January 2009 Grocery Challenge

*BigBird*

Hmmmm, how did I manage to go to MrT last night with a list that added up to £29 - and spend £49!!! :eek: To be fair, it was all useful stuff: plastic tubs to put soup in, loadsa half price muller yogs, a few whoopsies and an extra pack of "happy" chicken breasts as they are on special offer at the mo.

Was overcharged by 75p tho for some glo bracelets (to go in party bags for kiddies at the wedding) They were supposed to be reduced, but only one of the 4 came through at the lower price at the till. Checkout operator took them off, confirmed by the supervisor, then charged 4 at the lower price - just looked at the receipt and they've only taken 3 off :mad: so I've actually paid for 5 - and the extra one at full price! I'll have to wander over tomorrow to sort that out.

Still got just over £100 in the budget for this month, to last til 31st. I'll need to get a chicken and some veg for the sunday roast, which will be about £10 (always get my chickens from the local butcher - not cheap, but worth every penny). Then next weeks evening meals are all from the freezer or store cupboard, so I'll only need some milk, fruit and stuff for lunches. So, unless I go crazy, I should come in quite a bit under budget for this month That'll be a first!

Working from home today. It's bloomin' freezing in this house, so I think I'll have to go put the heating on. Unfortunately an extra jumper won't work as it's my hands that are the problem - so cold it's getting hard to type, and I won't be able to type at all if I put my gloves on :rolleyes: On the plus side tho, I arranged my day at home for today as I have someone coming round to give us a quote for cavity wall insulation, so next winter we should be toasty :-)

cutting_back

Suppose i'd better introduce myself really!

We are a family of 5 (6th due in Sept fingers crossed!) and i have been following this thread with great interest since last August time. I have picked up some valuable tips etc and wish to say a HUGE THANKS to you all! You are an amazing bunch so full of fab info :A And your recipes??? mmmm You have helped me gain soo much weight lol


Anyway there's me and DH and we have 3 littlies dd8, ds5 and ds3 and of course #4 due Sept. Before i started reading this thread we would go each week and do a £100ish main shop each week and then spend a further £40-£50 each week on top ups! We knew this had to stop but just didn't know where to start....then i found this place:beer: You have helped shave £50-£60 off each week already and thats with not even trying properly! I am not brave enough yet to join in the monthly targets but have my own little personal ones each month that i am getting closer too;) I have started saving receipts and seeing exactly where the money goes so who knows sometime soon i will feel brave enough to join in properly!

Thanks again for all your great advice, recipes and valuable information!

miss_keep_counting

I think, fingers crossed, today is another NSD for me. I have to leave for a late shift at work soon where I'd normally be tempted by sweets to keep me going or takeaways with collegues, but I have fruit in the office, some green tea and bringing one of my frozen healthy meals in.

I'm actually in awe over myself, so so so proud. And it's giving me the confidence to know I'll make my low total next month.

A few questions:

I eat a lot of fish and chicken, some times I'll have no meat in a day though. Are there alternatives to meat for protien which I could cook wth aswell which are cheap?? Protien is important to me as I go to the gym 3 x a week.

I love love love fruit smoothies but realise shop bought ones aren't so healthy/ expensive. I realise I can make my own and I do have a blender... how can I store home made ones to last longer??

And if I want to buy fruit juices is fresh orange juice worth it?? I like the taste and want the vitamins too but don't know if it's bad for me and whether it's cheaper to make your own???

Thank you!

-

Also! I'd like to add that I saw my mum yesterday and she said I looked really healthy and had lost some weight. I'm not over weight, before Jan I was 10st, my lowest has been 9.2st but that's far too slim for me, I have no idea where I am now but my clothes fit better, but shows that me going to the gym 3x a week for a month and cutting out all fatty winter takeaway coffees and my vice, sweets has really worked for my belt and my budget! My skin is also clearing up a lot, and I think this is from making sure I get my 5 portions of fruit/veg, so looking forward to seeing whether other people notice me looking healthier as my diet keeps getting better.

Anyone else noticed positive body changes through being frugal?

orchid-96

BigBird, can you tell me what the happy chick breasts were that you got from MrT on special offer, I have a delvery booked and would get some if they are on offer (unless you meant whoopsied)...

On a different note, I am sooo proud of my littlest twin Olivia, I started potty training her on Sunday as she was sort of starting herself and she has been fantastic....only a couple of accidents on sunday but none since and she was fine at nursery yesterday too!! also gets up first thing, takes off nappy and goes on the potty of her own accord (nothing to do with this thread but I am so pleased as in all other ways possible she is a handful) her twin sister has been doing it a bit, but can't leave her nappy off as she just doesn't seem to get it.. so am leaving her for a while......anyway sorry not on subject!

miserly_mum

10 days left and i've still got £112 left :j

Little one is 3 today so party food this evening. This and the cake were paid for by Granny so tonights dinner won't come out of my grocery money :T

OH and I are going away for 3 days next week(self catering) so that'll come out of my budget. I've been grabbing whoopsies over the last few weeks for this and cooking extra and freezing.So we can have a few wee treats but at the right price and not too much cooking either.

PurpleSkies

Did what I'm hoping will be the last proper shop of the month at the weekend.
Decided to have a break from the norm of Mr T/Mr A and went to Lidl, which I do occassionally but also went to Farmfoods for the first time. Spent around £15 between both shops and was quite please about what I got for my money.

May need to buy extra supplies for Burns night as we may be cooking for our Spanish friends after they cooked some lovely tapas for us last weekend!
Other than that no big spends left so hopefully will be well under budget this month!

orchid-96

Purpleskies, how on earth do you manage on such a small budget :eek: I can understand (to an extent) the odd month but wow....

Obviously we all have different budgets for our own individual reasons, but I am interested to know any of you in a similar situation to me (me, dh, ds 6 and dd twins 2) how much you manage to do it on...am still buying nappies but much less (especially now one out of them during the day yay)......

*BigBird*

orchid-96 wrote: »

BigBird, can you tell me what the happy chick breasts were that you got from MrT on special offer, I have a delvery booked and would get some if they are on offer (unless you meant whoopsied)...

Hi orchid. They are the Willow Farm skinless breast fillets (not quite free range, but the chickens are given lots of space to move around and behave like proper chickens - RSPCA freedom food approved and Jamie O has had good things to say about them, so they are good enough for me ) They are currently £2 off the per kilo price. Not the greatest offer, but still a few extra pennies remaining in our purses

angelnikki

miss_keep_counting wrote: »

I eat a lot of fish and chicken, some times I'll have no meat in a day though. Are there alternatives to meat for protien which I could cook wth aswell which are cheap?? Protien is important to me as I go to the gym 3 x a week.

And if I want to buy fruit juices is fresh orange juice worth it?? I like the taste and want the vitamins too but don't know if it's bad for me and whether it's cheaper to make your own???

You could try meals based around beans or eggs or cheese as cheap alternatives to meat protein :cool:

Bean stews are nice and easy to make. Just saute some onion, add some chopped root veg and cook for a few minutes. Then add a couple of tins of beans (I use pinto beans / kidney beans) and a tin of chopped tomatoes. Add enough stock to cover, add herbs/spices to taste and then simmer until cooked. Serve with rice / mash / jacket potato. yummy recipe here

MrT does chilled value orange juice / longlife value OJ for 56p/litre

angelatgraceland wrote: »

Well done! This is also the stage I have reached... Such changes do take time and I would rather have a FR chicken once a week than a caged twice a week

That's exactly how I'm gonna do it. At the moment we have chicken meals once or twice a week. By changing this to no more than once a week we will be able to afford to make the switch to free range :j

We hardly eat pork other than occasionally having sausages; but when we do, we always get finest because of the meat content. So making the change to free range/organic sausages isn't going to cost much more

Nikki x

MRSMCAWBER

Afternoon all

Having declared my total early (glad to say I haven't had to add anything on )-I have sat and worked out a list of main meals -using as much as I can from the freezer/fridge/cupboards... I have come up with enough to see us to at least the end of February :j(won't bore you with the list) with some extras left and I have worked out that I have enough for most of hubbies lunches (flasks normally with hm bread) -so Im hoping for another good month

We get paid on Friday -so I will be getting hubby to nip me to the NAAFI -to see if they have any good whoopsies to freeze ready for March ..plus whoopsed milk for the freezer -if not I will use my "emergency cartons" :rotfl:

Its great as I seem to work a month in hand now -so I can take advantage of bargains or hold onto my money until they are available
This month I have spent a total of €93.55 but I have saved €98.60 on whoopsies just from the NAAFI

Right enough waffle -so dinner tonight is :-
roast beef -whoopsed topside cooked, sliced and frozen in portions
mashed potatoes -whoopsed potatoes
yorkshire pudding -half the mix will go in the fridge for tomorrow
carrots + brussels -got in bulk and frozen
peas

Right I will get off - hope everyone is doing ok