September 2010 Grocery Challenge

Moniker

Spiggle wrote: »

QUICK QUERY ANYONE, we've run out of strong white flour but have a fair bit of wholemeal. However, the wholemeal flour calls for a Vitamin C tablet (?) and sunflower oil. We only have olive oil and no Vit C. Would it still work if I leave the one out and use an alternative oil please?

Thanks in advance,
Spigs

My breadmaker recipes ask for 'flour improver' to be added to the mix which is I believe, vitamin C - but I have never bothered and the bread is always lovely. These days I tend to use the 'dough' menu and then tip it out and put into a 2lb loaf tin, let it prove for about half an hour and then cook in the oven (I only do this if I am going to have the oven on anyway for something else). This gives a much more even shape and better texture IMO. I wrap the loaf when cool and then the next day I slice it on an old 1970s meat slicer machine (one where you turn the handle to make a circular blade go round - no leccy involved). This means I can slice it really thinly and this makes the loaf go further!

Had to buy mushrooms and parmesan today for the meal DD1 was cooking so £4.35 added to my total - have updated my signature. Off to bed now. Catch up tomorrow folks.

Moniker

loulou0327

Another NSD for me only beacause i forgot to pick up some bread after college(oops!). Were needing one or two bits so i'm wavering between ordering an online shop, or quite literally running in and out of T**co's tomorrow trying to avert my eyes from everything but whats on the list. Hmmm not quite sure which....

KITTY_2-2

Every day I pass a chinese supermarket near work, so yesterday I called in. I bought large bottles (1l+) of dark soy sauce, chilli sauce and plum sauce for £4.79. These should last me ages. They also had 25kg bags of rice for about £7. I wouldn't use that much but great value if you have a large family or can share with someone. Might ask around the family and see if anyone fancies sharing. We already do this with sacks of potatoes :money:

I wish I'd been brave enough to look round the whole shop as some of the other customers had really interesting looking packages. Might go back when it's quieter and have a good old nosey.

Nothing spent today so one more NSD to add to total

ChocClare

I'd like to say it was another NSD for me but I was pipped at the post by DS, who decided NOT to go out tonight - but he ALWAYS goes out on Wednesdays...! He and DH therefore had the steaks I'd organised for ME and DH, and DD and I had pasta with roasted vegetables and mozzarella. Except I didn't have any mozzarella as I used it up last night - so I sent DD into Sainsbury's where she duly spent 47p for another packet of mozzarella.

Before this challenge started, I would probably have bought myself another fillet steak at what, £4-5? So semi-kudos to me.

I'm eating out of the freezer at the mo, which was why there was steak. And boychik grabbed it. TBH, I have a cold and can't taste anything so it would have been wasted on me. And my veggie supper WAS very nice!

Will update signature tomorrow when I can see...

brodie1_2

Long_tall_sally wrote: »

I spent £8 odd today in Farm Foods on milk, toilet rolls, chocolate cakes & biscuits and hot chocolate, another £2.50 in Iceland on bread and £20 something in Sainsburys on cereal, bananas, biscuits, creme fraiche, cream, After Eights (for the December event!) and cant remember what else to be honest. I also cant find the Sainsburys receipt at the moment.

I'm feeling a bit fed up again tbh at our lack of money & also that there never seems to be enough hours in the day to get all the jobs done. I only work part time so goodness knows how I would cope time wise if I worked fulltime, which I am thinking about. There certainly wouldn't be time to go round different shops for different bargains, but who knows - maybe the fact that I would only have time to go to one place or have 1 on-line shop delivered would actually save money in its own way.
I noticed today when I got a mini bank statement from the cash point that my child tax payment this month is only half what it normally is. I've had no letter explaining why this has happened which tbh doesn't surprise me as I have had this happen before where the letter telling you about a change comes days after the change itself! Has anybody else had their child tax payments cut? I was wondering whether it was something to do with the new government?

hi,
I havnt had any tax credits at all for 2 weeks. My son starts college next week, I did ring the tcreds and tell them and they said everything would be updated in the begginning of Sept...........
and he was still entitled. I have tried ringng them but cant get through , was a message about Sept updates. Each time I have rung since just too many on and tells you to ring back later!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will try again tmorrow.

WASHING LQUID I see co op has there concentrated ULTRA on bogof, hope that helps anyone. I have used it last time it was on bogof and found it good. Offer runs 8th sept to 28th.

Brodi1

[Deleted User]

Been pretty good and frugal so far this month and managed to only spend £2.26 today, and that was only on some milk,bananas,and a small bunch of radishes.I'm out tomorrow for the day so I won't be food shopping then, but possibly Friday I may have to buy a few bits.So far out of 8 days 7 of them have been NSDs.I'm on a roll this month by shopping from my freezer and cupboards:j:j:j

nat21luv

'Originally Posted by Long tall sally
I spent £8 odd today in Farm Foods on milk, toilet rolls, chocolate cakes & biscuits and hot chocolate, another £2.50 in Iceland on bread and £20 something in Sainsburys on cereal, bananas, biscuits, creme fraiche, cream, After Eights (for the December event!) and cant remember what else to be honest. I also cant find the Sainsburys receipt at the moment.

I'm feeling a bit fed up again tbh at our lack of money & also that there never seems to be enough hours in the day to get all the jobs done. I only work part time so goodness knows how I would cope time wise if I worked fulltime, which I am thinking about. There certainly wouldn't be time to go round different shops for different bargains, but who knows - maybe the fact that I would only have time to go to one place or have 1 on-line shop delivered would actually save money in its own way.
I noticed today when I got a mini bank statement from the cash point that my child tax payment this month is only half what it normally is. I've had no letter explaining why this has happened which tbh doesn't surprise me as I have had this happen before where the letter telling you about a change comes days after the change itself! Has anybody else had their child tax payments cut? I was wondering whether it was something to do with the new government?'

glad to hear its not just me. i went from having 300per month in tax credits to 16per month!! and my maternity pay has finished this week and we earn too much to qualify for housing benefit. seriously struggling/worried about cash. if i go back to work it would have to be full time and that means putting my 6 month old into full time nursery and my son (whos at school) would have to go to morning and afternoon club-roughly combined 800per month. then say i earn min wage, as jobs are few and far between down here, i would be looking at a take home of 100ish. really not worth it. so if anyone has some suggestions on how to increase my income, they are very much welcome!! (i have studied the 'increase your income' thread many times and do almost everything suggested!) short of selling my body(might earn me a fiver on a good day!) im at a loss what to do

cw18

Spend of £3.60 for me today.....

Was going to use frozen mushrooms with my steak tonight, but as it became a spend day I bought some fresh ones instead (65p)

And I also checked out the Whoopsies as I left work at 5:15pm.....

Pack of 2 Cheese & Broccoli Haddock Fillets (breaded) : [strike]£2.29[/strike] 69p - got all 3 of these
Pack of 2 Breaded Haddock Fillets : [strike]offer price of £1.50[/strike] 49p - took the only pack
Tub of W/Watchers reduced fat thick cream : [strike]82p[/strike] 19p - took 2 of these, but there were loads !!!

Making a Whoopsie spend of £3 on goods worth £10.01



Shouldn't have really been buying any groceries until Friday, as I try to only shop on days I have a D/Debit go out of the bank (part of my NSD challenge), but I was getting very low on (a special diet, expensive and necessary) dog food - and PAH had a 24 hour sale starting at 9am today which included 'ours' on B1G1HP. As it's normally £35.99 per 12kg bag (about 30 days worth of food) this made for a significant saving - so the order had to be placed. Limited to 2 half price sacks per household, so my Dad (bless him) placed an order to be delivered to their house as well Made it an expensive day for me, but will save me a small fortune over the next 8 months or so :T

Morganarla

Well my idea of NSD went completely out of the window... Went to Mr S on the way home to try and find some tiny tupperwares (for kitty meds), they didn't have any.. So I treated myself to a bottle of pino grigio, but paid for that out of my allocated spending-money-for-me-treats so not included in the grocery budget...

However I did see reduced by chicken kievs that can go in the freezer so I spent another 79p, but that is the bulk of another two meals so not too bad. Sig updated.

(Blimey it don't half make you watch what you're spending by being accountable on this thread!)

miss_empty_piggy

Been extremely busy, but have managed to get on now (sorry I haven't managed to read all of the 29 pages of thread so far, but will try hard to keep up with everyone - I love seeing how everyone is doing). So far have spent £32.69 on groceries. Mainly on kids pack up for back to school. Cupboards are really full so will have to start using them up now, so hopefully won't have to spend too much again this week.

so £32.69/£200 so far for me this month. (Feels great as would normally have spent £100-£150 by now normally). It's weird but it doesn't feel like we have any less food in the house!!