January 2009 Grocery Challenge

goodeys

Galaxy863 wrote: »

On another note does anyone know any good recipes to use up leftover chicken? I did a roast yesterday and only used the breast so still have both legs, wings and whatever I can pick off the carcass to use up. I've tried searching on the forums but never seem to have much luck finding anything ( the ones I come across are menu ideas but don't have the recipe to go with it ).

Stew, it is fab, filling and goes such a long way.
Pick off all of the meat that you can from the bones, remember the underneath! get a large stock pot, throw the carcass in along with an onion and a couple of carrots (no need to peel of chop) some garlic and some veg or chicken stock if you like (your choice). Cover the carcass with water and simmer over a low heat for an hour or as long as you like. Sieve out all of the bones and onion etc and you should be left with your stock. Throw in the chicken and then add whatever you have laying around, as much chunky chopped veg as you like, lentils straight from the packet, baken beans, potatoes really thicken it up nicely and then just simmer it again for as long as you like, you can top up with more cupboard stock if you have more ingredients then stock in your original stuff. This always lasts me and my hubby a couple of days so whatever you have left use the next day and if it doesn't seem like enough then just throw in some more veg etc and simmer again for an hour or so.

So cheap and yummy, just what you need on a cold day like today

LydiaJ

Hi Everyone.

This is my first time on one of these challenges. Please put me down for £200 for me and 2 kids, including everything that comes from a supermarket (except clothes & petrol).

I've just done my first online Tesco order of the month, and gone back over the list removing a few things to get it down below £46 including service charge. That leaves £4 spare this week to buy fresh meat for a big stew this weekend, so I can freeze lots. Time to try out the pearl barley I bought because of reading on here. I remember liking it as a kid when my mum used it, so thank you lovely people for reminding me of it.

Happy-Rags

goodeys wrote: »

Just the one baby who is 10 months old.
I could save money but the trouble is I think that I am honestly too lazy. Like when I run out of homemade food for him I end up going and buying some jars til I get around to making the next batch. I could give him ordinary porridge but again I am too lazy to make it, so much easier with the instant baby stuff.

At 10 months old he should be able to eat most of what you as a family eat, just blend it down for him. I rarely made or bought 'special' food for my son, he had weetabix with milk, loved pasta (I started with baby star pasta but he was soon on big paste, macaroni is good) etc etc. I can't remember when you can wean them off formula milk, but it must be around the age of one?? Don't be surprised if he rejects your food to start with, it does taste different to shop bought, but give it a go, you'll save loads!

saffouri

Happy New Year Mrs M and all,

Setting target for £200 for January please - having ducked out of Dec. challenge due to a family bereavement in the US. Now back home, and back on track! Cooked up a huge pot of parsnip and carrot soup last night and was able to freeze 5 containers....

saf

sharronej

wendywitch wrote: »

I have a quick challenge related question. I was given an Asda gift card for Christmas but as our stores clothes department is pretty poor I've spent it on food shopping and I'll buy myself something another time. How do I account for this in the challenge?

I would count it into the food bill but take the cash out and put it in an envelope otherwise you won't end up spending it on yourself!

OrkneyStar

goodeys wrote: »

Just the one baby who is 10 months old. £40 easily on formula, about £10 on wipes, he has a reaction to anything other than huggies but I do try to stock up when they are half price or BOGOF. £20.00 Pampers, again has a reaction to other brands tried all of the cheaper ones and he gets bad sores. £8 on baby juice, £5 on heinz baby biscuits and other misc snacks, £5 on fromage frais, £4 on baby cereal. I already make all of his meals but again this comes to about £20.00 per month. Just started to receive family tax credit and they sent a leaflet saying that I can apply for £6 PW of tokens to be used on formula, veg etc so have completed this but have to wait til I see the health visitor next week to complete their bit. At least this payment will almost cover his formula which is £7 a tub.
I could save money but the trouble is I think that I am honestly too lazy. Like when I run out of homemade food for him I end up going and buying some jars til I get around to making the next batch. I could give him ordinary porridge but again I am too lazy to make it, so much easier with the instant baby stuff.

Great tip about the advantage card points, I normally save all of mine up for holidays but I guess I need to forget about hols and concentrate on making the points count when I need them too.

Many thanks for all of your tips:beer:

Wow is formula that expensive- I am so glad I breastfed LO till he was 13 months!
Pampers/Huggies- make sure you join both their clubs and Boots parenting club and they will often send you vouchers. I still imagine soft cloth and water (or with some non-scented oil like olive oil) would not irritate the skin any more than a pampers wipe ?
You don't need baby juice- water is fine, or a tiny tiny bit of adult fruit juice diluted in water. I have bought the odd bottle but tbh it was again with Boot points and otherwise its a waste of money imho. We do buy some baby biscuits, as I said with points, but it is so easy to make your own- try gingerbread (add very little sugar), or angelnikki's cheese biscuits, or MrsM's bread sticks, or tortilla strips (oven them for 5 mins to crisp up if you like and put cheese or humous on)- all on the recipe thread at the beginning of GC. We buy some fromage frais, but you can get plain stuff and put some HM fruit puree in- instead of all the fancy special baby ones (although they are ok if on price offer ). Best baby breakfast ever is HM creamy porridge (basically porridge made with full fat milk, pear or apple chopped through and some dried apricots or any other fruits- prunes can be helpful with constipated LO's!, then blasted with blender. You can freeze in batches). My DS did get some jars, refused my stuff for a day or so, then went on to demolish HM and refuse jars! Remember also some babies fussy about certain purees, at 10 M you can include finger foods too. You are excused being bit lay with a 10 month old- just think the money you don't 'waste' can be used for a treat for you or LO . hth and sorry if it sounds like preaching, its not meant that way .

wendywitch wrote: »

I have a quick challenge related question. I was given an Asda gift card for Christmas but as our stores clothes department is pretty poor I've spent it on food shopping and I'll buy myself something another time. How do I account for this in the challenge?

However you like. Personally I would include it in my overall total balance (thus whatever you spend on the card is taken out of GC and put into another pot- in other words give yourself £30 cash to spend as you please!):T.

sazzledazzle

Was so good yesterday popped into my local supermarket and only brought mash and milk, so only spent £1.44 so far.

little_miss_thrifty

Hello!
Updating, and have so far spent £20.47 for this month. I am due a Mr T delivery tomorrow, so will update further then. I did my online shopping through mysupermarket first, to see which one would be the cheapest - if i had used Mr S, it would have cost me £20 more!!

I just stocked up on tins, yogurts etc - i will get veg at the market this week and meat from the farmer - made 2 fish pies today and will make a cake later, after school.

DD should have gone back to playgroup today, but the rickety old hall was showing -7, so she stayed at home with me today and we cooked some sausage rolls (i love them hot out of the oven!).

LMT x

tessie_bear

hi gailey re slow cookers mine is a cookworks signiture its stainless steel and quite big :rolleyes: not sure of actual capacity i got it for a tenner in argos just before xmas it should have been 20 but m thinking was b uy a cheap one in case i dont get on with it......id def get another if it broke....
excellent advice being offered we are past that weaning stage now but it can get expensive....home bargains 99p shop sometimes have cheap short date baby food in....its salty stuff that used to scare me ie crisps i used to get the organix ones on offer in asda.....stick blenders are good at purees i used to use a small drop of adult squash and not buy baby juice....i m a tight mummy have a nice day tess

save-a-holic

OrkneyStar wrote: »

It is still 48p at Lidl (well it was on Saturday) and theirs is just as good.

Just thought I'd mention that I use normal bog-standard value SR flour with equal results to bread flour and it's around 26p a bag. I can't use the 1-hour function on the breadmaker for this - it needs to do the full 2 hours cycle, but other than that it is exactly the same (and a lot cheaper!) :T