Live on £4000 for a Year, 2009 Challenge, part 2

cw18

nykmedia wrote: »

Thankfully, we now have Ald! with their cheap semi-skimmed, so that has helped a bit.

Not as cheap as it was though Bought 4 x 1 litre bottles Monday of last week for 43p a litre. Been down for the next lot today, and it's back up to 49p a litre :eek:

Our S0merfield is changing to Sa!nsbury next month, the signs are up in store now. I have never been in one before but they have started advertising locally on TV. What does everybody think of them and are they OK for frugalites like us?

Personally I've always found them expensive, so rarely go in unless I've seen an advert for a special offer and I'm in the area (or I'm on the complex and have time to spare for wandering around checking their latest offers)

Our S'flds is looking VERY bare. Was last in on Friday when it was definitely heading that way, but this afternoon was unbelievably so -- and they don't actually close until Wednesday of next week !!!

angela110660

lovely photos - those dinky pots for watering are great idea

taka

nykmedia wrote: »

Our S0merfield is changing to Sa!nsbury next month, the signs are up in store now. I have never been in one before but they have started advertising locally on TV. What does everybody think of them and are they OK for frugalites like us?

I actually quite like them - reasonable special offers and most storecupboard things are a similar price to Mr T (but without the massively varying price swings that really annoy me recently in Mr T's). They still sell basics fruit and veg (unlike Mr T) and the basics range on the whole is pretty good (for staples - don't know about ready meals) as is the own brand stuff! Flour seems to be quite pricy there though...

Loving the gardening SM! I must get round to planting some of my seeds!

Frugaldom

cw18 wrote: »

Not as cheap as it was though Bought 4 x 1 litre bottles Monday of last week for 43p a litre. Been down for the next lot today, and it's back up to 49p a litre :eek:

But that's still less than half the price of my nearest shop, so I am very happy. Is yours Quothquan milk or do each of the stores buy 'local' milk? I'm quite curious about this as the price per litre paid to farmers has dropped twice this year already, first by 1.25ppl then by a further 0.75ppl, bringing it down to less than 24p per litre paid to the dairy farmers. I wonder what the true cost of collection, processing, packaging and distribution is?

cw18

nykmedia wrote: »

Is yours Quothquan milk or do each of the stores buy 'local' milk?

to right of centre on the label it says 'British Milk'. Far left (under barcode) has a Yorkshire address and phone number. Far right says Deliciously Yorkshire. So I'm guessing that means Greater Manchester get milk from Yorkshire

Frugaldom

Thanks for that, cw, it's very interesting, I love finding out stores that keep produce local. Anyone else got any 43p per litre Ald! semi-skimmed in their fridge to let us know the 'brand'?

Sophiesmum, your tomato plants and herbs look great, they are well ahead of mine as I have none anywhere near the grow bag stage.

Skint_Lynne

I spent £20 in Marks and Spencer today on sandwiches.................... don't panic though, it was for work and I will claim it back. I was thinking though that it would save the company money if I made the lunch and took it into them - it would be funny, producing home made pieces, i wonder what the nurses would say to that?:p

It's an awful lot of cash for sandwiches, though it was for 8 people. I done an experiment on Saturday and took a £20 and put it into an envelope as I told you all before. That is my week's budget for grocery shopping and I spent it all in one go on sandwiches for lunches - it's terrible when you look at it that way.

I bought: 1 ham hough, bag of potatoes, 3 x 2 litres of milk, 2 loaves, 1 pack of liver, 1 bag of onions, 1 bag of carrots, 1 savoy cabbage, 1 bag of peppers, 6 cans of lucozade, 1 packet of cold meat, 1 tube of toothpaste, 2 x 2 litres of water, 1 pig kidney, oxo cubes (chicken and beef), 1 tin of sweetcorn and 3 tins of peas. I've got 2.12 left to last until Friday, I should be able to do it.

The freezer is full anyway. I am proud of myself re: the rubber chickens, I got my sunday dinner out of one for me and DH, then last night I recycled some of it into a chicken, ham and mushroom pie, it fed 4 of us with big portions, me, mum, dad and 1 sister. I've still got another dish full of chicken to use, so it will turn into a curry for me and DH (will poss feed dad as well). So far, we have had 6 dinners out of it, that's good going!! Plus, I got some stock from it as well, it is well and truly rubber.:rotfl:

I got the pig kidney for 15p, so am going to use it for steak and kidney pie, will this work as well as lambs kidney sophiesmum?

DH is in the doghouse, he went away last Monday to go to France, missed the plane, decided to stay down with his friends all week, went to blackpool on a lads weekend, was meant to come back on Sunday and arrived home this morning. He did not phone me yesterday so I did not sleep last night, as not calling is out of character for him. I am not pleased and he knows it. I am easy going, but have been pushed too close to the edge this time.:mad: My dad was pleased though, because he got his dinner.:D

I am shattered, so off to bed I go. Nite all. xx

sophiesmum_2

Pigs kidney will work just as well in steak and kidney SL.

Nyk - everything grows faster indoors here as it is so bloomin hot - my oldies feel the cold so insist on everywhere being heated to the nth degree, I walk around work all winter in T shirts and still roast, but it is very good for growing seedlings:p My peppers in the office will be moved out at the weekend I think, then I can pot up some more from lounge and move them down to the office.

redglass_2

nykmedia wrote: »

Our S0merfield is changing to Sa!nsbury next month, the signs are up in store now. I have never been in one before but they have started advertising locally on TV. What does everybody think of them and are they OK for frugalites like us?

Their 'basics' lines aren't that different in price from anyone else's, but overall Mr S is obviously more pricey than Spring Meadows. Their fruit is downright shocking (blueberries may be good for you, but not if the price brings on heart failure). :eek:Their woopsies are also very overpriced, I think, especially compared with Mr T's (Mr T is the Woopsy King round here) but I can get stuff in Mr S that I can't get in the other supermarkets. They used to do dirt-cheap shower gel and it was fine, did the job as well as any fancy stuff and smelt nice too (haven't bought any for ages as I've got a massive stockpile).

taka

redglass wrote: »

Their 'basics' lines aren't that different in price from anyone else's, but overall Mr S is obviously more pricey than Spring Meadows. Their fruit is downright shocking (blueberries may be good for you, but not if the price brings on heart failure). :eek:Their woopsies are also very overpriced, I think, especially compared with Mr T's (Mr T is the Woopsy King round here) but I can get stuff in Mr S that I can't get in the other supermarkets. They used to do dirt-cheap shower gel and it was fine, did the job as well as any fancy stuff and smelt nice too (haven't bought any for ages as I've got a massive stockpile).

I only have a largish city/metro/local style Spring meadows near me and Mr S (a much larger store) is cheaper for most things I buy. I agree about the price of berries though - I accidentally got charged for a punnet of blackberries (belonged to the person behind me in the queue) - £2.99 :eek: £2.99 for a punnet of brambles!! :eek: :eek:

I think woopsies are less bargainatious in many stores these days. I've definitely noticed it in Mr T. Mr S too with them making their reduction times far later in the day and far less steeply reduced initially.