July 2010 Grocery Challenge

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  • cw18
    cw18 Posts: 8,613
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    .....can any one think of any other ways of saying our food budget is for three not six+
    Don't know how old your son is, but based on the age of your daughter I'm guessing he's old enough to understand basic finances (even if he's younger), so I'd just try explaining to them in simple/basic terms.

    I had a spell - when mine were (much) younger than they are now - when I cut down on spending on specific items they kept helping themselves to (crisps, pop, ice cream, ice lollies, chocolate, sweets), and I just sat them down and explained that what I'd bought was all that was coming into the house for xxx days/weeks - and that once it was gone it was gone. They were also told that if one of them was seen taking more than their fair share they'd not be allowed any from the next lot, and if one were merely suspected of having more than their share they'd all be monitored and/or lose out.


    Since my income dropped drastically on a permanent basis (at which point I only had my youngest at home, and he was just turned 17), my lad has grumbled a few times about some of the 'cheapy' meals I've cooked (especially those that started to turn up regularly). But once I gave him a brief overview of my budgets (he still doesn't know exactly what I have coming in/going out) he quickly realised that having these cheapy meals meant I could then afford to do some of the dearer meals he really likes on a 'reasonably regular' basis -- instead of once or twice a year. (Just a shame he can't/won't understand we don't have access to a personal cow, as his milk consumption is the single biggest spend item from my budget every month!!)


    So if I were in your shoes I'd be very tempted to say that whatever squash/snacks etc you have in are to last until xxxxxx, and if they go sooner (due to being raided by unexpected visitors) then you won't be replenishing them before that date anyway - so they'll then find themselves in the position where they want friends over but can't offer them any 'treats'. I find embarrassement over things like this can soon change a childs habits/make them more considerate ;)
    Cheryl
  • cw18
    cw18 Posts: 8,613
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    MRSMCAWBER wrote: »
    Its 2 years today that my sis lost her battle with cancer:(
    Sending you ((hugs)), and keeping you in my thoughts today.


    I couldn't believe it's 2 years already, but then I counted my own personal dates and we're coming up to the 2 year mark (Nov) as well, Frightening how time flies :o
    Cheryl
  • guccigoo
    guccigoo Posts: 483 Forumite
    MRS MC big hugs sent your way, i know how you feel as it will be 6 yrs in August that my sis also passed away with cancer :(. Like you say it goes so quick and only seems like yesterday. (((((( hugs )))))) to you.
    I will lose 2 stone by this summer!!!!!!
  • Courgette
    Courgette Posts: 3,230
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    Morning, we went berry picking yesterday so have a fridge full of strawberries and raspberries, nom nom nom. They did cost £14 though :eek: I was gonna take this out of the fun budget cos it was such good fun to do, a real memory for DS but I guess it's food so onto the grocery budget it goes. So those, along with some cream and some milk and a couple of other bits means I've spent £17.69 so far for July whch is fine I think.

    Not sure if people saw in the newsletter that Morrisons have a £5 off voucher in the Sun this week. It will unfortunately involve buying that awful newspaper but it's only 20p and you can always burn it/use it as loo roll afterwards :cool:. Monday's gives £5 off a £40 spend this week, Tuesday is for the week after and so on for the week.

    Hope that helps someone, I'll certainly be going round with a calculator one day this week :rotfl:
    A reminder to myself: Persistence Pays Off ;):D :idea: :rotfl:
    Mortgage 1: [STRIKE]£95,000[/STRIKE] £78,900 at 3.1%
    Mortgage 2 (BTL): £83, 489.15 at 2.99% (I.O.)
    Savings (S&S ISA): £3000 Plus 6 months emergency savings earning 3%
  • hex2
    hex2 Posts: 4,736
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    Mrs M - huge hugs for you. Congratulations on the Slimming World stuff, it really does work.
    Hippiechiq - thankyou. My lot all have named snack boxes for snacky junk that I fill weekly, this was raiding packed lunch stuff. He knows I shop monthly and that I will simply not buy anymore but it isn't fair to anyone else. I will have to go back to storing everything in our wardrobe and putting it out weekly.

    We have been having some odd meals recently to try and clear the randiom bits out of the freezer. The brioche that had been lurking for over a year made two lovely bread and butter puddings. Last night we had a nice 'bungitin' dahl with the last scraps of a chicken and some old frozen naan breads. I need to keep making meals out of nothing, I need to accept that pasta (yuck) is cheap and is liked by everyone else, and that 6 eggs a day can make meals, not just cakes.
    'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need' Marcus Tullius Cicero
  • Good morning everyone,
    very wet and windy today. So looks like the stew and dumplings meal may be served sooner than I had thought.
    Planning to make hm soup today. I also have a pack of peppers to use up. Would be grateful if anyone has a soup recipe that included them.
    Having pork and apple sauce for dinner. May make roast potatoes as a treat and I am using up random veg. Bought lovely Scottish strawberries yesterday for £1. So that will be an easy dessert.
    It takes a long time to eat an elephant and I'm doing it a bite at a time!!!
  • Sunnyday
    Sunnyday Posts: 3,855
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    edited 4 July 2010 at 9:15PM
    Planning to make hm soup today. I also have a pack of peppers to use up. Would be grateful if anyone has a soup recipe that included them.

    Highland Fling i`ve just been and looked for my lentil soup recipe but can`t find it :( House is so disorganised atm and nothing is where it should be.

    I make red lentil soup, sometimes with bacon and sometimes with red peppers and its lovely.

    Roughly the recipe is 3 potatoes, two carrots,two small onions, either smoked bacon (couple of pieces) or red peppers (one is enough) or both if you`re feeling flush :D

    Fry off the onions and bacon, add to the chopped potato and wash a third of a bag of red lentils and add those. Finally add the pepper and fill the pan with water, season to taste, i usually add a small amount of paparika and cumin for taste and simmer until all the veg are soft.

    Cool until still warm and then blend with a hand mixer until smooth.

    I also make it in the slowcooker but if you do this chop the spuds until tiny as they take a while to cook in there.

    Bit of black pepper on the top and its lush, lovely thick and tasty soup.

    SD

    EDITED Added 2 Medium carrots to the ingredients
    Planning on starting the GC again soon :p
  • muffin_man_7
    muffin_man_7 Posts: 784
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    Thank you Cw18 thats a big help my son is 18 and has learning difficulties hes really good on computer but no good with money he seems to think it will last forever some days and others he gets it he can only have it if its in he never goes to his friends not since he got stabbed last year took months to get him past garden gate on his own so his friends are always here they also know im on here and that im trying to cut my spending but even that doesnt seem to work gona go for another nsd and try re organising kitchen maybe put an empy jar in with a label saying " To fill this cupboard you need to fill this jar all coins gratefully accepted"after all theyll only spend it at corner shop very pricey right off to find a jar small for now i think thank you i might even let them read this so they realise im not the only one with a tight budget
    2nd purse challenge no040£0 Sealed pot challenge ???? £2 trolley find not counting small coins till end year
  • muffin_man_7
    muffin_man_7 Posts: 784
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    Hex2 i used to hide all treats bics cereals in my room and had lock on door they still got in and stuff went missing when i asked who was guilty they all used to blame the 'ghost'our house make wierd noises at night so they used to raid the stash then so they thought i wouldnt hear them one day i decided to play them at their own game so i took stuff out of boxes carefully sealed them when i could and waited sure enough the five of them at the time raided empty boxes i went up to check on them and the look on their faces again i asked who was guilty and this time they said "not us" so i replied " oh it must of been the ghost" needless to say they didn't raid my stash again
    2nd purse challenge no040£0 Sealed pot challenge ???? £2 trolley find not counting small coins till end year
  • Hi everyone hope you are all okay. My thoughts are with those of you who are having a rough time ATM. Kirsty - I broke my wrist this time 2 years ago and once you get used to the cast it isn't too bad - it certainly didn't stop me doing most things, particularly after they put a lightweight cast on.

    Hippiechiq - well done on the "naming" thing. I also have kids who eat everything as soon as it comes into the house. My kids would take no notice of whose names were on stuff though - in fact they fight so much anyway that I think they would actually LIKE to p**s the others off by eating their named stuff - sometimes I could do with a UN peacekeeper:mad:

    Was hoping for a NSD today but came down this morning to find that DD1 (19) had come in at about 4am (I vaguely remember hearing the front door) with some friends after a night out and they had eaten all my bread, cheese, cereal and most of the milk so I will have to venture out to Tescos later on. Grrrrrrr!!!!!

    I like the idea of a laminated freezer list Nicola! I have a laminator somewhere so will dig it out!
    Jane

    ENDIS. Employed, no disposable income or savings!
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