At Home: Weekly shop £19.50 ($24.60). It's an expensive one!
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- čas přidán 4. 03. 2024
- It's not often I spend more than £15 in a week (and that's for everything on top of food too) so this is a bit of an expensive one for me at £19.50 ($24.60).......but there are a couple of reasons for the added expense.....including a well deserved (?!) treat!
Living without a wage......living off the land and making do & mending. Click subscribe to follow my journey.
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Contact me at: Vivi's Kitchen Garden, PO Box 75303, London, SE26 9DL, UK
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it's not boring or "poor me" to hear about chronic pain and fatigue - I have been battling fatigue for several weeks now and recently I understood that a lot of people have it but it's kind of taboo...I felt like I'm alone in this. it's inspiring to see how much you get done and your positivity. i could actually learn this hack of having some ready meals for especially low days.
You are not alone 🫂
@@loveconnection1118 thank you dear 🌹
I had to chuckle when you were talking about the pesto. Our 53rd wedding anniversary is next week and not once in all those years has my husband offered to make dinner because I'm tired....wouldn't that be lovely!!😊
Oh Vivi you so deserve your treats.❤
I'm commenting about halfway through the video when you're explaining about your treats. I am SO with you on the treat thing. I am a stay at home, homesteading, homeschooling Mom and sometimes it's weeks at a go with me not leaving our property. I work hard and every now and then I relish a treat! I love a good apple with a small bit of cheese while I'm reading! I love a glass of sparkling wine. A thrifted book...a little specialty grocery item...whatever. I think it really helps keep we frugal folk going forward if we can enjoy a little tidbit now and then. Enjoy that beer...apples...cheese!
Absolutely! 😊
Yes, Vivi, when all you have is "me, myself, and i," you need to plan for all the moments lone living throws at you.
I, too, suffer from chronic pain and chronic fatigue. It's like playing Russian Rulett with your energy.
I micro manage myself so I can last as long as I am able to. But with that also comes good days and bad days.
There is nothing wrong with cheat dinner days and treats to ease you along.
Chopped apple and a little cheese and a few Jacobs crackers have often been a tasty snack.
Take care, Vivi xx
You’ve earned those beers Vivi. Sorry you have to live with pain and fatigue…and all of the business of sorting out the flat…Must feel like a whirlwind at times…try to take deep breaths and come up for air now and then…it will get better soon. Maybe a bar of chocolate next food shop?🌟❤️😘
Hi Vivi. Can i suggest you grate the cheese before you freeze it then you can just take out what you need when you need it. Grated cheese remains free flowing when it is frozen xxxx
I’m in love with those beautiful carrots! Enjoy the well-earned beers. We all need a little treat occasionally xx
Oh my goodness, such lovely carrots!
Chickpea humus, toasted pittas and pesto😊
Yum! 😋
Oh what a lovely block of cheddar🥰💖💖💖
Mmmmmmm.....aged and strong so less needed for flavour.......loving it!
What is my favourite snack, a slice of bread or two.. a little pesto spread on top, cheese and tomatoes and put it in the oven, or maybe as a sandwich, and you can toast it in a frying pan. yummy! Enjoy with a glass of cold beer.. 😘
Ooooh, yum! 😊
Trying this tomorrow❤
Glad to see you get a treat! The other day I got an ice cream cone at local ice cream shop. What a huge treat! It was delicious. Our prices here in USA are a bit crazy. Celery was $3.49 at the store, 3 lbs apples $7.00 and 5 lbs potatoes 6.00. Really nuts!!!
Yay for your treat!
Where do you shop?
Mmm cheddar looks so good! I m impressed how you stick to your budget even though you live on the high street! It’s a 9K drive to my small town (with only 3 busses a day after I walk 20 minutes to stop). I’ve been able to stick to my budget because I limit my shopping to once every two weeks. I harvested a basket FULL of nettles from the back of a hayfield; and I made nettle pesto with leftover nuts and some pumpkin seeds. I’ve never made this before with nettles and it was super delicious.🐇🩷🇨🇦
The same here in San Diego. It’s crazy
Oh that sounds great! I love nettle soup but haven't ever tried it for pesto. 😊
Brilliant video Vivi thank you 😁
So many tips and tricks for reducing food waste and eating well on a tiny budget…. your ideas have really helped me make better use of my small freezer 🤩
I am really enjoying this style of video. I think that was some of the greenest kale I have ever seen. Gorgeous. Thank you Vivi.
It such a gorgeous veg isn't it........mmmmmm. 😊
Hi vivi
I love this type of video definitely my favourite
Take care vivi sending lots of love xx❤️❤️❤️❤️
Haha, that reminds me of when I was a student in halls of residence. We all put our milk out on the outside windowsill in the winter so it kept cold. If you put it in the hall fridge some towrag would pinch it! 😂
Vivi, you deserve a sea of beer, a wheelbarrow full of cheddar and a tap from which pesto flows! So enjoy! ❤ (Thank you for reminding me of the existence of pesto. I try to eat very few carbs and a lot of healthy fat - I feel best on such a slightly keto diet. And I have checked- I can include pesto in my menu. Yum!)
Yay for pesto on the keto! 😊
I had to watch this a second time so that I could make a note of all the lovely meals you’ll be cooking this week 😂 It all sounds so delicious 😋 x
Vivi, I've been thinking of you today. All of your gardening adventures are inspiring.me to dig in, lol! I love gardening and growing vegetables for my family. ❤ 10:59
Yay, go for it lovely! 😀
Ah lovely we all need a little treat. Enjoy xx
Deffo! 😉
Cut the celery about 2 inches from the base and pop the end in water it will grow new roots, plant it up in spring and you'll have a continuous supply of celery😊
You can do that with spring onions
he 2 celery plants I've been using since Fall😊
I've started cooking again like I used to when the kids were young and everything tastes so much better! Definitely saves money. Used to garden a lot too out of survival, having to raise 4 kids by myself, but once they had grown, I just couldn't face living like that anymore. But now I'm back to it because I want to. Was just about to pick my Damsel Plums to make jam and a storm came in and destroyed the lot! Oh well, next year. We all need a bit of a treat sometimes.
Oh I'm sorry to hear you lost all those lovely plums....but good on you for getting back to growing your own.....and out of desire rather than necessity too. 😊
Thanks.@@WhatVivididnext
Thank you Viv, great video as always xxx
YaY Vivi! It is so true when you walk alone in this life all the burden is on you. You have to have those moments, or you will go completely mad. I keep a bottle of whiskey in my freezer and once in a while I get my shot glass out. Being able just to relax and enjoy a taste does the mind good. I love cheese & apples always a yummy snack. Sometimes I grab a container of caramel dip it is so yummy with apple slices. Enjoy Vivi! -Sharron from Tennessee. P.s. seed prices have skyrocketed sadly, I have checked all the websites that order from, it's terrible.
Oh my giddy goodness, caramel dip sounds glorious!!! 😀
Beer and cheese shouts out Welsh Rarebit!
Nothing wrong with treating yourself once in awhile no beer for me, but pass that cheese!
A good shop Vivi and who doesn't need a treat sometimes. Mine is a bar of Lindt 70% dark chocolate, but only 2 squares a day so it lasts a while!!!!
Mmmmmm. 😊
Great video please make more like this Vivi x
Your little jar of pesto jogged a memory. When I had a garden, I grew basil amongst my tomato plants as companion plantings. My daughter LOVES pesto, so I would trim the basil back, pick the leaves off the stems, make pesto, and store it in the freezer in 1/2 pint jars (227 ml jars). I think we had pesto with chicken once a week for a year. Making fresh pesto is so expensive that we don't have it very often any more.
Enjoy your beer Vivi,great video.😀
Cheers lovely. 😊
Good shop👍sometimes you need to buy stuff rather than make it,pesto is delicious,with rice and cheese is beyond delicious,I love celery it always reminds me of being a kid,we always had it on a Saturday evening watching the wrestling 😊
What a lovely memory! 😊
when i saw the huge cheese and 4 beers I actually thought you were going to have some friends over! Imagined some recipe with cheese and beer for drinks! 😅
Hahaha....no, all for greedy little me! 😉
My food budget is £20 per week. I only have a small garden. I have a Lidl and an Aldi in easy walking distance. So I manage to stay within my budget most weeks.
Yay, thank goodness for accessible budget supermarkets! 😊
I've got a Lidl in walking distance, and then there's a Sainsbury's next door for whatever I can't get in Lidl. I budget £20 a week as well, and mostly only end up spending around £15.
Good afternoon, Vivi ! The produce from the allotment looks so nice for a harvest so early in the season!
Gee , our food prices are STILL ,very sadly , high. I’m sure your American friends could tell you that ! It’s a constant issue in the news.. Your prices sound great in comparison . All your treats are making me hungry/ thirsty!! Ha! I cut plastic bottles also to get every bit. You have a terrific system going there, my friend .
I agree -TREAT yourself! No harm there ..just enjoy! Good for your morale …please save me a beer!!!
❤xx
We're very fortunate to have two supermarket chains (Lidl and Aldi) that do VERY cheap stuff. The allotment veg isn't early, rather very late (we have mild winters so can keep growing)........stuff sown/planted on purpose for a very late harvest the following year......mmmmm. Carrots and kale.....deeeelish!
@@WhatVivididnext hmmm we have Aldi here too but have never been … I need to ‘hightail’ it on over there ….oh dear!! Shows what I know about planting ☹️that’s a midwinter treat for you guys ! Your soups sound marvelous . ❤️x x
We have that cheese from lidl....it's delicious and worth every penny :)
Cheese is sooo dangerous 😂 in the sense that I can’t not eat it if it’s there 😂 Great video! I don’t know how you keep going until 8 or 9 tbh, I’m in awe. I am shattered from a few intense weeks and need an early night, so I think it’s amazing that you do all day every day for 7 days a week. Bravo 🤩
Aww, cheers lovely.......hahah, powered by cheese...and fumes.....and a stubborn desire to get things done! Oh, I just remembered.......you have your time off coming to do your personal jobs.......yay, have fun and I hope you accomplish lots
@@WhatVivididnext powered by cheese needs to be on a T-shirt 😂 and thank you, that’s very kind to remember! From Easter weekend and I can’t wait! I’ll be channelling my inner Vivi! 😉
Your vegetables are always so less expensive than the US. That nice bunch of celery would be on sale (on offer) for $1.79 in my local supermarket, which is not a fancy place. Aldi is cheaper, but still a good bit more than what you spent. I hope that encourages people to eat more fresh fruit and veg there.
I was thinking the exact same thing! and 'I'm glad I planted some celery seeds already". 😀
Good evening dear Vivi, Wow, you have some lovely meals coming up. When you got to the beer, I suddenly remembered about the bottle of wine I had left i the fridge from making french onion soup the other week. Needless to say I had to pause the video and get a glass full! It was delicious and I hope you enjoyed your well deserved beers too. Cheese is so expensive these days, it just keeps creeping up in price. When you kept getting all those lovely items out of your bag I thought Vivi is having a dinner party with friends 😂😂
Yay for a glass of the forgotten wine. Hahaha....dinner party for one! 😊
A good change for carrots is to grate them then stir in sultanas and flaked almonds and a squeeze of lemon juice to make a nice salad.
Enjoy your purchases! No need to explain. You work hard. You deserve them!
Sometimes one just needs to buy beer! 😊
Hahaha.....yes, absolutely!
Thank You So Much For Your Videos!
Love the “Cheerio” at the end. Some of us (me) really need it! 😘😍🥰
You're looking lovely today! That color lights up your face and your hair looks great with a bit of curl.
❤Oh Vivi! I absolutely love this video. Here's hoping some more of your recipes make it to videos. Making me hungry, lol! I am trying celery from seed, celeriac and lovage as a potential substitute. I love pesto as fast meal also. Aldi has a Rossi pesto, which I fancy.. Godspeed Vivi, friends and followers. ❤
Yay for giving them a go from seed......they are tiny, fiddly seedlings but so worth the faff! 😊
Perfect timing…my husband came in the room to ask a question…right when you said “I’m going to bash me nuts.” He didn’t say a word, just turned around and walked out. I’m still laughing. 😅👍
😂😂😂😂😂😂
🤣😂🤣😂🤣
Quartered red onion roasted with things like courgette, oil of choice and seasoning of choice is delicious.
I would love to see a video showing what you eat in a week, Vivi. I just don’t know how you live on such a tiny budget! We eat so much cheese that one of those lasts a fortnight here! Gut issues mean I can’t eat beans and lentils, which I know are so much cheaper than meat or dairy. I’m glad you bought a treat - and don’t apologise! Treats are essential.
OMGosh, cheese! I was just commenting above that I do like a bit of cheese with my apple and book. lol Vivi really is an inspiration as far as food budget, etc....as are you, Jane!
This week lunches are either soup or the rice/bean salad I was mentioning.....suppers are: Fassolada, curry, risotto, bean burgers in rotation. 😊
beer and cheese... nice.... 😀 enjoy your treats vivi 😘
Hiya Vivi, do enjoy your shopping videos. Mmm, apple,bit o cheese and handful of mixed nuts for a nibble. Oh I watched some footage of the 200th anniversary of the RNLI celebrations one was at Westminster twas on ytube. Anywhoo see you later and careful in the mud. Take care from a warm 14*and sunny southern Ontario Canada 🇨🇦🐝
Oh I missed the 200th celebrations.......arh.......wish I'd been on the coast to raise a glass to all our unsung, brave heroes of the big, scary seas!
Cheers Luv fro across the sea🍻🍾🥂🇨🇦🐝@@WhatVivididnext
Your allotment friend, Gary, is so nice.
He certainly is. 😊
i think you surely would keel over if I shared the prices I pay in San Francisco (at Trader Joe's) for the same items.
And at Publix in Florida. Everything goes up every week. I brace myself at check-out!
Thank You For Your Content!
Don’t know if it works! But my mum used to stand a bunch of celery like that in a bowl/jug of water, and it remained crisp, this was back in the 50’s, don’t remember us having a fridge then. She did the same with milk, and if the milk did go sour, she’d make scones!
No Shame In The “Processed Food” Game!
Thanks Vivi!!!
Yum... your cavolo nero plans are making my mouth water. It's my favourite.
I, too, love hearing about the prices of groceries in other countries. Our celery is 4 times as much, unless you can find a sale.
Good idea to put the soup fixings in the freezer. No waste.
Gary is a good guy. My daughter gives me extra onions and garlic from last year's harvest.
😊
You enjoy those beers Vivi, Don't let the pigeons pinch your cheese😂
Hahaha....they'd better not even try......I'm a bit of a cheese-aholic! 😉
🙋🏼♀️ on my own too ☺️…. I know exactly what you mean… Never think of buying Pesto…I portion out Marinara sauce in ice cube trays …but Pesto would definitely be a good change 😊
Delicious, healthy meal plan. Thanks for sharing!
Enjoy, dear, enjoy 😍
Thank you so much for this video, I adore your hauls and meal ideas/inspiration. You deserve a treat Vivi. Much love to you x
Frugal shopping video 💚
Love the pink top on you. That colour brings out the warmth in your skin. I recommend getting a bottle of liquid smoke. It's expensive but then you only use 4-5 drops in a risotto or a stew to give it a lovely smokey flavour x
Thank you lovely. 😊
Golly, you just made me giggle... putting cheese out on the roof is totally alien to me. It's summer here in Queensland and I can't imagine the smell after 10 minutes 😂. It would probably drizzle down our metal roof in under an hour and end in an oily lump in the guttering and very whiffy indeed. ❤😅
Love your channel Vivi.
Hahaha....and eeeuwww! 😉
❤❤❤
Ooh! Gorgeous kale! Your hard work has paid off.
I adore Cavolo Nero kale! 😊
Cheers vivi ❤
I so envy your Cavolo Nero, something ate mine this winter, along with my brussel sprouts ! Looked like something had gone across them with shears! No idea what did this. Good job on the treats, we all deserve some now and again xx
Ach, sorry you lost your lovely veggies. 😥
Applause for Gary!!!
Yes! 😊
Really enjoyed this Vivi. Thank you. You are an inspiration when it comes to eating frugally and in many other ways. I’m happy you got the treats. Might have to think about the pesto pasta idea for after a busy late shift. I work as a Community Matron and can come in tired and stressed and be dialling for take away when I can’t face cooking. I nearly always regret it as I work hard at budgeting and meal planning most of the time. As someone else said here, I put my celery in water and it lasts so much longer. Once it even sprouted roots.
The pasta and pesto is such a quick way to get a hot meal on board.....10 minutes.....perfect for those days when you're getting home late and utterly exhausted from the work. Quicker and cheaper than a take-away. 😊
I had never been a great fan of celery soup, until I started making it a few months ago, now it is a weekly must have lunch. Enjoy the beer ..Cheers 🍺Take care. X
Cheers lovely. 😊
👍👍👍
Hiya vivi,you always inspire me,im cooking a chicken,vegetable and bean soup atm,i love cooking like this as the soup will feed my and my child tonight and ill get another good few portions.im sick of spending £30 on takeaway,its to expensive and this way we actually eating a good nutritious meal which probably cost me a £5.i love being frugal but i also have to be frugal as im on universal credit right now! Thanks for all your good advice 😊
Gosh, yes, on UC take-aways are far too expensive.......good on you for cooking your own....keep it up!
Hi love don't feel guilty about you buying beer you deserve a treat you work hard I went to the butchers the other week so freezer full of meat plus iceland yesterday and bits from aldi so next week I should only need potatoes milk and veg ive got some frozen veg in .my son said jokingly he was going to lock me in the house so I couldn't go shopping I said I've noroom for shopping love fran xxxenjoy your beer
Enjoy your treats 🍺🍺 and 🧀🧀
Cheers Caroline. 😊
As you were pulling the kale out of your bag, I was chopping the same kale for twice baked potatoes. It’s been really cold, so calls for winter warming comfort food.
Oooooh, twice baked potatoes........love 'em! 😊
i suffer from chronic pain, also. Tried to hide it from my viewers too and had enough questions about it, i started another channel addressing it. ❤❤
It's amazing how giant those carrots are, especially this early in the season
They're actually late in the season, not early........'Autumn King' sown in the summer for a winter harvest......such a great winter carrot! Store them in the soil. 😊
You’ve earned those beers Vivi. Sorry you have to live with pain and fatigue…and all of the business of sorting out the flat…Must feel like a whirlwind at times…try to take deep breaths and come up for air now and then…it will get better soon. Maybe a bar of chocolate next food shop?🌟❤️😘
I’m not a big lager drinker, but I do like to get that 10pack (maybe 12) of the small French beers, and make shandy from them. Super cheap. Nice for a hot summers day.
Ooooh, lovely.....I haven't had shandy for years.......but now I'm picturing hot days and having some! 😊
@@WhatVivididnext the multipack of ‘stubby’ french lagers are very cheap in Lidl. And their lemonade is rather nice.
I can imagine a cold shandy whilst relaxing in the allotment would be bliss.
Enjoy the beer, you deserve it
Hahah, cheers....I did! 😉
I hope everything is ok with you Vivi? Of course you are not in a war zone, that doesn't mean you are invulnerable to struggle or stress. xx
Thank you lovely. X
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Could you store the carrots in boxes of damp sand in your allotment shed or on your landing?
No need, they're in the freezer. 😊
Wow wish our carrots growled that big!
2 years growing some lidl carrot seeds have literally had plenty green tops but noooo carrots 😢
😥
Use the green tops to make pesto. Sorry no carrots.
mmmm celery nut and apple salad...
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When you go to Lidls do they do the veg/fruit boxes for £1.50? Where I live they do some good ones if you go early in the morning.
They don't seem to have a set time for them at my branch so I've only ever seen them once!
What do the French call the combination of onion carrot and celery? xxx
Hmmmm.....I don't know...but I bet it's a gorgeous word! I just looked it up.....mirepoix. 😊
They call it mirepoix.
Mirepoix 🇨🇦🐝
woah, that would be 38-40 dollars for us aussies, probably closer to 50 since beer here - any alcohol is extremely expensive. that block of cheese here would be about 20-25 dollars. it fascinates me how the prices of foods is so different in different areas and countries. truly hope you enjoy your treats, you most absolutely certainly deserve it so please dont try justifying it Vivi. your choices are your choices. xxxx
Why don’t you invest in a pressure cooker? I bought one of those electric versions. Beans take minutes as opposed to hours. Even from dried.
Because you need the cash upfront!! For people managing on low incomes finding that upfront cash is not easy.
@@lynnoorman2144 They’re available on Gumtree at reasonable prices. £10 (stove top) or £40 (Instant Pot). Might be available on freecycle. Just saying, of all the gadgets we can get for cooking, it’s one that saves time and energy. Like a combi microwave. Certainly, since beans are such a staple for vegans, a pressure cooker is a good investment.
I am thinking of getting one once I've moved.....
@@WhatVivididnext Given the choice, I’d get a stainless steel version, rather than aluminium.
🥰💚💕🥣😋
Regarding celery it can be kept fresh out of the fridge by putting it in a glass of cold water this will keep it fresh for about 5 days
You don't have a fridge?
Not at the moment, no.......it died!
I eat apple pips. They taste like marzipan. Not dead yet.
You don’t owe anyone an explanation for anything you buy. Enjoy every bite and glass. And, yes…cheese. 😮
Cheers lovely. 😊
Agreed!
Please don't feel that you have to justify what you buy. good grief. Those of us who follow you know you are frugal, you don't spend to buy crazy stuff. Every now and then we ALL have to just take care of ourselves and if that means a beer for you this spend, then go for it.
Cheers lovely. 😊🍺
Treats are important!! Enjoy!
That’s an incredible price on the cheese.
I bought a pair of like new jeans in a thrift shop this week for $1.50. I believe we make frugal choices daily and a treat is not out of our budgets because we make good choices.
Wow, that's great for a pair of jeans! Good on you lovely.
This isn't December you know! ❤❤❤❤
I know. Have I missed something? What do you mean?
@@WhatVivididnext Treats for a tenner has turned into treats for a twenty. 😁
@@bobbidazzler1343 Not really......it was treats for £3.49!
And to be really clear........the £3.49 came out of my normal weekly budget.......treats for a tenner is an extra £10 to blow on whatever I want.
I stand corrected Vivi. 😘
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