November 2009 Grocery Challenge

Winged_one

This week was a GREAT week. I updated my sig, to take account of last week and this week, which actually leaves me €150 to play with next weekend.

I went to the fruit and veg shop on Saturday, as we were at the electrical shop next door (out present shopping and also needed a 3rd clock radio - to prevent DD invading us earlier than 6am) and got all I needed for €14.65 - carrots, parsnips, mushrooms, courgette, plums, pears, bananas, peppers and oranges. And I sent DH to the local small supermarket on Sat afternoon - to get bread, milk, sour cream and long spaghetti (well that could have waited, but it was on the list) - he spent €20.67 on those and lunch stuff (some sliced ham and sliced edam) which should see us through the week. We are mainly eating from the freezer this week and there will be days next week to do the same.

This week's menu is:
Sat - Pizza for DD and Chicken fajitas for us (Date night!)
Sun - Gorgonzola pasta for all with bacon pieces
Mon - Spaghetti bolognaise
Tues - Chorizo potato and chili bake
Wed - Nasi Goreng
Thurs - Sweet 'n' Sour Prawns
Fri - possibly oven chips and Ikea meatballs (to avoid takeaway)

hellnearth

My first month of the grocery challenge and it's very enlightening! The meal planning definitely helps. As does the fact that the Co-op ( our only 'supermarket' ) have been doing £3 off a £30 pound spend this month.:j
Have spent £222.07 out of my £250.00 target with just over a week to go. There's quite a bit in the cupboard and freezer, so I might just make it - yayyyyyyyyyy!!

thisismoneysaving

Jevvers wrote: »

Taka, never seen one of those before, cute!

Thisismoneysaving you've baked for the first time ever and started making most of your meals, I think you're doing brilliantly!

SunnyGirl how do you do your HM flatbreads?

I spent £3.50 today on two lots of milk, butter and some pitta breads. DS (age 2) and I made a chocolate cake for DH's birthday and I think I will have to pop out in the morning to get some cooking choc for the icing.

Dinner tonight will be haddock mornay with mash and cauli or leeks. Maybe ice-cream and froz blueberries for pud.

Thank you so much! I'm going to push through the end of the month & do it 'for real' in December... By the time spring comes round, I might even be into the swing of things! haha!!

Thank you SO SO much - the pocketmod is PERFECT!! I've printed & folded ready for this week. Seriously THANK YOU! :T

This weekend was very cheap groceries-wise (only ONE meal at home!! beans on toast) which of course, means it was VERY expensive for the rest of my budget. I had two meals out - which were lovely and a night out with my girl friends.

I hope everyone had a fun weekend and here's to a lovely and frugal week ahead!

franby64

Only spent £3.25 today and I was happy with that but then the Co-op sent me £10 of vouchers!

Bingo! I thought - extra grocery budget - but now I've decided to use them for Xmas stocking choccy things for the kids instead and I'm going to stay with my original budget. I still think I can (probably) do it!

Just done an inventory of the freezer and it looks like I shall be spending this week eating unidentified bowls of soup. Nevermind - if that's what it takes!

Have a good week everybody.

Frugaldom

Hi guys, being into damage control mode is helping cut down on small spends but I had to stock up on essential basics like cooking oils, spices, margarine, flour, suet, raisins etc, but I am going to be very brave and declare my November spending as complete. I have plenty of powdered milk and a few cartons of UHT so no excuses about running out, plus there'll only be DS and I from Thursday for the next couple pf weeks as HS will be away on holiday. So, cupboards stocked up with most things barring Christmas dinner, I have a stockpile of baking ingredients and plenty of veggies, sauces and stuff for desserts.

Declaring my total spend to date at £1,201.70 which includes £78.19 spent this month. Budget is still £1200 and I'm hoping to try and not stray too much over that. At a guess, I'd reckon £100 would cover everything I need to see me through to 2010.

Good luck for the rest of the year, folks

Eltee12

Morning All

Did rest of November shopping today so am declaring.............final total of £427.19

An overspend of £2.19 - due to half price dishwasher tabs. Had to get them today, cos would probably be full-price by time next shop comes around.

sort of lost track of NSDs, due to OH not making proper lists and then sneaking out and buying 'forgotten' stuff .

Please put me down for £500 in December, fankshooberrymuch
Cheers

thisismoneysaving

Well done Eltee12! I'm impressed.

I would have stocked up on the dishwasher tabs too! )

meanmarie

Another €10 spent on meat today, which leaves me with €15 odd to survive until 30th. Not sure about that ........

marie

Frugaldom

Helenjelly - can you take my name off the weekly bit bottom of your challenger list, please? I think it must have been added there for an odd week at some point, I'm in the annual section.

SunnyGirl

Hi everyone. I just wanted to come on and thank DdraigGoch who posted this gorgeous recipe for Potato Bake also known as Teisen Datws back on the February GC - It's in the list of recipes, under main meals, on post 3 :T I made it for tea today and it was truly gorgeous. I used stock instead of milk and added the remaining gammon from yesterdays roast dinner. We've already had tea as it smelt so good and we were starving I put it in a metal roasting dish with foil on the top and cooked it on high for 30 mins then turned the oven down to Gas 2 at 12.30pm and left it until 4.30pm and it was superb.

Also a big thanks to Rosieben for hunting the recipes that are scattered across the forums down and putting them in one place :A

Off to catch up with the thread now I just wanted to let everyone know how lovely this was.