October 2010 Grocery Challenge

Hippeechiq

Well it's all gone a bit Pete Tong in the Hippeehiq household....I've broken all my own rules (again) and it's all gone a bit pear shaped.

I usually do 2 big online shops a month, and it's usually fortnightly, but sometimes it really needs to be 3 because of how the days and dates fall. I should have shopped last Monday, but if I had done, it would mean that I would have needed to do 3 shops in November, so I made the decision to just do 2 big online shops a month from now on, however the days and dates fall.

So I didn't shop last week thinking I'd eke things out, and shop on the 11th & 25th. Then I go to do my online shop and everything I want comes to £84.48 :eek: so I really am not going to be able to do another online shop this month - unless I can bring it in for about £25, and I'm not sure that's doable.

I have £25 cash per week for milk/bread/fruit and any offers I spot - I've already spent ALL of next weeks money yesterday and this morning, and have had to borrow a fiver from the week after.....I don't know what's happened.....I just know I'm a creature of habit, and when I don't stick to a routine, this kind of thing happens.

I have to come in on budget - give or take a tenner - as there is no spare money without borrowing from peter to pay paul

To be fair to myself, I have already bought 5 tins of $limfast for DD for £26 - managed to find some on offer

I've bought £7 worth of Chicag0 T0wn small pizzas (2 per box), as they're on offer for £1 per box in Icel@nd and it's pretty much all SS eats for his tea. I already have 4 in the freezer, so 18 in total, which will cover his teas for almost the rest of the month.

I've bought 4 Kenc0 coffee refills for £10 for me and other half so that I have a running stock and don't pay full price for it

I got 3 packs of 600g Chicken Breasts on offer - for today and tomorrow only - for £8.97 for £idl this morning, which I dice and freeze in batches of 200g (based on adults only needing 100g of meat per day) which will do OH and I for the rest of the month according to my menu plan, with a little left over, as SS doesn't eat it, and DD sadly isn't really eating anything that constitutes "proper" meals at the moment due to her medication.

I'll need more sausages and chicken thighs (which I'm waiting to be on offer) and possibly a pack of bacon before the end of the month, but I hope I'm pretty much covered on the "expensive" side of things now, oh, apart from cheese, but that's going to have to wait until the week after next, and I do have some - it's still freaking me out on how much I've spent so far though.

So....hanging my head, I've spent £20.93 today, bringing total spends to £106.62 leaving a balance of £168.38 - £84+ of which is already accounted for in my online shop, but will update signature when that arrives on Mon.

I feel like I'm staring disaster squarely in the face this month.The month isn't even into double figures, and I'm into triple

£4 cash to get me through next week......it's just not going to happen!

Spiggle

Hi All,

I have to say WOW! GD1 and I made twink's hobnobs today for the first time and they are fantastic! :T Now I know why everyone raves about them. We're just about to make a half batch of chocolate brownies too and I hope they turn out as well.

Now for the uh-oh. We went to town to butcher, greengrocer and pet shop. Now the kitten food is the new larger 5 kg size bag but comes in at a hefty £31.99 (but it is far better value this time for larger size as it's £12.99 for 1.5kg). So in order to have some chance (albeit a small one!) of making the budget I've taken out the value of the small bag purchased earlier in the month. This is done on the basis that when I said I'd start including their specialist food I'd contemplated a total of £26 for the month and haven't therefore allowed enough in the budget this month for both a large and small which would total £44.98. :eek: We'll see how we get on this month but I may need to rejig a bit next month to allow for it. Alternatively I could reduce the budget by £26 and then just leave it out. Hmmm, I'll ponder it. :think:

Anyway, sig is updated and I only have just under £90 _pale_ for the rest of the month. OH did just come in and confidently say that we wouldn't need anything else for the week now. But I think we'll need milk later in the week. We shall have to see.

He also went to the C**p to get some G&B choc for the brownies and its on offer. And I wanted some lentils (all the discussion yesterday and the lovely looking soup recipes in the list on front page) so he can start making me soups for my snap (lunch in work) now autumn is most definitely here. The other item was lasagne verdi 'cos neither the MrT or MrM near my work sell it, only the white one.

Right off to make choc brownies. Tomorrow will be apple cooking day as I want (no need ) baked apple and I really fancy that Eve's pudding, :drool: thank XSpender. Typical isn't it? I bought bramleys on Thursday and then a friend brings me a bagful on Thursday evening! :doh:Never mind, can't have too many! :rotfl:

Enjoy the rest of the weekend everyone.

Take care,
Spigs

Long_tall_sally

Thanks Diflower, Angelatgraceland, X-spender and poppy-glos for all the ideas on the apples. I was wondering if I could freeze some of them but thought that I would have to stew them first. I particularly though like the sound of the apple scones & the Eve's pudding so will have a try tomorrow at those.

My car battery got fixed yesterday so it didn't turn out to be a no spend day in the end as DD wanted to make cookies last night so I went to the Co op & of course got other bits while I was there such as one of the chickens on offer, some Aero moussses on BOGOF, 8 whoopsied rolls & coleslaw, coca cola & chocolates for Halloween. I will need milk soon which either means paying the extortionate prices at the Co op or driving into town to go to Farm Foods which kinda of isn't worth it cos of the petrol cost.
Going for a curry tonight and tomorrow not having a roast as there is only OH & me here so will have something quick & cheap instead.
Oh NSD today. I do have a few!

pepsi-kins

Hi All,
I've been very good this week and not spent a great deal, I'm at £103.09 from a total of £175. I did go to the C*-op to get a couple of chicken, and got a few other bits that we will need through the week, so shouldn't need much else at all this week.

Long tall Sally - don't know if all C*-ops sell it, but I bought 2litres of milk today for £1 its called Fresh n Lo, semi-skimmed.

Have a good week all x

mrsbowie

anyone know what aldi's super 6 is for next week? going to make apple pie tomorow with frozen apples I bought in ff and frozen puff pastry Mr A is selling for £1, it;s the ready rolled sheets

sharronej

NickJW wrote: »

Hi All

I got the Homeprid.e 3 for 1 sauces on offer - I never usually buy ready made sauces, but I thought I would give 3 a go, since they work out as 47p each so they can be a quick and easy meal after work

Thank you for this, I never look at the Sainsbugs site but we do use the Homepride sauces - fabulous for throwing in the slow cooker before work (I work 6.30am - 6pm and then three nights a week we're back out before 7pm). Anyway I've ordered 45 for £19.88 (will last for months):j I also ordered three boxes of dishwasher tabs and some frozen veg. So the unexpected order came in at £44.80 inc delivery. I've had a couple of major spends this week so I've altered my signature to a monthly rather than weekly total, just so that it will hopefully make more sense....of course if I end up with a fiver to last me the last week it may not seem such a good idea! :rotfl:

freakyogre

£2.33 spent in Coop on my way home. I went in for milk and noticed they had packs of 8 Cumberland sausages reduced to 49p, so got 3 packs. I'm going to have fun getting them in the freezer later/tomorrow!

nattyt

This is my first month at this challenge and already think i've way overspent! Its bl@*dy ridiculous!! :eek: Went to local shop on way back to friends as needed something quick and ended up spending £14. Thats on top of what i spent on Thursday in Mr T which was around 50 quid. Need to add it all up. Keeping all receipts and spending diary. I know that this is one of my areas of complete overspend. Going to make soups this week for lunches which i won't have bread with (dieting!) and Twinks hobnobs and other treats for kids as not stepping foot in shop until i HAVE to!!

katholicos

Today was a no spendy day and home baked bread and soup from the freezer were on this evenings menu.

CupOfChai

Hello everyone, updating for the week here. Spent £15.60 of the grocery budget yesterday, another £10 today (couldn't carry everything at once so had to do two trips!), and got a takeaway for tonight which I include so that's another £6.70. That makes a total of £32.30, bringing my total spend for the month up to £48.30 so far.

Aaargh more than half the budget spent and it isn't halfway through the month yet! AND I still have to get peppers at some point next week, the store had none of the bags of Value peppers that I wanted so going to see if there are more another day, and if not I'll have to get some other ones. Unfortunately they seemed to have stopped stocking the Value bag and had out some own brand bag which is new to that store, but I don't want those, I am convinced they are more expensive than the Value and there weren't any green ones in them, I want red and green peppers!

Bit pleased on another count though, I managed to bag some of those dried cranberries that are on BOGOF at Mr T. Not counting them in the challenge as they are for making Xmas presents, so Xmas budget not grocery, but yay all the same. At this rate I might even have enough left over to make something for a gift at next year's Xmas as well!