January 2009 Grocery Challenge

searching_me

quick question wondering if you could help i used half a jar or pasta sause yesterday and put the rest in the fridge ... how long will it last?? thank you x

Pips_Mum

Probably a couple of days or you could freeze it?

Rachel021967

Hello.
Yesterday was a NSD. Today I went to Mr.T. and spent £17.64 on food. Will pay the milkman £4.09 tomorrow. So that will be £21.73 so far leaving £148.27. Plan to do a clean and stock take of the freezer tomorrow.

searching_me

cheers pips mum x

azjh77

Is it cheating if my Nan-in-law comes over tomorrow with a food parcel? She is giving me all the food she bought for Christmas and didn't eat... BONUS!! Save us a few bob..

savingholmes

HI I would like to join at £280 for this month which would be good going for me. I normally spend on things other than groceries when I go to the supermarket which is one of problems contributing to our debt and slowing its repayment. I need to try and break that habit.

Today I spent £79.37 which included about
£7.50 on laundry products
and another £2 on water bottles (the sports kind) that arguably I could have done without and
£1.41 on a party platter set and 47p on napkins but it is DS's birthday. I know you will all probably be horrified but I also bought (not made) the cake which was approx £4.98
I spent £3 on hazelnuts an addiction of mine - this is something I need to get under control
£3 on Pepsi - this is something ideally I need to stop
The rest I think was fairly legit

I still need to go out and buy more toilet roll - and I'm one of those that only likes Andrex or Charmin....:eek:

So we will count that as £200.63 left for the rest of the month.

Unfortunately I went to their George next door shop and also spend £5.64 on socks and little girl jewellery and hair clip bargains... I'm not counting that out of the groceries money:rolleyes: I will put my £10 a day challenge money towards that as it will go towards birthdays etc. But I do already have enough stuff for now - so while true it is also an excuse and needs to stop for now. I have at least 3 crates of stuff ready to use as pressies and that is after xmas. A lot of which I buy with my groceries....:eek: :eek: :eek:

So please feel free to kick me up the proverbial and keep me on track...

savingholmes

By the way - there are 4 of us - 2 adults and 2 kids

spendaholic

My weekly budget is £30 and this week my shopping came to ... £30.80. :j The reason I'm jumping up and down is because that includes a glass worktop saver at £3 and I had more than £5 in hand from last week, so I'm absolutely delighted - and the old chopping board had to go. It was cracked, chipped, peeling and probably full of botchelism. _pale_

moo2moo

Cleaned out a cupboard and came across some filter coffee best before 1999. Quick rumage around revealed a few other things of a similar age. Mostly things the OH insisted upon buying when we first got married because his mother swore by them. We've moved house with them once because it seemed such a waste to throw them aeway but I couldn't face eating them. Decided to bite the bullet and eat the stuff anyway (although obvoiusly nothing from dodgy loking packets or tins). Started yesterday with dumplings which were truly disgusting, but its a packet less in the cupboard. I will be restricting Januarys purchases to £80 (£20 a week) to cover fresh food for 2 adults, DD1 (age 9) and DD2 (age 6), milk, dog and cat food and chicken feed.

Off to rumage around and see what I can come up with for this weeks meals. Not sure I'm desperate enough to include spudss with jacket potatoe toppings in foil sachets, it looks a bit too much like Gourmet Catfood. May send that to work with the OH as a treat. Lucky him!

highland_fling_2

Happy New Year everyone,
will have to try really hard to stick to GC this year. Have just found out that I will have to take a cut in wages this year and also bonus due to myself and colleagues will no longer be paid to us.
However looking on the bright side, I still have a job (which I love), unlike many others.
Would like to thank everyone who submits recipes and tips, they are proving invaluable for a newbie like me.
Attempting to eat out of freezer and cupboards this month as there is enough food in this house to last for weeks. Tend to bring in more on top of what I have instead of using what's already there. So here's to eating my way through a european food mountain!