July 2008 Grocery Challenge

brummiebabe

Hi all

Didn't quite make my target this month...overspent by about £15.

My July total therefore £415 (approx - give or take a few pence) Whilst this isn't great, it's much better than I used to do!!! Plus it was a 5 week month....:whistle: :whistle:

Blairweech

Popped into Tesco for milk and fuel, got there just at the right time (RTC lady had just been). I decided not to spend over a fiver and I spent £5.01,so that was good. Bought sandwich meat, apples, muffins and loads of blueberries (will have to find recipes for them, last time I made Blueberry Breakfast Bars, and they were gorgeous when just baked, but after that went soggy and kinda cakey, so think I will try something different.

Also got some value bacon. Right, off to make a pasta bake for tomorrow

gillaman

IOIWE - good luck with your job hunt, let us know how you get on won't you.

Gorgeous here today so I just sat in the garden and read. Reckoned I deserved it as had a bad start to the day. I have to take a tablet in the morning on an empty stomach and then not eat for half an hour or so. Tablets come in two boxes bound together with sellotape. Finished the first box on Friday, opened the new box this morning - no tablets!! So I had to whizz down to the pharmacy and get a new box. Whilst there I bought the onions I forgot in Mr A at Mr T's - 50p so still under my £135 estimate for July. I also bought a newspaper but that was a treat - how sad. Didn't get anything to eat until around 11.00 a.m.

Seem to have solved the problem of my courgettes perpetually rotting - someone on the Greenfinger thread said to remove the flowers as soon as they wilted. Have done this and it looks to have worked, so I should have plenty of courgettes to pick shortly. Toms are ripening nicely. I'm growing Gardeners Delight this year and Moneymaker. I think the GD taste nicer. Has anyone got any other varieties they can recommend for next year please? I was thinking about trying some plum tomatoes maybe.

My DD said she's going to start using Mr A's website to make up her shopping list so she can price it as well, then go into the store to buy rather than have it delivered. I thought this was a good idea because you've got some idea of what you're going to spend before you set foot in the shop. I think it takes a while to make up at first, but once you've got a list going I think you can just use it again can't you and you can look for special offers at the same time. Has anyone else tried this.

Barneysmom

Hi I'd like to declare at £171.50 please.
It's been hard I have to say but onward onward!

Looking at the Asda website to decide what to buy is a great idea, as you can see what bogofs are available, and do a decent meal plan.

I'm having a bit of a health problem at the moment, so I have to look after myself next month, try to find good healthy food, no processed. Still it'll do me good in the end, and the slow cooker I bought last month has been a real Godsend!

Flylady_Flower

gillaman wrote: »

My DD said she's going to start using Mr A's website to make up her shopping list so she can price it as well, then go into the store to buy rather than have it delivered. I thought this was a good idea because you've got some idea of what you're going to spend before you set foot in the shop. I think it takes a while to make up at first, but once you've got a list going I think you can just use it again can't you and you can look for special offers at the same time. Has anyone else tried this.

What a good idea. I was going to start using www.mysupermarket.com and see who was cheaper on what, as MrA, MrT & MrS are quite close to me, so I could go to the cheapest for each item... not sure if I would though, but at least I would have a list with the prices on when I went (espec for Lidls and Aldi)...

Herewegoagain

Thanks KAAT, that was really kind of you, will go and look on those sites,every little helps with the budget eh:T :beer:

KAAT_LADY

HI THERE HWGA

it helps a lot especially when you get a lot of drugs like DH

KAAT_LADY

good morning ALL

posted by StephenLeak
Cheap KTC Brand Tinned Tomatoes in ASDA

If anyone is thinking about "downshifting" to these, stop thinking about it and do it. Stock up with a few. I reckon they are very good indeed.

On paper - the label - the drained weight is only 240g (compared with the ASDA standard own brand ones at 260g). On the plus side, they are from Italy, where they know a thing or two about tomatoes.

When I opened the tin, I have to say that I was most impressed. There may be 20g more juice than tomatoes than in the other ones, but it was really, really thick - some still stuck to the lid.

I've used half a tin in a batch of chicken curry, and it "did the business", as they say.

just thought I would pass this on,, we need a few cans of tomatoes so will go to Asda,,,, as we need milk as well,,,

smetf

Morning all

Returned back from a sunny week canal boating- lovely :cool:

Declaring July at £415.55 :eek: way over £60 of that was meals out which I hadn't allowed for when away and we did a very big shop for 7 of us for the canal boat, we have brought some supplies back with us though.

Am hoping to do August for £380 have allowed a bit more for treats as it is summer hols and we are away again too!

Right will have a little catch up on posts!!

KAAT_LADY thanks for passing on the tomatoes tips- will look out for these

Smetf

mumofjusttwo

Morning All. Spent £3 yesterday on unnecessary bits and pieces but cheered up DD who was a little grumpy.

Made some hob nobs and some bread.

Just to mention that there is a £5 voucher in NOTW today if you spend £30 in Mr T.