March Grocery Challenge Please Help!!!

moggins

Sarah it can be done, I had got a bit lazy in my old age but we need to do some work on the house so I have to start saving some money from somewhere.

A few years ago I was having to keep a family of 3 and 2 cats on £15 a week, that was when I really learned to shop and cook. I don't remember buying any ready made stuff, I even made squash when the grocer gave me a crate of oranges that were slightly past their best.

Most of the time a shopping list works well but don't be too rigid with it, if you spot something in the shop that is a huge bargain then think about what you have already in the cupboard that you could combine with it to make a meal.

ie this week for me

1 chicken @ £1.60 - chicken & mushroom pasta and chicken curry
1 smoked sausage @ £1.30 - Rissotto
2lb minced beef @ £1.50 - Chili and Spaghetti Bolognese
2lb Chicken Wings £1.00 - Buffalo wings
1 tin tuna - 39p - Tuna & Sweetcorn Pasta

That's meat and fish with every meal for £5.79, obviously you need to buy the bits to go with it, but if you have an asian shop near you, you can get large bags of rice for under a fiver and I get a huge bag of pasta from Tesco which only costs £1.20.

halloweenqueen_2

I based the £5 for fruit and veggies on 2 adults as the opening post and the fact I always manage to get a lot of cheapy stuff! Like i said the amounts could be changed i was just giving a rough estimate based on a weeks budget - i didn't do a nutrition report - personally I wouldn't spend a fiver on desserts.
Last week i bought two nets on oranges for 89p on bogof, brocoli 59p, swede 33p, mushrooms 89p 2 bags of apples £1.38, rhubarb 89p, carrots 79p, reduced brussels 25p which is £6.01. But that was allowing for some left over from week before and a family of four not the two I based the week on.

LearningToSave.

tiff,
where do you get cheap fruit and veg from?? are there any markets around in bristol and if so where?? at the moment i either use our local shop or asda at cribs causeway but it always seems dear compared to what other people,yourself included seem to get for their money!!
and does anyone know how to make soup?? i have swede,carrots,mushrooms in fridge that are looking like they wont be any good after today....would make soup if i knew how!!! jeez can you tell im new to this cooking lark

Ticklemouse

LTS - soups are so easy and it's just trial and error to find one you like. I always soften onions first then add whatever veg I have lying around - carrots, swede, potatoes, leeks, etc etc. Just add stock of your choice - veggie or chicken. Use lemon juice to bring the flavour out as this cuts down on the amount of salt you'll need. Just cut your veggies into small pieces, cover in liquid and simmer until soft, then blitz if you want it smoother. You can also buy bags of pulses/barley cheaply and use these to pad out your soup.

I would perhaps watch out for adding mushrooms to everything else. They tend to make the soup grey and can be offputting if you're not used to it - unless you have enough just to make a mushroom soup.

Yesterday I made a tomato soup (in slow cooker, but could be done on the hob)
Soften finely diced onion and carrot, added 3 tins chopped tomatoes, 1 1/2 pints chicken stock (could use veggie) large pinch of basil (I used frozen) S&P to taste (add at end) Cook, blitz to make smooth. Add milk/cream if wanted. Even kids who initially went 'yuk' came and had some.

Galtizz

Mushers - have a look at Lidl too, there veg is often much cheaper then supermarkets and I find the quality is better too.

Also, don't forget that your 5 portions can be made up in different ways for example; I add fruit to cereal, I often buy a pack of frozen berries and it lasts ages, Have a glass of fruit juice with breakfast, make veg. soup for lunch as well as adding cheap veg items like carrots to bolognese chillies and sausage casseroles.

LearingToSave - there is a soup recipes thread here:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=8146

I made MATH's french onion soup first (2nd page) 1/2 way down. It is really, really easy and yummy. I now have soup for lunch most days now, I've got broccoli and stilton today.

I think one of the biggest ways I've saved is not wasting stuff. I plan everything and only buy what I need. As soon as I get home I put any meat in the freezer (unless I'm using it that day). I use up left over and manky bits of veg in soup for lunch instead of throwing it and buying more.

tiff

LTS, I buy fruit and veg from a fruit and veg shop in Keynsham. They have a section where over ripe fruit and veg is reduced and they sometimes have some good bargains. This kind of stuff I go home and use straight away. I made a lovely garlicky tomato sauce for pasta with some squishy tomatoes that I got for 20p. Sometimes they have soft peppers in a bag for 20p. The normal priced fruit and veg is cheaper than supermarkets apart from peppers that are £1.48 a bag compared to Tesco value peppers which are 98p. There is a Farmers Market in Corn street every Wednesday but I havent been to it yet.

r.mac_2

I always have frozen peas in the house and seem to add them to everything. I think they are cheap, quick and a great standbuy.

*great in risotto
*use in pasta sauce to add colour
*nigella uses them to make a sauce accompaniment for lamb - just cook and semi blitz (so there is some texture left) adding some garlic and creme fraich
* place frozen peas in pan add chopped onion, put on litd and heat gently for 10-15 mins. this is delicious with fish.

hope this helps
r.mac

fazer6

I have frozen sweetcorn for the same reason mac.

My local market does swedes for 20p so I add a bit to each casserole I'm doing. Things like lentils and dried peas also add a bit of nutritional value and bulk out meals to make them last longer.

Cabbage is cheap too, 30p from the market I think, so I'm thinking of getting one if I can think of something imaginative to do with it. Someone suggested stirfrying it with cinamon I think.

LearningToSave.

oooohhhhhhh do you know what time the farmers market is tiff??

tiff

Its 9.30 till 2.30 Found this small bit about it here

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly/story/0,9950,1145650,00.html