August 2009 Grocery Challenge

CommitedToChange

Well I have now spent £43.45 out of my £100 monthly budget but have now paid for all my Veg bags for the month so I am guaranteed fresh fruit and veg all month . I also have my freezer stuff, meat and household, just need to get my dairy and beauty and I'll be all set (can anyone see a pattern to my spending? Loving the Mail mocs) Oh and the bleeding cat food - mustn't forget him. :rotfl:

Hoping to get the rest of stuff and finish my total at £50 - leaving £10 a week for random stuff and the occasional bottle of wine :rotfl:

Have to admit that I couldn't be this on target without my coupons - I love them sooooo much.

taka

flying_fresian wrote: »

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!!

You must live near me (unless there is more than one Aldi recently opened in Edinburgh )! I live ~10-15 mins walk from there! :hello:

What are the Aug super6? Its not on their website yet.

For the peppers just chop + freeze. You may want to freeze them flat so they don't stick together or bag them and give them a good shake a couple of times while they are freezing to stop having a big frozen lump of finely chopped peppers... :whistle:

mooomin

taka wrote: »

You must live near me (unless there is more than one Aldi recently opened in Edinburgh )! I live ~10-15 mins walk from there! :hello:

*waves*

I live up near the prison (Classy!)

Super6 are going to be active as of Monday:

Avocado
Gem lettuce (2 in pack I think)
Cucumber
Tomatos
Mango
Celery

All are going to be 29p according to the thread below:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1848653

taka

flying_fresian wrote: »

*waves*

I live up near the prison (Classy!)

Super6 are going to be active as of Monday:

Avocado
Gem lettuce (2 in pack I think)
Cucumber
Tomatos
Mango
Celery

All are going to be 29p according to the thread below:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1848653

:hello::hello::hello::hello: I'm close to a certain large stadium!

Hmmm don't like the look of them much either... Poo... Lettuce/cucumbers are ok but thats about it for me. I've been enjoying loads of the fruit from there for the last 2 months so I'll definitely miss that.

I've never bought a fresh mango (its always seemed too expensive) . How do you tell if its ripe? Its still not a portable size for my lunchbox though... I may have to stock up on fruit tomorrow instead of Saturday!

Flat_Eric

just out of interest, for those of you that batch cook and freeze, what storage containers would you recommend?

Once I have made some room in the freezer, I hope to do some batch cooking and freeze some yummy meals.

Also, I have never cooked with a slow cooker in my life, is it a must have item? (there is one I can borrow so I could trial it for free.....):D:j

mooomin

Flat_Eric wrote: »

just out of interest, for those of you that batch cook and freeze, what storage containers would you recommend?

Once I have made some room in the freezer, I hope to do some batch cooking and freeze some yummy meals.

Also, I have never cooked with a slow cooker in my life, is it a must have item? (there is one I can borrow so I could trial it for free.....):D:j

I use small plastic tubs - but have also frozen sauces etc in freezer bags within plastic boxes. Once they are frozen I remove them from the tub which frees up more space. They always leak when you defrost though, so thaw them out on a plate!

I didn't see much point in my slow cooker but use it once a week now! I make chilli and stews in mine, as I haven't tried soups yet. I also use it to cook cheap cuts of lamb etc as it makes the meat so tender it's divine. Experiment with it and see how you get on - some people love them and some people loath them.

Julimk

I have been batch cooking & freezing in individual portions way before GC. Mostly I use MrT ‘value’ plastic tubs. MrT used to sell ‘take-away’ style tubs but they haven’t had them for ages, but if you have any old ones from previous take-aways they work well. Others use washed out margarine tubs.

A great tip I have seen on here several times, if you are short on freezer space then put a freezer bag inside a freezer tub & put the food portion in the bag, in the tub. It will then freeze in the square shape of the tub, but if you take the bag out the tub after it has frozen it will take up less space in the freezer & can re-use the tub.

Most things in my freezer that are in bags, rather than boxes, are double bagged.

The key thing though is to make sure that anything is frozen in useable portions, so if it is likely you will only use one portion at a time freeze in individual portions. And make sure that it is labelled, so you know exactly what it is & how long it has been in there.

cw18

Flat_Eric wrote: »

just out of interest, for those of you that batch cook and freeze, what storage containers would you recommend?

I freeze everything in individual portion sizes - makes it easier when elder DS decides to come home, and while I was catering for younger GD once a week during school terms. I portion out into 500g margarine tubs (I have a load of reasonably sturdy ones, as I use a soya spread for me rather than a value type), then once frozen I turn out of the tubs and put each into a separate small freezer bag. Moving into a bag means the portions regularly take less than half the freezer space they would in the tubs - plus means I have the tubs ready for the next batch cooked meal

ETA: I always turn out of the bag and defrost directly in a pan - ready for heating up/cooking through later.

I don't use my slow cooker often (now there's only two of us), but find a cheap gammon joint is much more tender done this way - and if I do a whole chicken in it I get a lot more meat off the carcass, and the stock is done at the same time instead of having to put a pan on to simmer afterwards

cw18

Julimk wrote: »

A great tip I have seen on here several times, if you are short on freezer space then put a freezer bag inside a freezer tub & put the food portion in the bag, in the tub. It will then freeze in the square shape of the tub, but if you take the bag out the tub after it has frozen it will take up less space in the freezer & can re-use the tub.

I used to put the bag in the tub and just lift the bag out - but found the food froze around creases in the bag making it almost impossible to get the food out of the bag until it's defrosted!! Much better to freeze directly in the tub, transfer to a bag, then take out of bag to defrost (for me anyway)

CommitedToChange

I prefer not to label my bags (just date them) and have a week of eating mystery meals - esp in winter when my freezer is full of various stews - take it out in the morning and come home to something yummy - but a surprise :rotfl:

Just got a slow cooker and loving it - actually can't wait for winter to do loads of stews. Gonna do a lamb tagine this weekend. yummy .