July 2011 Grocery Challenge

emmad5689

69chick wrote: »

Hi again all. was just wondering if I can pick your brains.. I am trying to get into the habit of more baking and cooking of deserts for my lot who are pud lovers (and I don't like keep buying the ready stuff all the time) have had some success but I want to be able to just bung some cakes in the oven like a lot of people on here seem to do rather than make a big deal of it iyswim.. anyway am wanting to get a recipe for chocolate cake that I can either do in a round tin or maybe in a fairy cake tin. Can any of you give me any ideas? I have searched a bit around the net and on here but there seem to be so many different variations...

Any recipes/tips would be appreciated

For a bog standard chocolate cake I do the normal victoria sponge mix 4,4,4 and 2 or 6,6,6 and 3 but replace 1oz of flour with 1oz drinking choc. I'm lazy when it comes to cakes, I throw everything in the bowl whisk and then ask a bit of cold water so that it is runny enough to fall slowly from a spoon, must do OK noone has ever complained about my cakes and they hever seem to last long!!

CRANKY40

£44.79 spent this week, but that includes milk for a 6 year old that should have his own personal cow. He does only drink milk or water though, so I suppose it's healthy enough. I'm sticking with the slimming world thing more or less (sometimes more, sometimes less) and have lost another 1.5lbs this week.

69chick once you have made your fairy cakes a few times it will be habit and you will be able to do it without even thinking too hard about it. If I'm in a lazy mood I throw everything in the bowl together...100g SR flour, 100g sugar, 100g butter or marg, 2 eggs and a spoonful of baking powder. Add a large tablespoonful of cocoa powder and a little bit of water or milk.... mix for a short while...and you shall have cake.

karen_is_trying

well done on ur loss cranky40 slimming world really is amazing when you dont stick to it 100 % u still lose dont you, of course 100% would be better but life is for living too eh...

mrA and mrT came yesterday so another £79.10 but well stocked up now probably only milk needed for weekend x

[Deleted User]

Well almost the end of the week and only one days shop out of eight so I'm really pleased with myself.I am working my wau through the food mountain and hoping I can stay away from the shops for at least another week.I have enough veg and fruit to last me and eneough milk until at least thrursday then at a pinch I could use some UHT that i have instead of being tempted at the shops .we have a big family BBQ at my eldest DDs this Sunday for my DGDs birthday so I know eldest DD will send me home with lots of left over as she knows I hate to chuck anything out .
I am pleased so far at how July is panning out and haven't felt the need to pop my head around a shop doorway yet.We all seem to be very focussed this month.
well done everyone
JackieO xx

[Deleted User]

uropachild wrote: »

I do have a question though, which you guys might be best to answer for me. I currently buy the meat that is on offer in Mr T's at 4 packs for £12. I just buy it and then section off into meal size portions and freeze. Is it good value this meat? I've not tried a butchers as i always assumed it would be more expensive, but we do have a butcher in the village. Am i wrong in assuming? Would i be better buying from the butcher? Or is there another supermarket that i could try for better value meat? We don't have a costco or makro nearby, so driving there would probably be a false economy.

Thanks! xx

pop into your local butcher and make a friend of him Most butchers are very helpful and will show you whats good value to buy .I try to buy mostly from my local chap and he is a diamond .Like most men they love to show off their knowledge so a little bit of eye-batting;) goes a long way towards getting some helpful knowledge.my local chap will always tell me when he has something in season coming in.Mind you I am lucky as he buys most of his meats locally and stocks rare breeds, well worth cultivating though.Supermarkets can be a bit hit and miss and I would rather have less meat of better quality, than stuff that is wrapped in plastic in trays

boultdj

A small spend yesterday of £11.20

Winged_one

I had to get milk last night so picked up most of the bits we'll need for the weekend. Another €31 spent, which includes €4 in M&S (I got chicken legs for my lunch today, which comes from my "weekly allowance" money, and for an extra €4, I got 2 packs of BBQ chicken wings which are tasty!!), and then Mr SV for milk (including lullaby milk and buttermilk for pancakes!!), biscuits, orange squash, buns, packets of dried fruit for DD (she eats them and we use large packs at home but the snack packs are too handy for going out - and she WILL eat those instead of sweets/choc, so worth it to me!), and some seeds. Actually - yes, 2 packets of seeds need to come back OFF the total!! Yay!!

Haven't planned the menu yet, probably either a nasi goreng tonight or takeaway, definitely bacon and cabbage over the weekend, a goats cheese, chicken and pasta dish one night next week and I have loads in the freezer to use up too.

Oh, and sowing spinach, broad beans and spring cabbages is on the plan too for the weekend (and re-roofing the shed!).

emmad5689

Morning all, been to Ald* this morning as I wanted some salad and it's on the super six and I bought a couple of other bits, I have worked it out when I hgot home (sad I know) What I got for £6.62 in Ald* would have cost me £9 in Mr A which I think it disgusting. Wish we could afford to spend more in there but I have got into the habit of using my mams credit card for groceries (additional card on her account so have to pay in full every month) so haven't really got the cash outlay to do it, am going to try and spend a bit more each week in there and therefore less with go on credit card and should be able to use a little more cash each month I hope. Mr A delivery later and gotta go to Mr T disc*unt store and B n M later so big spends today.

rachbc

emmad5689 wrote: »

Morning all, been to Ald* this morning as I wanted some salad and it's on the super six and I bought a couple of other bits, I have worked it out when I hgot home (sad I know) What I got for £6.62 in Ald* would have cost me £9 in Mr A which I think it disgusting. Wish we could afford to spend more in there but I have got into the habit of using my mams credit card for groceries (additional card on her account so have to pay in full every month) so haven't really got the cash outlay to do it, am going to try and spend a bit more each week in there and therefore less with go on credit card and should be able to use a little more cash each month I hope. Mr A delivery later and gotta go to Mr T disc*unt store and B n M later so big spends today.

We used to do our food shopping on credit card - going to aldi was the reason we swapped to a cash system and its been the best thing we have ever done - we spend loads less, aren't building up debt and are managing everything better as a result

mrsrobertson

£2.54 spend yesterday on bread, rolls (reduced to 49p) and a sandwich filler seeing as doggy ate all hubby's ham :rotfl: