October 2010 Grocery Challenge

jintyb

NickJW wrote: »

Got paid today and made another chunk off my credit card - should be gone finally after 2 more payments! :T

Nick - congrats on getting rid of another bit of your CC - you're doing so well, must be great to see the "finishing line" in sight!:T

jackie_w wrote: »

I want to try to use my slow cooker a bit more during the winter. Whenever I use it, I usually find my gravy is very watery. I know to thicken this up I can add cornflour, so, would I add the cornflour halfway through cooking, or at the beginning?

Re gravy - do you brown your meat first? If so, put a little seasoned flour in a poly bag, and toss the meat in the flour - then brown the meat. Add any veg you're using & your stock, give it a stir to catch the juice and flour from the meat and transfer to the slow cooker. The flour should thicken the gravy. Anither way I do it if the gravy is a bit watery - I add some gravy granules about 30 mins before the end of cooking time. Hope this helps!:)

Kitchenbunny

Morning all, yesterday did not go according to plan! DH has a massive heavy cold (not man-flu) and we went to Mr T to get some vittles. Got some smoothies and clementines and something else and managed to spend £12.34! Oh well, off the total it comes. My first spend of October = £12.34. I shall update my signature now.

KB xx

hex2

Veg box from A&C and a few bits from the Co-op see me on £26/450 already. We haven't had their veg box for a while but there was an offer on for buy 3 boxes, get the 4th free which makes it a little more reasonable. I had forgotten just how good the quality is.

youngmummy - hope you get whatever result you want from that test

elf06

Havent had a chance to catch up on the thread as I havent been posting (due to not spending:D) sooooooo sorry if I have missed anyone hving a bad time and serves me right if i've missed any good advice :mad:

Had a teeny spend yesterday to start off my month..........£5.56

Will add it to my sig now

Hope everyone has a great day

knithappens

Sign me up this month please as I am trying to tighten my belt. Spet £20 yesterday, and hopefully iwill only need bread now until wednesday. Aiminf for £200

looie

hi, can you put me down for £100 for October please.

Thanks x

brodie1_2

jackie_w wrote: »

Well £2 spent on Sweets for DS. he was going to get his flu jag this morning, and he usually gets into such a state, but, today, he was really brave (he has a terrible fear of jags), so, I treated him to some sweets.

Hopefully I wont need to buy anything else today, and my shopping can wait until the weekend. Will definetly check out L*dl and A*di this weekend. Have checked them before, but, find they dont stock alot of the things I would normally buy.

Alot of you are mentioning about batch cooking. Whenever I cook anything, and theres leftovers, DH will go and have second helpings, ie beef casserole, I make that with 1.5lb of meat and veggies, (this is for 2 adults and 2 children), and hope that I can at least put by 1 portion for the freezer, but he just eats it! He also eats all the biscuits, sweets and crisps, and whenever I complain, he says thats what they are there for, but, if I dont buy them, he complains theres nothing for eating :mad::mad::mad:. He has admitted to eating because hes bored or fed up, so this is a battle I have to try to win.

I want to try to use my slow cooker a bit more during the winter. Whenever I use it, I usually find my gravy is very watery. I know to thicken this up I can add cornflour, so, would I add the cornflour halfway through cooking, or at the beginning?

I also see alot of you get vouchers from the supermarkets. Where do you get them from? Are they only for online shopping?

Hi,
dont forget to mix your cornflour in alittle water first,so its not a lumpy mess. A tbsp of mass pots helps thicken to, I have some in the freezer for that purpose.
hope that helps
Brodie1

JayJay14

brodie1 wrote: »

Hi,
dont forget to mix your cornflour in alittle water first,so its not a lumpy mess. A tbsp of mass pots helps thicken to, I have some in the freezer for that purpose.
hope that helps
Brodie1

I've even been known to use instant mash for this purpose (well they've been arround a long time now so almost old style:rotfl:)

jackieglasgow

Morning All. Tackled the shopping last night, with a very detailed list, and managed to overspend because I forgot to put a couple of things down, and DH needed razorblades. But I'll reign myself in over the month. Tesco was £92.55 before bogofs £81.18 after, and £67.18 with vouchers then £21.09 in Aldi too. I never got soap powder though as there were no good offers on Bold 2in1 but I've enough to keep me going another week or two, which I'll eke out with soda crystals and/or vanish type stuff. Hopefully that's actually about two weeks of shopping except the odd bit of fruit, and I need to go to Lidl for a couple of Quorn things too. We are off on holiday for a few days next week, just caravanning, and I bought a few things like Pringles and peanuts to have as treats while we're away. (pringles are £1 in Tesco just now)

Oh, and Morries have 16 cushelle for a fiver, which is fab!!

ETA jayjay I do the same with instant mash, I but the cheapest Tesco own brand ones and they're quite well seasoned too.

amber03

just done first shop for this month and spent £60, all cupboards and freezer are full so hoping to have alot of NSD especially as in this mornings post I had notification from the tax credit that they had overpaid me by £114 and want repayment by 4/11/10 this is because i stopped receiving it last year. Just as you think you are getting somewhere moneywise something hits u. I had started a savings account for emergency situations and had £40 in it hopeing to eventually have £500 for just in cases. Never ming going out to a nationaltrust place today since i'm a member and taking picnic with me so today NSD>