January 2009 Grocery Challenge

elizabunny · 20 January 2009 at 10:43PM

orchid-96 wrote: »

Thanks for the tuna fishcakes recipe, I am going to give them a try for my littluns...I was just wondering though, could I use shop bought breadcrumbs? I have a tub of them in th cupboard (a little out of date) but havn't been opened, do you think I could use them?

Hello orchid-96 - Sorry I'm not much use here because I have never used shop bought breadcrumbs -but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Also, I really don't know how long after the date they would be edible -:o I think there may be other OS who may have used them before so hopefully they can help you out more than me.

I'm hoping to grow broad beans this year so maybe -if you don't mind you could post your soup recipe -it sounds lovely!

Just remembered another NSD for me today -so 3 in a row!

bunnygirl007 · 20 January 2009 at 10:52PM

Hello everyone, I have been seeing the Jan Grocery Challenge on people's sigs all over the forum and wondered where the thread lived! Now I've found you all and what a great thread it is - please can I join for Feb?

I've started keeping a spreadsheet to record my groceries that I'm buying each week so 1) I can get an idea how much I need to budget for next month and 2) I'm finding it very useful to highlight where I have bought uneccessarliy i.e. a one off treat I won't be repeating.

I've got loads of store cupboard and quite a bit of frozen stuff so am thinking of listing it all on another spreadsheet so I can see what I've got without standing on my head looking in cupboards and hopefully make use of lots of things that have been lurking in the cupboards for too long and also start menu planning.

I've only got 2 full weeks of shopping listed so far but both weeks have come in around £68 something - I don't think I've missed any spends. This is only groceries though not anything like money for school lunches or me if I'm working aay from home (I'm a home worker).

I'm feeling quite excited to be starting this challenge but like a lot of things I start the novelty soon wears off and I start falling behind so guy's please keep me going and give me a virtual kick up the bum if necessary.

Also where can I get Twinks Hob Nob recipe please? It sounds great. I've been doing choc brownies a few times but could do to leave the choc for a while.

:T

elaina79 · 20 January 2009 at 10:54PM

Hi I am new to all this so please be gentle with me.

My budget for Jan is £400 for 4 of us (soon to be 5). Kids have just started getting free school dinners so that should cut my bill a bit. Total so far for this month is £281.45.

angelatgraceland · 20 January 2009 at 11:24PM

Twinks Homemade hobnobs
8oz sr flour
8oz sugar
8oz porridge oats

8oz margarine
1tbsp golden syrup
1tbsp hot water
1/2 tsp bic soda

mix flour, oats and sugar
melt marg, syrup and water in a pan
stir in bic soda and add to dry mix, mix well,
make smallish balls and put on greased tray and flatten slightly with a fork,
180oc Gas 4 for 15 mins,
cool on the tray, you just want them golden in oven not brown

These are nice-they must be cos we ALL like them on here! If you go to the very beginning of this thread you will find the recipe index and links too-there are many there you will find useful so do read the first few pages of the thread. They are put on each month so will also be on febs thread.

angelnikki · 20 January 2009 at 11:24PM

Hiya bunnygirl007, elaina79 and all newbies :hello: welcome to the challenge. If you look on the first page of this thread you'll find lots of info and the recipe index (thanks to rosieben :A for doing such a great job keeping it up to date) which has links to loads of great recipes including Twink's Hobnobs.

HTH

I've just had my third spend of the month.

My MrT delivery came to £80.91. This included £6.42 on nappies/wipes, £13.09 on toiletries and 80p on household stuff. So only £60.60 was on food.

I have decided to fully chicken out. :A I always buy free range eggs but not FR chicken

because I didn't feel I could afford free range on my budget. But now that I've managed to reduce our spends, thanks to the GC, we can afford to only buy free range chicken (and pork) too :T

My total spend at the end of week three: £247.84 / £350

Off to update my siggy...

Nikki x

Toonie · 20 January 2009 at 11:32PM

Just updating my total. Woke up with an awful migraine this morning and couldn't go to work, so I sent BF off with instructions to buy a bottle of milk and that's what he did

Will be going to work tomorrow though.

Shouldn't need anything else for the week until Sunday. Today we had pasta, sauce from the freezer and bacon. Yummy! Made a crumble yesterday and had leftovers today. Have also made a few fairy cakes, some to take to work (I provide lunch on a Wednesday for me and my little charge-but get reimbursed) and a couple for BF for elevenses. Used one egg and got ten fairy cakes-not too bad!

angelatgraceland · 20 January 2009 at 11:45PM

angelnikki wrote: »

I have decided to fully chicken out. :A I always buy free range eggs but not FR chicken because I didn't feel I could afford free range on my budget. But now that I've managed to reduce our spends, thanks to the GC, we can afford to only buy free range chicken (and pork) too :T

My total spend at the end of week three: £247.84 / £350

Off to update my siggy...

Nikki x

Well done! This is also the stage I have reached. I started off with FR eggs but the price of the chicken wasn't really very affordable. Asda do FR chicken very reasonable though so I did get a couple from there and that is what I intend to do in the future unless its a true big whoopsie(which would still leave me a little guilty). I want to use up all of the other meat in my freezer too and eventually replace it with the "happy" variety. It does mean cutting back on it but I plan to cut back on red meat anyhow. When we were much poorer and living on more soya and pulses years ago we were also healthier. I can't turn back the clock 20 years but I can turn back our diet somewhat. Such changes do take time and I would rather have a FR chicken once a week than a caged twice a week which is where we were a couple of years ago. I feel I am making considered choices now-as I think a lot of us here also now feel-rather than just buying "food" without too much consideration as to cost both in monetary terms and moral ones. I will leave the "value" ones for those who are still beginners and feel a need to buy them. I did also put the free range pork into my basket but put it back for a very good reason-yes-I put it back because I didn't need it! I already have loads in the freezer to use up.

JayJay14 · 21 January 2009 at 12:10AM

Just got back from Asda, thought there might be a few woopsies but all I got was a french loaf for 2p.

There was a good deal on milk though 97p for 2L of 2% milk, but my fav item was Country Life unsalted butter for 47p:j

Must go and get the beef stew out of the freezer for tomorrow night, I think it will take me until next Xmas to eat our way trough the freezer:rotfl:

miss_keep_counting · 21 January 2009 at 12:32AM

Another food NSD for me, here's hoping I can do a 3rd in a row tomorrow and keep using up my food stash! I totted up my spend for food so far this month at £125 (plus there were a few takeaways not recorded) so doing my best to keep in line for the rest of the month and putting Febs target at a low figure to try and test me

Kiwisaver_2 · 21 January 2009 at 7:24AM

nickynoo08 wrote: »

Right i've just been looking at next months budget and i've got a fair amount of o/t due so i've decided to put some in my bank to go towards my debt and the last £40ish quid to add to next months shopping budget. Now rather than spending it on rubbish i'm thinking of trying to stock up on stuff like washing up tablets, fabric softner etc.... but what else? Other than tinned toms and jars i cant really think of anything. I'm also hoping that by doing this i'll be able to keep my shopping budget on track for the rest of the year or at least a good portion of it.
Any advice greatly welcomed. Thanks

I would suggest you pick a few things that you always buy, see if you can find them on offer and buy loads, it will help in future months. Try to get as much as you possibly can with that £40. I did similar with a $15 voucher I had, I looked for the best bargain I could find and I spent it all on washing powder on special offer and I am still reaping the benefits. Every time I see the boxes of powder stacked up (still have 4), I smile to myself 'they were free'.

I attacked the remainder of my list tonight and spent $22.19. 'All' I have to get now on Friday night is some fruit for Saturday lunch, spring onions, plus milk, rolls and bread. Trouble is I now only have $9.65 left. I will undoubtedly be over that, unless they decide to give away bread for free on Friday - well I can hope. :rotfl:

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January 2009 Grocery Challenge

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