December 2009 Grocery Challenge

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  • oceanspirit
    oceanspirit Posts: 1,007
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    skintbint - Thanks for the mention of Daisy toilet roll in Tesco. I've been looking for a good cheaper one for ages but keep going back to Andrex because the quality of others is so poor that you end up using more. Will try it next time I need some.

    Did my first shop of the month on Saturday and it was mainly stock items such as loo cleaner, loo roll, tissues, kitchen roll, rice, lentils plus some fruit and veg. Came to £21.34 so more than half the budget gone in one shop, but I'm not too worried as I am now very well stocked up and shouldn't need too much more - famous last words!
    Decluttering Awards: 🥇
  • WelshWoofer
    WelshWoofer Posts: 5,076 Forumite
    I have decided that I am NOT going shopping before we go on holiday on Weds 16th. I have enough stuff in the fridge and freezer and cupboards to last if I'm inventive so its my own little personal mini challenge.
    That doesn't include milk and cheese but nothing else! Promise!!!!

    To start - tonight is fajitas.
  • Coxy11
    Coxy11 Posts: 4,837
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    Another spend for me!

    Popped into our MrS when I took DS2 to swimming. Whoopsies I got were:

    Pack of 14 pigs in blankets - £1.50
    Pack of 15 mixed voluvents - £1.50
    Pack of 12 mixed savoury muffins - £1
    Pack of Wild Alaskan salmon - £2.40

    All in the freezer for Christmas Eve/Christmas Day.

    Also got pack of two large lamb rump steaks (£3.23) for DH and I tomorrow as DD is having a friend for tea and that means pizza!!

    Total spent was £13.18 (as I also got the children their weekly sweet treat and some gift tags for Xmas presents).

    Well pleased with my haul. Another couple of bits off my list. Yay! :T

    Coxy
    xx
    Cross-stitch WIP: Durene Jones Haberdashery Shop 365 1p challenge member No.6 Read 24 books in 2024 - currently reading The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill 1/24
  • Flat_Eric
    Flat_Eric Posts: 4,060
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    Im very pleased to report a NSD today :j. Didn't manage to itemise freezer contents yesterday but hope to do next weekend. Not going to be buying much foodwise for christmas other than the basics (spuds/milk/eggs etc) as invites now received to relatives for both Christmas day and Boxing day now and I am sure an invite for the 27th will soon follow..... Also need to pencil other invites I have received into the food planner (including my work christmas meal and an early family meal) as all days when food is being cooked for me mean little or no spending :D

    So as mentioned. hope to itemise contents of freezer next week and then plan menu for the rest of the month, possibly until the end of next month ??:eek:

    would mention that I bought the Good Food Meal Planner Book (Thrifty recipes and 7-day meal plans to help you save money and time). I got it off amaz0n so didnt pay full price :D

    Athough I love the Economy Gastronomy Book, this book is great because it has lots of simply easy recipes. Some have very few ingredients. For most (if not all??) it comments on how to double up (to save time in the future) when time might be short but you want a decent home cooked meal.

    I was also after fellow posters help ? Having itemised my food cupboards, i do have rather a lot of loose rice. I typically buy the boil in bag rice but it seems silly and not very mse to buy more of this when I have plenty of the stuff albeit loose. Is there any foolproof way to cook it ? I know you should allow about 65g ? per person but how much water should I add ?? the instructions on the box are not very clear :confused:
  • cw18
    cw18 Posts: 8,613
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    Flat_Eric wrote: »
    I was also after fellow posters help ? Having itemised my food cupboards, i do have rather a lot of loose rice. I typically buy the boil in bag rice but it seems silly and not very mse to buy more of this when I have plenty of the stuff albeit loose. Is there any foolproof way to cook it ? I know you should allow about 65g ? per person but how much water should I add ?? the instructions on the box are not very clear :confused:
    How much really depends on appetite (and how much you're using it as a 'fill-up' so people don't notice less meat on their plate ;) )

    I actually allow 80g per person of dried rice (pasta the same). I use half a kettle of water if cooking for 1, and a full kettle if cooking for 2 or 3. When I used to cook for 4 (or 5) I started it off with a full kettle of water, and immediately half filled and boiled the kettle before adding that to the pan as well. My kettle is marked to 1.7 litres.
    Cheryl
  • scotsaver
    scotsaver Posts: 824 Forumite
    edited 7 December 2009 at 6:51PM
    Updated my total with today's spends, just fruit and some milk. Have meal planned for the coming week and still using up what's in the Freezers and cupboards so that I have enough space for big Xmas shopping trip - got Family and friends visiting us most of the hols so need to be well stocked.

    Dinner tonight was a lamb and veg curry using last nights Roast leftovers.

    Made my first Mince pies of this year so off to sit down with a cuppa in a moment, used this recipe for the pastry and it's delicious, used it last year also.;)

    Have a good evening everyone.:D
    "WASTE NOT, WANT NOT!"
    GC for OH, myself, DD18 & DD16 includes Toiletries, cleaning stuff & Food.

  • Cheapskate
    Cheapskate Posts: 1,757
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    Hi all

    I know it's a bit late - sorry! - but I'm trying SO HARD to make a go of it this month! Can I try for £200 for December? I've got loads of Nectar points & savings stamps to use, so it should be easy! :rolleyes:
    Everythnig's gone to pot since new baby arrived 7 weeks ago & only just starting to feel like I'm making a dent in washing, cleaning, etc.

    TTFN & will do my best to keep up - early New Year resolution. :rotfl:

    A x
    Jan 2021 GC £11.70/£300
    2021 mission declutter& clean 53/2021
    Jan NSD 7/31
  • jackie_w
    jackie_w Posts: 1,077
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    Coxy11 wrote: »
    jackie_w - just spotted your sig. How did you manage to make so many overpayments on your mortgage this year? Sorry to be asking on this thread, but I'm intrigued.....

    Coxy
    xx


    Dh and his business partner fell out (Business partner was a bit of a crook and was doing things a bit underhand), so my husband sold his share of the business. So with this money we paid most of it into our mortgage because that (to us) is a debt. if only we could have paid it all off.

    Jackie xx
  • Kitchenbunny
    Kitchenbunny Posts: 2,085
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    Just popped in to say I actually had a no spend day today! I battled the temptation to go into town at lunchtime on the pretext of looking at Christmas decorations, and also managed to avoid going into any of the shops on the way to the bus station while going home tonight. I am one happy bunny :D

    I felt really pleased with myself tonight. When I got in from work, instead of putting my feet up I went straight into the kitchen and prepared the potato wedges for tea. On to a baking tray they went, leaving enough room for me to put 3 smallish sausage and bacon stuffing pasties and that left the bottom shelf free. I watched that programme on Saturday night about energy usage and thought to myself that I could make better use of the oven, and set about looking for a muffin recipe to give a little extra treat for us (even though we are dieting, we do allow ourselves small treats ;) ) and to maximise the use of the oven. 6 delicious double chocolate chunk muffins (well, 5... *whistles*) are sat in a tub waiting for us. I might freeze a couple if we get too set on desserts every night.

    Big shop night for us tomorrow night, and the list is planned in a bare-bones fashion so I only buy what I need. Here's hoping I can stick to it!

    Have a lovely evening, everyone.

    Kitchenbunny xx
    Trying for daily wins, and a little security in an insecure world.
  • skintbint_2
    skintbint_2 Posts: 1,822 Forumite
    thats my shop done for the week, have spent a grand total of £38 but that included the bottles of Stella for christmas that were on at tesco for £6 when you spent over £30. Have got really everything i need for this week so hopefully manage another 2 NSD's at least for this week.
    jackiew - if you run out of bread try making irish soda bread, recipe i have is
    500gr plain flour (or half wholemeal) 300ml sour milk (add dash lemon juice to milk) 1/2tspsalt and 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, sieve all dry ingredients,make a well pour in soured milk knead lightly shape into smooth flat ball make cross on top and bung in oven 200' for 30 mins - delicious mmmmmm!
    got myself a slicer from Argos for £20 in sale and bread looks shop bought and goes twice as far as they dont have doorstops of it, also my christmas gammon will go twice as far so think it will pay for itself in no time at all
    skintbint x
    here's tae us, wha's like us - fell few and and they're a deid"
    10k in 2010/£6988.30-69.88%@29/12/10, 11k in 2011/£897 07.04.11- fell by the wayside!!!
    12k in 2012 - £204.00 @ 4/1/12

    do not confuse me with the other skintbint who joined dec2011 - i am the original bint:rotfl:
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