August 2008 Grocery Challenge

Sian_the_Green · 31 July 2008 at 1:08PM

Martin is on the telly as I type :heartpuls
Is he single?

OrkneyStar · 31 July 2008 at 1:11PM

savingfortravel wrote: »

Thanks Guys..
Its my second wedding and my first was so stressful..was left to organise and pay (ex only told me about his serious debt 2 months before big day..) for it all myself..So this time I want simple and for it to be about OB and myself. And if I'm really honest I don't want to spend an absolute fortune on frills and unnecessary costs .. and my parents are retired so I don't want them to contribute. So may ask for some ideas later on as to how to do it and support from like minded people...
I know some people like to judge you according to your big day but those people are shallow anyway.
Thanks SFT

You are right SFT, its about you and OH coming together as one, not the frills and fancies of the day. This said I hope you have a day that you both enjoy and will remember

Our wedding was a small affair yet it was lovely too

angelnikki · 31 July 2008 at 1:15PM

chelltune wrote: »

I've read of few posts with people mentioning freezing cakes and biscuits. I've never frozen anything like this, what freezes best? Do you freeze the biscuit dough or when they are baked? I'm having a c-sec next week so it would be good to do some extra baking with the children and freeze it.

I must check out some of these other dough recipes, I've seen Naan, tortilla, etc mentioned. Which recipes do you recommend?

One last question, how much vinegar do I put in my washing machine and do I put it in the softner section?

Hiya Chelltune

Good luck next week with your C-sec.

Have a look on the first page of this thread where you'll find the Recipe Index with links to all the recipes mentioned on here. A lot of biscuits can be frozen as biccies or as dough - Twinks freeze really well as both and I think cookies do too. Cakes freeze fine aswell. There's also a link to info on washing gloop/vinegar on the index

HTH

SFT Congratulations :beer: my mum had a registry office wedding with just close friends & family, followed by a picnic in the park. It was a lovely day.

Nikki x

*BigBird* · 31 July 2008 at 1:24PM

Sian_the_Green wrote: »

My Mum told me about a book or a play where the main character could deal with any financial hardship as long as she had money for hyacinths. It got me thinking, what one 'luxury' would you never give up as it gives 'meaning' to your life when times are tough?

My car

It's impractical, uneconomical, expensive to tax, expensive to insure, expensive to maintain. If both my mum and dad come to visit I have to hire a car with more doors as neither can get in the back of mine as it only has 3 doors.

But I love it too much to get rid of it. Even though I've worked out that I could save about £1000 a year by changing it :eek: I've come close to changing it, but just can't do it. It doesn't matter how carp my day has been, how carp the weather is, the drive home always makes up for it. Any journey, even just to Lidl to buy bread flour, is a Mini adventure

(It's a Mini by the way. Red one with a union jack on the roof - almost impossible to lose in a large car park! So it is ever-so-slightly sensible in that respect :rotfl: )

I know, I'm incredibly sad to love my car so much!

poohbear59 · 31 July 2008 at 1:28PM

Hi,
I declared £240 as my challenge for this month. Last night DD was supposed to go to Aldi for me. Its 20 miles away but her meeting overan so I went to the Co-op and spent a massive £8 on some cheese, olive oil and a bottle of wine.

So, already I am down to £232 left.

About giving up something, I have given up wine unless it is a special occasion but I still buy red for DH. We have given up all snack foods e.g. crisps, chocolate etc. We gave up about four months ago when DH wasn't working and he will be really tempted to buy some, I bet, on Friday when he gets his first pay for ages.

The good news is my calabresse have loads of heads on them and my beans and courgette have loads of flowers. Hopefully this will be a good year, last year was a disaster in the garden.

kindlesgirl · 31 July 2008 at 1:28PM

Hi there all, total newbie to the site - but have spent ages since I was pointed in Martin's direction a few days ago! Would love to try the grocery challenge - me and 2 children (7 and 11 - eat like horses). Looking at the bills last month seems like we spend around £350 a month :eek: but that seems high compared with other posts I have read - so will have to see how we do - will be looking out for special offers etc... but do try to use local farm shop and butcher where possible. Looking forward to your support! Thanks!

OrkneyStar · 31 July 2008 at 1:33PM

kindlesgirl wrote: »

Hi there all, total newbie to the site - but have spent ages since I was pointed in Martin's direction a few days ago! Would love to try the grocery challenge - me and 2 children (7 and 11 - eat like horses). Looking at the bills last month seems like we spend around £350 a month :eek: but that seems high compared with other posts I have read - so will have to see how we do - will be looking out for special offers etc... but do try to use local farm shop and butcher where possible. Looking forward to your support! Thanks!

Welcome kindlesgirl

,
You will find loads of tips, recipes and support (and other things

) on here. Its great. I managed to fail my two monthly challenges (although used to keep to budget before coming on GC lol

) but am now working weekly instead, so far so good.
Please share any tips you have, recipes etc too as they will be welcome.
:wave:

turbo5019 · 31 July 2008 at 1:34PM

Chelltune good luck for next week. I want a c section I had to have one first time round. At first hospital said they will give me one but they have changed their minds I'm not happy. I only wont one as my DH goes off shore 10 day's after due date and if I go over due then have to have another c section got noone one to look after my 2 year old but hospital said not good enough. they are going to review it at 40 weeks 5 weeks to go. I have been baking for the past 2 weeks and freezer is full so when baby arrives will not have to cook.

Today I have going round like a mad woman nearly cleaned the whole kitchen, cleared out the fridge which I found some grapes which I had to throw out:eek: before joining GC I wouldn't have worried but I feel guilty.

Congratulations SFT you have the wedding you want no matter how or where you have it someone will be unhappy it's your day not theirs.

Well this is the first day of aug challenge I really want to go shopping but there is nothing I need. Going to try to follow MrsM and have a few NSD how you do it MrsM I don't know. Mind you when my DH was in the army (left last year) I used to stay in the barracks most of the time.

Well I'm off to do some more cleaning then I want to cook a pineapple upside down cake anyone got a easy recipe I have lost my cook book.

Now I need to move away from the computer.

angelnikki · 31 July 2008 at 1:45PM

turbo5019 wrote: »

I want a c section I had to have one first time round. At first hospital said they will give me one but they have changed their minds I'm not happy. I only wont one as my DH goes off shore 10 day's after due date and if I go over due then have to have another c section got noone one to look after my 2 year old but hospital said not good enough. they are going to review it at 40 weeks 5 weeks to go. I have been baking for the past 2 weeks and freezer is full so when baby arrives will not have to cook.

Today I have going round like a mad woman nearly cleaned the whole kitchen, cleared out the fridge which I found some grapes which I had to throw out:eek: before joining GC I wouldn't have worried but I feel guilty.

Have you had the urge to clean the oven yet :eek: Maybe he's coming early

When I got to 38 weeks and told my midwife that I didnt want to be induced and wanted to wait till DS was ready to come out, all the docs at JPH kept offering me c-sec :rolleyes: Maybe you should tell them youre gonna x your legs that way they'll let you have one? I ended up having one anyway after being 21 days over and being in labour for 30hrs!

Not long to go now. Let me know if you need any help with anything. My DS is 22months so he's close to your DDs age. Good luck.

Nikki xx

MRSMCAWBER · 31 July 2008 at 1:46PM

Afternoon all

Just a heads up on the choc brownie recipe i posted the other day... keep em in the fridge

... i wouldn't have found this out if hubby hadn't left the tub with 2 of those and a piece of banana coconut cake in behind when he took his lunch this morning:whistle: so i shoved them in the fridge..only i just had 1

at least i stopped at 1 :A :rotfl:

Congratulations on the big day savingfortravel :T we had 40 to our
wedding... all family and a couple of best friends... some folks at work couldn't believe i wasn't throwing a huge shindig for everyone in the evening :eek: I didn't want to work with half of them let alone invite them to my big day :rotfl: so it was everyone to the wedding -in the same church as my parents and gran, then onto the do that went on to the evening -we had a blast and only 1 person made it to work the following day

Both mums are widowed so we didn't want them to contribute financially -my mum saved us a bloomin fortune though -

My mum made a huge wedding cake -the best pic i have without taking it out the albumn... that was all fruit and mum made another one like the bottom tier only with her special lemon sponge in nomnomnom

made the bridesmaids dresses -she used to be a seamstress
did my flowers
I x stiched everyones names and then mum used the fabric left from the bridesmaid dresses to make napkin rings
on the tables we had teracotta plantpots with lovely smelling herbs in -a bonus as even if the toddlers got them it didn't matter;)
and big plates of Anthony berg chocs on the tables (from home bargains;) ) had great fun testing them out:D
It amazing the many ways you can make your wedding personal to you.. you just need to ignore anyone who expects you do everything on a grand scale or in the "traditional" way if thats not what you want...
sorry that turned into a ramble

Orkneystar.. that cakey looks rather nomnomnom :T ..

right i will get off and get the tortilla dough made
have a great one all:D

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August 2008 Grocery Challenge

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