February 2010 Grocery Challenge

cuffey

Mr T order just arrived - should've been just over £71 but with vouchers and promotions came to £44.49. Happy with that as stocked up on stuff like the dishwasher tablets that they had on at half price too.

Also they price matched a large pack of cheese to the medium size I'd ordered - even though I asked for no substitutions. Very pleased they did as this meant a £1.76 saving.

I have also been to Wilkos today. I think they're pretty good for toiletries (deodorant and mousse etc.) Will update signature tomorrow, as I keep my totals on the accountancy software at work.

Now I really MUST make a menu plan. I've realised I've put everything in the freezer and not left anything out for tomorrow!!

Gillir2000

Well doing well so far for my first month's grocery challenge. £25.44 in MrT on Monday, I have planned a budget of £35 a week, to start with, but am aiming for as little as possible. I don't think I will need much next week, other than a pint of milk and a few veggies.

Thank you everyone...you are all such an inspiration and you make budgeting feel like fun.

wantabetterlife

Can you put me down for £240 this month please, a shaving a tenner of last months budget, hopefully will be ok as february is a short month:D. Goodluck everyone

Kitchenbunny

First spend of February, and managed a rather respectable £36.20, in spite of not sticking to the list! Better luck next time, I hope. Got a nice amount of stuff in for the week, and feel like I can cope a bit better. I'll update my sig accordingly. Yesterday was an NSD, for which I'm eternally grateful. Let's see how many I can manage this month!

Kitchenbunny xx

Long_tall_sally

I have just done a stock check of my freezer & was a little shocked. Hope you don't mind me posting it, as even though I have lots, I am still at a bit of a loss what to do with it all. We have 2 adults, 2 kids 7 days a week plus very hungry SS aged 18 & 16 half the week. Here goes:

1 chicken - tomorrow's dinner for 6 of us
Diced chicken breasts X 3
3 chicken thighs
8 chicken drumsticks

1/2 Duck

7 turkey steaks (like turkey breasts)

1 pork shoulder joint
3 packs bacon
6 sausages
6 chops

2 sirloin steaks
500g beef mince

300g Quorn mince X 2 (1st time I've ever bought this)

1 fish medlay
1 bag of raw cod
A few prawns
1/2 bag of scampi

3 pizzas
Fish fingers

Just Roll Shortcrust pastry X 2
Frozen green beans, sweetcorn & onion

Rhubarb
H/M banana muffins (but nobody really liked them before!)
1 sticky toffee cheesecake

Gluten free sausages, burgers, fish fingers, steak pies & 2 portions of H/M lasagne

Various bags of left over rice
1/2 bag of sausage rolls

can you believe that my first thought was one of panic cos I have hardly any prawns or scampi or normal burgers?!

Long_tall_sally

Sorry, forgot to say, I also have a lot of h/m tomato soup from my glut of tomatoes that I had. Though DD didn't want lasagne tonight that we were having and had the soup instead and asid she didn't like it, cheeky madam!

Long tall sally

Jacey53

Confession time - spent £40.59 today - a big shop on dried fruit, nuts and seeds at JG, then to W for loo rolls, washing-up liquid, eggs and fresh blueberries (have several vouchers covering 4 weeks) = £25.10

Then went to local pet shop and spent £15.49 on food for garden birds. Well worth it - they keep me and cats amused for hours (cats indoors).

Total grocery spend this month £59.50/£160
but I forgot the milk!:o

ChocClare

Well, not to get into too much of a recipe fest but...

Diced chicken - fry off with Aldi leeks (super 6 this week), sprinkle with flour and stir in milk and a bit of cheese (so you basically have chicken and leeks in a cheesy sauce). Stir into cooked pasta, put in an oven dish, top with breadcrumbs and cheese - makes a yummy pasta bake.

Thighs and drumsticks: (no good doing this when your stepsons are there). Combine one teaspoon each of minced garlic, grated ginger, pepper, salt and paprika. Smear over chicken thighs and drumsticks in roasting tin. Bung in oven at 140C for one hour. Drain off stock. Combine 1 tblsp worcestershire sauce; 1/2 cup soy sauce; 2/3 cup brown sugar and 3 tblsp molasses. Pour over chicken and bung back in oven at 170C for another hour, basting occasionally. You may not need to cook it as long as that. This is the best sticky chicken in the universe. Eat with fingers and serve with potato salad (also on offer at Aldi's I think, at least the potatoes are). If you have them in the cupboard, a jar of garlic and ginger and a packet of Billington's molasses sugar make this even easier. If you haven't got any molasses, just use 1 cup of the darkest brown sugar you do have.

Duck - sorry, can't get excited about duck. I'd roast it peking style (you could bung it in with the thighs and legs above, come to think of it, or at least with a similar sauce), then shred and pad out with cucumber and pancakes.

Turkey steaks - bash with a mallet until thin, then dip in flour, egg and a packet of sage and onion stuffing mix. Just the dry mix - Tesco's own is fine - spread it on a plate and press the flattened breasts into it both sides. Then fry gently. This is really nice (and gives a lovely flavour to the turkey, which can be quite bland).

Hope that'll do for now. I'll be back for the rest later, no doubt.

ChocClare

Long_tall_sally wrote: »

300g Quorn mince X 2 (1st time I've ever bought this)

Sorry, meant to mention this in the last post. DD is a veggie, so we get through quantities of this. It tastes absolutely fine, but I think it's better in slightly "flavoured" dishes rather than bland ones. My whole family (even carnivores) will eat vegetarian chilli made with this. Just treat as normal mince. Oh, and I use baked beans instead of kidney beans because, for some reason, my kids will eat that and think it's lovely, but kidney beans they painstakingly pick out and then tell me they didn't enjoy it. Serve with rice and/or nachos/garlic bread etc. HTH.

Gillir2000

Long_tall_sally wrote: »

I have just done a stock check of my freezer & was a little shocked. Hope you don't mind me posting it, as even though I have lots, I am still at a bit of a loss what to do with it all. We have 2 adults, 2 kids 7 days a week plus very hungry SS aged 18 & 16 half the week. Here goes:

1 chicken - tomorrow's dinner for 6 of us
Diced chicken breasts X 3
3 chicken thighs
8 chicken drumsticks

1/2 Duck

7 turkey steaks (like turkey breasts)

1 pork shoulder joint
3 packs bacon
6 sausages
6 chops

2 sirloin steaks
500g beef mince

300g Quorn mince X 2 (1st time I've ever bought this)

1 fish medlay
1 bag of raw cod
A few prawns
1/2 bag of scampi

3 pizzas
Fish fingers

Just Roll Shortcrust pastry X 2
Frozen green beans, sweetcorn & onion

Rhubarb
H/M banana muffins (but nobody really liked them before!)
1 sticky toffee cheesecake

Gluten free sausages, burgers, fish fingers, steak pies & 2 portions of H/M lasagne

Various bags of left over rice
1/2 bag of sausage rolls

can you believe that my first thought was one of panic cos I have hardly any prawns or scampi or normal burgers?!

My OH lives in France and he prepares duck breasts with puy lentils and green beans quite regularly...it's very yummy and something a little different. Just a thought...