January 2008 Grocery Challenge

DdraigGoch · 5 January 2008 at 5:14PM

Nyk, it's 2 packs of firelighters @ £1.95 each and 3 Co-Op black sacks @ £2.39 each - aaargh! I can see that my social conscience is going to have to take a hard look at all this expenditure..... hence the scary smilie in the original post. I can't remember these things being this expensive before.

Oh the joys of someone else doing the shopping, eh?

Irish_Mom · 5 January 2008 at 5:42PM

Boy this GC focuses the mind doesn't it!! I've started to do a few things differently. I took my €200 out of the bank on the 31st Dec and divided it up into 5 envelopes marked Week 1, Week 2 etc.This way I know whatever happens the money is there for food.:rolleyes:

I also bought (in the pound shop) a large page a day diary. I am writing in everything that has been spent and selloptaping the receipts to it.
That way when I am doing my shopping list I can look back and write down the price and work out how much I am going to spend before I go to the shop.

I am also writing down what was for lunch and dinner every day

I have a large chest freezer and made a list today of everything in it-suffice to say the list is extremely long and we may not have to buy meat for the foreseeable future:rotfl: Mince will also be on the menu quite a lot-
14 portions (10 ozs) uncooked
at least 2 lbs cooked
a big bag ( at least 4-5lbs) uncooked

I am going to create a document on Word of the freezer contents which should help and them amend as they are used.

I have done a meal plan from the food in the freezer which looksa like this

Sat Bacon roll,potatoes and veg
Sun Stuffed Pork steak ( 90cent from tescos - my best ever bargain from there -as Mean Marie said on a previous post they don't discount in Ireland like they do in the UK
Mon Chilli and rice (from the mince mountain;) )
Tue Homemade pizza - sliced chorizo,ham and onion all from freezer
Wed HM Cornish pasties from freezer
Thurs Sausages (from freezer) mash and onion gravy
Fri Turkey (from freezer) curry (bogof) rice and Naan bread (from freezer)
Sat Roast Chicken(from freezer)

I have also my lunches at work sorted again all from freezer, a mixture of Potatoe and Leek Soup,Butternut squash soup and pumpkin soup ans various pitta breads forgotten about.

I plan on making 2 lops of banana bread today or tomorrow ( Hugh Freanley whatever recipie), make the pizza bases in advance and squueze them into freezer , make yoghurt and try to make raspberry cheesecake tomorrow from yoghurt

I still have €11.82 left from my Week 1 budget so I going to buy a bag of coal shortly as it is freezing here.:rotfl:

I only have 5 things on shopping list for next week apart from milk but I do not have to buy this until later in the week :cool:

Hope everyone elso is doing ok and thank you all for your support. This year is lookig as though finally I might get control over our finances!!!!

IM

Frugaldom · 5 January 2008 at 5:52PM

DdraigGoch wrote: »

Nyk, it's 2 packs of firelighters @ £1.95 each and 3 Co-Op black sacks @ £2.39 each - aaargh! I can see that my social conscience is going to have to take a hard look at all this expenditure..... hence the scary smilie in the original post. I can't remember these things being this expensive before.

Oh the joys of someone else doing the shopping, eh?

The firelighters trick - half the amount by using homemade paper sticks and cheap kindling. Do you use candles at home? I usually have a scented candle burning but I always saved the excess wax that ran or cracked. You can also trim it off around the top, as many of the cheaper candles don't burn very evenly and tend to waste a fair bit. Waste not, want not, all these candle clippings are fire fodder, but be careful as I MEAN fire fodder. A few crumbles over the top of a kindlung fire and it's alight in no time.

Another great idea is to collect pine cones in autumn and dry them. These can be dipped in melted wax for decorative purposes but also make excellent firelighters.

NYK HANDY HINTS AND TIPS: A sprinkle of sugar relights a dying fire, a sprinkle of salt damps one down (handy if you have a fear of chimney fires).

Back to apologise: I think I put this in the wrong thread, sorry

kiwi88_2 · 5 January 2008 at 6:02PM

Like Irish Mom I have just done a menu plan from the freezer contents and my recent Mr T delivery which, if you don't mind I'm going to post to keep me on the straight and narrow :rolleyes: Each meal is for a family and homemade unless otherwise stated. They're not in any particular order.

Tuna bean pasta bake-2 meals
Fish cakes
Cauliflower/broccoli cheese
Roast lamb
Shepherds pie
Meatballs
Chicken nuggets
Toad in the hole
Meatloaf
Chicken pasties
Pizza
Spag bol
Pancakes
Sausage and mash-2 meals
Baked pots and bacon
Roast chicken pieces
Beef stew-as well as 1or2 freezer portions
Fish pie-2 meals
Chicken stew-as well as 1or2 freezer portions
Butternut squash/carrot soup- feezer portions as well
Potatoe/leek soup- freezer portions as well
Chicken stock prob about 4or5 freezer portions

Pretty pleased with that lot so far. Should only have to go for milk and top-up of fruit and poss veg next weekend. Still have £142 left.

Jacks_xxx · 5 January 2008 at 6:04PM

Sassamac wrote: »

lol at the great moussaka crisis - dare we ask?

:wave: Hey sweetie,

I made one from scratch for the first time in along time - and it smelled fab, I was so proud of myself, and I was really looking forward to dishing it up to my family (who are under no illusions about my skills in the kitchen whatsoever!

)

...and then I dropped it getting it out of the oven.

I was heartbroken - especially as my pyrex dish smashed to smithereens and I used that blimmin' dish everyday! I'm lost without it.

So nothing exciting - but I did come and whinge (at length!) on here about it though

so I thought some people might remember.

I'm still upset now thinking about it.

Love Jacks xxx

belfastgirl23 · 5 January 2008 at 6:05PM

Well I made it to the shops on this cold and slushy day (and no I don't mean the romantic kind of slushy, more the land on your *ss if you're not careful kind). Made it in and out of M&S to get DH's houmous and only added one small 99p red leicester cheese pack (which I now have to try not to eat). Sainsburys was insanely busy for some reason, maybe I haven't been on Sat for a while, and a lot of the value stuff was out of stock. I spent about £6.50 on F&V and my only impulse buy was some more mozzarella which was still marked on the shelf at £1.05 even tho it's showing on the till at £1.39. I also resisted the butter aisle - yay me.

Oh and weighed myself this morning and have lost 3lbs despite all the breadmaking :T:T:T:T only about another 30 to go

So total spend came to £13.01. I still need to get some eggs though at £1.50 so that will bring me in just under my £15 weekly spend for now at any rate. I have also menu planned for the rest of the week.

I know someone was asking about spending on eating out - this usually comes out of a separate budget for me (personal rather than joint) and DH and I take it in turns to 'treat' each other. But everyone does it differently. Hoping it will be a lot lower this month since this is also the budget that wine comes out of and January is a dry month - I am ashamed to admit this might count for the 3lbs lost

Sweetpea what breads have worked well for you? I've done ciabatta and focaccia (dough and then in the oven) which were great, ciabatta in the BM (but I didn't like the 'loaf' shape) and white and brown loaves all of which tasted really good. Oh and also a pesto loaf which didn't taste at all of pesto but was still perfectly edible. I have a fruit loaf in cooking now as well...what has worked for you?

Jacks_xxx · 5 January 2008 at 6:06PM

Pink-winged wrote: »

Hi Jacks and lil_me,

There are a few tried and tested recipes for goulash that might help on this thread:

Recipe for Goulash

Pink

Thanks every so much Pink-winged. I'm going to go and check them out now.

Love Jacks xxx

poohbear59 · 5 January 2008 at 6:18PM

It must be cupboard and freezer inventory day and also menu planning too. I have managed to plan the whole months food minus fresh stuff from what we have here already. DD spent £15 in Aldi for me today on bits we needed. Why do they always round it up to nearest £5? That is all I have spent this month unless you count a new lead for the dog? AS DH is not working I should probably not have bought it. Slapped wrists, use Freecycle next time!

Jacks_xxx · 5 January 2008 at 6:19PM

jackie_w wrote: »

I have asked for a cheap set (you know the ones about £3.99, whats the bet, he will come back with a state of the art set),

My Hubby does that too Jackie! Does your hubby take ages choosing the perfect one as well? Mine does and it drives me to distraction!

But when I moan he says "Only the best for you, my dear" in his best knight in shining armour kind of voice - and I can't really argue with that!

Bless 'em eh?

Love Jacks xxx

charleypink · 5 January 2008 at 6:42PM

hi all, well i'm feeling really pleased with myself.
i've borrowed a slow cooker off my mum-in-law ( waiting for mine to be delivered from ipoints). I found a recipe for rice pudding on one of the threads so gave it a try, and i can't believe how lovely it tastes! and it didn't burn!!
I've been trying for years to make an edible rice pudding lol.
iv'e managed to spend just under £70.00 this week: 2 adults 2 teenagers (oh the joy!) and 1 toddler
charley:o

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January 2008 Grocery Challenge

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