February 2010 Grocery Challenge

hex2

SunnyGirl - I have a similar problem. Historically I always make too much, and if I am not quick DH eats it as seconds which is doing nothing for his figure. I have cut out a lot of the problem with rice etc by weighing it. I also hugely cut the laundry and cleaning costs by actually measuring stuff and mostly using the low soil measurements. I try and have an amount in mind by weight when I am buying meat so we dont end up with a huge amount of leftover meat to get picked at. 4oz per person for meat for example (and I count the small boys as one), sausages I buy in bulk from the butchers and then bag up in the right numbers so someone doesn't eat the spare one everytime. Veg is less of an issue as I try to eat as much of it as I can, but if I do make far too much the chickens happily eat it.

My month is going well, I am actually using stuff from the freezer, and clearing out some stuff from the store cupboard. I finally soaked and cooked a bag of chickpeas instead of just using tins. Saturday lunch they were served with griddled chicken strips with feta and salad. Yesterday we had hm hummus for lunch with crudities and Mrs M's Breadsticks. It was lovely and will be on the menu again. The last of the chickpeas will be going into a chicken, chickpea and chorizo casserole today. I am getting better at this, and I would bother with the dried chickpeas again.

BigMummaF

fabforty wrote: »

....It's amazing how much money you save just by being aware of what you are buying.

My newest revelation is portion control. I had already started to reduce the amount of leftovers, simply by measuring out portions of food properly - especially things like rice, beans and pasta. But I am now thinking more about the amount that I am eating and working out how much do I need to feel full/satisfied instead of my usual 'how much food can I get down?'

I'm an avid supporter of the No Spend Day Challenge & it's surprising how that one high-lights your spending patterns too. It took me a while to recognise that I was potentially spending twice as much money by shopping every day, rather than having a splurge twice a week By reading these threads, it seems most of us go for the famous pint of milk & end up ten quid lighter maybe three times a week as well as the proper shop. So now, I try to get two smaller shops a week to include the fresh stuff [my fridge isn't big enough for four adults ] & hopefully I'm spending around £50 over the week instead of a forty-odd blow-out+the three £10 pintas. It also seems to help with the wastage too; there's less stuff left uneaten, & I am using what I have in more creative ways because I want to rack up my NSD total

SunnyGirl wrote: »

I am looking at portion control too this month. I am ok with rice & pasta as I weigh it and I can guess by eye how many potatoes to serve if I'm baking or roasting them (A lot!! The eldest two boys have 9 each :eek:) but I'm not very good with things like mash potatoes and always end up serving too much and either giving the leftovers to the dogs or trying to come up with ideas to use it up. As there usually isn't enough to make a meal for all of us, and I hate cooking seperate meals for everyone, it gets annoying.

Yesterday lunch time I peeled a third less than I usually would and used the ice cream scoop to serve the mash. DH, DS1 & DS2 had 3 scoops each and the rest of us has 2 and it was plenty :T

All this rambling is to say that any ideas are welcome

I've left the bit on Fab's post about portion control, as this is something I really find difficult I like your idea about the ice cream scoop for the mash, but it's the weighing everything that puts me off :whistle:For example, there's a smidge of pork left from yesterday's roast & I just know someone will ask if they can have a sarnie, so I'm going to smother it in the left-over veg, tinned toms & a condensed tom soup before they can register its existence I'm thinking I'll put a bit of pastry on top & serve with mash & more veg, but how much flour will I need for the pastry to make this mythical 'portion' :wall:
The guideline amounts for meat & veg hardly seem big enough for adult females who do nothing but sit in an office all day, let alone strapping six-footer males or those with difficult & physically demanding jobs, working outside &/or mad on sports participation. All I know is, generally speaking among many friends & family, my lot tend to be healthier & suffer from fewer colds & associated lurgy, & I can't help thinking it is because we eat 'well'.
As for left over mash, there's recipes for potato scones that I think uses it up, or fishcakes, rissoles, freeze it till you have more...

russetred

Just on to catch up and update my sig.I'm hoping to empty the freezer by the end of the month.I've defrosted some chicken stock so I'll go find some inspiration on page 1 for soup.

franby64

Hi all

Only spent 78p on a cheap white loaf yesterday though I feel like I'm cheating a bit as we had a Chinese meal which I'm putting in the general spends category. If by some miracle I'm under this month I might move it back to the grocery budget but I don't think that's going to happen!

On portion size I now give my kids 4 chipolatas each whereas they used to get 5 or 6 depending on the pack size. Also chicken nuggets have gone down from 6 per meal to 5. When I did fish portions which come in packs of 4 I used to do 4 between the 3 of them but now they only get 1 each and more carby filler and veg instead. I should add that I'm trying to find better/cheaper alternatives to this stuff but I do keep falling back on the old (expensive) reliables!

SunnyGirl

BigMummaF wrote: »

I've left the bit on Fab's post about portion control, as this is something I really find difficult I like your idea about the ice cream scoop for the mash, but it's the weighing everything that puts me off :whistle:For example, there's a smidge of pork left from yesterday's roast & I just know someone will ask if they can have a sarnie, so I'm going to smother it in the left-over veg, tinned toms & a condensed tom soup before they can register its existence I'm thinking I'll put a bit of pastry on top & serve with mash & more veg, but how much flour will I need for the pastry to make this mythical 'portion' :wall:

Thanks for your thoughts - it's always nice to have something to mull over while I'm pottering As for pastry I use 4oz of flour & 2oz of fat for an average 8" pyrex dish when it's being used as a topping only. If the pie has a base & a top I use double the mixture. HTH. Pie sounds lovely by the way :T

Hex & Franby Also thanks for your thoughts I think I do/am starting to do a mixture of these things plus it's always good to know what others are doing.

Today's tea will be a big test of portion control for me. I'm making a bolognaise for tonight and chilli is on the menu for tomorrow night. I am putting both packs of minced beef, 4 cans of tomatoes, 3 onions, garlic & salt & pepper in the slow cooker - plus some grated carrots, chopped celery and chopped peppers. The plan is to then take out half of it & put in the fridge to add chillis & beans to tomorrow (making it a quick & easy tea) and add mixed herbs to the rest In theory it's a brilliant idea - I just have to be careful when serving or we'll be hunting for the minced beef in tomorrows chilli :rotfl:

highland_fling_2

Good morning everyone,

well just called in to catch up with thread. Going out for lunch today, being treated, so looking forward to that.

PennyGrabber: so glad to hear it is not just me who has inherited the "buy 'em cheap and stack 'em high" gene from my mother. My cousins still talk fondly about coming to visit my parents and returning home with bags of food and baking. They say they were very grateful for it as most of them were newly married at the time and it often helped them through a lean month.
I catch myself doing the same to my neices and nephews and no matter how much they protest I am never happier than when I see them carrying a bag of provisions down the lane to help them 'survive' during the next term at university.

Hope everyone has a frugal day.

hilly123

So had a really good w/end spend wise and yesterday was prepared for work today and prepared breakfast & lunches and then hear from OH he took it from the fridge and then left in the hall!!! So he spent just short of £4 today on food already:mad: He is absolutely no help at all! Before I started this GC it wouldn't have mattered now I get precious over even 50p:rotfl:Looking good though for being under budget this month, does help with him working away a lot this month but hopefully can re-evaluate in march

ragz_2

£28 spend in Lidl yesterday, Would have been a lot more but baby screamed ALL the way round so I shopped only for list items and got a checkout opened for me as no one could stand the noise (screaming babies have their uses!)

Portion control a big prob for me too (didn't realise how much I was eating until I did weightwatchers last year and saw what a portion should be - not enough to feed a mouse IMO!). But I have sized our meals down a bit, I used to serve such huge portions my guests would nearly faint...
Still using too much meat though, I estimate about twice as much as recommended, but my DH is a gardener and needs a lot of it (he says!).

elizabunny

Morning all!

All good so far today and hopefully 3rd NSD in a row. Already made a panful of Curried Bean Soup, some Flapjacks and a Loaf this morning. Also prepped all the veg for tonight 's dinner. Still need to watch my budget though and will also need to get a few more bits this month.

Have a good day everyone!:)

jintyb

Just catching up on the thread - two days away and all these lovely posts to catch up on! Well, Im OVER this month ATM by £30 odd, but I'm not too stressed about it as I think I've spent quite wisely and stocked up with what I need for a few weeks! We'll see if that works out...........Hmm!
Today I was at the farm shop which sells HM meals for the freezer. normally they're really exp and I wouldnt buy - £5 for chilli for example- but today they were reduced by 70% - I bought two, well it would have been rude not to! They are big enough for 4 and I reckoned I couldnt make them myself for that!

Menu this week
Mon - Roast chicken, salad and pots
Tues - Chicken stirfry & noodles -w left over chick
Wed - Quiche & salad
Thurs - Cottage pie and veg
Fri- Haddock and mozzarella fishcakes and salad/chips for OH!

Feel quite organised so that's always good!

Have a great day!