August 2008 Grocery Challenge

princess_leia_3

Herewegoagain, do you make your own bread? Even if you don't have a BM the Hovis mixes are so easy to do and at the mo they are only 29p at Mr T and Mr A I believe, so really cheap for a loaf nowadays!
Also, do you have a Mr M's? If so, get stocked up on their 50p stuff like sausages and bacon, muffins etc which you can freeze, or split the packs and freeze into portion sizes.
I hope I haven't come across as telling you the obvious, but its so hard to keep up to date with who does what on here and so I thought I would share what has worked for me this month

meanmarie

Having spent €3 on chorizo to-day I now have €86.67 to see me through to 31st.,finally getting the freezers emptied, know that there is some stewed apple in there since last year but thanks to my wonderful filing system can't find it...labelling would help I suppose, there is also lots of crab apple juice from last year, going to make some mint flavoured jelly as Christmas but want to wait as long as possible and of course we will need more crab jelly so that should all go, leaving me lots of room for this year's apples.

Was talking to OH about blackberries to-night and he reckons that they have all rotted without ripening due to the rain...will don the wellies to-morrow and scout the field for something!

Good luck to all

Marie

angelnikki

*BigBird* wrote: »

Not sure if anyone else has asked this - I've not been online for a couple of days and am still about 6 pages behind! Got to go to bed soon, so will have to catch up on the rest tomorrow, however just wanted to ask how you freeze your BNS? Do you cook it first or freeze it raw? I have a half of one in the fridge and no plans to use it in the next week or so, so if I could freeze it that would be brilliant

Ta!

I just peeled and chopped it, then bung it in a bag in the freezer. (Not sure if it should have been blanched or not but I didnt bother) I do it this way cos it normally takes a while to prepare so is easier to have some in the freezer ready to cook from frozen. Great for quick easy BNS soups, stews etc if you havent got the space in the freezer for the soup IYSWIM oooh or you could do a mix of sweet potato & BNS too ... and roast it from frozen yummy...

Nikki x

bails

Oh but Mrs M, the guy broke his back and then climbed Everest at 23. Even if he's annoying that's still v impressive! (Sorry,off topic) *exits stage left*

kymbogs

angelnikki wrote: »

I used the Hovis white bread mix which is 29p at MrT But I have put a recipe on the Index for proper HM Bread

I love the Hovis bread mix! I started making my own bread a couple of weeks ago and discovered this stuff when I was looking at flour to buy to make my bread. Can't believe how cheap it is compared to all the other ones - does anyone know if this is just an intro price or if it is likely to stay this cheap? I priced up how much it would cost to do totally from scratch and it was only about 2p difference and considering all the weighing out it saves on, I can't recommend it enough! I've been telling everyone all about it

busy_mum_4

Went to Mr Tesco today and spent my 2 notw vouchers, I don't know if anybody here buys them but in Tesco they are selling the EYE Q capsules (Omega 3 &6 oils for those who don't know what i'm talking about) at half price £19.99 down to £9.99 for 180 capsules. Hope this helps someone, I purchased three boxes as they are £21.99 a box in Boots. I know Boots do a 3 for the price of 2 but Tesco is still cheaper.:j

Sian_the_Green

fertyskids wrote: »

Still feeding my family/students 6 adults, (3 of these are very very hungry teenagers). 3yr old 1 yr old.
£400.00 per month this month

Wow, I think you are doing very well already, sounds like you are feeding an army!
I was just thinking of ways you could use less meat or cheaper meat. I know that sausages are pretty cheap relatively, I love them chopped up in casseroles etc and it always feels like you are getting a lot for your money.

I guess with the hungry teenagers try to up the cheap carbs like pasta and potatoes (I love the MASSIVE pasta bags in Tesco), if they understand that you have to cut back can they be helpful too in pushing the boundaries of what they will eat? Or even give them a budget for a meal and a challenge to cook together or in competition with each other, might help them appreciate the cost of meals and give you a breather from cooking. I know there are lots of tips on here for adding in extra lentils or oats to bulk out meals, or have value bread and marg available for filling up on after meals.

What about cheaper shops? I know that Macro and places like that sell bulk a lot cheaper, for things like cheese or catering amounts of tinned tomatoes with a household your size it might help (once bought a bf a 10kg block of cheese for Christmas, he was amused).

Hmm... I'm guessing you are pretty much an expert already tbh but those are just the things that came to my mind. Will have a think...

fluffysox

ska1982 wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I was just wondering how much other people in a similar position spend on groceries? There is just the 2 of us + 1 (fussy) cat, we seem to be spending about £55 - £65 / week on groceries. We do get supermarkt own brands, go with a list etc. but still ...

Sorry if this has come up earlier somewhere, had a quick look around and couldn't see any..

Thanks!

We are two adults and an easily pleased terrier:p . I currently spend about £35 a week, although we used to spend at least £50. Grocery Challenge definitely helps and we eat just as well if not better. As someone else on here said, try to reduce it by ten or twenty pounds a month. I started with a target of £170. However people include different things in their budgets, we don't include meals out, alcohol or gifts, but I do include basic toiletries and household stuff.

fluffysox

:rotfl:

SavvyStudent wrote: »

Hi Ska1982 - On the washing front - how many washes do people tend to have to do per week? I literally have to do 6-7 loads to get through all the bfs stuff. I don't understand how he does it! More man clothes seem appear in the laundry basket than its possible to wear in one week lol. At the mo the pile is nearing the roof...!

Lxx

Hi hun, [STRIKE]we[/STRIKE] I do an average of three loads a week. (2 adults). Sometimes get annoyed at OH for hanging worn once clothing over the end of the bed rather than hanging up in wardrobe- but at least he has finally learned not to put non-smelly, non-stained clothes straight into basket:T . I think kids and men often put clothes in the basket because its easier than working a coat hanger- far too technical:rotfl: :rotfl: . A friend of mine (mother of three teenagers) uses the sniff test with her boys clothes. If it's not stinky or stained she hangs it back in the wardrobe- so far they've not noticed. Quote, "Wow, Mum you washed that quick":rotfl: :rotfl:

fluffysox

Apples and blackberries- I have the weediest apple tree in my garden, but this year for the first time it has produced a respectable crop:T . Also spotted a load of blackberries- I knew there was a reason I don't often weed the garden:p .

Spent £6 yesterday on bread and milk etc. Got some sliced roast beef from B&M, very cheap for the weight. Yesterdays dinner was Mum's idea (she spotted the beef), I made some mashed spuds in pressure cooker and some onion gravy then added chopped beef into the gravy. (I also added some button mushrooms from a tin). Was gorgeous. Also made two lots of sandwiches from the best bits of meat. And the dog enjoyed a few bits on her dinner.

Today was a meal out for a birthday. Not too expensive only spent about £16 for the two of us.