June 2010 Grocery Challenge

Hippeechiq

Just seen this on another thread, and thought it may be of interest to some of you girls on here, if you use as many tinned tomatoes as I do:

Primrose wrote: »

I've been reading in today's paper that the price of tinned tomatoes is set to rocket because of shortages. Apparently last year's cold wet winter led to three million fewer tomatoes being grown for processing this year. Also last year's record harvest caused a 15% drop in wholesale prices and has deterred many Italian farmers from growing them again this year. (Most tinned tomatoes come from Italy). The rising price of steel needed for the tins will also be contributing to the price rise. Heavy tinned tomato users may want to start stocking up now. and users of other tinned goods can also expect to see price rises soon.

Too late to add my spend today, so will do it tomorrow after I've bought some tinned toms Night all

highland_fling_2

Good morning everyone,

thanks Hippeechiq for info re canned goods. I have always kept quite a few in my cupboard under the stair. I was really trying to work my way through all these goods as I had convinced myself that I did not need to have a wartime mentality any more. However your information has set me back on my heels and I am afraid now not only will I not be getting rid of stores but may also increase them. Better safe than sorry and tins last for ever.

Will have lamb steaks and new potatoes and fresh veg for dinner tonight.

Called into A**i last night and spent just under £18 but got lots of lovely fresh fruit and veg, milk, and a few basics. So feel I got value for money.

freakyogre

Definitely gone over my total now, but not sure how much as all my receipts are at home. I think around £3 over which I can cope with

I got some lovely bread at the car boot on Sunday (it's a speciality bread stall that does German breads) and as we got there when they were packing away, they only charged us £1.00 each. Bargain! Sliced and frozen ready for when I fancy a slice.

Also went to Aldi and got some cherries, a melon, a pack of peppers and a yogurt. The peppers were stuffed and frozen the same day so I have some nice quick meals ready. Oh, also went to Tesco for a couple of jellies, some garlic salt, peppermint teabags and some lipbalm.

I will need to get some milk on my way home (staying at my dad's until tomorrow at the moment and will see how I am them). I shouldn't need anything else and won't be able to go and get it even if I do!

Not really grocery related, but thought i'd post a pic of the boot I have to wear following my operation yesterday. It's much bigger than I was expecting!! Sorry, I can't seem to resize the picture, so please let me know if it's too big and i'll delete it.

katenut

Hippeechiq - I have visions of hundreds of MSEers panic buying tinned tomatoes now!! I'd best get to the shop before they all sell out ....

Doing OK this month I think, fell off the wagon a bit earlier this month but managed to claw myself back to where I should be. Need to keep reading this thread, I dont post often but it inspires me to cook from scratch more xx

spendaholic

Billie-jo wrote: »

Have a cupboard full of tinned fruit, why? don’t know but it never seems to get used up so today I have opened a tin of pineapple and we had it with some fresh strawberries and ice- cream plus I had a good dollop of Nutella as well. Yummy. Have kept the juice and will add lemonade to it later for a change from orange juice. So its one small tin down and about 80 to go. :rotfl:

I use tinned fruit in jellies and at the bottom of trifles (strawberries, raspberries, fruit cocktail, pineapple chunks), so making a "coloured" trifle - using red jelly and pink custard for red fruit and so on. I stone tinned cherries and put them in a pie, and I make flans with mandarins. I'd also make pineapple or pear upside down cake with a cherry in the middle, and I have a cut-and-come-again cake that uses tinned apricots or apples. I'll also have tinned fruit with jelly or cream or ice cream as a pudding. And if it's tinned in juice, I have the juice for breakfast. (Syrup goes down the drain now but when I didn't have to watch my weight I would have drank that too.)

spendaholic

Hippeechiq wrote: »

Some people find it a breeze to meal plan and batch cook, but not everyone hun :grouphug: So try not to be so hard on yourself.

I too used to find it quite frightening and would never stick to it, but practice makes perfect and it's having a great affect on my spending - and my diet and fitness. I find 3 good, proper meals a day, with puddings with 2 of them, fills me up good and proper. So I'm winning all around now.

Hippeechiq wrote: »

I can't quite get myself properly organised to batch cook, I find things don't turn out as well when I try and batch cook as they do when I bake/cook the odd thing on it's own. I don't know if that's because I've got a lot on my plate at the moment and so don't concentrate properly - or whether I just wasn't cut out to batch cook/bake....either way, I've stopped giving myself a hard time over it. We can't all be domestic goddesses

Again, this was another thing I struggled with and, again, practice makes perfect (or not, as the case may be, but it's fun trying). I'm on my own so often batch cook now. I didn't have a freezer when I first left my husband so couldn't make the most of it. Now I have a giant freezer and it's always full of home made ready meals. The first ones were awful and I hardly ever felt like them and would end up getting a takeaway anyway. But, as I say, once you get into the swing of things, you learn from mistakes, don't beat yourself up, and get there in the end.

Hippeechiq wrote: »

I also struggled with the meal planning....trying not to repeat meals, or the vegetables with the meals, or have the same meat two nights in a row, or pasta or veggie meals two nights in a row - it's such a mission. I've stuck with it though, and tomorrow will finish the last meal of a 4 week plan. I sat down Thursday, and planned the next 4 weeks too.

A 4 week mealplan was what often put me off. I couldn't think of enough variety to make something different every day for 4 weeks and it was really scary. So I started with baby steps - did a one-week meal plan just before I went shopping, wrote a shopping list for what I'd want for the meals, then went through the freezer and cupboard crossing off what I already had in. Now it's easier, as soon as I open the one in the cupboard, I put a new on on the list, but frozen food tends to go on the list when I've used the last of something.

Now I have enough ready made meal plans for several weeks, but I found doing them 1 week at a time was how I got into it properly.

Hippeechiq wrote: »

The 1st 4 week plan took me almost a whole day :rotfl: Thursday, it took me - on and off - about 3 hours. But the sense of satisifaction when you can see 4 weeks of planned meals in front of you, none of which are repeated, is pretty bl00dy wonderful quite frankly But more importantly, it stops me impulse buying and I (almost) always just buy what I've planned for - which has meant I'm spending less money.

Ha ha - yes, my first attempts would take all day. Now they take a few minutes.

Hippeechiq wrote: »

Once you start to write it all down, it's easy to see that you had say, boiled potatoes, carrots and peas for last nights tea, and so you don't repeat those veg the following day, and then all of a sudden, it all starts to come together.

I'm not a big veg eater, but I do try to have a good variety of some veg - and my list is getting slightly longer. I'll have broccoli and cauli with one meal, say, baby carrots and baby broad beans with another, green beans and mushrooms with another, and peas and sweetcorn with another. This is a BIG step forward as I used to have peas and sweetcorn with everything. Sometimes I'll do a green medley and have broccoli, green beans and peas. But the one thing that annoys me is I have to have just frozen veg as fresh goes off too quick as I'm on my own.

Hippeechiq wrote: »

It is a bit daunting initially, but it's training yourself to think in a certain way. Just try and do 1 week to start with, and see how you go eh?

Hear, hear - yeah. Baby steps. :T Give it a go and let us know!

spendaholic

Spiggle wrote: »

OH has just reminded me of the latest 'con' (his word) he spotted when shopping locally last Friday. In So******ld/C**p they had big signs advertising their 'Half Price' English strawberries at £2.00 for a 400g pack. However, just up the road at our local grocer English strawberries were £1.99 for a 500g pack. They are so playing mind games with us. :mad:

I'm going to have to start going to local greengrocers. Tesco always has offers on strawberries, but they're nowhere near a 500g pack. :eek: I can see I'm going to have to start making more of a trip of my shopping, er, trip.

spendaholic

Sorry for number 4 in a row, but I've been catching up ...

Did my final shop for June on Saturday and was delighted it only came in at £34.14 against a £40 budget. I've done really well this month, declaring for June at £134.56. :T

This gave me a savings pot for June of £25.44 just from the grocery challenge. I did buy a DVD and I did get some bakeware, but I was still "in profit" by £2.86. This is such HUGE progress as I'm usually overspent by close to £100 per month.

I'll be starting again this Saturday (pay day on Friday), and it's another 4-week pay-day month, so Mrs M, please put me down for the same again for July - 4 x £40 = £160. Many thanks. If I manage another good month, I may reduce my weekly budget in future to £35.

poppy-glos

just totalled up for yesterday. currently still within the budget of a thirtieth a day, but aware this is going to be a heavy weekend coming up so maybe need to try not to spend too much til Friday.

I'm working on about £7 a day i'm £18 in credit today, then by Friday will have another £21 to spend. Really fancying new potatoes so off out to get them,and may have a look at the tinned tomatoes and buy some ready for the shortages!

I've fallen totally for the carrot cake on the cheap family meals site, finished it for breakfast and new cake in the oven!

enjoy the beautiful weather all

poppy x

Hippeechiq

freakyogre wrote: »

Not really grocery related, but thought i'd post a pic of the boot I have to wear following my operation yesterday. It's much bigger than I was expecting!! Sorry, I can't seem to resize the picture, so please let me know if it's too big and i'll delete it.

Ouch! Wish you a speedy recovery freaky

katenut wrote: »

Hippeechiq - I have visions of hundreds of MSEers panic buying tinned tomatoes now!! I'd best get to the shop before they all sell out ....

Oh yeah :rotfl: - never mind

spendaholic wrote: »

Sorry for number 4 in a row, but I've been catching up ...
Did my final shop for June on Saturday and was delighted it only came in at £34.14 against a £40 budget. I've done really well this month, declaring for June at £134.56. :T

This gave me a savings pot for June of £25.44 just from the grocery challenge. I did buy a DVD and I did get some bakeware, but I was still "in profit" by £2.86. This is such HUGE progress as I'm usually overspent by close to £100 per month.

I'll be starting again this Saturday (pay day on Friday), and it's another 4-week pay-day month, so Mrs M, please put me down for the same again for July - 4 x £40 = £160. Many thanks. If I manage another good month, I may reduce my weekly budget in future to £35.

:T Very well done!

I've fallen totally for the carrot cake on the cheap family meals site, finished it for breakfast and new cake in the oven!

It's fab, isn't it? And so easy to make, too! And so easy to eat That and Twinks Hobnobs :drool:

ETA: Grocery spends today and yesterday total £11.50 - total so far for June £234.59
Lets hope todays budget doesn't send the prices of everything sky high