January 2011 Grocery Challenge

cha97michelle

I am up to spends of £136.56/190 for the month. A lot of this was Costco at the weekend as i stocked up on toilet rolls and kitchen roll. I realised later that i calculated the cost of the kitchen rolls wrong and it wasn't a bargain at all, but never mind. I will learn from it.

The good news is i won't be shopping again till next week. We are away at the weekend so MIL will feed us on Saturday and Sunday, and i definitely have enough stuff in the pantry and freezer to do all main meals for the rest of the month. We will need some meat for DHs packed lunch, some fresh fruit and veg.

Meals for the rest of this week will come from the bag of mince i got out the freezer today. 3 meals from it at least for the 4 of us. I will do some of the usual padding. I think i will try some brown lentils this time though. I normally use some soya mince which tastes fine but looks anaemic but we have run out.

69chick

I am going to join you all in February as I am already way over my intended budget for January (currently on damage limitation)

I just wanted to ask, I have 3 young children (and a dh) and was wondering if any of you in similar circumstances could give any advice about making the budget go further...I know there is loads on here and I regularly have a long reading session for tips etc. but even when I am trying to be really good I know I could do a lot better..

I estimate at the moment I am spending around £400 a month on groceries and I tend to buy most things when they are on offer or if not from the basics range...

Anyway am planning on going for £300 for Feb (well it will be 21Jan to 21Feb for me) so I look forward to coming on here for all the usual helpful tips etc.

Keep up the great work all x

zebredy

Woohoo another NSD today, but weekdays are usually easier for me, its normally the weekends where I struggle but as my hubby is working Saturday and on Sunday I'm planning to go for a long walk with him then come back and play on the Wii, I think we should be ok

Does anyone on here have a link or recipe for cookies (plain ones) and chips?

Would love to use up some of the ingredients I have and make something nice for my OH plus we always have loads of potatoes at home and often a few go off before I know what to do with them (that even with putting some in a bowl of water for a few days to make them last longer)

Home made chips is something I have always wanted to try making in my gas oven...

If not don't worry. Have meal plan semi sorted for the week and done all the other things I need too, now this cold is driving me mad, I think I should head to bed lol..

angelatgraceland

Hippeechiq wrote: »

XSpender Embarrassingly, I don't know or understand how to do a spreadsheet, but I've created a very basic document in Notepad
with headings like CHILLED/DAIRY, BREAD, FRUIT & VEG, HOUSEHOLD, MEAT, STORE CUPBOARD, TOILETRIES and so on, and everytime I buy anything, I enter it under the appropriate column and then add each column up at the end of the month - it soon becomes apparent where your biggest expense lays - something like that may be helpful to you maybe?

If you opened Excel and did exactly the same-typing the items into the individual little boxes you would have a spreadsheet. If youve got excel I can send you a simple one just to try if you like. The magic of it is there is a clever little icon which you can click on and it totals it for you! Do give it a go-you may well be amazed!

Redkids
My fussy moggy is the same but as she likes whiskas pouches I also feed her the same whiskas tinned-in gravy-if that is the one you need. It may take a bit of searching for to get same brand and flavour and in gravy but it is 4 times the price to buy the pouches!!! A large tin is 400g and a pouch 100g approx!


Just redone my Asda order for Saturday-ok I really don't need it but its free delivery and I will be working loads so not have much time next week. Realised I must buy lucozade tomorrow for dh as he is having a barium thrusday and its recommended to take afterwards to give you a little energy after 24 hr fast! Bang goes the nsd,

rachelww1

Strayed off the meal plan for this week tonight but feeling ever so pleased with myself. Should have been fish/fishfingers chips & peas tonight, but my rubber chicken from sunday stretched further than I thought it would. So tonight me and DH had chicken broth with french bread, and with the rest of the french bread I made DS6 french bread pizza. Have 3 hm french bread pizzas left for tomorrow night now, so meal plan has been put back 2 nights. Now shouldn't have to go shopping til monday...yeah right :rotfl:

Baileys_Babe

zebredy wrote: »

Does anyone on here have a link or recipe for cookies (plain ones) and chips?

HM oven chips, I simply turn my oven to gas mark 6 (if I'm not sure what temp to use I use this) chop into chips, you may wish to peel them first, I used to now I don't bother and the children have never commented. coat in oil, I put a couple of tablespoons of sunflower oil in an old bread bag add chips and toss around a bit to coat. Tip chips on to a baking tray place in oven for 20 minutes, turn chips over bake for further 10 - 20 minutes, timings based on very chunky chips and my oven.

I'm sure someone else will come up with more comprehensible instructions in the morning, enjoy.

Baileys_Babe

Update of grocery spends for January:
Lidl:11.38 (this was mainly stocking up on toothpaste, A&H was on offer at 99p a tube normally at £2.50-3.00, plus couscous & chewing gum)
Sainsburys:£3.65 (Hallumi & matches)
Sandwich shop:£2.65 (OH last week, this week I have tried to prepare him better)

Total £17.68

I am absolutely useless at meal planning, even though I understand the theory, so instead this month I have been writing down our meals so I have something to base meal plans on in the future IYSWIM. Hopefully this will help sort out my inability to plan meals and I will manage a plan for a whole week :eek:

Candy_Belle

Morning All!

Just an ikkle spent yesterday

I**land - 6Pk Walkers £1.50
6Pk Yoghurts £2.00

Total £3.50

Now to update the siggy x
Have a good day everyone:)

MummyEm

DIdn't manage the NSD that I'd hoped for yesterday. In-laws came pver to look after kids but did not have enough for dinner for all of us so ended up having take-out. Spent around £25 will check and update sig a little later. Not too bad really as had plaaned take out for this weekend so won;t have that too. Also have plenty leftover so that's me and DH sorted for lunch today. Dinner will be toad in the hole today as that was planned for yesterday and snags are now defrosted.
Off to dose up on paracetamol as have woken up with very sore throat and ears, so I can get myself moving ...

cat_smith

Hoping to manage a NSD today. Hopefully can resist the lure of Mr T when I head to the garage.

Sent OH with packed lunch and dinner made of leftovers/freezer food. Think I can probably feed us both until middle of next week except for milk etc.

Leftovers soup made in SC overnight. Interesting colour but if I close my eyes it will probably taste great.