January 2010 Grocery Challenge

Loadsabob

Without checking my spreadsheet (am not at home), I've spent just over £18 this week, out of the £20 budgeted. That includes the fortnightly veg box and milk delivery though, so I'll hardly have a thing to buy with next week's £20! Yay! Quite chuffed with how this is going, and how it's working with my resolution to not compost anything that comes in the veg box (apart from peeling etc, obviously!). This does include £1.95 on a pasty for lunch today, as I was in town, and working from a satellite of my office due to lack of bus services. So no microwave for my usual soup or leftovers The freezer is full of things, haven't done that inventory yet, but January is looking likely to be a very low food spending month.

Last night I used up two leeks, half a savoy, a potato, a carrot and a parsnip, in a lovely smokey goulash. Plenty more leeks, parsnips and carrots and the other half of savoy to get through though, plus the new veg! Aargh! Soups, I think. And last night I made bread rolls and a loaf, which will see me through lunches next week, with the various soups.

I do need to search on here for some threads for tupperwares for freezing, though. I bought some that are too big really, they end up a third empty and are quite bulky around their edges - not many fit in each freezer drawer.

I am afraid to say I haven't read the whole thread recently, but I will try and catch up!

PS - Moniker, I do the same with my bread! Light wholemeal turned out lovely last night!

dink1

HI Guys!

after several no spend days I have finally been out shopping but feel quite virtuous as usually would have spent loads by now. Am on track for being in budget!only 3 full weeks to go! happy new year folks dink!

carrieon

Feeling very pleased with myself because i've only had one day this year spending, then only a tiny amount. BUT i am starting to struggle a little now. I was hoping to last until i get money next friday but things are looking a bit glum. So may have to raid bank account sometime next week to get a few bits.
I need to only spend £80 for the rest of the month then £160 a month from then on.
Now i'm wondering if i've been too hard on myself. But i will really try and i wont give in.
Good luck to everyone else you are all doing well.

poppy-glos

got the car out of the road, so 'nipped' to tesco, made the mistake of going with the list in my head and dd, so more money spent than needed.

they did not have my usual 'pure filtered' milk so have bought organic - not sure it will last as long so going to bottle in pints and freeze most of it, dd is the only one who has it and usually just for brekkie.

dd wanted some angel delight,so in an experiment we bought branded and tesco value, i'm going to whip up the value for her supper and watch her face :j -hopefully she'll like it at 8p a pack instead of 30 something..

i got whoopsied cream and lemon thyme, so going to make some savoyard potatoes = gonna forget any diet in this weather...

bought the 5 muller lights for a pound..

cathedral city 2 for one cheese,

and two fajita kits at £1.42 each on offer, this is good i think as if i buy the sachet of powder separately it's about 60, so to get the tomatoe bit, and the soft flour tortillas and the powder for that is good.. bet someone on here can tell me a recipe for the smokey bbq mix? theres a challenge.. recently i've been doing just onion and sweet pepper fijitas and forgetting the chicken, and dd has just cheese and salad in her tortilla. They have a use by date of june so that can go in the storecupboard until fancied.

thats it then, i will endevour to come in on target this month! was doing really well until todays spend but at the same time will use everything i bought and bought nothing extravagant..

the only things i paid full price for (not whoopsies or offers) was milk, bread, and carrots , oh, and the angel delights, so it could have been much worse..

when i get to lidl i will stock up bigtime on the freestyle cola, as happy to drink that and having to pay £2.50 for 4l diet coke is a shock after paying 37p a 2 litre bottle in lidl... every so often try to give up/reduce my diet coke consumption but at the moment craving it and giving in...

my challenge to myself of using up all the things in the storecupboard (there when i started this in november) is doing well, about a quarter of it left and workign my way through, used the chickpeas in a fab lamb curry so another tin ticked off the list...



***newsflash**** the value strawberry whip from mr t's was fine, dd liked it and so did i, proper angel delight in cupboard for another day. I did look at the ingredients list (eek!!) but justify it as a 'treat' that dd chooses occasionally, so better than sweeties alone... So future purchases will be value whip.

time to stop congratulating myself :-(. just looking on mysupermarket and i paid £1.40 ish for the on offer fijita kits and the tesco own were £1 each.. next time must check and check..

taka

Loadsabob wrote: »

I do need to search on here for some threads for tupperwares for freezing, though. I bought some that are too big really, they end up a third empty and are quite bulky around their edges - not many fit in each freezer drawer.

Why not remove your frozen whatever and put it into a freezer bag (or if you can't find one to fit wrap thoroughly in clingfilm)? Then you have a) more space in the freezer and b) boxes for your next batch of whatever! :j I do this with things like soup - freeze, bag it up then wash the box ready for the next thing to be frozen! I usually freeze stuff in single portions and will then bag up a set of single portion bags into a larger bag too.

Synonymous

Hello everyone,

I'd like to declare a budget this month of £70.

I was slightly over budget last month but I think this was mainly mulled wine and ingredients to put in new breadmaker, which I will bulk buy more carefully now the xmas present madness has quieted.

cookiedough38

no spend day today which is good, after my mr t shop yesterday I shouldnt need anything until next week now

Mrs_Money_Penny

Hi All
Popping in for the first time this month. So a Happy belated New year to you all. Have only spent £5.23 so far. This is due to left overs from Christmas and snow.

elf06

Evening all - another NSD for me . Quite pleased with the progress so far however I prob wont be able to stick to my budget as I now have to supply 6 extra meals that werent budgeted for :mad: On the plus side I do not have to take any time off work (DS nursery has burst pipe and were going to have to shut but they have relocated which is good but there is no kitchen so pack lunches will have to be provided). Will need to pop to the shop tomorrow for a couple of bits but also for pack lunch bits.
My bread I made yest turned out ok but I decided to slice and freeze it and managed to stick the bread knife in my finger - its soooooo painful
Anyways hope everyone else is ok in this chilly weather .......

Kitchenbunny

Sorry I've not posted in a couple of days - I've been really busy and trying to spend some quality time with DH as I've been worrying about him in this icy weather. Plus I've been exhausted when I've got home from work, cooked tea and sat down, all I've wanted to do is flop! Anyway, I can successfully report 3 NSDs in a row (that makes 6 this month already ). We do need to get some veggies tomorrow, so a walk across to Mr T is in order. I have managed to resist temptation to buy things by spending my Boots points on half price gifts for this year's Christmas and Birthdays - not bad at all

Tonight's tea is Toad in the Hole. Something simple and comforting, even if this will be the 3rd time this week we've had baked beans. I can't imagine eating Toad in the Hole with anything else though. If there are any leftover sausages I'll be making jambalaya tomorrow - mmm.

Take care in this icy weather and stay warm

Kitchenbunny xx