August 2009 Grocery Challenge

Allegra

Maitane wrote: »

Oooh, can I join in too?
Also, does anyone have any really good tips for doing the challenge with a meat-obsessed, greedy other half?

I have always found that a casing of pastry hides a multitude of sins. Pies are the way to go - although, perhaps not if you are trying to watch your weight.

mothershipton

hi, been off track last couple of months, but determined to get back on board. put me down for £300 this is for me, oh and two boys, 16 and 11.
Im growing veg in the garden and at the moment am trying to think of more ways to cook french beans and courgettes! will get dh to make another soup this weekend. will try and browse the recipes and see if there any interesting courgette recipes

oceanspirit

Please may I join in this month? My budget is £80.00 please. I managed just under £60 last month having cleared out my storecupboard and used up a few ageing things. I am also using up jars in the fridge and will start on the freezer over the weekend. August should be fairly easy, September will be harder once stocks are run down.

Good luck to everyone else, and thank you to all who give their time to run the challenge.

fedupandskint

Does anyone have any tips on meal planning?

I keep telling myself I will do this and I keep putting it off. Now I've stocked up (not excessively) I'd like to plan better. If I come home from work in a mood I eat rubbish that's in the house. When I plan better I take something out of the freezer and use it for tea.

I can cook alright and this doesn't phase me, it is the using up of stocks that does phase me and I want to use the things I have instead of adding to them reduced or not!

BlimusOreilly

I was under budget again for July so I'm going to take this month's budget down by another tenner (both son's b'days this month). So can you count me in with a budget of £220. Thankyou.

Little_Muvva

I'll go with £436 for August. Won't know July until Friday but think I nearly made last months so am shaving off a tiny bit for this month! I'll get there eventually. I don't know how some of you manage to spend so little on so many people! I struggled last month - it seems it's the washing powder, loo roll etc. which eats up my budget! I'll keep reading for all your tips.

the_cat

Hi everyone

I have not joined the grocery challenge for the last few months as I was finding that setting a monthly budget didn't allow me to stock up on whoopsies and bargains when I found them. So I have been going it alone for the past few months.

I have done ok I think, but writing down what I spend definately helps trim it back a bit more! I noticed that some people have now started to aim for a yearly budget which would be perfect for me. Great idea whoever it was!!

So for the rest of the year (to Dec 25th) I would like to set a budget of £850 please MrsM (for 4 adults)

lollyfin

Hi Maitane I have that problem as well but I try and use all the tips I have found on here, lentils, oats, grated carrots, pastry,more veg and pots and dumplings, and a cheapy filling pudding for afters usually helps too. These tips have helped me soooo much, I used to buy 500g mince for the two of us I have never increased the amount of meat I buy and the same amount now feeds 6 of us. Am being very ambitious this month and am trying to stretch 500g of mince to 2 meals for all of us.
Fedupandskint if you let us know what you have in maybe we could help you put together a meal plan for a week

Flat_Eric

fedupandskint wrote: »

Does anyone have any tips on meal planning?

I keep telling myself I will do this and I keep putting it off. Now I've stocked up (not excessively) I'd like to plan better. If I come home from work in a mood I eat rubbish that's in the house. When I plan better I take something out of the freezer and use it for tea.

I can cook alright and this doesn't phase me, it is the using up of stocks that does phase me and I want to use the things I have instead of adding to them reduced or not!

Thanks to all for replies re gram flour and dips. much appreciated.:D:D:D

To answer the above post, have you taken note of what food items you do have in your freezer, fridge, cupboards etc? Thats my project for this weekend because Im meal planning but I am not able to meal plan effectively because I have no idea what is in my outside freezer for example which is full to the brim. Thus money is wasted in buying stuff that I probably already have.

I typically do a meal plan for a week but have a reserve or an alternative choice for some nights depending on what I fancy.

Like you, bad day at work means no way am I going to stand at the kitchen side chopping lots of veg for that dish I had planned - instead its a trip to m&s on the way home for "something easy" plus a desert thrown in and m&s means food budget goes pear shaped!

Im not a very good cook and most of my cooking is trial and error. I can't be bothered with all the preparation and the faffing around, the clearing up afterwards, the dozens of ingredients needed perhaps for that dish I saw on the tv that i fancy.

Plan meals that are quick and easy to prepare. Ensure you include meals that you love and that have you dreaming about / drooling over all day while you are at work. Something to look forward to when you walk in the door and enjoy perhaps with a glass of wine. That way your plans are less likely to change. Monday for me is always my jacket chips - i cook the spuds in the microwave before work in the morning so its just a simple case of slicing them up and sticking in the oven when I get home. Served with a couple of fried eggs / ham fried mushrooms. EASY and very comforting/filling.

once you have itemised your food stocks, it should be easy to use up what you have.

alternatively write some meals that you like on some index cards (based on what you have in your kitchen) and shuffle them and hey presto, who knows whats coming next?!

I wouldnt say I would go as far as buying pre boiled eggs :eek: that I think I heard a certain supermarket was selling but I will admit to having some "cheat" ingredients squirreled away. For example bags of frozen fruit, sliced peppers etc.

mooomin

Evening all!

I made my first trip to Aldi today - a new one opened near us last month and I haven't had a chance to go. I had heard of their "Super 6" veg and wanted to investigate.

So, courtesy of this little trip, I now have the following:

Tomato puree 35p
Tissues (Pretty box of, for my desk at work) 67p
Red Leicester cheese £2.04
Apple juice (6 little cartons for lunches) 99p
Peppers (3 in a pack) x 3 packs @ 49p each = £1.47
Eggs (10 large) 99p (!)
Grapes 49p
Broccoli 63p
New potatoes (1.5kg!) 49p (!!!!)

Now, obviously the peppers, potatoes and grapes are on offer this month, but the prices still looked pretty good to me, and hopefully the quality isn't awful. I think I may become a regular there for some staples althrough the Super 6 for August doesn't excite me!!

I was planning on chopping up the peppers and freezing them in bags (and going back on Saturday for more!) - I haven't done this before. Do I have to do anything prior to freezing them or can I just chuck them in a bag?

Anyway, off to update my signature again!!