July 2009 Grocery Challenge

taka

Oh dear... I've felt kinda poo for the last couple of days and have ended up buying loads of rubbish. I have the grand total of £1.85 left for rest of the month! :eek: :rotfl: Oh dear... I doublt its going to work is it? Oh well...

On a more frugal note :whistle: Farmfoods appear to be doing 500g bags of penne pasta for 39p which sounded good. I think thats cheaper than the value pasta 500g bags... Oh they have 285ml bottles of encona (sp?) sweet chilli sauce for £1 too. I'm addicted to this stuff! Yummy on toasted cheese or with potato wedges...

DizzyK_2

Hello all :wave:

Can I just say first of all what a lovely ingenious bunch of folk you are?? I love reading these boards
Please could I join you for August? Our budget has wavered around £400 (give or take £100 or so!!) for the last 5 years for Food/Toiletries/Household/Booze shopping despite changing from a couple to a family of 4 during that time. We're still doing nappies but no more formula and I'm trying really hard to get it down a bit month on month at the mo as DH has just been told he's got a wopping pay cut coming in September and whilst he *should* get commission to compensate I don't want to rely on it iykwim. That can be for extras and clearing debts!!

All that waffle aside, I'm really proud of doing under my £375 this month and would like to try for £350 this month. Freezer's starting to thin out a bit already though!! :eek:

Moniker

Well I have blown it -as anticipated I have gone just a bit over with this last big shop of the month. I shouldn't need more than a few bits of veg before next Thursday, so I am hoping to keep the overspend to under £5. But with DD1 back home Tuesday and leaving for Germany on Saturday I expect there may be a bit of 'comfort' eating and treats involved! Mind you, she has offered to cook and pay for a meal for her Dad's birthday on Wednesday so we might be ok.

On the positive side I have managed to avoid food shopping on 20 of the last 30 days so that's progress!

I'm off to update my sig and catch up on the thread - then I will have to do some serious planning for August. I won't declare until next Thursday. Good luck to everyone and hold fast all those of you who are teetering on the brink!

At least the sun is shining for once!

Moniker

annelouise_2

G'day again,

Since posting 1 have had 3 NSD and am planning another one tomorrow and Friday as it's a bank holiday here.

Had noodles with sweetcorn and left over chicken curry tonight with yogurt.

Have a mishmash of packed lunches for tomorrow -

cupcakes,twinks,muffins,mini pasties,veg sticks and dip,sandwiches,rice cakes,wotsits,apples.

We are going to the water park and I will give the kids $2 each for an icy pole or a drink and that's it for the day.Free entry and we're meeting several other families there.

Meal planner going well.All in freezer or store cupboard.

Lasagna ( from work lunch - thanks Weezl ) chips,peas
Mac n cheese
Slow cooker pork casserole,pots,broccoli,peas
Teriyaki kebabs and wraps
Egg,bacon and beans
Nasi goreng
Chicken tenders and chips with beans
Fish,chips,peas
Toad in the hole
Jkt potatoes various
Pizza with toppings
Spag bol
Pasta with pesto and cheese

OH is away for another 22 day's so I am being frugaltastic.

Cherry tomatoes and peppers and herbs looking good.I might get a few tomatoes ready next week they are reddening nicely.Have requested some compost from a friend to start my next lot's of pots of cucumber and courgette.

annelouise

poohbear59

Hi,
As payday is tomorrow I would like to declare on -£17.99
I am a bit disappointed but I have now got my sack of rice which will keep me going for a few months. Without it I would have been in credit by £2.01. I would like to try for £240 again next month please

Dancing_Shoes

How do I know if I have been added to the challenge?:o

cw18

When the new thread goes up, Mrs M will have a list of people in one (or two!) of the early posts. Check there, and if she missed your request to be added, just ask again

eckythump

lynzpower wrote: »

We aways feel like this, and really with a bit of planning its not biggie

Last night we were supposed to have chicken curry, but it was so hot we didnt fancy it. The sauce will stay in the cub, the veg will get used, so we had chicken salad- using our new growing leaves- instead. We might have the cury tonight. If the veg looks likeit might go off, then ill probably cook it in the curry sauce and then freeze it for another day. if the weather stays hot I proably wont want it till the weather cools a bit.

We often just have a liston the fridge with the options that Ive bought in, and then we can pick and choose. However if weve got something going off that we cant save then we will have that soon - eg lets have salad to finish that lettuce. But pretty much everything can br frozen. I probably have about 40 combinations at the mo, - eg the mince can be used for about 15 meals. So we jsut choose what we want to do with it. If we want HM burgers- then we need bread to go with. IYSWIM.

Same here,
we never stick to a rigid meal plan.
much better to pick n mix with what you have.
also this forum is very good if you have something to use up but lack inspiration.

eckythump

elantan wrote: »

ok this reallyisnt going according to plan ...were having problems sticking to the menu ...yesterday for example went to a friends house so that she could teach me gallo pinto (pronounced guy yo peen to) so made that seems easy enough cheap enough and something i think i will make occasionally ....there was plenty left over and friend didnt want it so i got a doggy bag home .....there was enough for hubby and i for dinner and enough for me for lunch (oh no lentil soup again then surprise surprise) now i had it with brocoli (sp) and potatoes and hubby had it with sausages chopped and mixed in with a baked potato side salad etc ...

but the problem is ...i am not eating what was on the menu therefore i have loads of food that shouldve been eaten by now not eaten ...which is going to be good next week when i need to do a shopping but in the meantime not so good cause we aint sticking to a plan....

hubby has taken another couple of pounds out of the tub of doom so i dont have enough to buy his drink etc ...but have counted the pennies out and will be taing them to the bank later on and cashing them in ...so we should be ok for money this week ...but what about next week and the week after ....

i dont think this menu planning is working for us ...i really feel as if i am being dictated to by food ...i feel like i have enough things in my life i have no control over what so ever (law politics work etc) so food was one of the few things i could say hey you know what i fancy ..... for dinner so i'm gonna have it ... it feels kinda like a loss of freedom

and i think this mught be where the problem lies ...i am not going off on one when hubby declares nope dont fancy that for dinner i want ....not that i like going off on one but i am not even saying to him well you know you agreed to eat .... i am just saying well go and have what you want then


so ...i dont know how i am going to tackle this ...and believe me i want to tackle this i will make this £8 a day work ...it has to work i cant afford for it not to ....did anyone else have issues similar when they started?

You really need to sit hubby down and explain the reality of this,everyone would love to be able to pick and choose what they eat and drink but the fact of the matter is if you can't afford it its not a choice.
I know its a difficult transition but you need to stick at it,as it does get easier.

mama67

SunnyGirl wrote: »

That's what the elder 3 children do/have done although DD takes pack ups as she does a week in college then a week in a childcare setting (she's doing a Childcare Diploma) and it's easier for her to have extra time at lunchtime to catch up on written stuff.

DS1 & DS2 come home 'starving' every day it's like filling up bottomless pits :rotfl: They both top 6' and are always playing some kind of sport so it's only to be expected I suppose The high school has a swipe card/finger recognition system for lunches so I give them money to put on it once a month & request a statement twice a term so I can see what they've been eating

Have jsut had some info through that our secondary school is also considering bringing in a swipe card system ( I did suggest it to one of the liason teachers at open night). My 2 are also always playing sport and now school hols are here they are constantly on the go.