September 2009 Grocery Challenge

HowlinWolf

I also need to do the weeks shopping today, will report back later. The homebaking I did last Sunday has lasted us all week for treats so we have not felt deprived and all I have spent at lunchtime at work all week is 99p so that I could have coffee with a friend. I am very pleased with that really as it is all too tempting to go into the city centre and buy a nice lunch. Will post back later on ow much I spend on the shopping. Have a good day all

huston_kw

[QUOTE=Moniker;24835631
Pasta with tomato sauce
1 450g tin of tomatoes
Half-1 onion
4 med closed cup mushrooms
tsp dried mixed herbs
salt and pepper
tblsp tomato puree



Moniker[/QUOTE]

Celery is lush in this dish, my OH hates celery but loves it in pasta dish. I have also before added tins of sardines etc to this dish, I normally mix the sauce with the pasta (twists) in a pan (we also put garlic in the sauce always) - we having this today for lunch with salad. The sauce is also good for topping of pizza instead of just puree, my oh makes pizza on a Sunday, so I'll make extra sauce today and he just blends it and uses as puree, it really is yummy!


Any way can I be put done for 250 this month please, have already spent 38 ish but that was on two veg box deliveries and some wine, really need to kick myself in to touch, why is it that I have a kitchen full of food but still need to shop, I did an asda shop a couple of weeks ago and all I really needed was milk (I order the UHT in bulk 30 on delivery 14.70 for the milk) and I spent a whooping 80 quid and what on, I do not know, this doesn't include fruit & veg as I get that from riverswale. Do you no why I spent the 80, well it was because I had a delivery code, so instead of just spending the min of 25 and pay 3.50 delivery I spent over the 75 to get the delivery free, arrhhhhh, some body please come and slap me

hex2

Slightly ashamed to admit that I have spent nearly half of the month money and we are only five days in . This includes a rare Mr. T delivery, plus trips to Aldi and Lidl though.

On the positive side we have more than a months worth of pet food, household and 'branded' stuff like PG tips, and my coffee pods so I should be able to stick to Aldi or Lidl going forward. I already had more than a months worth of meals in the freezer but I couldn't resist a bargain so have added more. Not sure if this is good or not.

I still haven't done a meal plan which I suspect is critical.

Changes we have made:

- bought squash and 12p a bottle fizzy water instead of canned branded pop. If the teenagers don't like it they can buy there own out of their pocket money
- set up snack boxes for all - everyone has a named box with junk in, up to them when/what they eat out of it, filled up weekly but when its gone, tough :cool:.
-tried the bulk mince link from the front page which was very good. What would usually have done one meal did four without too much complaining.
-done a full freezer and store cupboard audit, so when I have no inspiration it is easy to look at the list and pick something off it.

We have visitors for lunch tomorrow, normally I would trot off out and buy lots of stuff specifically but my freezer list says we have a big pack of smoked salmoln, and a big lump of beef (both reduced) so that is starter and main sorted, and my storecupboard list showed I had the stuff for a sticky toffee pudding and a white chocolate cheesecake. Plenty of veg in the garden so I just need some cream. They will bring wine so all is sorted for an additional £1 or so spend :T.

I must come up with some sort of meal plan. Just too scarily organised for me. I don't like the idea of on Thursday I will be eating X. What if I don't feel like that on Thursday ?

Huston I did that with the free delivery as well. And bought yet more store cupboard stuff when I am trying to run it down. The idea of the online shopping is to stop me from buying things I dont need but it backfired.

Miss-spent_2

"I must come up with some sort of meal plan. Just too scarily organised for me. I don't like the idea of on Thursday I will be eating X. What if I don't feel like that on Thursday ?"

It doesn't matter, you will change it but I find I swap it for something I have planned for another day.

I make a grid for the week with days down the side and peoples names across the top. Then I cross off any days I know someone will be out and I don't have to feed them. I then slot in meals for the rest. I rarely cook exactly whats planned, infact it is usually less, but it really saves 'thinking' time morning and evening about that nights tea.

If I am really good I cross off or annotate with arrows etc as I go.
Planning takes about half an hour on a Sunday.

rosieben

ChocClare wrote: »

... I bought a pepper from The Lady Who Sells Produce From Her Front Garden In The Village while I was out walking the dog. OK, I bought it because it was purple and 20p but it will be nice roasted and I can save the seeds to plant my own purple peppers next year. Woohoo!

That's real OS planning! :T

ellemm wrote: »

... Went to Mr T for a change as OH spotted a full page ad in his newspaper that they were doing half price leg of lamb. However there was none to be seen in our local one.........off OH went to investigate and was told they had not had a delivery:mad: very annoyed as by that time I had put a few things in the basket. ... .

I think I'd have been calling for the manager and complaining very loudly, especially as it was the second time!

Flat_Eric wrote: »

... Bit random but the lovely vouchers that Sainsburys sent me for triple points when I spent over £30 got very wet last week and are to be honest unuseable as you cant read what they say!! ...

how about sending them back to Customer Services and see if they'll replace? got to be worth a try for the price of a stamp?

huston_kw wrote: »

...arrhhhhh, some body please come and slap me

sorry dont do the slapping thing but maybe this will do?

Congratulations xspender :j another GC baby

rosieben

hex2 wrote: »

...
-done a full freezer and store cupboard audit, so when I have no inspiration it is easy to look at the list and pick something off it.

I must come up with some sort of meal plan. Just too scarily organised for me. I don't like the idea of on Thursday I will be eating X. What if I don't feel like that on Thursday ? ...

I really need to do a list of my stores, especially the freezer, I'm sure there are all sorts of treasures buried in the bottom of it!

re the meal plan - they dont have to be set in stone, just write down a list of meals for the next week/month or however long you want, and check that you have the ingredients in for those meals. Cross the meals off the list as you make them.

At the moment my meal plan is something like this

Sun - Meat: roast or lamb shank/braised steak in SC
Mon - Leftovers: bubble and squeak, cottage pie, curry, chilli, meatloaf
Tues - Sausage/bacon: egg and bacon pie, sausage toad, bangers and mash
Weds - Pastry or pizza: hm pie, quiche, savoury crumble, pizza
Thurs - Pasta or rice: spag bol, pasta bake, risotto
Fri - Fish: chippy takeout, fish in sauce, fish pie, smoked haddock
Sat - Veggie: school cheese pie, jacket potato, root veg stew or soup, butterbean casserole, potato bake, lentil Slice, cabbage galette

I havent copied the entire list out here but I have enough meal ideas for each day to last at least 5 weeks with no repeats.

WelshWoofer

Well, back from the shops and managed to spend £41 - in my defense I did buy shampoo and conditioner on BOGOF ending tomorrow and air freshener on offer and a treat of a bit of rump steak for OH. He's also announced that he won't need tea for 1 or 2 days this coming week due to playing football so those meals can go or stay in the freezer.

Our meal plan....

Sat - something on toast, out to a party with food tonight
Sun - steak and chips for OH, leek and potato soup with dumplings for me (HM)
Mon - curry and naan from freezer for OH, leek and potato soup leftovers for me to use it up (busy day, first day at uni after 12 years so won't feel much like cooking)
Tues - quorn shepherds pie (HM) and veg for me, OH playing football
Weds - tuna pasta bake and tear and share garlic bread for both if us
Thurs - chunky breaded cod and chips for both of us
Fri - OH out, beanfeast chilli and jacket spud for me

Botany

... another trip to Waitrose (why do I love them so?)

total for the week 80.87, leaving 219.13 in the pot for the rest of the month.

PS I have stocked up on Ariel gel and Bold 2 in 1 cos they were on offer. I have a shelf-full of those so you see..... it's an investment :rolleyes:

jayward

bought bread and milk but also bought a cream buns for tea so my total now is 12.25 spent this week long may it continue as i have stocks of many things

Angelfeathers

Well, yesterday was a NSD (grocery-wise, though I did get a nice pair of trousers for DS in the H&M sale for £3 and a pair of shoes for me for a show I'm in for £4 in Internacionale).

This morning I popped down to the local Co-op for a few bits and ended up spending £19.34 but it's all stuff we need/will use, and included an offer on Heinz Tomato Ketchup Top-Down Sqeezey bottles, which were 'buy 2, save £1.50'. As this is the kind we would normally buy anyway, I bought 2 and saved my £1.50!

Managed not to be lured in by the 2 for £3 offer on Mars ice-creams etc. as we have plenty of ice-cream in the freezer.

Had to buy some bin liners for the kitchen bin since we're just not getting enough free carrier bags to use any more, now that I'm being green and using the big reusable bags for my shopping! Bit of a bother! :-(

I got a slow cooker at a boot sale last weekend and I'm trying it out for the first time today with some chicken pieces and veg, so really looking forward to dinner tonight! Though I'm already thinking I probably need a bigger one...