Jump Start Jan: Tenner Week: Day 1

Hello! It’s TENNER WEEK! Can you get by on just £10 for the week, and have a great week? Yes, you can – follow along and there’ll be something new and interesting every day.

So, these are the rules of Tenner Week:

Rule 1: You work in cash, allowing £10 for the week. This is just what you spend on yourself, and doesn’t include things you have to buy for pets, kids etc.

Rule 2 : You must not sit at home watching television all night, every night (you can pick 2 films, or 4 hours of TV shows to watch at home during the week, or one film plus two TV shows)

The £10 doesn’t include rent, utility bills, direct debits, medicines, courses you have already paid for, store points you’ve already earned and gift vouchers you’ve received.

The £10 also excludes a weekly travel card or bus pass, or petrol for work trips. Some of us travel miles to and from work, others work from home, so we need a level playing field (don’t cut any corners this week that could jeopardise your employment).

As it’s also a Jump Start month, there’s something new to try every day.

Today’s activity: Food stocktake and menu plan

Go round your home and find all the edibles, such as:

• what’s in the fridge
• freezer contents
• food cupboard or shelves
• fruit bowl
• biscuit jar
• chocolate stash
• windowsill herbs
• allotment or kitchen garden
• spice rack
• baking box

Make a note of anything that needs to be used up soon, and decide whether to eat it sharpish or freeze it for later.

Now make yourself a menu for the week, using up as much as you can from the food you already have. Avoid waste wherever possible (the LoveFoodHateWaste website is really handy), and try our ‘own brand’ tips for eating cheaply.

Remember to:

• Include breakfast, lunch and snacks
• Try to get some variety into your recipes
• Aim for five a day (fruit and veggies)

Bon appetit!

What’s happening here?

I’ve noseyed around the kitchen and kitchen garden, and written out a menu that’s mainly based around the freezer and the store cupboard. The menu includes toad in the hole, bean burritos, home made pizza and veggie casserole, and we still have a few Christmas leftovers to use up too (mostly chocolate and cheese, which is all good…)

Sooooo, what do you have knocking around at the bottom of the fridge and at the back of your cupboards?