September 2008 Grocery Challenge. Please read first two posts.

savingfortravel

Hi Everyone!!!
Start of the school year has been manic so I've not been around much. Hope you are all doing great. Hugs to those who need them.
My news is that we've booked Costa Rica!!!!!!!!!!!! for March next year. Had a real dilema whether to as the company we travel with have raised their prices but hopefully the sealed pot might pay extra. Now we really do have to do well on this challenge to pay for my half.
OB is very excited about the tomato cutney recipe-yep we have many, many, many tomatoes....
Take care
SFT

WelshWoofer

Afternoon everyone!
I've just recovered from having family stay with me since Friday morning (I've just got the house back to normal - and tidy!)
To go with the mayhem the budget went a bit bonkers too - spent £39 in MrTs on Thursday evening ready for the onslaught and then £30 today on all of thefresh stuff for the week that I didn't buy on Thursday as it was too early IYSWIM!

So at least I have lots of stuff in and it will hopefully last the best part of 2 weeks with a fresh top up next weekend.
I plan to take lunch and drinks to work this week and have lots of meals in the fridge, cupboard and freezer for the meat loving OH and the veggie me!

At the end of this week there's just one more week to the end of this challenge so if I'm more self controlled I'll just about make it on budget!

Have a good evening.....

echelon101

Raided Co-op

2x4xBurgers - £1 !! @ 50p each
1 loaf wallburtons thicksliced - 60p

-£1.60

I have realised that going piscatarian with one portion of red meat a week might be the way forward.

Also if you have fatty (20%) burgers cut them in half when grilling which doubles the surface area for cooking (faster) and more fat reduction.

ifonlyitwaseasier

aaaww, congrats SFT, it was fab, we had a wonderful time and i can't imagine it could have been any better!

i'd recommend a hog roast if it's in budget , if not a BIG piece of roast pork and lots of potato salad, hm rolls (pre made and frozen of course) and hire the glasses from MrT for free!!!

russetred

Not a good day for reductions in our Tesco.The girl who does them keeps all the best ones under her trolley and buys them all as she leaves at 5.Darn it! Does anyone know why all the icons in posts are showing as little red crosses in boxes? I think I must have pressed something but I dont know what

Hollysan

Good evening everyone, hope you all had a good weekend.

I have just updated my sig and we seem to be pretty much on course with a spend of £182, but still two weeks to go. We have been gardening today and put in lots of salad and spinach, chard etc for the autumn. Also picked blackberries and rescued lots of windfall apples from the wasps.

Made a huge lemon traybake yesterday for the freezer, for lunchboxes etc, but I really need to do some batch cooking. OH is away for a few days working this week, so should be a few NSDs!

Welcome to all the newcomers, this is a good time to start your first challenge, there are lots of bargains at this time of the year, when everything is in plentiful supply.

Have a good week.

Hollysan

melsen69

Have updated my monthly challenge. I am really pleased that I have stayed under budget each week so far.
I have done some batch baking this weekend, bolognese, cottage pies and soups, also roasting three chickens and putting into portion for the freezer ready for quick meals. I have been blackberry picking and have made four Apple and blackberry pies, but DS1, DS2 & DH have beady eyes on them, so may have to rescue them quick!!! :rolleyes:
Hope everyone else is enjoying the challenge as much as me and keeping to their budgets! :A

Winky,_The_House_Elf

I have had a light bulb moment today. I couldn't figure out why I am going so drastically over what my first estimate was.

I have been good, planning meals and planning more or less my shops to avoid temptation.

I forgot my lunch and popped into Sommerfield, were I spotted loads of stuff reduced by 75%!

I picked up Steak, Diced Chicken breasts, chicken kieves, a ready made chicken &chorizo paella by Antony worrel thomson, part baked bread (x4 packs), tortilla wraps (x 2 packs), an Enchillada making kit, and a pot of ready made pasta for my lunch! Everthing is in the freezer now.

It came to £7.21, but at full price it would have been £21.80!!!!

I then realised that when I wasn't meal planning I normally popped in a grabbed whatever was reduced for tea! Also as I was being good and taking in lunch and snacks, I didn't just wander past that section anymore.

So what to do?

I might just add some exercise to my lunch routine (after eating at my desk), but buy for the following week, and plan it in that way.

I truely couldn't explain why my shopping had gone up since starting the challenge...I now know why!!!!!

Winky x

TheBees

Evening everyone,

I went to Tesco this morning and got £59 of shopping for £9!!! That's because I was sent a £50 gift card by Tesco Car Insurance :j

BigBird - Where in Devon are you? We're in Devon too in Seaton.

Sorted the menu plan and will hopefully just need fruit, veg and milk every few days until the end of the month.

candygirl

Went to Morrisons today and spent £1.80 on crisps and millionaire shortbread, which was scrummy.Am gonna do potato n leek soup tomoz, as DD loves it and needs comfort food at the mo:(Just off to update siggy:cheesy: