October 2008 Grocery Challenge. Please read first two posts.

FairyElephant_2 · 1 October 2008 at 11:39AM

Hello!

After my great successful month in Sept, I am going for £160 this month (2 adults + the cat most of the time, incl work lunches, and 2 long weekends with DH's 3 teenagers staying!).

I succeeded on £130 last month - we did have a week's holiday away, but I also did manage to restock the storecupboard with pasta & rice and a few tins.

So far I started this month with a visit to Mr A's and spent £56.18, so £103.82 left for the rest of the month - gonna be a tough one........

FE

Winky,_The_House_Elf · 1 October 2008 at 11:57AM

First update from me for October....Nothing spent so far!:j I havent been near the shops all week! (Partly due, I admit, to blowing Septembers budget by £40 in the last couple of days:whistle: )

I've not actually set myself a nsd target this month as I like to pop in the shops to hunt YS/RTC stuff to put in the freezer. I realised about half way through Sept that that was one of the reasons that I went over budget.

The Panny is a god send though! I am truely in love with my BM! Unfortunately Mr Winky loves the bread and has started taking sandwiches, whereas previously he bought a hot meal from his heavily subsidised canteen(And paid for it out of his "pocket money";) ) So I need to browse the cheap sandwich fillings thread.

I love the idea of salami in a lasagne dish....I feel hungry now.

Good luck everyone!

Winky x

susan946 · 1 October 2008 at 12:22PM

Goodness it's chilly today and now it's pouring with rain so have had to dash out and get the washing back in :mad: .
Welcome to all new recruits. We are a friendly bunch so do ask us anything. Someone can usually come up with a suggestion.

I have onion soup simmering on the hob at the moment. I've not made it before but I used the recipe in the latest Tesco magazine and it smells fantastic. I shall put creme fraiche on the top as it says in the recipe rather that the traditional melted cheese on bread (too rich and not good for our cholesterol levels!!!!!!!!!!!). We shall have it for lunch with hm bread and then hm yog with spiced stewed plums for pud.

Hubs has just been to Mr T and phoned me from there to ask if he should get a half leg of lamb whoopsied to half price. Of course I said yes and that will go in the cook pot with some disgusting red plonk (horrible to drink but fantastic in cooking), stock, rosemary and garlic. That should last us two or three meals. I'm obviously getting him trained at last but goodness has it taken a long time :rotfl: .

Have a good day everyone

Sue

dink1 · 1 October 2008 at 12:30PM

Hi guys,

went a little over but not too bad, need to really keep to it to sort out christmas list. would like to declare £258 for September. ALso put me down for £250 for october Already spent first big shop (AAAARRRGGGHHH!) will need to check freezer and meal plan for month. i know I can do it with a little help. Thanks Dink1

ravylesley · 1 October 2008 at 12:49PM

Well I dont flaming believe it !!

Its only the first day of the challenge and already I've broken my resolution to only spend £50 per week on my asda order.But in my defence there were a few special offers I wanted to take advantage of and stock up on.They have some chickens in at £2 each so I want a couple for the freezer and I just couldnt resist the Ben and Jerrys Ice cream at £2 a tub either.So they have bumped up my bill.Wont know what it is until after they deliver it tomorrow so will edit my sig then

Lesleyxx

Silly_Cow · 1 October 2008 at 12:51PM

Hello all :hello:

Can I come and play please? I'm going to give myself quite a large budget of £180 for a household of one and a third adults, half a child, a dog & two guinea pigs. This is my first day of being jobless so I have a feeling I'll be spending quite a bit of time lurking on this OS board, catching up on all the tips. I have a feeling this could become an obsession.

Mangotree · 1 October 2008 at 12:54PM

I'd like to join in with this if it's ok and would like to give myself a budget of 300€

shelovestobuystuff · 1 October 2008 at 1:29PM

My budget for this month is £135.
Usually have a £200 budget as thats all we have left after bills are paid but yesterday we had to pay a £65 vet bill,that was just for antibiotics.
I have been a little under budget for the last 2 months ending up at about £165 and £185 so this is going to be really difficult.The vet has told us to put one of the dogs on lite food which is much more expensive than the ordinary food.Have already spent £53.66 so far on not much at all.I had better get my store cupboard inventory done and see how I can do this:o .

Money_saving_Diva_2 · 1 October 2008 at 1:30PM

Hi all

Been trying to work on meal plans but I seem to have a mental block so thought I would log on to update the siggy and to vent a little. We invited some friends down for a chinese last night and the three guys all went down to collect the chinese food but my OH paid at the counter and them the others just gave him cash but he ended up paying £35!!! I am not surprised the guys let him pay more than them, but I expressly asked my OH not to make silly generous gestures because 1. It's his birthday meal and he shouldn't have to and 2. They all earn so much more than we do!! But he is this nice loveable generous guy and I guess he just didn't have the strength to say anything different.

So my first weeks budget has been blown. We have a tescos shop coming tonight you see (I won't add it til I know exactly how much it will be) and although I budgeted for about £15 for the chinese, having to find double that is making steam come out of my ears. I couldn't be cross with him, so I just lay in bed fuming while he slept...:rotfl: We do have a full thing of rice and an entire spicy pork dish that wasn't touched so I guess that is tonights dinner, but it still doesn't make up for it in my opinion.

God I sound mean don't I? I don't begrudge paying - we have always been happy to pay more than our share over the years but everyone knows that the last two years have been really hard on us and we only have one income now since I have been unwell.

Anyway, thank you for letting me have a rant, I feel better for getting it off my chest.! I hope it wasn't off topic.. I don't think it was. Sorry if I have rambled..

Diva.x

shelovestobuystuff · 1 October 2008 at 2:14PM

Just finished my inventory and thankfully we just about enough in the fridge,freezer and cupboards to do the rest of the week and perhaps more.Loads of pasta,rice and some jars of sauces so if I buy the biggest chicken I can find for around £4 I will have £75 left to feed us all for another 3 weeks,should manage that,I hope.
This week we will have
pork chops with a white wine sauce,pots and veg
sweet and sour pork(using 2 chops between 4,some carrots and chinese leaf and hm sauce) with rice
bolognese(little bit of minced quorn and minced beef left in freezer so will mix these)and spaghetti
roast chicken,pots and veg
chicken korma(using leftover chicken) and rice
chicken and sweetcorn soup with crusty bread
may even have enough chicken left for a chicken and veg pie but everyone will be sick of chicken this week so it will go in the freezer for next week.
I just have to buy a great big chicken and a little tin of pineapple for the sweet & sour and thats us sorted.Will watch out for reduced bread for lunches too.

Found a box of 4 of those boil in the bag cod steaks in parsley butter sauce in the bottom of the freezer.They have been there for months but everyone complains when I suggest them for dinner and they have never been used up.Does anyone have a way I can use them to make something more interesting which the family may actually eat?

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October 2008 Grocery Challenge. Please read first two posts.

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