November 2008 Grocery Challenge

[Deleted User]

Buy some pudding rice or a box of semolina they make nice milky puds for the children ,or most supermarkets have fairly cheap jellies for around 7-9p and that will make a pint of jelly .make some custard from scratch with either Birds or supermarkets own and hey presto you have a nice OS pud for the little ones, especially if you pour the jelly when cold before set into some small dishes or pots, after set pour some cold custard on the top and sprinkle with hundreds and thousands.If you want chocolate custards just add a bit of cocoa powder to the custard powder mix before you make it = chocolate custard

moanymoany

Buy a big pack of dried soya mince - use this in the ratio of two thirds fresh mince and one third dried soya mince. Then add some beef stock cubes. Make a massive batch of bolognese sauce - let it simmer on low for a couple of hours.

That makes batches to freeze for the usual suspects - pasta, pasta bake (value pasta in a large flat dish, half a portion of mince per person on top and sprinkle with half a portion of cheese per person portion, grill till brown and crispy) shepherds pie etc

Buy value strong flavoured cheddar - grate it and freeze in 60 gram portions. This is enough for one person's portion of protein.

Portion control is an important part of controling costs of meals. I weigh everything. I allow 100 grams dried pasta, rice, cous cous, bulgar wheat. I allow 50 grams of oats each for porridge and 300 grams for potatoes.

Buy potatoes by the sack.

Make your own baked beans with dried cannelini beans (the cheapest dried beans) they are easy to cook, just follow the instructions. They just about double in weight and I freeze in 200 gram portions which feeds two of us in various dishes. Weezle has a good baked bean recipe.

Check out the 'foreign food' section in Tesco or your Asian shops.

Keep a price book. Write down what you usually buy and then write down the shop name and the cost. Include the weight of the pack - you can then be sure that the big pack REALLY is a bargain and cheaper.

Tesco value canned red beans are very good value - I use the juice as well when making chilli or soup.

I have several - last resort - meals.
Oven chips (home made wedgies), a fried egg and value (or home made frozen is okay) baked beans.

For 4 - 400 grams value pasta or spaghetti - 2 tins of value tomatoes - 240 grams grated value strong flavoured cheddar. Boil pasta, boil and mash tomatoes - mix together and sprinkle with the cheese - grill till bubbly and brown. Serve with bread.

A can of value baked beans, a can of value tomatoes mixed with boiled value pasts and serve with a sprinkle of grated cheese and value bread. (A recipe from the OS board)

Value baked beans covered with mashed potatoes and a sprinkle of cheese baked till brown and yummy (a recipe from the OS board)

The bacon/onion/carrot pasta aleady on here sounds good. Use value onions, carrots and pasta and bacon bits. I freeze these and cut slices off the frozen block with a sharp knife.

Puddings - good old milk puddings - Soup and bread followed by a pudding is a fave meal in our house.

Add a tablespoon value sultanas to cereals - it is 1 portion of fruit.

I buy as much value stuff as I can. I make my own bread - but my fave bought bread is Tesco value brown! Frozen basic mixed veg are a gift. There is no waste - instant and the multicolour is good for the 5 a day profile. I mix them with cous cous, bulgar wheat and value rice to serve with curries or saucy stuff.

These are some of the things I do. There are some fantastic threads where people have fed their families on fresh air! Not only are they full of advice, but they turn into communities.

Good luck - by the end you will wonder why you ever spent so much of food. We love a dish called 'Mock Goose'. All it is is sliced potatoes, chopped up apple (good way to use wrinkly old ones - we have some cookers from mil's tree) and cheese. I make a batch of onion gravy by boiling onions adding Bovril cubes and thicken with cornflour. Put half the potatoes in a large flat dish - all the chopped (or thawed frozen stewed) apples, a third of the cheese. Then add the gravy - lay the rest of the pots on top and sprinkle with cheese - bake for 45 mins on medium. Serve with veg. Simple, cheap and very good. 'We eat like kings' says faithfull oh - but I have discovered that expensive ingredients don't necessarily make delish meals.

[Deleted User]

Hi,
well having come in just under budget for October I intend to have another go in November so put me down for £50.00 and I see if I can do the same again. I was around a tenner under for September, but only £4.00 odd for October so even with a budget, prices are creeping up again.I have found that if I keep my £50.00 in a separate purse I only open it when I really need to buy food stuff, and it concentrates my mind on how much there is to last for 30 days so I spend less. I have my £50.00 stashed in my purse and I know I don't have to buy any shopping until at least this Saturday which will be the 1st of the month.fingers crossed and good luck to us all.
I am still working my way through the cupboards and freezer at the moment .

moanymoany

Just a thought. I use Tesco value washing powder. What I do is to mix two thirds powder with one third washing soda. I haven't noticed any drop off in whiteness and I've been using this mix for months now.

I use the extra concentrate Tesco liquid mixed half and half with Tesco value liquid for washing on 30 degrees. I only do this for colour washes. I don't find good results on 30 for whites.

I use Tesco value cream cleaner, all purpose cleaner, bleach, toilet cleaner.

I buy a big internet shop of all the staples I use. I love it when I have mountains of items and a bill of about £30! Don't forget the codes on here. Usually it is enough to cover your delivery.

Just off to have some meusli. Half Tesco value basic meusli, half Tesdco value oats - add value sultanas, ground linseed and mix well.

I also always have some Tesco value milk powder. If a recipe askes for cream I add a tablespoon of that to the milk. Tightwad Gazette tip.

pollysg

Can you put me down for £150 again please. I fell far short in October, but I am still aiming for the same.

Many thanks
Pollysg

moanymoany

Me again :hello:

Just had a look at this link from yesterdays OS daily thread (really good place for keeping your spirits up)

http://whatscookinggrandma.humanbeans.net/

It looks really good - well worth a look for ideas.

slummymummyof3

We use turkey mince or lamb mince instead of beef and that is cheaper and again bulked out with lentils (no one notices they are there.)
Bulk out yoghurts with barley flakes stirred in (this is low GI so is more filling.)
We found that when we started eating low gi, we stayed fuller for longer and were eating far healthier meals.....and didn't need to go to the cupboard at 9:00pm having an attack of the munchies. If you google low gi it will explain the principles of how low gi keeps you feeling fuller but do be prepared to loose weight!

Flat_Eric

I tried to sit down last night and start planning my meals for the month but I got a tad stressed trying to decide what I would be having on Saturday in three weeks time so instead I have sat down and listed all the meals I could make with what I currently have in my fridge/freezer/cupboards. This is without inspecting my freezer etc so once I have done this, I am sure I will have much more to add to the list.

Then each day I can pick something from the list and cook it and cross it off! there is going to be the odd thing I will need to buy but I see this as a really good way to save the pennies and make room for the xmas baking my mother in law does for me .

ashia_2

I'm in £20 a week. Gonna make a concerted effort this month, always seem to be over, like this week (well ends monday 3rd) I'm already at £20.33, but I shouldn't need any shopping, but I'll prolly still buy stuff...Ah well, must learn.

princess_leia_3

Well, my Mr T delivery was £74 (the cost before discount was £96 :eek: so I am happy! And it included a few christmas stocking fillers)but the vinegar for my pickled onions wasn't available so I then had to spend £4 down the F & V shop :rolleyes:
Been doing alot of baking with the kids, which is good for budget but not my waistline

Hopefully a few NSD days coming Good luck everyone