Food Club Challenge

I promised a new food challenge, in which I show you the meals I make from Food Club for two weeks, and here is the first entry.

Food Clubs are the new breed of help for households; unlike food banks, they aren't free and you don't just get handed a parcel and wished on your merry way. You do still need to qualify for them by being of low disposable income. I am someone who works close to full-time, but as my lovely club will tell you once they saw my bank statement, there is not much money left in the tank each month. Mine is funded by my local council, but also gets some of the food donated by local supermarkets - as I will explain with my pictures.

Here's what I picked up this week. This shop cost me £5 and consisted of 30 points. Each item has a point value - for example, tinned vegetables are only one point, but a box of washing powder is three points. There are certain things which I don't usually get here, like fruit, salad vegetables, yoghurt, cheese and some frozen foods. But I think it's fair to say that I now spend half as much on my food and the Food Club has really helped me tremendously. 💗

This first picture is what I like to think of as my "go to" dinner bases. Particularly if I have worked a late shift, these are really easy to put together when I am tired. I simply microwave the (small) potato for four minutes, break it up with the spoon and throw on half a tin of one of these. Delicious. I also tend to add a good handful of frozen mixed vegetables, or whatever fresh or tinned vegetables I happen to have at hand. This week I've got carrots (which appear below) and also some left over frozen mixed veg and stir fry veg (around 80p-£1 a bag from ASDA) so I will probably use up some of those. Potatoes are also great with half a tin of beans, or tuna mixed with mayo, or even a chicken curry tin. 

This second picture is a mix of lunches, potato-swaps and cheater's meals. Tonight, for example, I got home late, and when I don't feel like standing around in the kitchen I treat myself to Irish Stew. If I don't have salad fixings or I feel like a zombie in the morning, I sometimes take a cous cous or pasta packet to work, with or without some frozen veg to make it a bit more interesting.

There are some hot dog rolls in my freezer and I also got a lovely baguette today, so that's why I picked up the hot dog tin. As you can see there was also a delicious pecan plaît (that was my breakfast, along with a croissant). The three-cheese bloomer has featured with lunch (tomato soup - hot tip, add a dash of ketchup and salt & pepper). Bread is a bit tricky, it takes up a lot of freezer space and since it's donated, it's all free, but this also means it's best by yesterday and needs to be eaten quickly.

The three-cheese bloomer also starred in my dinner for this evening with my cheat meal, because tonight I treated myself (for the first time in a year!) to a night out seeing a show at the theatre, and I arrived home late, tired and soaked through. I would like to now apologise for just how un-photogenic Irish Stew is in general. In fact, many of my dinners are some variety of beige, so I will do my best to describe them rather than take multiple ugly photos of the latest slop-looking food which is actually delicious. 

This is a pic of some basic cupboard staples I picked up. I am butterly disappointed in the fake butter (did you see what I did there?). It's got a weird, margarine-y off taste that I associate with some of the awful brands I've bought in the past. It's the first time I've seen them stock this particular brand, so maybe the nice brand will return. If not, I'll go back to buying it from my work, which has the massive 1kg tubs that taste nice.

The pineapple tin does double-duty. I try to eat two servings of fruit every day. Usually that's a banana with breakfast and some other fruit either as a snack or after dinner. So that large tin is four desserts and I also save the juice to add a dash to my water bottle for work - it's delicious and actually makes me drink water.

Everybody needs a treat, right? The crisps were a no-brainer, the biscuits I am not even sure will get opened (I've still got a pack of custard creams from two weeks ago) and the chocolate gingerbread just looked sad and unloved. It might, even so, sit here in my cupboard for another few months being sad and unloved. We'll see. And although crisps aren't the healthiest thing in the world, I tend to take a pack to work with my lunch. It somehow stops me looking at my salad-lunch in disgust and walking out to buy something else!

Mostly free, left: the carrots were one point for the bag, but the rest was free as it was donated. I have some lettuce and cucumber in the fridge, and some tinned beetroot, so that's a few salads for work this week. I'm really grateful for the bananas too as I haven't been able to get any in the past few days and they're so much nicer than apples (controversial, I know).

All the packets and tins here were free as they are past their "best-before" dates and I think you know exactly what I think of best-before dates. I have some pasta in my cupboard from my last visit, and kidney beans work well in salads too. The stuffing balls are also a lovely change from the usual potato or rice with a meal.

Not from Food Club: a few salad bits, fresh fruit, jam etc, condiments, coffee (although most of these are actually available - I just didn't need them this week). I haven't completely emptied my kitchen in preparation so there might be a few things here and there that I eat seemingly from nowhere. For instance today I ate a chocolate brownie while sat in the the theatre and I'm not ashamed to say I bought it from Bargain Shop last week. It's realistic to say that this haul only provides about half the food for an adult each week. While it'd be possible to live on Food Club alone, if money were that tight I would be heading for a food bank so that I had a few pounds spare each week for, say, fruit.

So that's the starting point. I will try to update each day on what I prep for food, although I might space the posts out so that you don't fall asleep 😛

Cash Register Noises

I re-joined the gym. I'm having some interesting health challenges right now and I think it would help if I were to increase my fitness. Feeling good there so far, just walking at the moment but I'm hoping to also get my weight loss to continue.

I cashed out on another three survey sites, so that's another £10 to spend at Old Favourite supermarket and a few pounds into my PayPal. 👍 I also finally finished that Bingo game on Swagbucks - but the offer has disappeared - so I really hope it credits and I don't have to specially request my 4000SB. I got another £100 in Household Support from the local council - having been tipped off by Food Club that they had to spend their yearly allocation before the end of March. Very pleased as that's going straight onto a debt repayment. Council has said their applications may re-open in April, so I will check back then and apply for 2023.

Currently fighting with my local GP office which refuses to do any kind of medical care for me whatsoever, declaring that I am now a private patient. Here's the thing: I am not, anymore. After two weeks of arguing they finally did a blood test (which I had to pay for myself) and I must now use Doctor Google to assess the results, decide if I seem to be ok, and then adjust my medication as best as I can guess. They're also refusing to prescribe a critical medication and just say they can't do it - I have about a ten-day supply right now and am desperately hoping that I can get in to see a local women's clinic next week. In the mean time they say that a pharmacy "might" accept my Spanish prescription, so I look forward to a week of traipsing from one pharmacy to the next with my best begging face on. Ok, I say, can I have an appointment about my knee, which is totally unrelated? Oh, we don't deal with knees, that's physiotherapy. Ok, so can I just have a medical note about it to give to work, so that I can avoid heavy lifting? Sure, we'll request it, the next medical note day is in two weeks' time.

Did someone say the NHS was great? It's fucking awful. And right now it's failing me big time. And it's making me angry. I am extremely well-educated about my specific health issue right now (to the point my specialist asked me if I have a medical background) and I know that the average patient would not be. And they would face terrible, permanent, life-changing consequences if they did not understand what they needed and why it is urgent. Sorry to get political but the Tories are a disgrace and need to go. 👉

Regrettably

...they drew the wrong winner so I am not £45,000 richer from my raffle ticket. I did, however, get an extra day of work yesterday to cover an ill colleague, so that's something.

Today I did the usual financial housekeeping and moved money around as best I could. My aim right now is to clear the most expensive credit card, and after that it will be to clear the overdraft. I'm equal parts disgusted about being in overdraft and pleased because it's cheaper than the painful credit card 😫 which is a terrible thing to acknowledge but at least there is a game plan on tackling them both.

I have received a £25 payout from one of my survey sites so that was a nice bonus.

I batch cooked last night and tonight is my remaining lasagne, so Operation Use Things Up is in full swing. My freezer desperately needs emptying, as I have too many things stored which aren't special enough to take up that much room, so I'm attempting to concentrate there.

Five weeks until Australia trip!

Re-Livenation

Photo posed by models.
Plates not included.

I have decided to re-livenate my flat. Yes, I invented that word. Right now the furniture is not functional and much of it does not get used yet takes up valuable space. So there are two major pieces which will go: my huge click-clack sofa bed, and my dressing table, neither of which ever gets sat on/at. The former is merely a repository for clean clothes and the latter has plants and junk on it.

Today I've driven out 45min into the countryside and bought myself this fabulous tiny dining set. Over the moon with it. I've been toying with the idea for ages and then one came up on Facebook Marketplace for £25, so it would have been rude not to. This is all the more impetus for thus removing a piece of furniture in return. Next, I will figure out if I have room for a better clothing storage solution (either another chest of drawers, or another cupboard).

As for my promised new challenge, it is being delayed. In essence, I have too much food in the house which needs eating and which was not bought from Food Club, so rather than cheating every second meal, I'm going to whittle down what I have (starting with the frozen lasagne now defrosting in my fridge). But watch this space.

Magical Wins

The good part about little wins is that when they're unexpected they still put a smile on my face, no matter how small. I went to Old Favourite supermarket early in the week, with a £5 voucher from doing surveys, to grab things I can't get at Food Club. I loaded up my basket and knew it was going to go way over. But at the till, I opened my loyalty app and apparently I also had another £5 worth of points, so, bam, I also used that. In the end my shop only cost me 86p and I left the shop feeling good about it all. Even though it contained a value pizza, which is not at all healthy nor was it on my shopping list, but was very nice indeed thankyouverymuch. And we won't mention the six hot cross buns which were eaten within two days (however, I did still inexplicably lose weight this week, which I don't understand).

I'm now attempting to reach payout again to get another voucher for the same supermarket, hopefully by the weekend. It's been two weeks since I've been to Food Club and tomorrow I will pop in on the way to work. I am tossing up whether to do a Meal Plan on here based on what I buy. It's been a long time since I did a challenge, so maybe I should!

I also sold my bitcoin today and earned £12 which is quite acceptable since I bought it five days ago. Same as always, I'm not adding any cash to that "play money" but just doing it for entertainment. I will probably lose again next time!

I have been watching news of the budget today and have seen that the energy cap will remain at least for a little while. This doesn't affect me as I'm well in advance with my power bills, but it will help others. Nothing else in the budget seems to give me anything to write about, though. Ho hum. Oh, and I bought myself a RevComps raffle ticket with the odd few Euro I had left from my last trip to Spain. I look forward to receiving my £45,000 cash when I win 😁

Like Sands Through The Hourglass

So Too Are The Coins Of My Bank. I mean, they fall through my hands like grains of sand? I don't know.

Expensive medical trip: done. Hopefully the last one. While I was there I still managed to spend a lot of money thanks to a missed flight, a cancelled flight and a third flight with a very late landing (grrr, why are convenience stores so horrible?). I also, erm, bought a ticket to go and see Kasabian at The Eden Project. I think I'm fed up of never leaving my house, which was basically the entire past twelve months, so I've decided to live a little bit. But this also reminds me, they just sent me a reminder that it's coming up time to renew my yearly pass and I still haven't been! I'm tossing up going tomorrow, we'll see.

Good Boss still didn't fix my hours for last week so I intend to do overtime this week... what's he really going to say? I don't think I should have to ask a fourth time. He's jeopardising his name here.

I am currently very pleased by the extension to the NI-top-up deadline (which was coming up on April 1st). Having not worked here many years I am only in line for a small pension, but I can top up the first year that I was here, and this gives me several months before that money is due. 👌

Dinner: who has the energy for that?

Scuppered

I snuck in and did a few extra hours on Sunday (that was fine, they needed me) but when I logged in on Monday, I couldn't pick up any overtime at all. Good Boss even said no when I called and asked. Blow it all, I was even dressed for work and everything 😖

So I spent the day doing surveys, which I wasn't in the mood for, but this is life.

My next door neighbour-owner has decided to sell up, and asked if I could tidy up my plant pots, so I've assembled my little greenhouse out the back and relocated the uglier pots around there. I'm also washing clothes, since tomorrow I have another medical trip.

Currently annoyed at leaving my lunch in the work fridge yesterday! 😖

Spring Springs

The sun has been out lately and I have spent a little bit of time in my garden, pottering about. I have a few empty pots and I'm just waiting for the right time to plant something cheery.

Work has finally confirmed my payrise and while it will be over the minimum wage, it's by the exact same amount as before... meaning it's an effective pay cut in real terms, because of inflation. I have mixed feelings because they at least went over the minimum, but I have to admit I was hoping for a little bit more. I haven't been successful so far at the cleaning jobs I've applied for. I will have to keep at the applications as soon as my trip is over.

I knew it was coming, but once again (this is a broken record) it's almost time for my loan repayment and there isn't enough money in my current account. Le sigh. I've cashed out three survey programs for a total of £27 and need another £40 in the next six days. As always, there are places I can round it up from, a bit like the virtual forgotten coins in a sofa, but I have to admit it's tiresome, and the recurring issue needs to be fixed... with... more income.

So I am eyeing the overtime website like a hawk and wondering how daring I can be considering I know that Good Boss's March budget is already blown. He played a practical joke on me this week (he, Blondie and Big Boss all told me I was two hours late as I arrived at work on time... I was horrified to think I'd misread my rota and let them all down!) so maybe I deserve to get back at him by sneaking into work for a few hours on my day off. 😏

Both Cheap and Expensive

My spending for the past few days, that is.

I popped in to Food Club and spent a fiver on my regular bag of tins and packets, plus got a couple of nice pastries and some bread rolls. I then spent an absolute fortune in the afternoon on flights to Australia and my bank balance is crying. But it can't be helped and was a necessity.

It was also my one-year anniversary at work during the week and I was going to buy a nice-ish cake to share with everyone. Turns out it was only £3 for three bags of donuts, so donuts it was, and I still had some money on my voucher so it cost a grand total of 30p.

Good: My time off has been approved for The Green Gathering festival in August 👏

Dinner tonight is chili con carne and a baked spud. With gourmet vegetables, ie they came from a tin 😁

Playing Pretend

So this week Lidl had a deal where if you spend £25, you'd get £5 off. I didn't think I could spend £25, but then I remembered my decaf coffee. Anyway, I did buy 16 jars of coffee 😂 so basically I'm the random kid in your maths problem, like when you wondered why Tommy had 18 watermelons to begin with.

I also had a freak win at work, namely, a free loaf of bread and free hotdog buns. Very timely and appreciated (I ate hot dogs for dinner in celebration, since I had a tin of them from Food Club).

Spendy McSpenderson: I finally got a car wash for Pronto, since he was looking very salty and dusty. It was also an expensive fuel morning as I drove 40min for a medical appointment, but at least it's done with now.

Pipsqueak is doing my head in right now, having had a taste of running service but not particularly knowing what he is doing. He believes he will now be promoted. He's hallucinating. Bluey is moody because Pipsqueak is so confident of success. I think I'm also moody because I am constantly being given the same task for my entire shift and it's a tad annoying doing the same thing for nine hours straight. Must remember this is a good place to work.

Something to be grateful for: Bluey gave me different tasks every chance he got today and I was also rewarded with the privilege of cleaning the loos 😂