are lucky enough to actually have a dentist, it is worth asking the question about students. Clearly, it will cost less in the long run if you look after your teeth and gums, so it is worth investing a small amount in checkups and hygiene appointments.
Anyway, that’s my update on my no-spend January and food costs. You can also follow along with me on my YouTube channel (come over and subscribe. I would massively appreciate the support!).
If you are looking for some frugal inspiration, take a look at my book, Extreme Frugality: Save Money Like Your Grandma.
June says
I sympathathise with the dental costs . I’ve been forced into private dental care for several years and am very happy with the care, if not the cost!
I have £850 worth of work to be done. My friend had £2,000 worth. All essential and impossible to find an NHS dentist in the area. We only one has a waiting list of c3 years!
Like you, we are not on benefits. We fall
Into the category of being only just above the pension credit cut off which means unlike several of my friends there is no free dental care, subsidised glasses, free TV licence, no winter heating allowance and no help with Council Tax.
Having saved from our not particularly well paid jobs for a small work pension we are now worse off than if we had not done so.
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
I hadn’t thought of that, but you’re absolutely right about your pension! The eligibility for pension credit is set far too low. And the situation with dentists is just terrible. I do hope the current government can improve things but after many years of underfunding they can’t do it overnight