March 2010 Grocery Challenge

Coxy11

Hi everyone,

2 NSDs in a row - miracle! Will be spending tomorrow tho' as need veg for Sundays' roast, and also dog food, gravy granules and canderel. Hopefully I can keep it to under £10!

Have a great evening everyone.

Coxy
xx

winterfrost

I didn't do my £5 challenge in the end as I didn't go to the £25 dinner, but it's a good job as I spent almost £30 this week! (Although my housemate has not yet given me the £2.50 for the lunches, so it will work out slightly less.) On track for my target so far!

slowandsteady_2

Evening all,

have caught up with thread, phew it moves quick!

Haven't updated my sig yet as forgot last time i was on here but things on track:)

I have to say though i am VERY HAPPY! I went to the GP on Wednesday as having bother with my asthma, was sent for an asthma review with the nurse and i was weighed etc, and i have lost 12lb :j Since i started Slimming World first week of November (which i abandoned as resented the cost), i have lost that 12lb without really trying-just down to following slimming world principles and hints and tips on OS and cooking from scratch etc! I am very pleased about that and its given me more motivation to keep slimming, its took a while but, hey have you seen my forum name? Very much sums me up:D

In terms of GC i now put £35 a week into a pot for groceries, today was last day of week and the pot still had £30 in it! Not because i havent spent anything though-i have-but because i havent dipped into it and used 'my' money, which is due to me having been buying luxury items-if that makes sense? If its something we want instead of need i buy it out of my own personal money. So today i took last weeks GC money and i went to the farm shop and got my first ever:o free range chicken. Ive never had the money spare before but im working on the principle of starting to buy better quality meat and less of it. I also got some bananas and sprouts. Could have spent loads but didnt really need anthing. I still have a £20 note to put back in the pot :j Some may see it as cheating but GC to me is about setting a budget for what my family needs, so that i can work out what we actually need to buy and avoid waste etc, so if we want something we dont normally get, or is a treat, its out of personal money and therefore personal money is reduced and its tough when its gone and it all balances out in the end, and i just dont get something out of freezer to defrost that day. If that makes sense? I know what i mean lol

Phew! Well i'll shut up now, have just made a huge mushroom rissotto which was sooo gorgous, thanks KEISS for advising about the frozen stock! Unfortunately i still have tons of mushrooms left, but i think i will use them tommorow and do a big pan of garlic mushrooms to go with a meal.

Off to have a wander around forum, night all x

ChocClare

BigMummaF wrote: »

I've seen arrowroot & never known what it is for Would you happen to know if it adds a terrific amount of calories to the things you put it with?
The dietician has said to use cornflour to make white sauces for lasagne & things, so you save a few calories on the fat & flour presumably, but I've not made them that way either. So recipes please, if you would be so kind I must have a look at the site for Mr Titchmarsh afternoon show, as Rosemary Schraeger [sp] used cornflour in some sort of cake muffin recipe the other day...

Arrowroot is very low in calories - it has about 90 per ounce, which might sound a lot, but seeing as you never use more than about a teaspoonful, it equates to practically nothing. It's only slightly fewer calories than for cornflour, but you don't need as much, and it thickens at a much lower temperature.

oceanspirit

Just did a small shop on Wednesday for bathroom cleaner, salad and veg which came to £6.99.

I made some beetroot soup today and two portions have gone in the freezer. I shall make carrot and ginger soup and spicy lentil soup tomorrow to freeze as I need to use up a big bag of carrots bought last week.

Also I have loads of dried beans and yellow split peas which I keep forgetting to soak. I am going to put some of them in water now so I can cook them tomorrow and freeze them in portion size to make them easier to use.

CherryPie

hex2 wrote: »

CherryPie - the lamb navarin from Economy Gastronomy is meant to be nice? I don't often cook with lamb with it being so expensive but I do like a slow roasted shoulder/leg when it is on offer.

Thanks for that!

I trawled through the recipe threads on here and between them all, I've come up with my own mixture. I'll let you know how it goes. Bit of a spend in Mr T tonight but no whoopsies!! I even went in at the best time I've found but still none. Never mind.

I'll update totals shortly.

Have a good weekend everyone

CherryPie x

welshkaz

my big shop plus 2 little ones in morrisons and coop =£115/£260 for me so far x

Kornishkat

Done really good this week, after my main shop on Monday I managed to avoid going into any other shops until today when I needed milk. That's where I usually fall into the trap of 'just picking a few extras just in case' but I was very good. I had my healthy start voucher for the milk (£3.10) and the milk was two lots for £3 so rather than give Mr T my 10p I bought a banana for 16p so my grand spend for today was 6p and I'm putting the change from the pound I used into my sealed pot

Keiss_21

holly44 wrote: »

Can I ask a question regarding full fat milk and water how much water are you adding to milk tried it the other night probably added a third water tasted fine and OH didn;t notice which is amazing as hates all things less sugared or low fat .

Hya holly44 - when I started, I watered it down by a quarter, I did this for a week or two so my boys (two teenagers and DH) would get used to it. Then I watered it down by half with water and have done so ever since (for 18 months or more now!). When one 4-pint container is empty, it gets washed and then a new un-watered-down 4-pints bottle is split equally between the two..there are markings on the side, but just pour until there are equal amounts in each bottle, then top up with water!! put the lids on and shake well. It is best done at night or after breakfast, so the mixture has longer to sit before being drunk, the milk seems to taste a bit better that way, but DS2 has it right after mixing sometimes!!. We keep both bottles upright in the fridge door, using the one outermost first. It's a system that has been working well for us for some time now. They even find semi-skimmed milk too creamy now! Hope this helps.

kittynortheast wrote: »

Please can I have the prize for "spent the most of her budget in the shortest space of time" competition??!

kittynortheast wrote: »

Are you ready? Have so far spent £307.38 of a £350 Budget (See told you it was good!)

Wow kitty - I am in awe..I thought we were bad at getting through £221.08 of our £350 budget in the first 5 days!!!

Saying that, we too have bulging freezers and fridge, as well as cupboards, veg baskets and fruit bowls...I have planned meals a bit haphazardly the past week, but now will sort out the rest of the month this weekend. The rest of the month is going to be manic, but very exciting...this weekend is the only one DS2 will be home in March!

He has been picked to play for the Scotland under-17s rugby team :j:j and has training in Scotland the next 3 weekends. Then he is taking part in a week-long tournament starting on Good Friday. They have three matches, the first is on Easter Sunday against Englad...should be fun!!

So now I have all this food in the house, with no-one home to eat it! Well two of the weekends DH is taking DS2 up to Scotland, and I will do the other. DH and I will be staying with DH's mum, so no hotel bills. He and I will buy some food or pay for meal or take-away while we are there. It is working out quite well, as DH will see him Mum for Mothers' Day (I am seeing & hearing DS1 singing at Uni that day), and I will be up in Scotland for my brother's birthday! Luckily the tournament is near Reading, so much closer for us, and my sis and family can come and watch on Easter Sunday too!

Oh well, if we overspend this month...so be it...but I will try and keep a tight reins on things.

Now back to my spending...I had NSDs Wed and yesterday, with a bit of a shop today at A**i, Mr T and the green grocers. I can't believed how much I got for just over £20 at A**i today...the cheap veg has been a godsend!!

We had fajitas made from rubber chicken and will make soup tomorrow with the stock I made using the chicken bones. Then it was a quick dash to the cinema to see Invictus..a wonderful film...see, we just can't get away from rugby!:rotfl: We had been wanting to see it, but as March weekends have disappeared from now on (DH is away all of tomorrow!), tonight seemed the best bet...and as it was already a spending day I was happy with that too, not that I include in the Grocery challenge! We took bottles of water, but as we had just had tea, there was no need to buy any food...result!

Uh-oh, it's getting late and I have more threads to read before getting to bed.

Have a great weekend everyone...hoping for two NSDs myself!

WelshWoofer

Morning all!
Just planning the trip to the shops - I'm going into town so instead of going to the big Mr T I'm going to try Aldi and a smallish Mr S for a change.
I do have a list but I'm interested to see if doing this makes a difference to the end bill.
Hmmm - we'll see...
Will report back later