September 2010 Grocery Challenge

cw18

suzybloo wrote: »

did think about starting to get milk delivered again, as hubby wont drink frozen milk, as its the only thing I have to go to the shop to get during the week, but will have to look at the cost first.
can anyone give me any idea on the cost?

Was chatting to my Mum about this a couple of weeks ago - due to the fact my 'milk monster' was about to move in with my parents and they get milk delivered.

I pay a max of £1.09 for 4 pints (A!di), compared to the 55p/pint they pay the milkman...... which means they pay double what I do :eek:

My Mum goes supermarket shopping on a Tuesday (and takes my DD with her, as DD lives just up the road from my parents but doesn't drive), so I'd suggested she picked up at least 1x4pt for DS whilst there to reduce the potential rise in milk bill - but she didn't seem to think I was serious. DS was moving in on Wednesday, so when my Mum and DD went shopping this last Tuesday my DD (as she was picking up her own milk) asked my Mum if she was picking up milk for DS - at which point my Mum seemed to realise I really meant it about how much he can get through, and what a difference in price there is. I accept she still paid more than me (£1.53 in Mr T), but that's still over a 25% saving compared to the doorstep delivery.

It's actually worth her picking up 2 every week (he can get through a pint of milk a day without any problems), but hopefully she'll come to realise this in the early weeks of having him as a 'lodger'

katenut

Have spent £34.79 so far this month, we are definately being helped by the fresh produce from the garden which is making me a bit terrified for how much our food bill is going to rise when the garden stops producing for winter! Must plan better next year and try to get some winter veg in.

I've just googled Amy Dacyczyn's pantry principle and it sounds pretty much like what we do - I will never be organised enough to meal plan, but I have a good eye for a bargain and stockpile meat etc in the freezer when its cheap.

suzybloo

many thanks cw18, thought it would be more expensive but not that much!! we average between 1and a half to two pints per dayso it will be a no-no at that cost, its amazing how much you can get through especially with young ones in the house!

sistercas

I like the pantry principle and actually think i do that to a lesser extent (planning meals around whoopsies/ offers) i have the tightwad gazette i must go and have a read

I agree with Hippeechiq the whoopsies in Tesco are rubbish they only knock a few pence off , Sainsbugs seem a bit better though

going to costco today to pick up butter, orange juice and teabags

elf06

I cant talk about other supermarkets but the one I work in does a certain % at a certain time of day iyswim..........so for example (and it is only an example because its not my department and I dont work at night) they reduce by 20% at 6pm then 50% off original price at maybe 7pm etc....... I work one evening a week (tuesdayst until 7pm) and I have come away with some fantatic bargains. Just a couple of weeksago I got 2 chicken mini roasts (with sausages, gravy and stuffing) for about 40p (I cant actually remember but I did post the price at the time) and 4 slices of square sausage for 20p.

As for me yesterday was a NSD as DS was very very sick through the night and up until lunchtime so I didnt go out to shops. Also he didnt eat at all so theres more food kept for another day. Hoping today will be another NSD as i only need bread and my dad said he'd pick it up for me. Fingers crossed thats all

ETA::rotfl: just realised that sounded like a rant and like i was totally sticking up for supermarkets then!! I'd like to point out i wasnt and that they drive me up the wall with their "offers" and selling of bigger items cheaper than small ones - do you know the amount of times that people automatically go for their usual and not check :mad: The SM are also very quilty of selling 2 small items for less than the bigger item and you get more with 2 small - worth checking and double checking EVERYTHING

katholicos

Haven't been buying groceries for last few days as Dad was rushed into hospital by ambulance on Tuesday and i have been spending a lot of time at mum's and eating there and my DD has been sleeping over at my Mum's so my Mum has some support. This may continue well into next week. I would rather have Dad out of the hospital and overspending my grocery budget, but i just wanted to update my grocery buying status :-)

Spiggle

Hippeechiq wrote: »

Lets hope it doesn't come to that, we'll all be rooting for you

I second that NickJW, will be keeping fingers crossed for you. Please don't feel you can't share with us on here, the only criteria is if you want to.

claire1234 If you click the "thank you" button at the bottom of each post, when you return to the thread you can see where you last read up to by when you last thanked someone......not strictly what the thank you button is for of course, but it's what a lot of folk do.

The other thing you can do claire1234 is click the 'instant email notification' under the submit reply button in advanced and then you'll get an email when someone posts a new reply and the link should take you to where you were.

Spiggle Are hubbys bloods ok? Or have you not had the results yet?

Thanks Hippechiq, we got the results yesterday afternoon and his INR has come up to a level where the hospital are happy to transfer his care back to the GP now. And I haven't got to inject him any more. :T

elf06 wrote: »

As for me yesterday was a NSD as DS was very very sick through the night and up until lunchtime so I didnt go out to shops. Also he didnt eat at all so theres more food kept for another day.

Hope your DS is feeling better elf06.

... I'd like to point out i wasnt and that they drive me up the wall with their "offers" and selling of bigger items cheaper than small ones - do you know the amount of times that people automatically go for their usual and not check :mad: The SM are also very quilty of selling 2 small items for less than the bigger item and you get more with 2 small - worth checking and double checking EVERYTHING

Excellent advice elf06 and I agree so much with you. :cool:

katholicos wrote: »

... as Dad was rushed into hospital by ambulance on Tuesday ... I would rather have Dad out of the hospital and overspending my grocery budget, but i just wanted to update my grocery buying status :-)

Sending you hugs katholicos, :grouphug:I hope your Dad is better soon.

Well, we achieved the NSD yesterday so have managed to get 5 so far this month. Not sure if we'll be buying anything today though I could do with some eggs from the butcher. Hmm, will see later.

OH is off for his exercise walk later and as GD1 is here she'll go with him to see how many blackberries they can pick. :T

Slightly off GC but associated with it, I've been thinking about getting a slow cooker but am unsure what size I should be looking at. As you know there's only the two of us and we don't tend to freeze much prepared/cooked food/meals (soup being the exception in the winter when OH makes a batch and freezes portions for me to have for snap in work).

I'm contemplating this as we have the electric cooker and feel a sc would be cheaper than using that all the time. (Also the bread maker has been transformational in our lives and wonder if a SC would be the same? :think:) I suppose alternatively we could use the timer function on the cooker but still that would use more electricity than I anticipate a sc would use. So, any advice on whether a 3.5, 4.5 or 6.5 would be best please? Thanks in advance for any advice.

OK, I'm off for now but will pop back later.

Have a great day and take care,
Spigs

cw18

Spiggle wrote: »

Slightly off GC but associated with it, I've been thinking about getting a slow cooker but am unsure what size I should be looking at. As you know there's only the two of us and we don't tend to freeze much prepared/cooked food/meals (soup being the exception in the winter when OH makes a batch and freezes portions for me to have for snap in work).

I'm contemplating this as we have the electric cooker and feel a sc would be cheaper than using that all the time. (Also the bread maker has been transformational in our lives and wonder if a SC would be the same? :think:) I suppose alternatively we could use the timer function on the cooker but still that would use more electricity than I anticipate a sc would use. So, any advice on whether a 3.5, 4.5 or 6.5 would be best please? Thanks in advance for any advice.

I got a 6.5 litre when there were 3 of us, and don't think it was too big when we dropped to 2 (nor now I'm only 1)

Mind, the only things I tend to use it for are cooking full chickens or gammon joints - tried rice pudding which was a total disaster, and it put me off trying bolognese sauce and stews and such

But I'm also a batch cooker, so I put bags of sliced meat and tubs of (pan cooked) stew and bolognese etc in the freezer on a regular basis

The other option is a mini-oven. My main oven is electric, but I also have a combi-oven (had to replace it a couple of weeks ago, and down-sized to a 25 litre machine). I reckon using the oven part of this instead of my main oven must save a fortune - pre-heating to 200 deg C takes 15 mins for my main oven, and just under 3 for the one in the combi. I also own (as emergency back-up, but haven't actually used) a stand-alone mini-oven which is a comparable size to my combi one (possibly not quite as tall though).

As the combi and mini ovens are a (much) smaller capacity, I figure it must also take a lot less electric to maintain the required temerature. The only things I put my main oven on for are chips (though now it's just me I plan to try in the combi) and baking.

Hippeechiq

That's fab news about hubby Spiggle :j I'm so pleased to hear that

katholicos Very sorry to hear about your Dad :grouphug: and wish him a speedy recovery

Spiggle re SC.....peeps over on the In My Slow Cooker Today thread would be a good lot to ask which size is best.

Although someone on here is sure to know too

Was hoping for a NSD today, but we need bread fgs! And I either get it today or tomorrow, and I'd rather not shop for food on a Sunday, so we'll see.

Hope the sun is shining where you are - we've got rain down south

ETA cw18 beat me to it

If by "combi" oven you mean a microwave combi, then I can 2nd on how efficient they are. I always used to do all casserole type things in mine, and it's such a small space to heat. Sadly, mine broke about 6 months ago (had had it 10 years) and I can't afford a a new one.

I would imagine a SC is even more economical, but with having the kitchen/lounge/dining room completely open plan downstairs, I don't like the thought of my downstairs smelling of my tea all the time IYSWIM otherwise I'd be tempted to save up for one.

hedgesparrow

Just got back from a shop split between lidl and morris and pet shop. Spent £13.78 between them which would have been £18.78 had it not been for the £5 voucher we got for the morris miles card.

I have started checking my reciepts when I get home to see what I spent VAT on. I find it is a good way to see what strictly unneccesary things I have bought. Today I only had two - a big bottle of cider (for us to eat with roast pork on Sun) and ice cube bags which are ridiculous but I find my elderberry syrup is too jellylike to freeze in a normal ice cube tray and then tip out.

I am off to cook the pork now - the recipe takes 24 hours! I dread to think what my leccy bill will be like but it is a free range cheap cut I got from the butcher ages ago (and froze) and it needs a long time apparantly.