January 2010 Grocery Challenge

SunnyGirl

Slow and Steady Sorry that you didn't get paid after all. Well done though for being positive. It's great to have the skills to manage when we have to isn't it. Have a hug too

cw18

slowandsteady wrote: »

Unfortunately i didn't end up getting paid from new job:eek::eek:

Still i have my first f/t wage in about 6 mths to look forward to in Feb and my manager has been sorting thngs with payroll today so im sure things will be ok next month:)

Is there no way they can give you an 'emergency advance' on next months salary - especially given you were expecting to get paid by them this month ?????

If they're at fault, then I don't think this is an unreasonable expectation/request - even if it's the middle of next week before it hits your bank account, it's still better than the end of next month !!!

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
Bean Curry (Slow Cooker)
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
Cheese Pie - School days recipes tread
Chicken Cannelloni
Chicken - Cheat's Chicken Cassoulet
Chicken and broccoli bake
Chicken - Cheat's Chicken Lasagne in the SC - Here and Here
Chicken Fried Rice
Chicken, leek and bacon pie / pasties
Chicken - Monker's Honey and Orange Chicken
Chicken - Parmesan Chicken
Chicken - Sticky Chicken
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 Pork Balls & Sweet & Sour Sauce
Chinese style cabbage
Cobbler (topping) see below for Minced Beef with Cobbler Topping
Coconut Rice
Coleslaw
Corned Beef Hash - MrsMCawber's recipe
Corned Beef Pasties
Courgette Fritters (1) Courgette Fritters (2)
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
Lamb Tikka
Lasagne
Lemon Chicken
Lemon chicken with basil and tagliatelle
Lemon potatoes
Liver and onions stir fry
Macaroni Cheese
Marrow - Veggie stuffed marrow
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 with Tomato Sauce
Pasta Cheese and Onion Bake
Pease pudding
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 - with cheese, leeks and stock
Potato layer bake - with cheese, onion and white sauce
Potato layer bake - with chorizo and bacon
Potato layer bake (Teisen datws)
Potatoes - Lemon Potatoes
Potatoes - Twice Baked Potatoes
Potato Wedges, Home Made
Quiche Lorraine
Refried Beans
Russian Salad and Russian Salad
Salmon and Dill Fishcakes
Sausage and Rice bake
Sausage and Stuffing Plait
Sausage and Tomato Spaghetti
Sausage Bean Stew
Sausage Casserole or Sausage Casserole
Sausage Meat Patties
Savoury tarts - pastry-less
Smoked salmon soda breads
Smoked Salmon - Tagliatelle with Smoked Salmon
Spaghetti Bolognaise
Spaghetti with courgettes, tomato and brie
Spicy Bacon and Tomato Pasta
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
Tomato sauce for pasta - batch cook recipe
Tuna Fish Mousse
Tuna Fishcakes
Tuna Lasagne
Turkey and Bubble and Squeak Pie
Turkey Pasta
Turkey Pasta Cacciatore
Vegetable Casserole
Veggie Chilli and some variations
Veggie Haggis
Yorkshire puddings

Soups
Bacon and Carrot Soup
Broccoli and Cheese Soup
Carrot, parsnip and lentil soup
Celery Soup
Chicken & Sweetcorn Soup
Cream of Tomato Soup
Curried Parsnip Soup
Gammon and lentil soup
Ham and Lentil Soup
Iced cucumber soup
Leek and Lentil 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
Irish Soda 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
Bean Pickle
Beetroot and Apple Chutney
Chilli Jam
Elderberry cordial
Feisty Rhubarb Relish
Jams & Preserves
Lemon Squash
Miser's Marmalade
Onion - Caramelised Onion chutney
Onion Marmalade
Pineapple Salsa
Riata - Mint, yoghurt and Cucumber Dip
Tomato/Chili Salsa
Red Tomato Chutney
Tomato Chutney
Mango Chutney
Xmas Chutney

Cakes, Biscuits, Sweets, Snacks & Desserts
Apple Braid
Apple delight
Apple Charlotte
Apple - Microwave Autumn Apple Cake
Apricot Flapjack bars
Baileys Chocolate Truffles
Bakewell Tart
Banana and Honey bread pudding
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
Brownies
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 pudding (microwave)
Chocolate pudding - self-saucing
Chocolate yoghurt cake
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
Fudge Tart
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 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
Miini Krispie Christmas Puddings
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
Scotch pancakes
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
Cheapest recipes? links to various OS threads, thanks Pink!
Complete Menu Plans Collection
Cooking for the Freezer
Frozen food safety - misconceptions
Grocery Challenge Top Tips
Laundry Washing Gel/ Gloop, Fab conditioner, vinegar.....
Meal building blocks for the freezer

External links
Batch Bake Minced Beef Recipe
Easy and Cheap Biscuits (DowntoEarth forum)
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

Moniker

I am declaring at £217.42 for January - which is £62.58 under the target! A good start to the year - probably helped by the weather and staying out of the shops! Also this month had a boost from my nectar points which won't be repeated in February.

Have decided to set my target for February at £270 and my month starts tomorrow 28th Jan and ends on 25th Feb.

I have done a shopping list with MySupermarket and printed it off to take with me to Sainsburys tomorrow. The total is £130 leaving me £140 for the rest of the month or about £46 per week for two adults all food, drink, toiletries and cleaning materials. I will be please if the 'real' shop comes in under £130 though.

It's a good job I saved this much this month as DH's car had to have a major service which has cost over £1000! Still, it would cost more than that to buy another car and we couldn't have sold it without having the work done so we have had to bite the bullet and pay up. It's a good job there's no council tax to pay for the next two months!

Good luck to all those yet to finish. See you all over in February's thread.

Moniker

brodie1_2

:)Hi

declaring my total for this month 238.85.just inside budget.
Can I do my budget for February 200.00.
Thanks Ragz and the other person was it pezeril? I will get some persil s and m at the beginning of next week.
Brodie1:)

miecherox

hi,

This is slightly painful. I need some help for February. I would like to get our budgets under control particularly food etc and particularly because I seem to have developed some sort of obsessional supermarket/spend ethos.
Every night after work I was visiting the supermarket and spending 30-40 pounds on nothing... And I mean nothing. My kids thought it was a fundamental part of their day too... Oh help!
This has come to a head because I had to confess to dp that I'd spent the oil money - oh the shame.
Basically and quite rightly he took my cards off me until I broke the habit - which I have. And it actually turns out that the route of the excessive and inappropriate spending is a touch of anxiety and possibly depression. I am seeing the doc so hopefully get that sorted.
Anyway, I am a mother and partner and I need to move on. Currently I am using the cupboard contents for meals and I will continue to do so until they are empty ( I am a good cook and can make something out of nothing - in more ways than one!)
I am looking for some advice about where to start when I finally allow myself to shop again (dp has been getting the milk etc) Shall i do it weekly? online? monthly? I'm scared that's all that i'll step through the supermarket doors and fill the trolley with mindless rubbish, so some strategies would be welcomed.

Thankyou in advance x

rosieben

miecherox wrote: »

...
This is slightly painful. I need some help for February.
I am looking for some advice about where to start when I finally allow myself to shop again (dp has been getting the milk etc) Shall i do it weekly? online? monthly? I'm scared that's all that i'll step through the supermarket doors and fill the trolley with mindless rubbish, so some strategies would be welcomed.

Thankyou in advance x

Well done on tackling the issues that you have, I think you're very brave facing up to it the way you have :T

I'm sure you'll get loads of useful suggestions but here's my tuppence worth - how about a monthly online shop for store cupboard things and then allow yourself a definite amount for shopping each week - take the cash out of the bank each week and when that's gone, its gone and no shopping till the following week. Using cash does tend to stop me spending so much. Whatever you decide, good luck!

cw18

miecherox - I'm no way an 'expert', but I'd say the important thing is to take it slowly

Perhaps start by doing on-line shopping with your partner - do it as a joint exercise, preferably having done a meal plan. If you do it weekly, then hopefully you shouldn't actually need to go out for anything at first.

If you do it less frequently (ie. fortnightly or monthly), then you'll almost certainly need top-ups of fresh items. Is there any way you could make a list of what you need and cost it up on-line before going..... and then just take the appropriate amount of cash with you, but no cards? That way you can get what you need, but can't be tempted by anything else - as buying something not on your list would mean you'd have to forfeit something you need

Coxy11

Welcome miecherox

I agree with Cheryl that a 'big' monthly online shop would be your best bet. I do this, then just get fresh veg/bread as and when we need it. Good luck .

An emergency spend of £4.02 for me today on bottled water. The mains water pipe (which runs from the road, under our drive and along our integral garage wall) started leaking. It's not the first time it has happened, and luckily I was home and knew what to do. I had to go out into the road and turn the water off at the mains - this was at 9.30am and meant that I didn't have any water except for the inch or so in the kettle, and one flush worth in the loo! Nightmare.

The joys of owning an elderly house huh? Anyway DH has been out there since 6pm trying to fix it to no avail. No showers in the morning for the kids (or us) and would you believe that it's school photo day tomorrow. Typical. They will look like urchins!

Total updated.

Coxy
xx