August 2011 Grocery Challenge

annem38

well, not been on here all week, but just added everything all up and comes to £59.94, not too bad as been to lid* and the pound shop and just been on amazon and spent £23 on bloomin' catfood, so not too shabby as far as i am concerned

next week think i will have to have a trip to mr s as i have a £4 off £20 spend voucher that i don't want to lose, prob get their meat for a tenner or something that will freeze well, normally i would have spent it on toiletries or household cleaners but now that i am trying to use up the stack of stuff that i already have, the bills are falling dramatically (i've got 3 spray cleaners that can only be used for cleaning the bathroom apparently!)

right must be off, neighbour gave me some windfall apples so have a crumble just coming into its own as i type, can't wait, now know there is something better than crumble and custard and thats a free one :j

anne

rising_from_the_ashes

rosieben wrote: »

I don't take any notice of use by dates on the stuff in my freezer. I have meat and other things in there from last year - would have been longer but I changed freezers so used it all up. As long as its wrapped properly and the freezer is working properly, food will last indefinitely.

There's a discussion about it here

And a very good thread on Frozen food safety - misconceptions which has an interesting link to the USDA advice about refreezing food.

Rosieben, thanks for the links - still working my way through buy some very interesting (and "putting mind at rest") comments so far.

miaoww wrote: »

Hi guys , been lurking around this site for a while but as i assumed i managed to feed the family for about £200-£250 a month never really took part - just collected this months receips and totaled them up and came to £410!

Welcome Miaoww, that was me too! So easily done, if it's just a bit here & there and the odd big shop thrown in too!

Long_tall_sally wrote: »

I may however go back in the co op this week to get another lot of the Ariel gel that is on sale at £4 as opposed to £7 normally.

Popped into mine earlier in the week with the same idea & they haven't got it:mad:. I know it's a wee store and they can't have everything but it's very frustrating when you get the leaflet with the offers put through the door, go and find they don't have 1/2 of them!

boultdj

:wave:Welcome back Hippeechiq

And I'v spent another £31.80 beteen Mr.M + Mr.T.

helen_jelly

Been to MrT today and got a few bits and lots [and I mean lots] of their reduced Gardening bits

Hello Hippeechiq - lovely to see you back here

Helen x

TizerCat

Hi folks! just popping in to say am up to £43.34 with my 2nd weeks shopping so all good so far

rej-c

Just updating with today's spends - £5.55 at the deli [I was feeling a bit sorry for myself and wanted, rather than needed, a couple of lazy-vegan items for fridge and freezer] and £6.88 at Mr T [various things, including bread and a decent haul of whoopsied veg - not least a 5kg sack of onions for 75p that I'm going to split with our housemate.

I'll be chuffed if we get through half of the sack before they start to turn, tbh; but if we manage clear a bit of space in the packed freezer in the next few days we'll get some prepped and bagged and stashed in there, save wasting any.

Anyway, total came to a bit over my intended 'no more than a tenner' spend, but that was basically down to the deli indulgence. Never mind, it wasn't over by much, and it will all get eaten.

Aiming for NSDs on Monday and Tuesday, but we'll see whether reality agrees

I've just realised that I can count yesterday as an NSD - I did do a bit of shopping, but less than £15-worth [incl. more clearout bargains from Superdrug], and nothing from the grocery budget - it was all 'pocket money' stuff. Off to update my sig accordingly...

medsdemon

Have to add £7.38 for a shop at Sains, £4.10 at al*is & £3.99 at the local nisa today. Did buy eggs and butter for OH's baking, milk, green lentils, onions, potatoes, fruit juice, coffee, bananas.......I think that's it. I definitely think I'll be way over budget this month...not sure why it seems to be spiralling, It's all my little top-up shops. Next month I shall have to rethink my planning!!!!
Spent a pretty miserable day batch cooking today, and made from my lentil base a huge shepherdless pie for the freezer and a single one for a solo dinner, a pasta bake for tomorrows dinner, and with leftovers made stuffed peppers for our dinner tonight...very yummy. OH baked GF banana bread to last him the week for snacks and he has portions of last nights left over coconut dahl and rice for his lunches this week. So I think I'm leaving them set up for the week .

Off down to England to visit my mum for a week so won't be posting and hoping that OH doesn't go too mad with the grocery budget.

quintwins

morning all today is a nsd we have no milk or bread but i'm resisting the urge to go buy some the kids just had porridge and oranges for breakfast, gonna get soem baps from the freezer for lunch and dinners going to be breaded chicken fillets with beans and mash, we had chinese last night mainly because i feel asleep and oh was lovely and put the kids to bed and let me sleep but he didn't know wat to do with no milk or bread so he went and got chinese lol it was very sweet of him really

Isca

Ooh please can I join? I will aim for£250 for the month which is hopefully achievable this month. This is for 2 adults and a baby (includes nappies, formula etc for baby).

Have already spent about £40, will go and find receipts to find the exact amount!

mandco

seriously need a good kick up the behind and get my act together lol just over a wk into the challenge and already spent way too much :mad:

had a reasonably good weekend spend wise only spent £5 sat on bread & toilet roll (our resident toilet roll gremlin seems to be at it again) and a nsd yesterday even though we were out of bread yet again :eek:
gotta pop to the shops later for more bread & squash but prob pop to the local corner shop ok its more expensive but hopefully wont be tempted to get anything else.

off to catch up as this thread moves so fast sometimes and havent been on this wk hopefully reading all your sucesses will give me the kick i need well i can live in hope lol