December 2010 Grocery Challenge

Rebelle

Hello everyone :wave:

Another one here who has lurked for a long time but new to posting - have been reining in my food budget over the past year or so but think GC will help even more in 2011 - so please put me down for £50 for January - starting today and ending next pay day 26th Jan. Ambitious maybe for a newb, but with all of your help I should make it!

Haven't bought any groceries since Xmas Eve, did massive Xmas shop on 20th Dec (£270! :eek: But did include some pressies and all food & booze for over Xmas & New Year - and all of Jan I hope!), so should just need top ups of milk, bread, fruit & veg, maybe petfood. Only feeding myself & OH plus a dog and 3 cats and being so well stocked up think I should manage it, wish me luck! Will be following thread closely and stealing everyone's fab ideas! :T

AlwaysHappy

Hello there! can you put me down for £200 for January, seriously lost the plot this month so will tot up later (if I dare!).

mrs-moneypenny

cupboards and freezer are all full to bursting so the last three days have been NSDs:T

will go for £100 a week again next year so my budget will be £400 for january

intending to be far more savvy in the new year asnd follow more recipies and meal plans etc.

thank you to all who run and contribue to this thread

mummygems

Can I please have my Jan budget to show £375.00. I came in under budget by a couple of pounds this month but think that was more luck (and credit card xmas food shopping!) than judgement.

Thank you to everyone who makes this thread possible with all their hardwork. X

cat_smith

Reviewed my spending over 2010. Highly depressing. Averages of £600 a month for 2 people. Includes alcohol and small household items, but it needs serious pruning.

Can you put me down for £300 for January (cheating slightly as we have a holiday on half board already paid for, but I don't want it to be too much of a shock to the system :eek:

Even more fun. Now starts my 2011 bid to lose 3stone.

Is my husband going to recognise me or our finances by the end of the year?

Kazsaver

newbie to posting here

would like to join in with you all and set a target of 260 for the month of January

this is for a family of three adults and one child no pets
Have decided that 2011 is the year to sort out our finances and this challenge seems a good place to start
have been spending a lot more but have been trying to cut down over the last couple of months in anticipation of joining in with your monthly challenge

Kaz x

de1amo

so far we are at 275gbp so it looks like we will keep below last months total--somewhere in there my wife added my present to my daughter so its a presentable total!

rosieben

Main Meals & Side Dishes
Bacon and Cheese Fritatta with Tomato Salsa
Bacon and potato salad -Warm
Baked potato pizza
Baked Beans (home made) ... Baked Beans (home made)
Baked Bean Tart
Balsamic Braised Beef (adapted for WW)
BBQ Cannelini Beans with sausages
Bean Curry (Slow Cooker)
Beef - Brisket
Beef Casserole
Beef Curry Dopiaza (Delia recipe)
Beef Stifado (Jamie Olive recipe)
Beef Stroganoff
Beef and Root Veg Curry
Belly Pork
Bolognaise (Remoska)
Brie Burgers
Broad Bean Burgers
Burgers
Calzones
Cheese and Onion Flan
Cheese and Onion Fryits
Cheese Pie - School days recipes thread
Cheese Scones
Cheese and Lentil Loaf
Cheesy dough
Chicken Adobo
Chicken Cannelloni
Chicken - Cheat's Chicken Cassoulet
Chicken and broccoli bake
Chicken - Cheat's Chicken Lasagne in the SC
Chicken, Cheese, Ham and Brocolli Pie
Chicken and Chickpea Curry
Chicken Fried Rice
Chicken, leek and bacon pie / pasties
Chicken - Monker's Honey and Orange Chicken
Chicken - Parmesan Chicken
Chicken - Rubber Chicken (thread)
Chicken - Sticky Chicken
Chicken with Cannellini Beans
Chicken with Garlic, Cider & Cream
Chicken and Potato Curry
Chicken and Vegetable Slice
Chickpea Curry
Chilli....Chilli (2)...Chilli (Remoska)
Chilli Bean Tortillas
Chilli Chicken Ramen
Chilli Cheese Crostini
Chilli chicken with jasmine rice (BBC food)
Chinese Pork Balls & Sweet & Sour Sauce
Chinese style cabbage
Cobbler (topping) see below for Minced Beef with Cobbler Topping
Coconut Rice
Cod - Crunchy Topped Cod
Coleslaw
Coq au Vin (SW)
Corned Beef Hash - MrsMCawber's recipe
Corned Beef Pasties
Courgette Fritters (1) Courgette Fritters (2)
Courgette Pie
Courgette and Tomato Layer Bake
Couscous with chorizo & chickpeas (ext. link)
Cranberry & Soy glazed cocktail sausages
Creamy Chicken and Potato casserole
Creamy Lentil and Rice Dish (Khircheri) (BBC website)
Curry Sauce
Diet Coke Chicken
Duchesse potatoes
Dumplings - Mushroom Dumplings
Easy cheese biscuits
Faggoty Pea Stew
Falafel Burgers
Fajita Seasoning
Falafel burgers
Fishcakes
Fish Pie and Fish Pie
Fritatta
Fusilli with Broccoli
Haddock - Grilled haddock on lemon leek and pea rice
Ham Hock (slow cooker)
Ham Salad (sandwich filling) external link
Harry Potter Stew
Hummus and Garlic Pitta Breads
Indian curried pork patties recipe
Individual chicken pies
Jambalaya - Cheap and Cheerful Jambalaya
Keema and spinach pilau
Lamb curry and paratha
Lamb Hotpot
Lamb Tikka
Lasagne
Leek and Cauliflower Puree
Lemon Chicken
Lemon chicken with basil and tagliatelle
Lemon potatoes
Lentil Shepherds Pie
Liver and bacon pate
Liver and onions stir fry
Macaroni Cheese
Marrow - Veggie stuffed marrow .... Stuffed Marrow
Meatballs
Meatloaf (1) Meatloaf (2) Meatloaf (3)
Mediterranean Mince and Potato 'Pie'
Mediterranean Vegetable Pasta
Mince & onion pie
Minced Beef Curry
Mince - Mexican Style Mince
Minced Beef with Cobbler Topping
Mini Goat's Cheese, Pear & Walnut Quiche
Monday Pie
Moroccan Inspired Braised Chicken (ext. link)
Moussaka
One Pot Beef and Red Wine Pasta (adapted for WW)
Onion Bhaji ....... Onion Bjahis
Open top 'pizza' pie
Pasta with Tomato Sauce ....... Pasta and Sauce
Pasta Cheese and Onion Bake
Pease pudding
Pizza / Pizza Base Recipe / Pizza Base
Pork - Slow Cooker Chinese Pork (adapted for WW)
Pork Burgers with Salad
Pork and Beef Meatballs
Pork Ribs - cooking and sauces
Pork Steaks in Mustard and Cider Sauce
Potatoes - Slow Cooker Jacket Potatoes
Potato, Bacon and Onion Hotpot
Potato bake
Potato Kebabs
Potato layer bake - with cheese, leeks and stock
Potato layer bake - with cheese, onion and white sauce
Potato layer bake - with chorizo and bacon
Potato layer bake (Teisen datws)
Potatoes - Lemon Potatoes
Potatoes - Roast Potato Rosti
Potatoes - Twice Baked Potatoes
Potato Wedges, Home Made
Quiche Lorraine
Refried Beans
Rice: Summer Rice Salad.....Rice Salad
Risotto:. Easy Risotto with Bacon and Peas .. Risotto - oven baked
Rumbledythumps
Russian Salad and Russian Salad
Salmon and Dill Fishcakes
Salmon - Thai steamed salmon
Sausage and Rice bake
Sausage and Stuffing Plait
Sausage and Tomato Spaghetti
Sausage Bean Stew
Sausage and Potato Roast
Sausage Casserole or Sausage Casserole or Sausage Casserole
Sausage Meat Patties
Savoury tarts - pastry-less
Smoked salmon soda breads
Smoked Salmon - Tagliatelle with Smoked Salmon
Spaghetti Bolognaise
Spaghetti with courgettes, tomato and brie
Spanish Rice with Chicken and Chorizo (adapted for WW)
Spicy Bacon and Tomato Pasta
Spicy Bean and Lentil Loaf
Spicy Bean & Sweet Potato Stew
Spinach pancakes
Steak and Kidney stew/pie filling
Steak Sauce - Quick Steak Sauce
Steamed Oriental Buns
Stifado - Beef Stew With Tiny Onions Recipe
Stuffing - MrsMcawber's recipe
Suet crust pie with quorn
Super Tasty Bacon, Bean and Sausage
Sweet & Sour Chicken/Pork
Sweet Potato and Pea Curry
TexMex Skillett
Thai green curry
Toad in the Hole
Tofu burgers
Tomato paste (external link)
Tomato sauce for Pasta Batch cook recipe or Tomato Sauce
Tuna Fish Mousse
Tuna Fishcakes
Tuna Lasagne
Turkey and Bubble and Squeak Pie
Turkey Pasta
Turkey Pasta Cacciatore
Vegetable Casserole
Veggie Chilli and some variations
Veggie Haggis
Vegetable Samosas
Walnut Sables
Yorkshire puddings

rosieben

Cakes, Biscuits, Sweets, Snacks & Desserts
Apple Braid
Apple delight
Apple Charlotte
Apple - Microwave Autumn Apple Cake
Apricot Flapjack bars
Baileys Chocolate Truffles
Bakewell Tart
Banana and Honey bread pudding
Banana Cake (bread)
Banana and lemon drizzle cake
Banana Muffins (wholemeal)
Banana Muffins
Banana and Walnut cake
Banana Ginger Parkin
Biscuit recipes (Owens3116 thread)
Blackberries - Grated Blackberry Bake
Branflake cake
Brownies
Bounty Balls
Bran Fruit Loaf
Bread & Butter Pudding ... Bread Pudding
Bulk pancake mix
Buttercream topping
Butterscotch squares
Caramel Shortbread (Millionaire's Shortbread)
Cheesecake - Misers white chocolate cheesecake
Cheese n marmite twists
Chocolate Biscuit Thins
Cheesy Biscuits
Chocolate and Pear Upside Down Pudding
Chocolate Brownies
Chocolate Concrete
Chocolate Coookies - Cheap and Easy
Chocolate Courgette Cake
Chocolate fudge
Chocolate Fudge Cake
Chocolate Krackolates
Chocolate Log - gluten free
Chocolate orange muffins see also Muffins
Chocolate pudding (microwave)
Chocolate pudding - self-saucing
Chocolate Trifle
Chocolate yoghurt cake
Christmas cake - baked bean tin size
Coconut Cake
Coconut Flapjacks
Coffee Fudge Frosting
Cookie Dough
Cornflake Tart
Courgette Tea Bread/Muffins
Cranberry And Chocolate Brownies
Currant Loaf
Custard Cookies
D&DD’s Apple Braid
Date, Nut and Oat biscuits
Easy Syrup Sponge Pudding
Eggless Chocolate Cake
Fifteens
Flaky Bars
Flapjacks and Flapjacks and Microwave Flapjacks
Fruit Cake
Fruit and Mascarpone dessert
Fudge Tart
Gingerbread Men
Ginger Raisin Crunches
Golden Syrup Tart
Gluten-free Chocolate Log
Healthy Snack Bars
Honey Frosted Buns
Honey Crunch Bars
Ice Cream - slimmers world - Mint Ice Cream
Iced Buns
Impossible Coconut Pie
Jam Buns
Jammy Buns (1) ...Jammy Buns (2)
Key lime pie
Krispie marshmallow bars
Lemon and Cranberry Muffins
Lemon cakes
Lemon Curd Cake
Lemon Curd Ice-Cream jenid's / MoneySavingDiva's
Lemon Drizzle Cake
Lemon Flan
Magic Lemon Pudding
Malt Bread
Marshmallow Crunch Bars
Marshmallow Squares
Mascarpone and Lime Torte
Mascarpone Ice-cream
Millies Cookies
Mince Squares
Miini Krispie Christmas Puddings
Muffins: Basic Recipe / Chocolate Orange Muffins (1) / Chocolate Orange Muffins (2) / Fool proof Muffins Gingerbread Muffins / Kiwi Muffins / Sticky Date Muffins / Strawberry Muffins / Toffee Apple Muffins
No fat sponge
Oatmeal Biscuits (Be-ro Website)
Oaty Pancakes
Oaty Shortbread Biscuits
Orange and Poppy Seed Cake
Peach Cobbler (Slow Cooker recipe)
Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut Butter Fudge
Petits Pots au Citron (Little pots of lemon)
Pineapple, Fried
Pineapple Sponge Cake (using tinned pineapple)
Rhubarb and Orange Jelly
Rice Pudding ....Rice Pudding in the Slow Cooker
Rock Buns
Scones ... Scones
Scotch pancakes
Spiced Apple Bars
St Peter's Mud Pie (no cooking required)
Sticky gingerbread
Sticky toffee apple crumble
Teacakes
Twink’s Hobnobs
Weetabix Brownies
Weetabix Cake
Weetabix Fruit Loaf
Wonderbites
Yoghurt: Homemade yoghurt, Slow Cooker Yoghurt
Yoghurt Cake (the easy way)

rosieben

Soups
Bacon and Carrot Soup
Broccoli and Cheese Soup
Carrot, leek and butterbean soup
Carrot, parsnip and lentil soup
Celery Soup
Cheats Minestrone
Chicken & Sweetcorn Soup
Courgette & Tomato Soup
Cream of Tomato Soup
Curried Parsnip Soup
Gammon and lentil soup
Ham and Lentil Soup
Iced cucumber soup
Leek and Lentil Soup
Leek and Potato Soup
Lentil - Golden Lentil Soup
Moniker’s Leek and Potato Soup
Leek and sweet potato soup
Moroccan Chickpea and Broad Bean Soup
Onion Soup
Oxtail Stew + Oxtail Soup
Parsnip & Apple Soup
Pea & Ham Soup
Pumpkin Soup
Red Lentil Soup
Real Tomato Soup
Slow Cooker French Onion Soup
Soup - Red pepper, carrot & lentil soup
Spicy Carrot and Tomato Soup
Spinach Soup
Split Pea and Courgette Soup
Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup
Vegetable Soup



Pastry
The best mince pie pastry ever
Pastry economics
Making pastry
Basic pastry
Flaky Pastry (BBC Food)


Bread
Bagels
Baguettes
Banana Bread
Bara Brith (Welsh Tea Bread) Bara brith teabread
Basic white bread recipe (makes a 2lb loaf)
Bread - Mrs McC's recipe for Remoska
Breadsticks MrsM's / angelnikki's (No Salt Recipe)
Chapatis
Cheese, Onion and Herb Bread
Cheese & Potato Bread
Cheesy Bread Rolls
Chewy Soft Flour Tortilla
Chocolate Bread
Courgette Flatbread
Focaccia
Garlic Dough Balls
Herb Quick bread
HM Bread
Irish Soda Bread
Lahmachun
Malt Bread
Malt Loaf
Naan Bread .. see also .. Curry Queen's ...... Mrs McCawber's ...... OrkneyStar's
Oatmeal bread
soft bread rolls
Super Seedy Bread


Dips, Jams & Chutneys and Drinks
Alioli / Traditional allioli
Bean Pickle
Beetroot and Apple Chutney
Brown Sauce
Chilli Jam
Elderberry cordial
Feisty Rhubarb Relish
Jams & Preserves
Lemon Squash
Miser's Marmalade
Onion - Caramelised Onion chutney
Onion Marmalade
Piccalilli - Diva's pick a lilly
Pineapple Salsa
Riata - Mint, yoghurt and Cucumber Dip
Tomato/Chili Salsa
Red Tomato Chutney
Spiced Apple Chutney
Tomato Chutney
Mango Chutney
Xmas Chutney


Top Tips (OS threads)
Batch cooking ideas
Cheapest recipes? links to various OS threads, thanks Pink!
Complete Menu Plans Collection
Cooking for the Freezer
Frozen food safety - misconceptions
Grocery Challenge Top Tips
Laundry Washing Gel/ Gloop, Fab conditioner, vinegar.....
Meal building blocks for the freezer
Microwave Recipes
Mr Badexamples Cooking Index


External links
Batch Bake Minced Beef Recipe
Easy and Cheap Biscuits (DowntoEarth forum)
Cheap Family Recipes (our own Weezl's excellent site) and the Christmas Menu here
How to feed your whole family a healthy, balanced diet... (Webook)
List of conversions
Love Food Hate Waste website
Jamie Oliver Recipes
Show Jamie How To Cook On A Budget Champagne Contest
10 Great Tips for starting out with meal planning


Home Made Dog Biscuits
Home Made Dog Biscuits (2)

Homemade Play Dough