August 2008 Grocery Challenge

always_skint_3

Hello,

Just to update my signature - spent £9.47 in Mr S yesterday.
Have to say was amazed at some of the price increases in Mr S...usually buy my children the own brand fromage frais as they are sweetened with juice rather than sugar and noticed yesterday they have gone up by 28p for a pack of 6!!!!!!!!! Now works out about the same price as getting organic branded ones, not really an incentive to shop in that store and buy own brand. There were a couple of other things too but can't for the life of me think what they were - will come back to me shortly !

Flylady_Flower

Evening all,

Have been trying to sort my full finances out all day :shocked: - checking what we owe and how quick we can pay everything off, etc and it's looking quite good now...Phew! :think: We should have all our debts apart from one loan paid off by April next year - then we will put all the extra saved from not paying these into a savings pot and pay off the remaining loan early when we have saved enough (not allowed to pay extra off each month :mad: ) Hoping for September next year! :j (Here's to hope! :dance: )

Sorry to go off track :shhh: - reason being that it has been this challenge that has really made me think where our money goes. Because I have to put down all spending for this, I check everything else and because I am checking everything else, I no longer hide my head in the sand, paying minimum balances off, etc and we are moving forward - couldn't see us paying ANYTHING off in a year, let alone everything, so I just wanted to say a great big
:T :T THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS :T :T
you are all great and will all accomplish your goals because you are all such friendly, welcoming people who deserve to do it - GOOD KARMA IS DUE YOU AND COMING YOUR WAY!
Back to GC spending, I have finally updated my signature :j , not too good on first couple of weeks - overspent on groceries as we were totally empty, so not too worried there as we have been rebuilding stocks quite successfully but have gone loads over on my extras budget :eek: - mainly due to trips to dentist and pre-payment cert for prescriptions or we would be OK there too, so I can't really complain. Must make sandwiches for work next week though - this has been the biggest blow to spending but at least I am watching it now...

Cooking day tomorrow - am sat at home (Saturday night - what's that for???) sorting out rest of paperwork, washing and stuff in bedrooms ready for good start tomorrow... again, here's to hope....:whistle:

Have a good weekend everyone... love to all who need it :happyhear

gsysezz

Ches wrote: »

When I cook the pastry base for a quiche, the sides always shrink down the sides of the tin, so it ends up not being very deep. Is it supposed to do this, or am I cooking it wrong? (whenever I follow a recipe, there's never enough height in the case to hold all of the filling without it spilling over the sides). I wonder if maybe my cooker is a bit too harsh as it's a fan oven?

I don't think you are doing anything wrong but pastry stretches and then shrinks back when cooked so be very careful when lifting it into the tin so not to stretch it then it won't shrink back. Hope this makes sense.

It is also good to let the pastry rest before you trim it. Don't trim too close to the edge of the tin and then it will have a bit more allowance for shrinkage.

Anzac_Biscuit

Mrs M - wow, meal plans done til NOv??? I am so impressed! I've only ever done them for the following week:D The roasted toms sound amazing - don't have any home grown ones but now I'm tempted to try to find some and freeze for winter:j

Denisefowler, I'm so pleased for you!! Sounds like you've been doing a heap of work to get this far. Way to go:T

Ches- combining grocery and personal spending is a good idea, I have the same problem and have been planning to combine them for next month as well. I'll be interested to see how you go.

Big spend yesterday but it was planned so ok:) Went out for a lovely dinner so am counting that as 'entertainment'

I'll be doing a big weekly shop tomorrow and will update then for last few days as well (don't have calculator handy!)

angelatgraceland

4Moneysaver wrote: »

What a wet and dreary day! Still I made a foray into my local Lidl only to find that it was rather small and pokey. I bought bread for the freezer, some strong flour for bread making which I don't usually do but reading about other people doing it has inspired me. I went with a list and the odd few things that I couldn't get in Lidl (Walthamstow branch) I picked up in Mr S. The list REALLY helps, I get too side-tracked otherwise. So after spending 2.48 in Lidl, £5.02 in Mr S and putting £10 of petrol in my car I'm done for the weekend. Aside from some fruit from the market and maybe some milk I shouldn't need to spend much next week at all.

Do other people tell friends and colleagues about this challenge? I've mentioned it to a few people at work and it's really got some folks interested in how I do so I'd better not fail now.:D

Yes, I tell others at work about it. Some make admiring comments and others think Ive lost the plot by the looks on their faces.
I took in Somerfield value choc digestives the other day for the staff room and one woman picked them up-oh-value-I never buy value! The other woman there said she buys it all the time. First one had been put off value cos she didnt like Lidls beans. Anyhow-she had a bicky and agreed-nowt wrong with those! Another convert about to join my list I hope. I told her about the downshift challenge-OMG I can't seem to help myself.
Popped in Waitrose tonight and they have a nice little offer on for anyone who wants an easy meal for 2.
Its a £4.99 pizza,a bag of salad and a £5.99 bottle of wine all for a tenner.
Now if you add a few chips to that lot-its a meal for 4 people methinks!
Great value anyhow.

Flylady_Flower

Anzac_Biscuit wrote: »

Denisefowler, I'm so pleased for you!! Sounds like you've been doing a heap of work to get this far. Way to go:T

Thank you so much - see, this is the kind of thing I mean - EVERYONE is so encouraging that even if you make a mistake, you're there to help pick up the pieces - bit like real life eh! (sometimes, not usually!)

Mrs M, I am also in awe of your meal plans - my current freezer contents would only get me through the next couple of weeks if that and I would need more storecupboard stuff to go with too - how many freezers have you got exactly?..... :rotfl:

Right, about to start on washing pile while I have piece and quiet... Have to pick DS and hubby up from the club at 11.45pm - DS has just got a relief job as a 'potboy' (collecting glasses) - gives him some pocket money which is good...

busy_mum_4

mumoffour77 wrote: »

Ok!!!
NSD yesterday:)
had to nip to the butchers today and spent 16.60, on meat oh and a jar of coffee!!! So today is going to be bulk cooking day!!! Bolognes, mince carrot and onion, brown stew and shepards pie!! Cook masses of these, portion them up and freeze them....also yknow the foil cartons that the local chinese use.....I got a load of them last night....for free:) so i am going to make individual lasanges and freeze them too.....so that when the kids go back to school and come home and say im starving:( is there anything to eat.....i can point them in the direction of the freezer and they can have a piece of lasange to tie them over until tea time!!.....This happens quite a lot with DS1 who gets home at 3.30pm and is starving all the time:)

Can I please ask what it brown stew??????????????????///

taffy1969

Evening All!!
Caught up a bit with the thread, not much though I'm afraid. Been trying to find Hannah Montana stuff for DD1's birthday. Bit of a nightmare!!! Never mind.
Just came on to update my sig, total spend so far for August - £114.67, quite pleased with that, apart from the odd thing shouldn't spend anything else this week.
Hope everyone has a good weekend.
Taffy

gailey_2

Must say have made savings who knew i could fit 10sainsburys bags on was bit scary up hill!
I ma fed up with us spending over budget on food so left hubby and kids at home, got on my vespa gt and wemnt latenight shopping in sainsburys hoping to find rdeuced bargains.

Sadly not enough reduced itsm was counting on being the only sad person shopping on saturday night!

Not sure if they not reduced much or I brought too late?

I have joined august grocey challange (1st grocery challange) after huge overspend in july.

We have set £200 limit month 4 2 adults 1 fulltime toddler with appetite and part time tweenie who eats like a sparrow(junk food only)! Hopefully this figure should include toilitries too.

We have realised shopping monthly is disaster as we run out of fresh and do expensive topups which cost us more.

One thing I do know is never go shopping with kids! Also hubby is brand fussy and impulseive so should not be trusted.

I think i did goo shop lots of meat as hubby loves meat which bumps up bill some what, Did set budget at 50quid a week but spent£68 £18 over bidget so need to do less next week.

Luckily still got loda sin cupboards/freezer from july hsop that juts cryimg out for meat to go with it and had lots of basics.

I shopped the deals, got value products, loads of jamie recipe cards and in true jaimie style got on my 125 cc scooter.

Must admit looking at my small trolly was worrying how would fit.

But got 3 bags in backbox, 1 under seat and 6 on handle bars (should have taken rucksack) . Was bit scary uphill went small quite back roads in rain/dark home got few funny looks too.

So maybe good money saving is wekly shop(how much can u fit on a bike?"!)

I just hope it lasts us!:j

gailey

whatatwit

Don't have a bike, but I did walk home with my 4 bags today. My arms were dropping off.
Have to agree with leaving OH and kids at home.