January 2011 Grocery Challenge

minnie2

Pernicious wrote: »

What else can you use them for? I have 1001 different products for different things & am interested to know if I could swap at least some of them out for just one product!

washing - i think its says add 50g to drawer - ive never measured.
They also do limescale - so youll never have to de-scale your machine either.

cleaning - they sort out drains - think you are suppose to make a paste stick it down plug hole wait for a bit and flush through with water- i just pour dry crystals around and down plug hole and pour hot water down.Done this last sunday at a friends and she was amazed worked a treat.

you can make them into a paste for limescale in general i think.Also use them for general cleaning.there are some uses stated on the packets.

I use soda crystals to clean toilet too.Cant think of what else at min.

i cant use chemicals so they are great. For all other cleaning needs lemon juice and bicarbonate of soda are good!!

bicarb the carpets - gets rid of odour and freshens
lemon juice and bicarb the fridge for odour
half a lemon stuck on your taps does the limescale etc
bicarb for general cleaning - gentle abrasive etc
lemon juice and water for microwave
bicarb and water for floors

cat_smith

Bad Bad Cat. Late trip to the deli on Saturday night. They do a wonderful Venison and Cherry pate. Bought a whole one for the freezer, also some brie that was walking out of the door. Totally unecessary spend. Oh well - still been very good so far. Plenty of NSD's and have definitely spent less than usual.

bella121984

Morning everyone! Im trying to do my meal plan and shopping for the next 2 weeks and I have realised I spend a fortune on stuff for DS lunchbox. I have been buying those fruit bars which are one of your five a day, planet lunchbox I think they are called, they do smoothies and all sorts, but they are so expensive! He loves them, and I know he will eat them, where as if I put an apple in there he will have a bite and thatll be it. He usually has a sandwich and some cucumber/pepper/cheese or something, with maybe a mini breadsticks too, and a yogurt if I have any and one of those fruit bars or smoothies instead of fruit...what do your kids have in their lunchboxes?

lotti379

Up to £131/£200 so far... should be ok hopefully! I suspect we'll go over by a little, it depends if there is a good deal on beer for Mr L or not...

Pernicious

minnie2 wrote: »

washing - i think its says add 50g to drawer - ive never measured.
They also do limescale - so youll never have to de-scale your machine either.

cleaning - they sort out drains - think you are suppose to make a paste stick it down plug hole wait for a bit and flush through with water- i just pour dry crystals around and down plug hole and pour hot water down.Done this last sunday at a friends and she was amazed worked a treat.

you can make them into a paste for limescale in general i think.Also use them for general cleaning.there are some uses stated on the packets.

I use soda crystals to clean toilet too.Cant think of what else at min.

i cant use chemicals so they are great. For all other cleaning needs lemon juice and bicarbonate of soda are good!!

bicarb the carpets - gets rid of odour and freshens
lemon juice and bicarb the fridge for odour
half a lemon stuck on your taps does the limescale etc
bicarb for general cleaning - gentle abrasive etc
lemon juice and water for microwave
bicarb and water for floors

Thank you I will definitely be purchasing all of these!

boysma

Morning all

Another 9.97 please to my total. Can i ask if i can change my budget to 200.00 as it was originally based on the three of us? DS1 is back home again for the forseeable future. Sorry for the hassle:o

kippers

bella121984 wrote: »

what do your kids have in their lunchboxes?

Today in my DD1's lunch box is Apple juice (squeezed from my tree at allotment in Sept then frozen), lump of cheese, a few olives, fruit-tinned pineapple today, roll-chicken mayo today

Not so healthy is my DD2's lunch box...Jam roll (h/m jam though so hopefully more fruit than shops own, Crisps, h/m brownie and chopped up apple (in lemon juice to keep it from going brown)


Hopefully it's a NSD today again. We are having 'Chilli' with jacket potatoes tonight (chilli from the freezer ready made so it only takes 10 mins to microwave to reheat so nice and easy tea for me). I have some cabbage and carrots to serve at the side too.

I found a whoopsied cherry pie in my freezer so we will have that too...yum yum

Sat down and wrote a list of things we would like to work towards in the house/garden etc. It wasn't too long but very expensive...so i must keep working at the grocery challenge (and keep cutting back where ever we can). After paying everything we owe back (now £731) we need to save towards a new bathroom as it's terrible in there. The bath has been in the house since it was built in the 1930's i think and the sink moves if you lean a little on it. Heaven knows how much it will all cost. I also really want chickens in my back garden...hey ho...one day

Anyway, hopefully my dream list will keep me going

SuziQ1962

Originally posted by Freakyogre

69p spent on a bag of porridge oats. More than usual as had to go to Coop (the only real shop here) but I have some eggs to use so will make two lots of these later to freeze.

Any suggestions for using up some Doritos? I usually love them, but these are the fajita and tikka flavour and are SO strong to just eat as they are. I don't really want to chuck them out, so am hoping for some good ideas!

Thanks for the oats recipe -I have been looking to find savoury recipes for oats and this looks nice-did find one for white pudding but it had sooo much fat it in it and as I am trying to lose weight it was a non starter :-)
Use your doritos as a topping (Scrunched up) for a pasta bake

MummyEm

Dropped in to Mr T to get little pressie for friends new baby. Ended up spending £17.26 but only £6.26 will count as rest is the present which is a seperate budget. Not too bad really picked up 2 lots of shreddies 95p each, reduced quiche 89p which will do me and kids for tea one day this week, bananas (we get through 3-6 a day!!) and also 2 energy saving light bulbs which I will include as my GC budget is really a 'housekeeping' type budget. This did get me thinking thiough that I will also include £4 I spent ealier in the month on cookingware and batteries in £land as these come under the same category really. Also have decided not to include my spend from 31/12/10 as I want to run my month per calendar month so gives me a current total of £307.47

Must do mealplan for this week, been a bit slack as DH is away and I'll eat anything from freezer etc. but need to make sure kids are getting enough veggies and also have inlaws staying later in week and if I don't mealplan and cook something from freezer, I'll end up buying finest readymeals for them :eek:

Penny-Pincher!!

Hi Guys!

Not sure if anyone else has noticed this but in Mr M but OH bought some of their own label "marmite"...its the same size as a £3.98 pot for £1.66 and is exactly the same product basically. Now what I'm going to do as my DD LOVESSSSS her marmite and has done since she was a baby is move over Mr M's one to the original marmite jar. Sneaky but as she's had it for the last few days and not noticed, she will refuse to eat if in the other pot:D

Another £27 spent this week and our F&V box is free:j:j:jso will cancel this now. Mr M have 9 FR eggs for £1.50, Mango 50p, carrots 49p, 380g mature cheddar £1.79, Best sausages £2, tropicana £1.05, muller corners half price, cottage cheese (value) not tried this one before 44p and some other bits.

Used up the last of the mushrooms from last weeks box in a spagbol sauce for dinner and enough to freeze for another meal. Yesterday OH made a lovely soup using left over courgettes, peppers, onions, carrots etc which he roasted and added to stock with a tin of black eyes peas (OOD last year) then blended and we have enough for about 8 double portions.

PP
xx