March 2011 Grocery Challenge

Laundry_Days

Updated the signature with the new total for the month. Spent £77.41 with MrT, £2 on eggs & £8.04 at L**l. Got some of the fruit bushes on offer so included them in the grocery spend as all the garden (food) plants we'll hopefully be eating one day!

Mothership

Cant remember where I saw this, it was a chef's tip for perfect bangers. It said to simmer link sausages for 5 min in water before frying to prevent splitting.
I tried it this morning. I was surprised at the amount of fat and white stuff that came out of the sausages.
Anyway went on to finish them off in a little veg oil( the skins brown quickly and evenly) and... PERFECTION!
It really works. I think if your making a sausage casserole this would be a good thing to do as well, it gets rid of most of the fat.

Went to Aldi yesterday and bought a savoy cabbage , a butternut squash, a cauliflower £2.03. Then popped into Waitrose for a pack of Couscous £1.19.
I'm really pleased with myself, I usually run around like a cat wi a cigarette end stuck in me b*m grabbing everything in sight. Those days are gone MrS. Your hold on me is gone forever LOL.:T:T:T

franby64

Morning

I manged to spend £10 at the local shops yesterday on milk, bacon, hot cross buns, apples, bananas and bourbons. I had picked up a bag of fries/chips but they came up on the till as £1.93 and I just baulked at the price and put them back! My kids like chips but not that much and I throw quite a few away. They are just not worth it (the chips not the kids ).

I usually just buy a couple of baguettes for lunch on a Saturday as everybody likes them and we eat them with whatever's in the fridge. I've got tea in so won't need much else today.

Rosiben , thankyou for the bacon dumpling recipe, my ex-neighbour used to mention making this and I always wondered what it actually was. Might give it a go.

Have a good weekend .

SpendlessKaren

I get paid on Tuesday and so am going to try meal planning and then keep receipts and a note of every penny I spend in the month to see just where I waste so much money. I am really looking forward to getting some control over our food bill and hope to be able to spend a good amount over the next few months. This thread is so inspiring

TheBees

Sorry I've not been on here for several days but still sticking to the plan to just shop online this month and not go into a supermarket.

First delivery from MrS came - I chose them because I had a £12 off a £60 shop which seemed pretty good. My total came to over £100 so I got free delivery and I'll be getting a £2 credit for one carton of 5 alive out of a multi pack that was bloated and obviously undrinkable when it was delivered.

Invited my parents round for Sunday lunch as they've been away travelling for 3 months in their motorhome.... about to make a trifle for pudding but no idea what to have for main course. May have to pop to the butcher for a roast.

Candy_Belle

Happy Weekend everyone!!!!!:j

Just a few spends to report from yesterday

A**a - £6.30
A**i - £20.29
Sainsbugs - £15.66

Doh! Spent more than I wanted too, but I'm determined that this will last us all week!!! (famous last words eh?)

Have a great day everyone!

quintwins

morning everyone, i'm hoping for a nsd today but it all depends on if i can keep hubby in the house, i doubt it tbh altho he's having a lie in so if i can keep him in bed that will help were having some reduced pancakes and cossiants for breakfast that i dug out of the freezer, i think i'll try boiling my sausages next time and see how it goes

SOT2011

Small shop yesterday in Mr S to get a couple of bits to tide us through to the weekly shop tomorrow, just £3.11 spent.

Off now to do the weekly plan and start building the food list that I will try very hard to stick to tomorrow.

XSpender

I hadn't realised how low on milk I was yesterday or that I had run out of plain flour so when DH went to get some beer at Mr S I grabbed a couple of bits.

£14.21 spent on a couple of tins for DS, flour, bread x 2, milk, a new razor system and blades for DH nd a tub of bot cream for DS to live at DMIL for when he is there 2 days a week from Monday. We normally get a big pack of blades from costco which are a fraction of the sm price but our membership ran out this month and to renew it and buy the blades would be £60:eek: So DH got a new type of razor and 3 blades for £5 and 5 spare blades (next month's budget as will be used then) for £5. So much cheaper than the fus1on ones he has now.

After that spend my budget has decreased to £157.72:D This is because I reviewed the spreadsheet this morning and I changed last month's to exclude alcohol spends but this month's spreadsheet was still including it in the formula that adds it all up.

That means I have almost £100 left and my fridge and freezers are bursting.

I have stuck to my meal plan all week for the first time ever and it is really helping. I really couldn't be bothered to make the pasties I had on last nights plan but I did and really enjoyed them. Also made 6 mini ones for DH lunch boxes, there were only 3 left 10 minutes after he walked in the door last night:mad: I made the innards for 3 quorn pies which just need topping and tomorrow I need to make more dinners for DS and 2 apple pies.

fedupandskint

Morning all!

Just debating what to bake this weekend - think I'll give the lemon drizzle cake a go from the recipe index, then its beef brisket pot roast for tea with mash and veg.

Also thanks for the bacon and suet recipe - might try this one evening next week