Not doing a 'frugal' thing, there's so much food in the freezer

Before Christmas I tried to run the freezer down, and managed reasonable successfully.  But then the rules changed and food that was meant to be enough for 4 people for Christmas Day, and 2 people for 5 days ended up as a small part of Christmas Day and just for me.

I last had a supermarket delivery on 16th December, and had fresh veg delivered on 22nd.

I sent my son home to Stoke with enough food to feed a small army, but still there was more than enough to keep me going for a while. So lots of it got frozen. In the case of veg, it mainly got frozen as soup.

And I also forgot to cancel my Musclefood order so had 5kg of chicken breasts delivered just before Christmas.  Half of that went with my son, but that still left a fair amount of chicken.

Then I got mixed up last week.  I took some chicken out of the freezer ( I freeze it in packs of 2) and also some salmon; thinking 'it's Friday, I'll have fish'. And then remembered that there was football on the telly, and that isn't a 'watching football' sort of meal. So I went to the chippy!

Aside from that chippy trip, I've been to the supermarket twice since Christmas. Once to Aldi, for some basics (spend £7.59) and once to the Little Asda at the bottom of the road (spend £9.09)

I made curry in the slow cooker, had one portion for my tea, and the rest has gone back into the freezer (4 portions) - I know there's a mixed view about this, but I'm not dead yet and I've been doing it for years. The salmon ended up in pasta, as I couldn't think what else to do with it!

This week I've got a veg box delivery, and I had a cheese delivery on Friday.

I really ought to meal plan, but whenever I do that, something happens to scupper my plans. And there's only me. So although conventional wisdom says to plan, I'll stick with 'open the fridge and see what needs using first'

Here we go again! Lockdown number 3

 It was expected.  I just sort of wish he'd been honest before Christmas. We all expected this. But it's been managed very badly.

 But being honest, other than the gym closing, it doesn't affect me any more than I've been affected for the last 9 months. I rarely went out for meals etc. hate shopping of any sort so the only thing that's changed from December is that I can't go to a cafe for a cuppa, I have to get a takeaway.  Which actually, given the situation in one of the local Costa's just before Christmas is a good thing.

I'd been to this Costa previously, it's not one of my favourites, it's very narrow at the front, with a huge back room.  I met a friend there and it was overrun with teenage girls who use it as a meeting place after school.  Somehow, naively, I thought the 'current unpleasantness' (as the author Marian Keyes calls it) would change that; but no, I went with my sister (my support bubble) after we'd been for a walk. It was the last day of the school term and it was full of teenagers treating it like it was the school canteen.  Moving between tables, chatting to their mates.  We left as soon as we could. (and yes, I've been in touch to let them know!)

To be fair, I prefer to buy local and I've a good selection of local cafe's that I'll continue to support, including the fabulous Bread shop in Aigburth Vale.

So I'll be plodding along, as usual.

I was gobsmacked on Monday night when I walked past Aldi. I've never seen it that busy. What on earth were people buying? And why?  The shops are fully stocked, and they're essential. So they'll be open.

I'm hoping not to need to go shopping for a while. I've got flour and pasta in the cupboard under the stairs, and my normal stock of staples.  I've got a freezer full of things made over Christmas and I get a veg delivery next week.

I've treated myself to some goodies from LIDS a local company set up by the exec chef of a restaurant so that local suppliers didn't have to create their own infrastructure. So on Friday I'll have some lovely cheeses, some home made pies and cakes.

After that, I'll just need milk occasionally. 

I appreciate this may seem a bit 'I'm all right Jack' but it's so much easier being on my own.  I can pick and choose what I do. I don't have elderly relatives, or young children that I need to worry about.