May 2017 Grocery Challenge

allmannerofthings · 6 May 2017 at 3:24PM

Paying attention to what we're spending on food is definitely helping. I did on online A$da shop today and then went back through and deleted the things I didn't really need to get the total down. Ended up at £56.58, although that might change when it turns up tomorrow as there's usually something that was out of stock! I've succumbed to buying chocolate a few times this week, and we had fish and chips last night - so far I've spent £119.42 of my £240 budget for the month. I won't need to shop for a week or so though so I'm not far off target.

I really do need to focus more on using up what's in the freezer and cupboards. For some reason I struggle with that. I think somehow when I have looked at the same item over and over again for months I don't fancy eating it anymore.

Wysiwyg49 · 6 May 2017 at 7:33PM

Maisie_M wrote: »

I remember my mum used to get an orang cut it in half and wrap in tinfoil. Then she put t cut side down on a plate and stuck coctail stick in it which had cubes of cheese, pineapple and ham on them. Also vol au vonts with egg mayo and tuna mayo in them. They seemed so decadent at the time :rotfl:

We had cut up hot dogs as well as pineapple and cheese on the cocktail sticks! And I still love vol au vents...

Other long gone treats - fruit cocktail in huge tins from a wholesaler (Makro was our local one) - Angel Delight - and anyone remember "Rise and Shine" which was a powdered form of imitation fruit juice?

Back to the modern day - meal plan this week is:
Sat: baked fish and roast veg. DS having fish fingers and potato waffles due to his aversion to "mixed up stuff"
Sun: sausage and bean casserole and baked potatoes
Mon: mushroom stroganoff (adults) chicken fricassee (kids) with rice
Tues: spag bol
Wed: HM chicken pie with chips and peas
Thurs: Spanish omelette, sausages if wanted, beans

Puddings: going to make Jack Monroe's white choc and peach traybake to have with custard, and an apple and berry crumble as we have loads of apples no-one is eating for some reason. Also making hummus because DD opened a 2nd tin of chickpeas when there was already half of one in the fridge, so I have 2 half tins to do something with!

HM tomato soup was very nice today, but the double cream I had was a bit elderly so I put some natural yoghurt in instead, which curdled

. Still a success, even DS ate it and didn't say it wasn't as nice as the tinned one

mcculloch29 · 6 May 2017 at 7:42PM

allmannerofthings wrote: »

I really do need to focus more on using up what's in the freezer and cupboards. For some reason I struggle with that. I think somehow when I have looked at the same item over and over again for months I don't fancy eating it anymore.

I know what you mean, but I'm finding Google searches a good way of finding original ideas for putting a new spin on things. Some famous name cooks are really good at this, notably Nigel Slater and Jack Monroe.
Another NSD here, pleased with my management of food stocks and general alternative thinking.

XSpender · 6 May 2017 at 9:33PM

Beer and snacks bought today and £8 spent yesterday on a birthday cake for DS. There were some great cakes in Mr A yesterday that I would have liked to get him but they were all in shades of pink and purple which DS would have turned his nose up at been 'for girls' so we ended up with a character cake. I have, however stored some ideas away to make one of these next year in a more masculine colour pallette

I have made a chocolate banana loaf today using up some dodgy bananas and DS has made 2 batches of buns half for the party tea tomorrow and half for the freezer.

If anyone can advise how to load a photo I will attempt to upload a picture of the party spread following all your comments and memories of 70s parties

K9sandFelines · 7 May 2017 at 2:07AM

Not added up May spends yet, think it's about £60 or so after tomorrow.
I have a minimal order from Ocado coming, as i needed vegan cleaning wipes (for stuff like granddaughter's toys and cat's microchip bowls ... doesn't work as well with spray and cloth). Should come to a few pence over £40.00 minimum spend. Will report back and amend sig once totted up.

Suffolk_lass · 7 May 2017 at 6:32AM

XSpender wrote: »

If anyone can advise how to load a photo I will attempt to upload a picture of the party spread following all your comments and memories of 70s parties

The little image of a yellow envelope lets you upload an image from a URL - not sure if you use flickr or similar but that works

t14cy_t · 7 May 2017 at 6:34AM

grocery spends of £4 yesterday, so this month is £20 exactly!! jumble yesterday was a real eye opener! £1 entry and £3 an item!!! for clothing, phew! all for the air ambulance charity which is an excellent cause, but cleared out my jumble sale allowance for the foreseeable future!! best bargain for me was a kenwood food processor, £5, just hope its all there/works!! have been hankering after one for ages to make pate with!! xx

t14cy_t · 7 May 2017 at 9:12AM

update!! kenwood works perfectly...now to find the ys chicken livers for the pate!! xx

armchairexpert · 7 May 2017 at 9:26AM

elsiepac wrote: »

Loving the 70s birthday posts... to be honest I had very similar ones (that we threw and attended) in the late 80s/early 90s when I was little. ALWAYS chocolate fingers and party rings (which are vegan incidentally, so I can still enjoy them today lol), always crips in paper bowls, and white bread sandwiches - I think I remember cheese or ham, not pastes though. I remember being very excited at one I went to where the paper bowls had PRINGLES in them! Oh and hula hoops of course!
Our parties were always at home from what I remember and my mum used to make what we thought were the best cakes ever! Our favourite was the hedgehog cake - one big hedgehog and about 6 babies around it - iced in CHOCOLATE icing (what a treat!) and with half buttons stuck in rows for spines. We adored them!
My sister's birthday is July so she got the good weather, and mum did her a picnic party one year - she MADE little boxes, 15 or so, out of coloured paper and each had sandwiches, a few crisps and other bits I forget now. That was a fun one - only out in the garden but very novel!
Other kids parties were usually thrown at either the church hall or the village hall in my village, and as we got older and they turned into disco parties, I always remember the aeons old blue crockery that the adults would drink their tea from while they waited for it to finish. ( I never had a disco party but was lucky enough to go to a couple!). As I got older, from maybe 9 or 10, we had a "birthday treat" which we LOVED - a cinema trip with our closest friends. Dad would never come, he's not into that, so usually one of our friends mum's would come with mum, and depending on who our "best friend" little group was at the time would depend how many people we could ask - it was usually 3 or 4. And whether it was mine or my sisters birthday we were allowed to go too, but if it was the other one's birthday we weren't allowed to"steal the limelight" as such, so were usually allowed 1 friend as well so we didn't bother the birthday group!
It was such a treat, cinema trips were maybe 3 or 4 times a year including our birthdays which accounts for 2. So it was so special to us. I love the cinema to this day, and it always feels like a treat going. I'm really glad I was brought up that way, especially as the prices are so ridiculous now! It makes me a bit sad seeing how kids take it for granted nowadays (I know I'm talking like I'm very old here lol, but I'm not, I'm 33).

Elsie this was so pleasant to read! And if it makes you feel better, this is how my kids are growing up. The cinema is twice a year and then there's often a cinema party thrown by a friend so 3. Our parties are all at home. Last year we got out a plastic waterslide, the kind you squirt washing up liquid on and then set the hose going, and the kids slid down it in their swimsuits and then ate crisps and sandwiches and a token fruit platter and there was lemonade and a Victoria sponge.

Suffolk_lass · 7 May 2017 at 9:50AM

t14cy_t wrote: »

update!! kenwood works perfectly...now to find the ys chicken livers for the pate!! xx

Well done! £5 for a Kenwood - that's just a £200+ saving over a new one!

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

May 2017 Grocery Challenge

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free