Eat what you already have, before you buy more.

Don't tell me you have no food in and you need to go shopping, because I don't believe you. Look in the cupboards and the freezer, you will find food lurking at the back which you have long forgotten about. Now is a good time to eat it.

[@veevee111]

Sometimes we just have to hear the good, solid advice we keep running from. Thank you very much. ☺️

[@abstractmusic5219]

I freeze my bread too after buying reduced...😆 love being frugal 😉😎

[@torillondoner8982]

I love these videos where you talk about food😀very inspirational👍

[@susanhudson2461]

I love your videos,please continue making ,and more frequently.xx

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

I will make more when I have time. xxx

[@decluttering-queen1898]

Absolutely loved this video. Take care 💕

[@joanmckee3906]

Hi Ilona having listened to you I'm about to push out the date for another week for my online delivery. You're so right! Tks for making me more aware.

[@dawnmorandin541]

You are my hero, I shop like you and are now debt free, retired and own 3 properties rented out so I can enjoy life.

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

Well done.This is the life, ain't it grand :o)

[@dawnmorandin541]

I was brought up in Yorkshire ( Doncaster ) and have always been frugal, raised 2 children on a dime, no car, etc, moved to Canada when I was 20 and everyone thinks I'm crazy but I'm having the last laugh. In Yorkshire we have a saying " How Much ? " that means we are not buying it, my kids say it now as a joke when out shopping. Retired at 57 and loving been debt free, even the 3 houses are paid for in cash, my renters pay my " wage " so I can live cheaply.

[@cophers]

so true. and sadly i just got back from shopping about an hour ago....i'll keep this in mind next time for sure! -Hey from Kentucky

[@thebestisyettocome4114]

Hello. Elmer here. Thanks for sharing today. From Texas City TX USA 🇺🇸. Goodnight or evening in your neck of the woods.👍

[@thebestisyettocome4114]

Mr. Hahn was in good health back then. Visiting his family in Texas. From NYC Mr Hahn's granddaughter. I'll be helping out with his channel. Best regards. Vicki

[@eringigi7096]

Great advice as always. I'm on a mission to eat inventory for the rest of the summer. My family has a garden which will give us lots of fresh produce and yesterday my grocery shop for the week was $9.97 for onions, potatoes and spinach. Emptying my freezer and making an inventory list was an eye opener!

[@jeannettea.1360]

Really great tips! Thank you for sharing them. I'm going to start freezing the brown rice I cook as it takes about 45 minutes to cook and if I freeze it, I can microwave it in just a few minutes. Thanks again! All the best to you from California:)

[@jimmiepatrum]

This video (even though it was made over two years ago) is very timely right now. We all need to be eating from our cupboards and freezer so we aren't out and about potentially being infected or infecting others with COVID - 19. It's almost sinful how much I have in my freezer that needs to be eaten! Diane in NC

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

Hello. Yes it is even more relevant today after the rush to panic buy, then throw half of it away because it has gone off before it gets used. Food waste here in the UK is an epidemic at the moment. The waste is shocking to see.

[@braxfan683]

A lot of the time we buy what we want, instead of need, and you can end up throwing food away. Nice kitchen btw 💚🍛🍌🍰

[@AmandaJYoungs]

Ilona, I have only just started to really understand this rule now. For the first time in years, I have a written inventory of everything I have in pantry, fridge and freezer - and while I was compiling it, I realised with horror how much I overbuy. I could be saving a bit of money by running the stocks down to a more sensible level - especially as I shall be moving in the next 6-9 months, and nobody wants to cart a bunch of excess tins around to a new home, do they?! It's embarrassing that I have bought so much stuff that I don't need right now, so I'm on a low spend year and I'm going to make my cupboards look a lot more realistic!

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

Start eating everything in date order. Use the shortest dates first, scale it down that way. It is a good idea to keep some of the longer dated stuff, packets and tins, because we are heading for a recession when some foods won't be available. You may need that tin of beans and that pasta in the months to come.

[@deboraho6350]

Some great ideas, my kids will say to me there’s nothing to eat maybe a day or two after I’ve been shopping, what they mean is there is nothing they want to eat, ie no biscuits, crisps etc but lots of fresh fruit and veg, I’m such a bad mam 😫

[@ashina9271]

You’ve helped me control my debt, much love

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

You can do anything if you put your mind to it. Well done.

[@TheNari82]

I watch this video each week :) then I go and have a look what is in our fridge freezer and pantry. I always have vegies and pasta in the freezer, rice, baked beans and legumes in the pantry and eggs in the fridge. Whilst dad and I do eat meat we like a few ‘meatless’ meals a week and can always make something delicious and healthy out of a few odds and ends

[@angelakneller2880]

We eat meat too but have some veggie days too. I make a wonderful root veg stew with Pearl barley and dumplings, a courgette pasta dish which I adapted from a Nigel slater recipe and a lovely fried mushrooms cooked in lactose free cream cheese with mushroom rice. But I could now use liona’s tip to freeze brown rice and use that instead!

[@lanabrooks1554]

Love your frugal videos, by the way you look lovely in that shirt.

[@johnw7384]

We like to be 'creative' with what we have - its fun. Herbs and spices are a must for us.

[@maxinesasyer2371]

Your quite right I will be doing this from now on

[@GHExploration]

New sub here, a lot of useful content here, might learn a thing or two !!

[@ruthc4620]

Your blog posts and KZbin videos about food are my favourites. Please do more posts or videos of your meals. They really inspire me. Like you, I don't eat fish or other animal flesh. However, I'm a bit more extreme and don't eat milk products, eggs, or oils, either! I eat raw vegetables (all kinds), boiled or steamed green vegetables, pulses of all kinds (eg, lentils, Chana dal, black beans, red kidney beans, chickpeas), raw nuts and seeds, coarse rolled oats, and almond or soy milk.

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

Hi Ruth. I will do some more, my battery in the camera packed up, I have a new one on order.

[@malturner4513]

One tip is to keep a list on the inside of cupboard doors, and on the side of the freezer, especially when there are grazing people around. If they eat something, they should mark it off the list. It's especially useful for the freezery, when it isn't always easy to see what's there. If it's older children, they soon learn to do it if the things they like aren't replaced otherwise, as only the list is taken shopping. Inside the doors is also a good place to put up any other notes, e.g. point or syn value of foods if you are dieting. You can take a photo of the list on your phone before shopping.

[@janeelizabeth2207]

Great video, you are so right x

[@sunnygirly2k4]

Going to check my cupboards and elsewhere today! I let too much go off and it's such a waste.

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

Good idea. Throwing food away is the same as throwing money away. Best wishes.

[@sunnygirly2k4]

@@meanqueensuperscrimper8908 Indeed and thanks for replying! 😊 Speeding through my tea supply, as some is expiring this month (I still drink some if its stale, tbh) 😂

[@whereivecame5506]

I write down what's in my cuboard and fridge/freezer then I can see what meals or weird concoctions I can make out of them :)

[@pigletsbank437]

I see plenty of food!!! Love your ideas

[@davidhowarth9532]

Absolutely love your videos Ilona! Long time reader/viewer, first time commenter. Will you be doing another video like this at some point? Think with the current price rises people would find it very helpful 😀

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

Thank you David. I am chuffed that you like them. I really ought to do some more money saving videos, given the current situation. But I have to confess that I do dart about a bit covering different subjects. It's summer so I am spending more time outdoors, walking and in the garden. I will try and cook up some more money saving videos. 😆

[@lounora72]

Love your channel

[@maxinesasyer2371]

Like you I don't eat meat but I like some fish

[@wildchild554]

I tend to do a stock check every 6 months to see where I am with food stuffs but I tend to make sure I have at least several months worth of non perishables like beans and almond milk, I get them on offer so that way I save money in the long run and if I ever have difficulties with getting about with the kids due to ill health for extended periods of time, I can still make sure we have meal options. Plus I dehydrate fruit and veg as well for when we can't get to the shops, again saves extra cash because it's all reduced food or what we've grown and we are fairly regularly using it so will never go off before we've used it.

[@tinalemna7048]

I am so guilty of this. Great video, I'll try harder!

[@lesleygilbert1945]

Hello Ilona - you know I'm a big fan of you and your video's - you're looking very summery today - take care - *hugs* from Hull :)

[@deelansiquot3750]

I will be doing a stock check....you have inspired me😁

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

Good for you. Don't forget, every time you throw away food you are throwing away money.

[@brendaedwards8578]

Love your vlogs xx

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

Thank you.

[@james9789]

Thumbs up because you use the same margarine as we do and you make your own peanut butter.

[@mandysimmons2769]

I play freezer and pantry roulette and whatever my graps pulls out that's what we eat. My husband has says oh that was a weird combination. LOL Being cheap let me buy my all time dream retirement house last year and I've finally got a stocked Pantry for the first time in my life and it's so fun to see all the full shelves. We live in hurricane country in America and our power could go out for weeks so I have tons of canned spaghetti we can eat cold out of the can if necessary.

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

I like weird combinations. You don't know what it's going to taste like until you try it. By the way, what is 'graps' ?

[@mandysimmons2769]

LOL I meant grasp. LOL I SHOULD HAVE SAID IT'S FANCY EXPENSIVE TOOL FOR PULLING THINGS OUT A FREEZER...YOU KNOW A PAIR OF GRAPS LOL LOL off topic but one of my best internet ( will probably never meet lol ) friend is a brit from down in portsmith. I have a uk background in lineage and I'm a bit of an anglophile and a cheapie butt as well so I'm gonna be checking out ur vids more. I saw a documentary on Netflix about thrifty brits, u shoulda been on it. A guy ate road kill and a couple had a cheap wedding and a Mum got by on solar showers and sales items for her family. It was cool! MS

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

Hi. I might not have been on that programme, but I have been on others. Try these clips kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5S4c4iMrpmkars kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5-8Z6Vrn7V_apI kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6e3gaSXj6p5prM Hunt for Britain's Tightest Person, Superscrimper,s Rip off Britain.

[@mandysimmons2769]

cool!!

[@summeronmars9663]

Check fridge every week anything going out of date use its that simple, it's crazy isn't it that we keep topping up the freezer use what's there but we all do it. we go to heron foods they sell seconds or rejects of frozen goods some real bargains they Also sell chilled products that are short dated at great prices

[@emmab6436]

I also freeze bread. You should try Tesco's meat free Bolognese in a tin, it's about £1.50 but I get two meals out of one tin, I use half a tin and put in extra mushrooms and tomato's it tastes so much better than Quorn mince xx

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

Thank you Emma, I will try that.

[@emmab6436]

@@meanqueensuperscrimper8908 it's lovely better than Quorn if you add more vegetables to it you can easy get a few meals out of one tin, then add it to pasta or whatever else you want with it. I'm going to start freezing fruit and veg like you it's a fantastic idea 🙂 xx thanks for all the great tips your channel is fabulous hope you have a lovely day meanqueen you remind me of my grandma she was like you and hated food waste xx 😃

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

@@emmab6436 You can be the grand daughter I never had :o)

[@emmab6436]

@@meanqueensuperscrimper8908 aww thank you xx ☺️

[@emmab6436]

@@meanqueensuperscrimper8908 do you make your own coleslaw xx I love doing that it's so much cheaper

[@johnballard6725]

The lady talks sense but on occasion if something you would normally eat is on special best to buy it then. You need to have a draw free in your freezer to be able to store such goodies though!

[@cophers]

ps. i had to look up quorn to see what it was. i hadn't ever heard of it before.

[@hitchjack]

You didn’t say life after money at the start 😑

[@maxinesasyer2371]

Can I ask do you take any supplements in the way of tablets as you don't eat meat or fish

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

I have started to take vitamin D and vitamin C with zinc in recent months, because it helps to ward off catching nasties. It's not because I don't eat meat or fish.

[@danm7301]

Do you have a video recipe for your stews?

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

No. I don't have any recipes at all. I chuck in whatever I have to hand. Each one is different, I make it up as I go along.

[@CathyN4]

Good morning, I know this is an old video, but wondering whether you have to cook your onions, green beans etc before putting in freezer. I seem to remember my mum “blanching” food before freezing it. Thanks in advance xxx

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

Hello. I think blanching was generally accepted as the right thing to do, but I don't do it. I chop vegetables and bag single portions up in small bags, and into the freezer. I cook from frozen, don't bother to defrost. Be careful with meat and fish though. My meals are simple, lots of steamed vegetables. I only boil veg if I am making a stew or soup. Best wishes.

[@CathyN4]

@@meanqueensuperscrimper8908 thank you so much. Myself and my two daughters are also vegetarian so no meat or fish in my house. One of my daughters has coeliac disease, which is wheat/gluten intolerance. Gluten free bread is SO expensive, up to £3 for a small loaf and never seem to see it with a yellow sticker on. Thanks for your help. I love watching your videos xxx

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

@@CathyN4 I can't help you with gluten free food. I tried a bought loaf once with a yellow sticker, it was horrible. You might like to look for Frugal Queen in France on Facebook. She does lots of cooking and baking posts, most of it gluten free. There will be a link to her web site there. You should pick up some recipes from her.

[@CathyN4]

@@meanqueensuperscrimper8908 ah thanks. I’ll look her up. Yes the bread is vile 🤢 xxx

[@jensturgess7685]

Do you cook your home made ready meal from frozen?

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

As my home made ready meals are already cooked, then frozen, I put them in a microwavable dish and microwave it till it's hot. Usually five or ten minutes, making sure it's hot all the way through. As I don't eat meat or fish, they are plant based.

[@jensturgess7685]

@@meanqueensuperscrimper8908 thank you x 😊

[@gatocat2387]

What did you make that blouse from?

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

I didn't make it, I don't make clothes. It was given to me.