October 2008 Grocery Challenge. Please read first two posts.

Toonie

Are there any foods in particular you are avoiding with your IBS? My mum has it and has to be very careful with oats, beans and pulses, which can make it more difficult to stretch meals.

belfastgirl23

If you know you're going to be busy it's worth trying to prep food ahead of time. On Sundays I usually try to make something 'hearty' that will do Monday and Tuesday dinners. Or prepare and freeze something for later in the week. I find this helps me feel organised. I also usually have at least one 'handy' dinner in the week - omlette, beans on toast, pasta with pesto and frozen veg. And I would highly recommend HM pizza - it's not a big effort to make (you can freeze dough ahead of time) and is cheap, satisfying and feels like a 'treat'.

But I'd also say try to do a sort of an analysis of where your money goes - what proportion goes on different types of food. I discovered that bread was one of our very expensive habits - costing us at least £10 a week. I bought a breadmaker at a cost of £50 and this really helped me get a grip on my spending...

And don't beat yourself up about it, honestly it has taken me the best part of two years to come down from spending £300+ a month to about £160. And I don't always succeed! Plus if you try to do it all too fast you can have a rebellion on your hands from your DH. Baby steps!

good luck!

Menolly_2

MrsMW wrote: »

I try to make an egg based meal once a week. Things like omelettes, egg and wedges or oven chips or even egg on toast are all quite cheap and help balance out the cost of meat or fish meals.

My carnivore of a husband is quite happy when I make a Spanish omelette - I do put a little meat in (usually some bacon, or if I find a reasonably priced source I slice up some chorizo, or even that "U" shaped smoked sausage). I use whatever I have to hand - peppers if I have them; boiled, sliced potato (of course); mushrooms; onion and just a little grated cheese on the top to finish it off (I flash it under the grill). We usually have this with a green salad.

Moniker

Hi folks

Just popped in to update my signature and I have just under £70 to last to the end of the month, so am feeling pretty good about this. Have made a hearty casserole to take to visit APs (aged parents) tomorrow - cheaper than going out for a meal and less fattening! However, I did succumb to the Waitrose offer of buy a fruit pie and get free custard! That will do for our pud too. I noticed that Sainbury's are still selling their 1% fat milk for £1 a 4pt bottle this week although they aren't advertising it much. Hope that helps someone!

Off to make cauliflower cheese for supper and then to collapse on the sofa - it's been a hard week!

Have a good weekend everyone

Moniker

Coolmum66

Hi all

Sorry - really can't remember when I last posted and soooooooooooo tired - can't even think about trying to read all the posts. I really must try harder!!

Anway - have done the weekly shop this week - and have now spent £102.02 from £250 budget. This leaves £147.98 till the end of the month (another 2 "shops"). Really pleased with that.

Gradually doing more meal planning, and using mysupermarket to price and print list for EVERY weekly shop. May go and buy a small Waitrose happy chicken for lunch Sunday - this will also stretch for sarnies, a pasta meal and a scrambled egg meal. We have scrambled egg with anything else that needs using up thrown in - peppers, mushrooms, bacon, cheese!!

Good luck to everybody on the grocery challenge.

Take care

Coolmum. xx

candygirl

Just been to Mr Ts and spent £40 and the good news is they had loads of lentils for 84p.Managed some bargains but can't think what at the mo, my head's cabbaged at the mo:o

gtx

hi all

still feel lousy so just a quick update from me - £4.50 for f&v from the market and 49p on a cadbury's wispa - i needed it!

take care everyone - its bath and bed for me now - night night

Julimk

Slight slip this morning as alarm didn’t go off & DD woke me at 7am – 15mins to get us both out. So I didn’t have a pack-up with me (not organised enough – yet – to do it the night before!) & spent £3.30 on lunch.

This week’s shop was a successful £23.48, not as good as last week, but so much better than pre-GC. Used to have the value tuna but the last can I had wasn’t so good. Mr T had the 4 pack of prince’s half price, so got some of that. And 3kg washing powder, pack of 9 loo rolls, loads of other cans for the larder, 8 pints of milk, etc. So got quite a lot for my money.

JayJay14

Well currently my total is £129.24 and OH and I are off on hols tomorrow for a week - different budget.:j I didn't reduce my monthly budget as DS is staying in the house while we are away and he will eat his way through what is left in the freezers.;) And then he is moving out when we get back so I will need to send him off with a food parcel (or two).:rotfl:

While I feel a little strange that we will have no kids at home after 25 years I'm really looking forward to planning meals with things we like and not have to cook some of the things the kids prefered.

Anyway I'm off to Norfolk in the morning and the weather even looks ok for the weekend so I'll be back next week. Hope eveyone has a good week and will see you all next weekend.

angelatgraceland

I had a NSD today apart from buying some little rugs at the market for £10 which is a different budget.
Made a curry tonight really cheaply using some of yesterdays chicken.
I used 2 chicken legs(not very big)
Some soya chunks
3 small pots
2 teaspoons curry powder
hald a teaspoon chilli
2 tins value curry sauce
4 mushrooms(value)
a quarter of a tube of tomato puree and a little water.
This fed 6(my ds had his mate around)and cost a total of about £2 so only approx 33p per portion per person. A really cheap meal-hence I invited the boy to tea!
Not had any HM bread for a few days so I may go and do that now so that I can take it out of the BM before I go to bed(I'm a night owl)
I also intend to make 2 bran flake loaves. Ive lost track of what day it is this week as Ive had no work(my job is only a casual one)and one day blends into the next. Ive remembered tonight though that tomorrow is Saturday so I need to fill the fridge with the "weekend" food!
I shall try to stay away from the shops tomorrow except for milk.