August 2009 Grocery Challenge

kirstenc

Hi people, I thought I had finished my challenge last week but realised that theres one more shopping day til september, so i still have a week to go!!
my shop on saturday went well total spend after coupons etc £38.40 , here goes,

DS shampoo £0.88
lunchbags £1.27 x2 (saves us wasting carriers all the time!)
shower gel £0.77
christening card £1.18
muffin tray £3
string mop £1.97
back bacon £1.59
500g mince £1.21
chicken thighs £2.91
cooked ham £0.41
coleslaw £0.20
marg £0.89 x2
soya marg £1.10
long life cream £0.52 x2
milk £1.53
hula hoops £0.81
puff pastry £1.57
dried fruit 250g £0.65
fajita kit £1.98
vanilla flavouring £0.52
tuna tins £2.66
soya milk £0.60
icing sugar £0.65
wheat free flour £1
dairy free chocspread £2.18
curry powder £0.46
crumble mix £0.35
mucavado sugar £1.09
garlic powder £0.95
wheat free rolls £1.99
bananas £1.50
soft rolls *reduced* £0.14
mushrooms £0.89
red onion £0.57
leeks £2.34
onions £1.73
apples £0.69
cooking apples £0.58
new potaoes £1.98

its DS's birthday today and as you can see he has alot of allergies, I am attempting to make a chocolate fudge cake for him, from scratch with no real flour eggs or chocolate!!
Should be fun at least!

Off to update my sig!!

Knitty78

I've been pointed in the direction of this challenge from the Debt Free boards. I'm going to stop making excuses as to why I can't do this and sign myself up for £300 for the month of September.

Janae

Hi.
Having totally lost the plot in August I'm back for September, starting today. Please could you put me down for £331 for this month, Mrs M?

With thanks
kj

Good luck everyone

rosieben

Microwave Recipes

Main Meals & Side Dishes (Soups now listed separately, below)
Bacon and Cheese Fritatta with Tomato Salsa
Bacon and potato salad -Warm
Baked potato pizza
Baked Beans (home made)
Baked Bean Tart
Beef - Brisket
Beef Casserole
Beef Curry Dopiaza (Delia recipe)
Beef Stifado (Jamie Olive recipe)
Beef Stroganoff
Beef and Root Veg Curry
Belly Pork
Bolognaise (Remoska)
Broad Bean Burgers
Burgers
Cheese and Onion Flan
Chicken Cannelloni
Chicken - Cheat's Chicken Cassoulet
Cheat's Chicken Lasagne in the S - Here and Here
Chicken - Parmesan Chicken
Chicken - Sticky Chicken
Chicken Fried Rice
Chicken, leek and bacon pie / pasties
Chicken with Cannellini Beans
Chicken with Garlic, Cider & Cream
Chicken and Potato Curry
Chicken and Vegetable Slice
Chilli
Chilli (Remoska)
Chilli Bean Tortillas
Chilli Cheese Crostini
Chilli chicken with jasmine rice (BBC food)
Chinese style cabbage
Cobbler (topping) see below for Minced Beef with Cobbler Topping
Coleslaw
Corned Beef Hash - MrsMCawber's recipe
Courgette Fritters
Courgette Pie
Courgette and Tomato Layer Bake
Cranberry & Soy glazed cocktail sausages
Creamy Chicken and Potato casserole
Creamy Lentil and Rice Dish (Khircheri) (BBC website)
Curry Sauce
Diet Coke Chicken
Duchesse potatoes
Faggoty Pea Stew
Falafel burgers
Fishcakes
Fish Pie and Fish Pie
Fusilli with Broccoli
Ham Hock (slow cooker)
Ham Salad (sandwich filling) external link
Hummus and Garlic Pitta Breads
Individual chicken pies
Lamb curry and paratha
Lamb Hotpot
Lasagne
Lemon Chicken
Lemon chicken with basil and tagliatelle
Lemon potatoes
Liver and onions stir fry
Macaroni Cheese
Meatballs
Meatloaf (1) Meatloaf (2) Meatloaf (3)
Mediterranean Mince and Potato 'Pie'
Mediterranean Vegetable Pasta
Mince & onion pie
Minced Beef Curry
Mince - Mexican Style Mince
Minced Beef with Cobbler Topping
Mini Goat's Cheese, Pear & Walnut Quiche
Monday Pie
Moussaka
Naan bread - see 'Bread' below
Onion Bhaji
Open top 'pizza' pie
Pasta Cheese and Onion Bake
Pizza / Pizza Base Recipe
Pork Burgers with Salad
Pork and Beef Meatballs
Pork Steaks in Mustard and Cider Sauce
Potatoes - Slow Cooker Jacket Potatoes
Potato Kebabs
Potato layer bake
Potato Layer Bake
Potato layer bake (Teisen datws)
Potatoes - Lemon Potatoes
Potatoes - Twice Baked Potatoes
Potato Wedges, Home Made
Quiche Lorraine
Russian Salad and Russian Salad
Salmon and Dill Fishcakes
Sausage and Rice bake
Sausage and Stuffing Plait
Sausage and Tomato Spaghetti
Sausage Casserole or Sausage Casserole
Sausage Meat Patties
Smoked salmon soda breads
Smoked Salmon - Tagliatelle with Smoked Salmon
Spaghetti Bolognaise
Spaghetti with courgettes, tomato and brie
Spicy Bean and Lentil Loaf
Spicy Bean & Sweet Potato Stew
Spinach pancakes
Steak and Kidney stew/pie filling
Steamed Oriental Buns
Stifado - Beef Stew With Tiny Onions Recipe
Stuffing - MrsMcawber's recipe
Suet crust pie with quorn
Super Tasty Bacon, Bean and Sausage
Sweet & Sour Chicken/Pork
TexMex Skillett
Thai green curry
Toad in the Hole
Tofu burgers
Tuna Fishcakes
Tuna Lasagne
Turkey and Bubble and Squeak Pie
Turkey Pasta
Turkey Pasta Cacciatore
Vegetable Casserole
Veggie Haggis

Soups
Bacon and Carrot Soup
Broccoli and Cheese Soup
Carrot, parsnip and lentil soup
Chicken & Sweetcorn Soup
Cream of Tomato Soup
Curried Parsnip Soup
Gammon and lentil soup
Ham and Lentil Soup
Iced cucumber soup
Leek and Potato Soup
Moniker’s Leek and Potato Soup
Leek and sweet potato soup
Moroccan Chickpea and Broad Bean Soup
Onion Soup
Oxtail Stew + Oxtail Soup
Parsnip & Apple Soup
Pea & Ham Soup
Real Tomato Soup
Slow Cooker French Onion Soup
Soup - Red pepper, carrot & lentil soup
Spicy Carrot and Tomato Soup
Spinach Soup
Split Pea and Courgette Soup
Vegetable Soup

Bread
Bagels
Baguettes
Bara Brith (Welsh Tea Bread)
Basic white bread recipe (makes a 2lb loaf)
Bread - Mrs McC's recipe for Remoska
Breadsticks MrsM's / angelnikki's (No Salt Recipe)
Chapatis
Cheese & Potato Bread
Cheesy Bread Rolls
Chewy Soft Flour Tortilla
Chocolate Bread
Courgette Flatbread
Focaccia
Garlic Dough Balls
Herb Quick bread
HM Bread
Lahmachun
Naan Bread .. see also .. Curry Queen's ...... Mrs McCawber's ...... OrkneyStar's
Oatmeal bread
soft bread rolls
Super Seedy Bread

rosieben

Dips, Jams & Chutneys and Drinks
Alioli / Traditional allioli
Beetroot and Apple Chutney
Elderberry cordial
Feisty Rhubarb Relish
Jams & Preserves
Lemon Squash
Onion Marmalade
Pineapple Salsa
Riata - Mint, yoghurt and Cucumber Dip
Tomato/Chili Salsa
Red Tomato Chutney
Tomato Chutney
Mango Chutney
Xmas Chutney

Cakes, Biscuits, Snacks & Desserts
Apple Braid
Apple delight
Apple Charlotte
Apple - Microwave Autumn Apple Cake
Apricot Flapjack bars
Bakewell Tart
Banana Cake (bread)
Banana and lemon drizzle cake
Banana Muffins (wholemeal)
Banana Muffins
Banana and Walnut cake
Banana Ginger Parkin
Blackberries - Grated Blackberry Bake
Branflake cake
Bounty Balls
Bran Fruit Loaf
Bread & Butter Pudding
Bulk pancake mix
Buttercream topping
Caramel Shortbread (Millionaire's Shortbread)
Caramel Shortbread (2)
Cheese n marmite twists
Chocolate Biscuit Thins
Cheesy Biscuits
Chocolate Concrete
Chocolate Coookies - Cheap and Easy
Chocolate fudge
Chocolate Fudge Cake
Chocolate Krackolates
Chocolate yoghurt cake
Chocolate pudding
Coconut Cake
Coconut Flapjacks
Cookie Dough
Cornflake Tart
Courgette Tea Bread/Muffins
Cranberry And Chocolate Brownies
Currant Loaf
Custard Cookies
D&DD’s Apple Braid
Date, Nut and Oat biscuits
Easy Syrup Sponge Pudding
Eggless Chocolate Cake
Fifteens
Flaky Bars
Flapjacks and Flapjacks
Fruit and Mascarpone dessert
Gingerbread Men
Ginger Raisin Crunches
Golden Syrup Tart
Healthy Snack Bars
Honey Frosted Buns
Iced Buns
Impossible Coconut Pie
Jam Buns
Jammy Buns
Key lime pie
Krispie marshmallow bars
Lemon cakes
Lemon Curd Cake
Lemon Curd Ice-Cream JeniD's / MoneySavingDiva's
Magic Lemon Pudding
Malt Bread
Marshmallow Squares
Mascarpone and Lime Torte
Mascarpone Ice-cream
Millies Cookies
Mince Squares
Muffins: Basic Recipe / Chocolate Orange Muffins (1) / Chocolate Orange Muffins (2) / Gingerbread Muffins / Kiwi Muffins / Sticky Date Muffins / Strawberry Muffins / Toffee Apple Muffins
No fat sponge
Oaty Pancakes
Oaty Shortbread Biscuits
Orange and Poppy Seed Cake
Peanut Butter Cookies
Pineapple, Fried
Rhubarb and Orange Jelly
Rock Buns
Scones
Spiced Apple Bars
St Peter's Mud Pie (no cooking required)
Sticky gingerbread
Sticky toffee apple crumble
Teacakes
Twink’s Hobnobs
Weetabix Brownies
Weetabix Cake
Weetabix Fruit Loaf
Wonderbites
Yoghurt: Homemade yoghurt, Slow Cooker Yoghurt
Yoghurt Cake (the easy way)

Pastry
The best mince pie pastry ever
Pastry economics
Making pastry
Basic pastry
Flaky Pastry (BBC Food)

Home Made Dog Biscuits
Home Made Dog Biscuits (2)


Top Tips (OS threads)
Batch cooking ideas
Complete Menu Plans Collection
Cooking for the Freezer
Meal building blocks for the freezer
Grocery Challenge Top Tips
Laundry Washing Gel/ Gloop, Fab conditioner, vinegar.....

External links
Batch Bake Minced Beef Recipe
How to feed your whole family a healthy, balanced diet... (Webook)
List of conversions
Love Food Hate Waste website
Show Jamie How To Cook On A Budget Champagne Contest

**Upsy_Daisy**

I have been thinking about how I am going to cut my grocery bills.
What are your thoughts on buying meat from a butchers as opposed to a supermarket?
When we first moved here 17 years ago there were around 8 butchers within a 3 mile radius - now there are only 2.
I tend to impulse buy meat in the supermarket based on what is on offer and I have lots of bits in the freezer but nothing really useful.
When I lived in Peckham around 20 years ago there used to be a butcher who did several freezer packs - I'm thinking that if I can get a list together of what I need for a month then I can just hand it in to the butcher and collect it on my way home from work (although this may not be so easy once I get rid of the car in Sept)

Anyway, back to the point - where do you think the best value is to be found - in the butchers or in the supermarket?

Fire_Fox

I have spent £3 since I last totted up - £2 on food at work which was quite unnecessary as I had my own with me and £1 on a bag of sugar. That still leaves me at £91/£100 with one day to go! :T

LydiaJ

I'm going to try to get back on the wagon for September.

I want the first month to be achievable so although I'll try to get it down lower in future, to start with I'm aiming for £55pw plus £30 for extras - like cooking for my elderly parents when I visit them, or having people round for supper etc. My shopping day is Wednesday, and there are 5 Wednesdays this month, so that makes £55*5 + £30 = £305 for September please. That's for me & two kids, and includes all food, wherever bought (apart from birthday parties), plus the usual non-food supermarket stuff - loo roll and cleaning supplies etc.

My other target is to keep a spending diary for the whole of September.

rosieben

**Upsy_Daisy** wrote: »

I have been thinking about how I am going to cut my grocery bills.
What are your thoughts on buying meat from a butchers as opposed to a supermarket?
... /QUOTE]

I prefer to buy from a butcher and also I try to support local businesses where I can but it depends on the butcher doesn't it? we have a good local butcher; he offers some decent freezer deals, beautifully lean mince, his own make sausages in some great flavours, organic/free range chicken, eggs, and meat from local farms - a blackboard announces what meat is available and which farm its from. He's always helpful in cutting up meat to whatever size, bagging things in portions ready for the freezer - I usually leave a list and collect later but I think he delivers locally.

unfortunately I've known one or two bad butchers - overpriced, poor quality and not very hygienic and a butcher like that would drive me to the supermarket meat counter pdq

elizabunny

I lost the plot well and truely during August. I will declare at £160 Whoops! as I think this is somewhere near the mark. However for my naughtiness can you put me down for £60 for September please MrsMc. Ridiculously low I know, but as I am working towards an annual total and I have to try and get back on track somehow. I suppose we could always eat Chutney and Jam -made loads this week:j
Good luck everyone for September!