January 2011 Grocery Challenge

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  • cat04
    cat04 Posts: 644
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    Hello :)

    Hope you don't mind if I join you all in the grocery challenge. Having read a few posts on what others do, I've decided that I'm going to set myself an annual amount, as week to week and month to month my grocery bill can change so much and for me it will be much easier to do it this way.

    I've always saved receipts for everything and had a book where I write them all down, catagorise them (e.g. food, clothes, petrol, haircuts, gifts etc). I have tons of reciepts but not written anything down for months so I have no idea what I spend per month, eek!

    I would really like to cut down on our grocery bill for various reasons, and I'm also hoping to lose some weight too this year so better meal planning will help with that too. As it's my first go, and on average I'm not sure what a weekly spend would be I'm going to go for £10 a day therefore a yearly total of £3650. It sounds such a lot in one go, and I really, REALLY hope I can stick to it. I'll get my receipts from the start of Jan to total up what I've spent so far - had a massive/expensive (!) stock up last week of loads of things so hopefully the rest of the month will be cheaper. Next year I'll try for £3000, unless I totally thrash that this year - I wish.

    £3650 is for me and OH plus 2 DD's aged 6 and 3. To include: all food, drink, toiletries (not that I need many more lol), cleaning and household products
    Extra savings aim for 2020 £4,000 £0/£4,000
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  • poohbear59
    poohbear59 Posts: 4,866
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    Our £50 challenge for January was a tough one. The two youngest have gone back to uni/college and we are now just 3 adults. DH spent £25.54 on Sunday in the co-op and today spent 30p on 6 sausage rolls and £2 on cheese. So I only have £18.50 until the end of the month. Our month ends 24th so just 14 days to go.
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  • Broad bean dip (from memory as can't find recipe)

    when i made this i had a tin of broad beans to use up and spent ages taking the skin off them to reveal the bright green bean underneath.

    tin of broad beans - drained and skinned
    low fat yoghurt
    lemon juice
    salt and pepper
    crushed garlic

    blitz with enough yoghurt until its the consistency you like (stiffer for crackers, runnier for vegetable sticks)
  • zebredy wrote: »
    One last thing, anyone got any suggestions what I can do with some beef mince I have. Just froze 800gs of it in small portions but got another 800g I want to add some sauce to then maybe freeze, can anyone thing of anything other then a red pasta type sauce to go with the meat?

    Hi,
    When i had some mince beef given to me that i could not squeeze into my freezer, i first made mince, onions, mushrooms, pepper and chucked a tin of baked beans in, took portions out for shep pie, then added a tin of tomatoes, some garlic and herbs, took portions out for bolognaise, and then added kidney beans and sweetcorn, and chilli powder to make a chilli, used as chilli with rice, and as filling for enchiladas in the oven

    HTH

    SS
    Each day is a new beginning, look at what you have an be grateful for every tiny thing. You don't know when it may be taken away.
  • Candy_Belle
    Candy_Belle Posts: 123 Forumite
    edited 10 January 2011 at 8:23PM
    Evening All, hope everyone's well and had a good day!

    Both DH and I managed to pick up the same bits of shopping today but separately! Spoke to DH at lunch and told him I'd already picked up apples,bananas and was going to pick up some rocket, cucumber and tomatoes up on my way back to work. Hmmmm I always knew he didn't listen to me - now I have proof!

    DH's Shopping

    I**land - 1 x Loaf - £1.35
    Bag of Apples - £1.00:mad:
    Huge block of cheese - £3.00 (600g methinks!)
    Total £5.35

    A**a - Vine Tomatoes - £1.54:mad:
    Rocket - £1.00:mad:
    Carrot Batons - 50p
    Total £3.04

    S/Bugs - Salmon - £4.00
    2 Boxes Mushrooms - £2.00
    Diced Chicken Breasts - £4.00
    Total £10

    Can't really complain in hinesight, he does do 95% of all the cooking and he'd gone straight into town from work (starts at 6.30am and finishes at 4.15pm and then waited to walk me home from work at 5.30pm)

    Now I'd better fuss up to what I brought!!

    A**a - Bunch of Bananas - £1.00
    Bag of Apples - £1.27:mad:
    Vine Tomatoes - £1.20:mad:
    Block of Cheese - £2.00 (on offer):mad:
    Carrot Batons - 50p:mad:
    Cucumber - 40p
    Rocket - £1.00:mad:
    Total £7.37

    W***o's - 5 x Cat Food @ 68p - £3.40
    Treatsticks - £1.00 (for cat not DH!)
    Total - £4.40

    So all in all spend a hell of alot more than I wanted to today, but at lease we are good for cheese, rocket, vine tomatoes and carrots for a while!lol :rotfl:

    Sorry for the mammoth (sp?) post,:eek: off to cry while calculating new siggy!

    Have a good evening all! x
    Grocery Challange for DH, Me & 2 Fussy Cats (inc Grocerys, Cleaning Products & Cat Food)
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    G/C - Jan £248.52/£235.00 - Feb£214.72/£235.00
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  • CRANKY40
    CRANKY40 Posts: 5,677
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    Rebelle wrote: »
    £12.57 to add to the GC total, spent a bit more than I thought (as usual!) replacing stuff because the dodgy seal on my freezer door came unstuck overnight and OH rang me at work to say some of the contents had defrosted - the tightly packed stuff on the lower shelves was fine but lost a few HM readymeals, some mince and potato waffles that had gone too far, bit annoying but not a total disaster.

    Would something like this keep the door closed and sealed maybe?


    linky
  • SilverCo
    SilverCo Posts: 160 Forumite
    edited 10 January 2011 at 8:31PM
    NSD for me today :D

    Lasagne for tea and have made up my sausage stew ready for the SC overnight. Will then freeze into around 4 portions in the morning.

    12 chorizo sausages
    2 onions
    2 potatoes
    2 carrots
    Half dozen mushrooms
    1 cup soup mix (or other dried pulses)
    1 tsp chilli powder
    1 400g tin kidney beans
    1 400g tin baked beans
    1 400g tins chopped tomatoes
    1 pint water
    Tomato puree

    Will stick on low for around 7-8 hours.

    Silver x
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  • Hi I've been lurking for a while but my first post on MSE. We are hoping to move this year so are trying to cut back a bit. Last year spent about £300 month on me DH and DS (2). This month trying to come in under £200. I have LOADS of previous approved foods and bargains stock to use up so hope will do ok. We cetainly have enough biscuits to last us to next Jan!

    Spend so far this month is £42.64 and think i have most of what i need for the week, except a roast for FIL visiting at the weekend.

    Meal plan:
    Mon: roast veg pasta (also made HM bread)
    Tues: Stir fry
    Wed: Chicken and Chips
    Thus: lamb cutlets and mash
    Fri: Lasagna
    Sat: sausages
    Sun: Roast

    Thank you for all the motivation on here :)
    Jan Grocery Challenge £175/£200 :j
  • Did an online shop at Mr T's that was delivered today and spent £39.37 I'll add that to my sig in a bit. Need to pop to PO and bank tomorrow so will pick up the bits I wanted from I**land then too. I always find their crisps and yogurts for OH's lunch box cheaper. Finished off shepherds pie for tea tonight with some beans. Also made a fruit loaf in the bread maker for the first time, half of which I've frozen as it will go stale quickly, and I've frozen my first ever black nana's instead of binning them, I'm so proud of myself :T, blimey I sound like a complete nutter.:rotfl:
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    Smile it confuses people :)
  • zebredy
    zebredy Posts: 62 Forumite
    Hi,
    When i had some mince beef given to me that i could not squeeze into my freezer, i first made mince, onions, mushrooms, pepper and chucked a tin of baked beans in, took portions out for shep pie, then added a tin of tomatoes, some garlic and herbs, took portions out for bolognaise, and then added kidney beans and sweetcorn, and chilli powder to make a chilli, used as chilli with rice, and as filling for enchiladas in the oven

    HTH

    SS

    My OH doesn't like baked beans but all sound great to me, will try the chilli one in the next week or so, thanks :)...
    Matthew, Izzy, Suzie, Harry, Darwin. My husband my cats, the main things that matter in my life...
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