January 2009 Grocery Challenge

cw18

Q for folks about portion sizing -- I guess this comes under GC as it clearly impacts what we spend on food

Last night I made a huuuuuge batch of (stewing) steak, kidney and mushroom. I used about 820g of stewing steak, 470g of kidneys, and 300g of mushrooms. I also added in a mega-large onion (equivalent to at least 2, but probably 3, of the onions in the Mr T value bags/A!di 6 offer types) plus a bit of tomato puree, some mixed herbs and a touch of garlic.

I know how many portions I'd have got from this several years ago (when I was feeding 5, but the boys weren't teenagers) and I got more than that from it -- but wondered how many portions others would get from it to see if I'm running 'about the norm'.

I don't turn it into pies, though I sometimes cook pastry disks to go with it, but I serve it with a mountain of mash, and a good quantity of veg (yesterday was carrots and brocolli for DS, and those plus sprouts for me).

The rest I made into 'freezer blocks' in individual portions -- DS isn't overly impressed with this meal but likes curry which I don't eat, so I will happily use a portion of this with a jacket spud and some veg for me when he has curry.


(And I've intentionally not mentioned how many portions I used to make/made last night, as I'm interested in unbiased verdicts :rolleyes2 )

procrastinator

Hi
Spent 36p in Mr A last night, celery, pint of milk and 2 small baggettes, all whoopsies of course. 3.36 in Mr T, 500g cottage cheese, 8 apples,brown rolls for freezer 10p, wholemeal for OH sandwiches, french bread for DD lunch, she portions it up and freezes straight away so no waste. Tues bought some of Aldi's bargain veg spent 2.55. Will update sig.

Allegra

CW18 - in answer to your question, I am a bit useless at working out what amount of food I would get simply from the weight of food involved (especially since I tend to just chuck random stuff in and then forget all about it when it all slow-cooks down) - but of it helps, I freeze food in empty 500g margarine tubs (leaving about 1/2 inch empty at the top) - this, when thawed and reheated, will do for a meal for me and t'other half - so, it makes two portions. We will have this with half a cup of rice per person (dried weight), 125g pasta per person (dried weight), or two medium potatoes per person.

Incidentally, it's good to see you about again - I was getting a bit worried about you as I hadn't seen you on here for a while - but again, I hadn't been on that much myself as real life has been too exhausting to even contemplate cyberspace lately...

My month is, once again, seemigly going down the pan. It's all very well having all our main meals in freezer/storecupboard at the start of the month, but DD (aged very nearly 12) is a one-child budget-busting machine despite all my best intentions. She has a rather fraught relationship with foo, and getting her to eat at all, let alone eat healthily, is a nightmare at best of times - twice as bad when trying to watch pennies. This weekend saw us making an emergency food shopping just for drinks and fruit for her lunchbox, as she had gone off water and would not drink at all if water was all that was on offer, and all the fruit we had at home - Granny Smith apples and clementines, which is all she would eat by way of fruit and veg for the last few months - "tasted funny".

So, that was grape juice at 98p that got half-drunk then discarded as "too sweet", apple juice at 57p which is still deemed acceptable at home, but not in a drinks bottle to take to school, 2 punnets of grapes for £3 which started to "taste funny" halfway down the first punnet and have therefore been rejected, and 2 snack-size boxes of chopped mixed fruit for a £1 which eventually got eaten just before going off, albeit rather grudgingly.

I gotta add here that she has special needs that mean that "tough love" when it comes to food will result in complete rejection of all that' on offer and result in serious behavioural problems, so I am not just indulging her insanely and making the rod for my own back through my own stupidity... Honestly, if the sane approach (which has been tried and failed unil we finally realised that with her it's not a case of "won't", but genuinely a case of "can't") worked, I'd happily be a mean mother and make her eat the same muck we are pigging out on !

WelshWoofer

Morning!
Well, I've done my meal plan for next week (I tend to work Sunday - Friday with Saturday as an anything goes/eat out/takeaway day) and by my reckoning I only need a few fresh things like cheese, milk, crisps, bread, dog food and fruit. I'm hoping that it'll come in at less than £15 at Mr Ts - I have a £10 giftcard that I'll use towards the cost. We have plenty of toiletries except shower gel and enough cleaning stuff/washing powder etc to last until the end of the month except maybe polish.

I also got paid today and am trying to work out my budget for the coming pay month - there's nothing big planned this month apart from a quick trip home to Wales next weekend to collect my mum's new surprise puppy for my dad and deliver it to them - can't wait! :j Another little bichon frise in the family! They're gorgeous at that age too!! It means about £50 in petrol (if not more) - at least that's two days food that we can forget about (mum will cater for us!)

Other than that there's no big plans so hopefully it'll be a frugal month and I can put some cash aside to make extra payments off my debts:T

February is a lovely short 4 week month - it'll be a big relief after the never ending Dec/Jan pay month!

Will update my sig after the spending on Saturday - good luck to everyone!

yummymummy05

Rachel021967 wrote: »

Just had a shop from Mr. T. that came to £42.24 plus gingerbread man from the park (tomorrow it will be homemade chocolate cake). So thats a total spend of £42.86. So that leaves £34.46 to last the month. I think I will be going £40 over. However, I think I shot myself in the foot by not buy husbands favourite yoghurt as it's not on offer. He might go out and buy some plus other goodies as well which will totally blow my budget.
From Mr. T. I bought:
Frozen mixed peppers.
1kg of sunflower spread
1.5kg of cheddar
Thomas the Tank fromage frais
Value yoghurts, 5 Cherry and 5 toffee mullerlight yoghurts
Value Bacon
Tofu
Value white bread, 2 Wholemeal bread
Value apples. 2 packs of clementines, 1.1kg of bananas
6 salad tomatoes
Butternut squash, value onions, 2 packs of value carrots
2 boxs of a dozen eggs
6 tins of tuna in brine
7 value chicken noodles
4 tubes of tomato puree
10 1l orange juices

Anybody know how I can cut back further?

Rachel.

It all sounds pretty reasonable to me - the only thing I would do away with on a regular basis would be the thomas fromage frais - I told my ds that I couldn't find them anymore but he could have the rainbow ones (sfield own @ 56p) although they're 6p more than the value at Mr T's they're much nicer! Can you get eggs anywhere else as I also find supermarket eggs expensive?!

But I would like to say a big thank you I've just noticed you can get frozen mixd peppers much cheaper than fresh and that will save me a fortune because I use 2 peppers in a curry/bolognase etc. so i buy the 3 pack but never end up using the 3rd one!!!

ds well enough to go back to nursery today but dd hardly slept last night so I'm pigging out on chocolates that my nan had stashed from xmas 07!!! Still taste fine and were free!!

Had to get 4pt milk and some whoopsie bread for stuffing this weekend so spent £2.03 - have updated my signature!

jtb2412

Allegra - I have exactly the same trouble with my DD2 as you do. She will not eat any of the 'frugal' meals that I prepare and it makes my life so difficult. She will eat jacket potatoes, sausages, peas, carrots, chicken nuggets :rolleyes: , spag bol (at a push) and a roast dinner but that is about it. Will no try anything new no matter how hard we push, ask, beg, plead and bribe (she's 11). The only fruit she eats are apples and maybe the odd banana. I too get the 'tastes funny' response sometimes too, even if it's the same brand, made in exactly the same way

She was never like this as a small child and ate everything going. I can't for the life of me figure out why she won't even try anything new ! My other two are great eaters, will always eat whatever is put in front of them and they even love sprouts ! :rotfl:

I've had to learn to live with it as I've figured there's not point in making a big issue of it and she'll just try new things in her own good time. It does make life difficult and I do have to cook separate things for her but personally I'd rather do that than let her go hungry (and believe me she would rather not eat than have the things we do, stubborn little monkey !)

I think the way you're dealing with it is the best way. Tough love can be good but if it means they have a poor relationship with food then I think we have to just learn to get on with it :rolleyes:

If you find anything that works, then please feel free to let me in on the secret !

Should be a NSD here today :j

Have a happy Thursday everyone ! xx

Curlytop - I apologise for not writing sooner, really sorry to hear of your loss. Hugs for you xx

sashanut

A NSD on food for me yesterday - a rare thing since they re-opened the staff shop at work! Freezers are busting at the seams but I think I am better keeping on buying things as I may not have the chance after the end of the month. Once I know whether or not they will be keeping me on after end Jan I can be a bit more selective, hope they tell me soon so I don't blow the budget this month:D

Oh & after getting an email from Mr T's giving me a free £40 shop for buying a new w/m from them - they emailed me telling me they had 'made a mistake!?' & had cancelled the code; however they very kindly offered me a half-price delivery slot instead .....worth approx £2.50 :mad: Needless to say I haven't bothered.

Updated sig, do need milk & cat food so might have to go tomorrow but keeping out of the shops if at all possible. Have to work later on but don't think I will get into the staff shop as store closes after I finish, no bad thing actually. Good luck to all & even if you come in over budget, at least you are thinking about what you buy & the reason for it, rather than chucking it in willy-nilly. I used to do that & then wonder what to make for tea with what I had

elizabunny

cw18 wrote: »

Q for folks about portion sizing -- I guess this comes under GC as it clearly impacts what we spend on food

Last night I made a huuuuuge batch of (stewing) steak, kidney and mushroom. I used about 820g of stewing steak, 470g of kidneys, and 300g of mushrooms. I also added in a mega-large onion (equivalent to at least 2, but probably 3, of the onions in the Mr T value bags/A!di 6 offer types) plus a bit of tomato puree, some mixed herbs and a touch of garlic.

I know how many portions I'd have got from this several years ago (when I was feeding 5, but the boys weren't teenagers) and I got more than that from it -- but wondered how many portions others would get from it to see if I'm running 'about the norm'.

I don't turn it into pies, though I sometimes cook pastry disks to go with it, but I serve it with a mountain of mash, and a good quantity of veg (yesterday was carrots and brocolli for DS, and those plus sprouts for me).

The rest I made into 'freezer blocks' in individual portions -- DS isn't overly impressed with this meal but likes curry which I don't eat, so I will happily use a portion of this with a jacket spud and some veg for me when he has curry.


(And I've intentionally not mentioned how many portions I used to make/made last night, as I'm interested in unbiased verdicts :rolleyes2 )

Morning All!

cw18 - I think this would probably do us for 12 adult good sized portions. As I would probably cook this with the veggies i.e carrots, swede etc., all in, I would not be adding anything else to it apart from a few potatoes. If you're adding all your extra veggies and mash after, you would probably be able to stretch the quanities you've given even further.

Of course it does depend on individual appetite. My dear MIL would probably make this last her for a month!

Hoping for another NSD today -that would make 3 in row and I really don't need to shop -so I'll be staying away:j

Help Please! Does anyone know how I got the thumbs down sign at the top of my post-I don't think I put that there -have I done something wrong -or is someone trying to tell me something............

searching_me

morning all gonna be a nsd as its my day off im not feeling great so staying on the sofa in my duvet .. about to go enter some comps see if i can win things (or money hopefully :rotfl:) for bubs ... god i feel yuky x

mummy2mygirls

well just been to the market to get a few bits only spent £10, got fruit and veg, cheese, eggs and some ham for lunch tomorrow. Was happy as i didnt just buy things like i normally would at the market, there is a meat stall which i normally cant say no to, But was very good and just got the ham!!
Spent quiet a bit this mth, hope i can spend less next mth i hope to spend less so i have a bit extra for when baby comes and will be needing all the extra nappies!!!!!