October 2011 Grocery Challenge

mollythewestie

I know I am a bit late this month, but we really need to start tightening our belts in more ways than one.
I have regularly been spending around £450 a month on food/nappies/health and beauty stuff and need to cut that right back.

So I am setting a budget of £340 for october. We have a freezer FULL of stuff including dozens of sausages from DH's friend who keeps pigs, so we will have a pork filled month I think!:rotfl:

lynneee

done my 'big shop' for the month in Mr M's, and spent £133.22, leaving me £91.78.

ragz_2

I'm up to £118 already! That includes an AF order I placed last night, mostly pasta... not sure if it actually works out that good when you include delivery but I couldn't help myself!

rising_from_the_ashes

meg72 wrote: »

Well the post arrived and in it a large brown official looking envelope, I couldnt be bothered to open it thinking it was probably bad news anyway.

Slept all afternoon so feeling a bit better and braver I opened it and am now quite stunned it seems I am offered several thousand pounds lump sum pension or more weekly pension.

If I take the lump sum my money worries are over

Meg - that's fantastic news!:D

nannygladys

Congrats to Meg, hope it makes you feel much better.

This week so far I have managed 2 NSD and my weekly total is upto 23.17 so as long as I dont really spend much (only have 1.83 left) I should come out OK, my week begins on a Friday, so its only tomorrow that I can spend, doesnt sound too bad when I when I put it like that but looks a bit pathetic in my purse!!!! Just put a lovely comforting stew on for tonights tea, then I will freeze whats left for another week, I love the comfort food!

ChasingButterflies

Urghh feeling rotten can't shift this bug, on the plus side I have managed to stick to the meal plan (and haven't suggested to DH that he goes to get a take-away because I CBA)

Tuesday £1.80 2 x sprite (I remembered juice/snacks for the kids but forgot about me!)

Wednesday £13.05 harvest festival tins, potato scones & toilet rolls.

MrsMum

My kids can't go trick or treating - we are quite isolated... Last year, just as DD1 was about to go out to her school party she came down with a bug and could not go - she was so upset. Halloween wasn't actually for a couple of days so I cobbled together a halloween themed evening. They dooked for apples, had a dancing competition and had to tell a joke etc... We had carved a pumpkin each for them, made squeamish squares, choclate ghosts and bugs with orange jelly and eyeball pasta for main course. I made toffee apples (badly!) but best of all DD3 started to walk

I can let you see recipes/pictures/links if you would like some ideas - I only really had 24hrs notice so it was very "homemade" looking :D

School run time again - best wishes to everyone.

Rainy-Days

Big spend day for me today:-

Morrisons = £17.88

Tesco = £49.94

Lidl = 22.16

Total spent = £89.90

Well it was a bigger spend than I had budgeted for, but I did get the cushelle on offer in Lidl for £6.99 to add and then 12 cans of soup on offer in Tesco for £6.00. I only went into Morrisons because they had the cereals on offer and I wanted to stock up on those. I had budgeted for £200.00 this month which might crash through the barrier, but next weeks shopping list is looking pretty small and we have the butchers visit (which I had budgeted for taking our total spend up to £380.00) into account. Once that is done then the whole shopping should, in theory, come down!

Savvy_sewing

Well having been unwell, my cooking has been basic and now I have a fridge full of vegetables that I really must use or loose. I had started to get a fruit and veg box and then have been unable to stand in the kitchen or chop things so it has all stayed in the fridge.
I have some spinach to use up. (Not my favourite of things), and although I have seen the pancake recipe I dont have any eggs so thats out, I cannot think of anything I could do with it.
I also have Chard? Not had that before.
Courgettes
Carrots
Onion
Red Pepper
and a mini squash to use up. Any ideas?
Oh and leeks and potatoes.

I thought that I could do a leek and potato soup, tomorrow.
Possibly a vegetable stir fry tonight, or even a beef one as I have some mini steaks in the fridge, so normally I would use carrots onions and peppers there, with some boiled rice added.
But as the spinach and the chard are the oldest in the fridge I will need to try and use them up first.
No doubt the squash will last a little while, giving me time to find something to do with them, and get shopping for eggs etc that I may need.

Sorry to ramble.

Islandmaid

Hi all,

NSD for me today:j

Did get the new jamie O book today delivered from Ama£on ( had a voucher)- took it to work to read over lunch - not bad, but not brill, may save it for DD,s boyfriend, who wants to be a chef for christmas, so at least it won,t go to waste.

Feeling very tired at the moment, was up by 5:mad: just can,t seem to sleep.

MOOLOO - I love spinich just fried with butter and a bit of nutmeg till just wilted, and squash soup is lush and really easy to make, or chop it up and use it in a curry is always good.

Anyway must drag my butt to the kitchen and peel the spuds for tonights offering of sausage and mash with peas and onion gravy - posh or what

Have a fab evening all x

dumpling

I had a little spend of £11.75 on cooked chickens and salad to add to my total....spent £16 or so this month and we haven't even had any shopping delivered yet:eek:
The end is in sight for our kitchen to be done so hopefully by the end of the week I will be able to use my cooker again. We are all very tired of microwave meals and toast lol.