January 2010 Grocery Challenge

rach

Hi all

I'd like to join again, I fell by the wayside last month but have done the first shop of 2010 today (at M&S as I had a voucher!)

I'm finding more and more that M&S can be cheaper than Mr T or Mr S if I do it right (offers, yellow stickers and vouchers). Spent about £23 today (will double check exact amount later, receipt in my purse) and we should now be sorted for a week or so.

So if it's not too late can I put down £200 for January please? This includes all food, toiletries and cleaning products (not that I should need too many). It's for 2 adults, generous I know but I'd rather start with a higher total when I've been away plus we have a birthday, anniversary and some exam results due this month so will have a few special meals!

katycocoa

Done my first shop, only needed a few things.

Superdrug:
Bubble bath 69p
Conditioner 49p

Market:
6 Duck eggs £1.55

Sainsburys:
160 basics teabags 56p
4 kitchen roll £2
3 x instant custard 72p
Lasagne sheets 30p
Soda Crystals spray 75p
Laundry powder 82p
Food bags 54p
6 pack McCoys 75p

Spent £9.17

TheBees

First spend of the month came to £2.42 on whoopsied bread rolls and baguettes in the co-op this evening. Actually only ran in to buy digital weighing scales for our work Weigh In club. The scales were reduced from £15 to £7.50 so now I don't have to carry mine from home to work every monday! :j

Tonight we had HM turkey curry which was pretty tasty - got another couple of meals of this frozen in the freezer for later in the month. (Jamie Oliver recipe for chicken curry adapted slightly!)

Might need milk soon as DS16 will be back from his school ski trip in a couple days and the milk consumption will go up drastically!:rotfl:

Good luck all and sending hugs to everyone going through difficult times.

taffy1969

Evening, 2 NSD's!!!!! This is brilliant for me, mind you nowhere open yesterday and only popped to friends round the corner today and the roads near me are so icey that I wasn't taking the car anywhere!!!
May have to go to Mr S tom if not Monday. Need stuff for packed lunches and they also have duck down pillows 2 for £15 and quilts for £20. Ours are so had it! And being duck down this is a bargain, if they still have any! Going to Mr S as that is the smallest supermarket in town and hopefully I won't buy much.
I was aiming to go to butchers on 31st to stock up and so not to include cost in Jan GC!! naughty I know. When I checked the freezer we have enough meat to see us to at least the middle of Jan when DH comes home from offshore, so I didn't bother. So 2nd Jan and no spend for me, way to go!!!!!!!!!
Taffy

Beki

just updating to add 2x marsbars @35p each

i'm starting the 'new me healthy living plan' tomorrow!!! xx

sashanut

Hi all:j

As predicted I had to call in for some milk at Mr T's for first spend of 2010 - gosh it was like a zoo in there:eek: And so many trollies stuffed with food - surely they haven't eaten everything from Christmas/new year yet.....hoped to get a decent meal for free when we were out, but it wasn't the greatest & so had chilli requested for supper....so I

just got a basket, some milk, a red pepper & 3 tins of dog food for the wuffs - total spend was £5.61/£240 leaving me a total of £234.39 to go!

Rainbowchild

2nd NSD today but have done online food order which was alot higher that I had hoped (& that was sticking to my list!) I'm going to do some batch cooking tomorrow, when the delivery comes and freeze most of it to have during the month.

angelatgraceland

I did my first shop of the year today in Waitrose. It did cost more than I hoped and it took ages to find the ingredients for my "lower the blood pressure" recipes. I have to give it a try tho-nothing ventured, nothing gained!
Bought cat food-only whiskas is edible apparantly-£3.53
Ladys stuff-£3.65
Then the food which included dried thyme, mixed spice,dried apricots, dried nuts/fruit mix,lemons,limes,natural fatfree yoghurt,2 types of spinach, pecorino chees for a recipe(never even heard of it)root ginger,cooking fat-you get the idea-nothing immediatly edible-all ingredients! Did get some fruit as well for some smoothies for breakfast-total with the cat food and toiletries was £42.98. Hopefully that will last me until Tuesday when I will topup again as Im working Weds Thur Fri and Sat.
I can easily shop after work tho-the temptation of the local Co-op is only across the road! Did the quinou recipe today-dd didnt like it but me and DH ate it. Plenty left over for tomorrow. Taught DD to make homemade fish and chips lunchime-oh-I never want to eat another frozen chip after tasting real ones again! Dd agreed it was actually worth peeling the spuds-they needed using up. I love the expression someone used earlier-"elderly potatoes"-well they were getting into that agegroup.
Tomorrow Im making a veggy version of spaghetti bolognese using chickpeas,spinach leave and the pecorino cheese. I was lucky with that cheese-it was reduced so I bought enough for 2 lots of meals-it will replace parmesan on the next one. DD made easter biscuits come rock cakes today-tasted like easter biscuits but looked like rock cakes? Oh I shouldnt get temped but I did! I blame DH-he wanted her to make biscuits. So tomorrow is a smoothie for breakfast and spaghetti for dinner. We had roast chicken tonight with peas and the quinou-we never eat traditional meals on the normal days of the week!

pink_numbers

Right, finally sat down after a long productive day.

After doing the food shopping, we've made & frozen:
12 portions (for 2 ppl) of saute mushrooms
12 portions of saute leeks
24 portions of saute onions
27 portions of apple sauce for porridge.

My freezer is now stocked up to the eyeballs! That should last us until mid next month, along with all the other lovely food I have in there already

sistercas

slowandsteady / sunnygirl (((hugs))) to both of you . I understand what you are both going through, my dad died of COPD and emphysaema (sp?) he lived alone and wouldnt let anyone in ( including his family) its a very difficult time


intend to have a NSD today and tomorrow its so cold and snowy outside I dont think I want to venture out anyway!