April Austerity - Wimbledon Wombling

Ok, so I don't live in Wimbledon, but surely you remember the philosophy of those chaps?  They picked up rubbish other people left behind; this afternoon, I picked up a Tosca Price Promise.  There it was, all £1.42 of it.  It was left in the floor.  Someone's 'chucked away' very valuable money! It paid (almost) for 1.3kg of frozen veg and a huge courgette.  I contributed 12p.  I'm quite prepared to stoop to cheap tricks to come in under £45 - although Freeganism may be one step too far!

I've priced up the remaining odds and ends in the fridge - 3 apples, ½ a cucumber, ⅓ of a lettuce, 3 eggs, ⅓ jar pesto, and a large carrot.  I also grabbed milk (95p), 13g of mixed herbs (49p) and 4 garlic bulbs (59p).  So the total spend now stands at £29.54, leaving me with about £5 a week!  eep!!  That probably doesn't sound a lot, but if you scroll back over the last ten days, then you'll see a lot of stuff has already been squirrelled away.  

I said before I think I *could do this, but it has been nearly two weeks in planning - and it could still go wrong.  I can't imagine having to think like this ALL the time, just to survive.

April Austerity - Cabbage Central

A few more items were added to the stock pile today and that means another £1.70 spent.  I also found 35p worth of 'Soup Mix' - lentils/beans etc, that I will be using in soup!  I was quite impressed at the size of the Savoy Cabbage from Tosca for only 40p!  I picked up a small white cabbage for 50p - I'll be making coleslaw then, won't I?  The 30p lemon was a major extravagance and has already been sliced into eight pieces and frozen; that'll jazz a few dishes over the next few weeks.

I have the intention of spending another £4.50, or so in Aldee on Monday - some of those purchases will need to last, but I think 4 garlic bulbs for 59p and a jar of herbs (probably Basil, or Sage) for 49p will go a long way to adding flavour and variety to meals over the month.

Right now, I actually think this is doable.  However, there are a few caveats to all of this:

1. I am the size of a ten year old; I don't need as much food as a fully grown man.  It isn't going to be possible for a 5ft 10 chap to exist on this, unless they resort to lots of noodles!
2. There is very little room for variety.   
3. Calling a lemon a 'major extravagance' seems fairly harsh on someone living on this budget. 
4. The food is going to be quite repetitive
5. Five portions of fruit and veg in a day?  Possible if you include dried fruit and tinned goods.  This is not the best for optimum health is it?
6. The BHF's latest magazine has an article in which a dietician was asked to prepare a set of healthy menus for a week, based on £25 per person.  I think this speaks volumes.

I have tried to make sure I have some choice and over the weeks I'll pick up the best of the offers on fruit and veg, as the month progresses.   Even in these early stages, I think I do overspend at the supermarket.  I could shop smarter.

Total Spend - £25.11 

Amount Left - £19.89

April Austerity - Clucking Chickens

Not all chicken is created equally, but that is hardly news.

The meat I'll be eating over the next month falls way below the standard of welfare that I'd like my dinner to have experienced before ending up in front of me.  So, why didn't I turn vegetarian for the month?

Firstly,  I am a meat eater and to turn veggie for 30 days seems like a fake change, especially in view of the fact that I am trying to get a feel for what it may be like for someone who is having to live like this on a permanent basis. Whilst some may chose to give up the meat, in favour of veggies, many probably won't.  This exercise is not one in animal welfare, but one in people living on the breadline.

Secondly, there's the question of my diet and the transplant drugs.  The last time I was up at Harefield I overheard a conversation between another patient and her family.  She'd decided to swap herself onto a diet which was substantially different from her normal routine.  Her blood test results took a nose dive and from the way she was talking, I think she'd had one heck of a telling off from the doctor!  Not only were several things like her iron levels out (no, I can't remember them all), but scarily her immuno suppressant levels had dropped to dangerous levels.  Basically, if you reduce the fat content in your diet, then you reduce the amount of immune-suppressant drugs that your body absorbs.  If you increase the fat content, then you absorb too much and are at risk of scary things like kidney failure.  The bottom line is, don't change your diet without supervision, eat regularly and eat similar types of food in similar quantities.  Discussion with a transplant doctor, about a lifestyle change is essential if you are making changes and be prepared for weekly blood tests and subsequent mucking about with doses until they are satisfied you are stable!  On top of this, I am already eating a restricted diet.  This all seemed far to complicated to factor into something that is really a social experiment.

Anyway, back to the chicken.   It's been a loooong time since I've had the misfortune to knowingly eat anything quite so revolting as Tosca's value frozen chook breasts.  The 1kg bag, for £3.99, has to be the worst thing on the market at only 82% chicken in their 'Chicken' - the rest is made up of added water, dextrose and salt - for 'added succulence'.  Apparently adding salt and sugar makes something juicy; the water (we all know) just leaks out upon cooking.  So, you've actually only bought 820g of chicken, not 1kg!

Aldee 1kg frozen chicken 'value' breasts come in at £3.99 as well.  I avoided this because this had added water and again, I actually wanted to pay for what I was getting, if you see what I mean.  That said, there was no added salt and sugar, so it is an improvement on Tosca's efforts.

Sodsbury's 1kg frozen chicken breasts were a whopping great £6.49!!!  I can't afford that!!! Moving swiftly on and back to my current scrimpery fave - Aldee: £3.79 for 6 breasts weighing in at 700g.  Given the water and junk content in the Tosca cheap version, I think this should be better value...  Only a taste test next week will prove me right, or wrong.

Clearly I have had to cast aside any guilt I feel about battery farming, as I am pretty sure that animal welfare is not particularly high on the agenda of the cheap end of supermarket shopping, or in the minds of people looking for pennies to be able to afford to feed the family.  Hmmmm.  Maybe I'll have to atone for this with a month of ethical eating, including total freedom food and see what that does for my wallet.  

April Austerity - Dastardly Decisions

I have to confess that I am looking forward to seeing how April pans out.  I know we all spend more than we need to, but then that is all part of having choices in what we do, how we behave and in this instance, how we eat.

I have three big vices as far as consumables are concerned: baked goods, chocolate and tea.  I can't afford this in April - well, not at the rate that I am used to purchasing.  I think I've factored in enough to be able to bake two 6-scone batches and ½ a batch of flapjack.  The latter will be devoid of the usual nutty chunks and I certainly won't be adding in 200g of almond flour, or dried apricots, or Amaretto...I am sure you get the idea, but at least I can still bake.  I also think that the milk allocation for the scones will be halved and water added in replacement.  I hope this doesn't ruin them and ultimately waste resources!

I've also gone for Aldee's own teabags - 160 for 1.99, rather than my favourite brand at £4.49 (although I bulk buy when it's half price) for the equivalent box.  That's probably enough tea for me and the odd person popping over for a cuppa.

The chocolate?  It can whistle.  I can't believe I have actually said that about chocolate, but the thought of giving up tea was horrifying and for the price of a snickers I can knock up flapjack that can be cut into slices, frozen and eaten over the month.

What am I saying?  Really, that before this has gotten underway, my way of shopping and the goods I buy have already been changed.  There is very little choice on £1.50 a day and you certainly can't buy things that are deemed to be healthy: seeds, nuts, blueberries, organic produce are definitely off the table, as are more exotic items like sweet potato and avocado.  

But more than this, my way of thinking is starting to change already.  What can I get for X amount?  What's the cheapest version?  Can I buy bread now, or shall I leave it until the wraps have been eaten?  If I buy a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, will it be enough to get me out of a hunger hole, if the other vegetables run out?  If they don't, what will I do then?

April Austerity - Shopping Shenanigans

I thought I'd familiarise myself with Tosca and Aldee, in the fleapit of a town next door to Ashford, and stock up on things that I typically use in a month.  In almost every case I went for the cheapest option available, instead of items that I normally buy - the chicken?  No I couldn't bring myself to contemplate the lowest of the low.  I'll squawk about my thoughts on that in another post. 

I sat down with mysupermarket.com open and worked out the cheapest way I could buy my shopping, without spending an excess in petrol visiting different shops.  I also had to factor in the fact that I am getting very tired again, so I don't have the energy to skip from place to place.  The two supermarkets I went to are next door to each other; the price of delivery at the cheapest time from Tosca was more expensive than the fuel I spent.  It seemed the only sensible conclusion.

Once I got to the shops, it soon became apparent that the price comparison site is better at brands than shop own, especially when it comes down to the cheap end of the scale.  You really need to do your leg work to make sure you are getting the best possible price.  Buyer Beware!

I came home with the following items:

Tosca:-

£0.35 - TEV Tomato Puree

£0.25 - TEV Ginger Nuts - a huge packet: please, please don't disappoint...

£0.20 - TEV Vegetable Soup - 4 sachets in a pack, so 5p each (looking forward to these!)

£0.98 - TEV Butter

£0.39 - Pasta Sauce (It looks incipid; I think I'll need to find something to pep it up)

£2.00 - Chicken Pie (It was £3, but I had a £1 coupon - I've cooked; cut into four and frozen it!)

Aldee:-

£3.79 - Class A Chicken - 6 miserly chicken breasts :(

£0.69 - 1kg red onions

£1.99 - 160 Teabags - Now, do I sample one before and risk dreading a month of bad tea, or do I wait and enjoy the nightmare in a week?

£10.64 - spent

£12.77 - already in house

£23.41- Total

£21.59 - Remaining out of £45

The stockpile currently looks like this - although I forgot to add in the potatoes!  Two things stand out; Tosca Everyday Value packaging makes the food look terrible and I really need to buy some fruit and veg next week!

4 Servings Chicken Pie

6 Chicken Breasts

250g Mince Turkey

2 Serving Pizza (the free one!)

16 Mission Herb Wraps

5 Flat Breads

Turkey Bone

Salad Cheese

Cheddar

Onions

½ portion free :D Manchego Cheese

Butter

½ Jar Mayo

2 Tins of Tomatoes

Soup Sachets

Salt & Pepper

Self-Raising Flour

Sultanas

Kidney Beans

Baked Beans

Peaches in Juice

Rice

Oats

Teabags

Pasta (Remaining from free bag :D)

Sugar

Coffee

Honey

                                                                                Pasta Sauce

                                                                                 Left over Bisto and Veg Stock

                                                                                    Rice (in bag on left - it didn't 
                                                                                    fit in the jar!)

April Austerity - The Turkey Twister

I'm unsure what to do about the turkey leg, which is currently residing in my freezer.  To be absolutely clear, the (approximately) £3.00 turkey leg meat has been hoovered up; it's just the bone that remains. I froze it, in order to make stock/broth at some vague point in the future.

If I wish to include this in my 'stockpile' for the £45 challenge, then how do I price this?  Do I need to price this us, given that the meat is no longer existent?  Do I need to price it, given that butchers often give bones away for free?  Is this a freebie, or is there a nominal price for being able to use this in April?

Suggestions welcome :)

The UFO in my lounge

I started cross stitching about 14, or 15, years ago following a bout of ill health.  I needed something to do whilst sat on the sofa, twiddling my thumbs.

This particular picture, has become a UFO - an unfinished object - that is now cluttering up one corner of my sitting room.  Maybe if I shame myself here, I may actually get around to finishing it.

Fly Fishing

You are looking at water, a (missing) fish and bridge and background trees.  This is not for me!

April Austerity - Preparation Problems

Whose daft idea was this anyway?  £45 is a miserly amount of money for a month's worth of food, even though I am a scratch under 5ft and weigh 7st 4.   

After spending forever on price comparison sites, it has become abundantly clear that being broke means being canny, organised and it's a full time job sourcing food at a reasonable price.   I've become obsessed with the changing prices between Asbo and Tosca.  I am annoyed that Aldee doesn't put all it's prices online.  Why don't Moccasins run a nationwide delivery service?  But, be careful; their cheap range bread is a lot more expensive than Aldee and Tosca!  Well, it was when I checked last night...

I haven't even started the month and I am very much aware that to eat this cheap, you really should be growing your own vegetables.  I have neither the strength, nor the health to do this.  So, what can I do to make sure I am not starving by day 19?  I'm organising my cupboard, fridge and freezer.  I've decided that I'll allow myself salt and pepper as 'freebies'; I have enough to last a lifetime and if I lost all my money/income overnight, I'd still have that in the cupboard.  

I'm lucky, I have three other freebies at my disposal - ½ a pack of Manchego cheese and ¾ of a pack of pasta (I belong to Tosca's 'Orchard' Scheme and get sent vouchers to try and review products); I also won a pizza in a competition.  If you are having to be more than thrifty, you can still enter competitions and go to the library to take part in reviews online.  You can also take advantage of reward schemes and use their appropriate vouchers that come in the post - thank you Tosca Clubcard.  Is this cheating?  No, this is being a savvy shopper - collecting coupons and then using them against a deal.  Two packs of Mission Wraps (£2.00 each = £4.00, but they were on offer - 2 for £2.00) may have been out of my price range for April, but Tosca obliged and sent me two 50p coupons - 16 wraps for £1.00, is acceptable (better than the original start price of £4.00!!)

I've priced up some of the odds and ends in my cupboard and fridge freezer that can contribute.  If it's less than a packet, I have worked out the price based on the percentage.    Living with very careful account balancing, you don't throw everything away at the end of the month and start again with £45 - you use up everything.   If I run out of something and need to replace it, then the cost has to come out of the money that remains.  I hope this seems fair; it's more in line with normal living.  After all, we all have some daily, weekly, fortnightly, monthly costs in a rolling fashion.

These are the items hanging about at home at the moment that can go towards April - the cost of the goods will be deducted from the monthly sum of £45.  TEV stands for Tosca Everyday Value.

£0.89 - Tosca Coffee (I weighed my morning coffee: 2g.  200g jar - £2.98: 2.98/200x60=89.4p

£0.99 - TEV Honey

£0.75 - TEV Oats 1kg

£0.18 - TEV Self Raising Flour (600g out of 1.5kg, 45p bag)

£0.60 - TEV Sultanas (355g from 500g, 84p)

£0.24 - TEV Baked Beans 

£0.30 - TEV Kidney Beans

£0.68 - 2x TEV Tinned Tomatoes    

£0.35 - TEV Peaches in juice 

£0.63 - 5 flatbreads out of pack 6 (reduced - 75p)

£1.00 - 2x8 pack Mission Herb Wraps (buy 2 for £2 + £1 coupon!) 

£0.49 - 620g Tate & Lyle Sugar from 5kg £3.99 bag

£0.31 - TEV 1kg Long Grain Rice 770g out of 1kg, 40p bag

£1.37 - New Potatoes

£0.88 - 125g Seriously Strong Cheddar Ctr (50p coupon - in freezer)

£0.75 - TE Salad Cheese (in Freezer)

£1.49 - Mince Turkey (in freezer)

£0.20 - TEV ½ jar Mayonnaise

£0.34 - 26g of Boullion Vegetable Stock, from 150g at £2.00

£0.33 - 56g Chicken Bisto from 500g tub at £2.99

£0.00 - Pizza won in comp (Free)

£0.00 - 80g Manchego Cheese (Free Coupon)

£0.00 - Tosca Finest Pasta (Free Coupon)

£12.97 - Total Spend

£32.03 - Remaining (eep)

April Austerity - Idiotic Idea

I don't know about you, but I am never really ever hungry.  I am lucky that I can afford to buy what I want, when I want - for now.  The reason I say 'for now' is that I am on a small income, with little/no chance of increasing it; my mortgage is on the SMR and will go up at some point and my out goings are already more than my income.  Yes, I have cut my spend drastically; there are a few other adjustments I could make, but at the moment I do not need to do that.  So what's with the idea behind April Austerity?

Firstly, the budget has just been released and things are looking a bit better for savers.  I always used to be a saver; I had a good job, I bought a house, I learned to drive, but now I am spending my resources and at some point, things could get messy.  Then there is the recent spate of benefit programs on the TV - from Channel 4's 'Benefit Street' to BBC1's recent celebrity brush with the poverty line.  Basically, 3-4 celebrities were sent to live with people in food poverty.  They had to stay with them for a week.  It was interesting because clearly the celebs had no idea that people were existing on ridiculously small amounts of money and also because those on reduced incomes had a wide variety of circumstances.  It got me thinking.  How hard is it to survive on £1.50 a day (£10.38 a week / £45 a month)?  I am not sure that a 5 day/1 week challenge will give the full effect of the situation in which some have found themselves - this needs to be done for a month.

My normal weekly budget for food and household is about £24 - this is based on a slightly haphazard recording of spending from last year, but it is a fair amount.  That's £3.43 a day.  Can I shave £1.93 a day off of my shopping bill, without going hungry and without damaging my health?  Clearly, my health has to take priority and if you are wondering why, just read 'My Transplant Story'.  The difference between my normal monthly spend and the April Austerity spend will spent on a foodbank shop.

Planning will be the key to this venture.  I suspect I'll not be eating avocado, or pine nuts in April :(

The Drugs do Work - Part 1 - The Immune Suppressant

My medication regime has become more complicated as the years have gone by.  When I left Harefield in March 1989 I was on Cyclosporin.  This was the only drug I took for two years.  Yes, just that.  This was my immune-suppressant drugs.  If you have a transplant you have to take these drugs for life.  

• Yes, for life.  
• No, your body doesn't adapt to the donor organs.  
• Yes, my heart and lungs will always be foreign bodies that my immune system will try to obliterate.  
• Yes, the drugs are horrific, but they are better than the alternative.  Dying.

My Current Immune-Suppressant 

This drug is called Prograf (alternatively Tacrolimus).  I tend to call this Tac; I think a lot of us do!  I take 1mg in the morning and 1mg in the evening.  The tablet is about the size of a Tic-Tac.   This is the drug that stops my system killing off my donor organs and I have to say, I was rather skeptical that something so small was the thing that stood between me and some sort of coronary apocalypse, but it seems to do its job.  

The thing is (there's always a thing), I was advised not to eat for two hours before hand, and for an hour after taking it.   If you take your tablet at 10 am/pm, then that means no food, no orange juice, no big glasses of milk, no coke; they are all too calorific. I get away with tea and coffee, with a dash of milk and no sugar.  Oh yes, and no alcohol in these hours either.

Then there are the blood tests, which are done by 10am - usually. You can't take your medication before the blood test.  If you take your tablet at 10am and 10pm, it really means you can never have an early night.  I cheat.  I take it at 6am and 6pm (and have adopted a complicated method of wiggling my medication round to the correct time, for blood tests when I dock in at Harefield).  Unfortunately this 6am/6pm regime means  I never have a lie in that is not interrupted.

Side effects of this drug are absolutely charming and for the sake of brevity, I have included only the ones with which I suffer on and off:

• Blurred vision
• Constipation
• Cataracts
• Chest Tightness
• Cough
• Depression
• Diarrhoea
• Distension of the stomach
• Falls
• Feeling full (stomach)
• Gastrointestinal problems
• Hair overgrowth
• Hair loss
• High cholesterol
• Itching
• Joint pain
• Loss of appetite
• Mental Health problems
• Mood changes
• Muscle cramps
• Oedema
• Over-sensitvity to light
• Temperature intolerance
• Thirst
• Tinnitus
• Unexplained bruising
• Weakness
• Weight gain
• Weight loss

A lot of transplants seem to be on two immune suppressant drugs at a time.  I have only ever managed one at a time, because of horrific reactions.  When I took Azathioprine (Imuran) I developed welts and I became Neutropenic.  The Cyclosporin (Sandimunn and Neoral) wrecked my kidneys and Myfortic/MMF left me suicidal - not particularly clever, considering I fought so long to stay alive!