November 2011 - Grocery Challenge

rising_from_the_ashes

sproggi wrote: »

I freeze mine raw, sliced into the tubs that I have saved from when we have had chinese. I use them in stews etc and they have been fine.

Fantastic - thanks!:D

I only use them in stews, spag bol etc so should be fine for that ... even better that I've loads of take-a-way boxes too!;)

xxlouisexx56

I need to add 11.86 from friday, buying bits for dinner and sunday lunch
Today 5.65 in boots on baby food
9.87 in M&S garage on quick dinners for tonight (was running very late)

I need to fit in some NSD next week!

recovering_spendaholic

Made a nice tea tonight - used some of the l/o chicken - just diced a little bit up and then made a roux in a milk pan and added a cup of chicken stock (made with one of my Approved Foods Knorr cubes of which I have millions;)) and some black pepper, stirred in the cooked chicken and a little bit of single cream (only a couple tbs). I had it on toast and it was lovely!! I didn't make any for DD's so they had a goodfellas pizza (half price ATM and the nicest shop pizza IMO)

Got out some chicken thighs for tomorrow - don't know what to do with them though - might make bbq sauce.

Quick question - I bought a hairdryer for DD1 in Aldi last week for £17.99. It's not the one she wanted so I am going to take it back tomorrow. Thing is I paid on my card so they will put the refund back on the card and it will take a couple of days to show. I want to get some bits in Aldi but haven't got much on my card so would they let me do an "exchange" - just ring up my shopping and then refund the hairdryer and let me pay or refund me the difference? Do you know what I mean?

JIL

Well first weekend of the new spending month.
I popped into Tesc0 lured in by a £4 cc voucher and the £3 per kilo red leicester cheese and the bogof granola cereal bars. They had neither. I am trying to be really frugal this month and use up what is in the freezer to stock up with some goodies from MandS for Christmas. So I went to the deli counter and bought a small pork pie for 40p rather than a small pack for over a £. I also bought some black pudding as I am going to use some stewing lamb this week to make a stew and I put black pudding in with it. Husband says its lovely, I wont be eating it so will take his word for it.
I also needed a birthday present for a SIL and dd asked for a bottle of wine to take to a party (she gave me the money and she is over 18!!). I ended up buying two of the dine in for £10 meals so that was the wine sorted. I didn't like the look of the desserts so got 4 sides instead. So thats veg sorted for tomorrow and we had some side dish chips with salad (40p tray) and a home made quiche for tea. I put the chicken main dish and the pies in the freezer. I also bought some reduced salad items for my guinea pigs and some brussells and cauliflower in the BOGOf deal, (for next week) and a few baking bits in their buy2 g1free. So felt quiet pleased with what I bought for my £23.
Husband bought the milk yesterday, so thats not being taken out of my grocery purse and I put £5 back in to cover the wine used for my SIL s birthday gift.

I was giving myself £80 for the month so its now at £56 and a few coins. (bought a few bits in Morrisons the other day just less than £6)

rej-c

£4.94 spent on food - 8 baking spuds [note to self: remember to actually bake the things this time!], Alpro yoghurt [with 50p off voucher], actual milk, plus reduced bread, toasty-type muffins and [ugh] chicken kievs for Him Indoors - oh, and balsam tissues [with 30p off voucher, for the winter lurgy stash] at Mr T today.

Also spent a little more from the Christmas budget [bogof on Chunky Kit Kats, which he loves] and the 'entertainment' purse on a few salty, snacky things, as we had a lovely friend visiting who doesn't seem to eat real food - tbh, we kind of take his visits as an excuse to get the Pringles or crisps in, if they're on offer, and it's cheaper than going to the chippy for the three of us

In other news, as evidence of how much my shopping habits have changed since getting properly into the GC: my Christmas Clubcard voucher mailing arrived this morning. This includes details of the Christmas/New Year opening hours of your most-used Mr T store. The one it included for me was not the one nearest home [where I went today for the first time in several weeks, and which would be quite useful for the Christmas period!] but the tiny Metro near work, from which I buy a bottle of water and a sandwich maybe once or twice a week at most. I call that progress :rotfl:

slbhill

Only just got round to totting up October & thinking about November. Please put me down for £150 again. I would like to get lower but there are so many complications at the moment that anything beyond sticking at the same level would be unrealistic!

prepareathome

Well yesterday was 2nd NSD but today soap powder - 26 wash / antibacterial floor cleaner that is safe for dogs, only one that states this, x 2 / kitchen roll I like the jumbo rolls as saves me having to store lots of small rolls and usually one lasts me months x 1 and our local newsagent/grocer is cheaper than anywhere else for the brands we like so that usually price wise before you take into consideration petrol in car as cheapest shops are just over a mile away, but do have a supermarket half a mile away came to £8.97 ( actually hubby went as I didn't feel up to nipping across the road but still money spent:) ) Shop also does Gas and Electric now so no more travelling to buy it ( although am going to get the machine which means can pay by credit card ( we use prepay) from the house in case hubby ill and I am not up to getting across the road) - we went on prepay many, many years ago when hubby went onto taxis as money was daily and we didn't want to chance having big bills we couldn't pay, at first yes we did pay far more but it worked for us, never once did we go without either even if hubby was off sick as I would buy some each day and now although I check every 3 months we would never save more than about £20 a year by changing to paying a bill and the stress of ensuring we have the money as hubby on weekly pay and only part time now and if I do not get ESA then our income will be low to even try to save for a bill not when choice of eating today or paying for power in 3 months. So trying to plan out everything in case income does go to £129 a week plus any overtime hubby can get, as rent and council tax will take up £105 of that, and this is so good as makes me accountable as to what I spend so I can really see what I am spending and how I can cut down up till now I have just paid bills and bought food with what is left since hubby was put on P/T 6 years now. We are on the last 4pt bottle of milk so have to buy that on Monday - we buy 3 4pt cartons and that does us a week or so as we use skimmed milk and will need some more wet dog food to replace what has been used. So will update Sig to give new total spend so far this month. That £150 is vanishing fast urg

notsogrumpymum

up early this morning, chilli in the slow cooker, which will be put in the freezer for another day. Mr A didnt have quite a few of the smart price items i wanted the other day. No 15p smart price kidney beans & i wasnt going to pay 40 odd p i think it was for the next brand up. In fact has anyone else noticed the lack of smart branded products. I thought with Mr T stopping double points i would try Mr A again but it looks like a small visit to Mr T will be on the cards this morning. On the plus point i did have a return of £8.18 on the price challenge so i will be going back in a couple of weeks. Freezer food top up on the cards for the end of the week from FF. Enjoy your week.

wannabehermit

I have a bit more to add - £1.58 buying ds's dinner on Friday plus £10.28 spent yesterday in MrM, ds2 will be happy - ginger cake bogof so got 2 of them, ooh that's an idea maybe I'll make one of them his birthday cake for Tues. Must go and take chicken & bacon out of the freezer for tonights dinner.

rising_from_the_ashes

recovering_spendaholic wrote: »

Quick question - I bought a hairdryer for DD1 in Aldi last week for £17.99. It's not the one she wanted so I am going to take it back tomorrow. Thing is I paid on my card so they will put the refund back on the card and it will take a couple of days to show. I want to get some bits in Aldi but haven't got much on my card so would they let me do an "exchange" - just ring up my shopping and then refund the hairdryer and let me pay or refund me the difference? Do you know what I mean?

They might .... not tried returning stuff @ Al*di before.

I know when I've taken stuff back to other places you've had to take them to the CS desk and it then goes back on your card & you then have to pay for your shopping separately - but as Al*di don't have a CS desk, they might just deduct it from your shopping.

Certainly worth a try!:)