January 2012 Grocery Challenge

hamish222

Does anyone have any ideas for sweet treats that will freeze well and are not super high calorie. Me and hubby are both cutting down but like something after dinner with a cuppa. Going to make some scones as have frozen them before and were fine. Any other suggestions? Need to be freezable as otherwise I will eat them.

XSpender

DH came home with a tenner he had been given as a 'tip' from a customer yesterday and, don't all fall off your sofas/computer chairs, he wanted to spend it on some veg at M&S:eek:

Not only that he added up the prices of the items we put in to the basket until they added up to £9.98. Do you think he might be converted to our GC/:money:ways?:rotfl:

We got 2 large packs of pre prepared veg, 4x jacket pots, roast pots for teas, pudding for tea and a pack of ys organic carrots and a ys salad for a £1 for DH lunch today.

I am not adding the spend to my total because it was bought with money DH got outside our normal budget.

I am adding £6.68 as I seem to have missed my 'paying back the 2nd purse' spends off my total.

Planning NSDs for the rest of the week:)

Herbyme

Coxy11 wrote: »

Carolinerunner - I think we are twins seperated at birth.

Coxy, you are more right than you know. I too yearn for a Kitchen Aid (duck egg blue though... I think...)

Re the potato recipe website, (can't remember who posted), thanks, lovely recipes! I did chuckle when I saw the costs of the dishes were correct when written - in summer 2009 - will have changed a bit since then! And btw does anyone know if I can buy a big sack of washed spuds anywhere? Hate scrubbing them but feel sure a big bag will be cheaper...

tigerfeet2006

hamish222 wrote: »

Does anyone have any ideas for sweet treats that will freeze well and are not super high calorie. Me and hubby are both cutting down but like something after dinner with a cuppa. Going to make some scones as have frozen them before and were fine. Any other suggestions? Need to be freezable as otherwise I will eat them.

Cereal bar type thing??

Florenceem

hamish222 wrote: »

Does anyone have any ideas for sweet treats that will freeze well and are not super high calorie. Me and hubby are both cutting down but like something after dinner with a cuppa. Going to make some scones as have frozen them before and were fine. Any other suggestions? Need to be freezable as otherwise I will eat them.

Home made Muffins are low in fat and sugar - well my recipe is.

ClaireT13

Hi

Can't sleep with this wretched cough :mad: and was just browsing when I came across an offer on Quidco for Donald Russell.

Current offer is on the half price steak selection (£29) plus 12% cashback when going through the Quidco site.

Hope it helps someone.

Claire

tigerfeet2006

Florenceem wrote: »

Home made Muffins are low in fat and sugar - well my recipe is.

Oooh! Good thinking Batman! Blueberry muffins. Banana muffins. Cheese muffins.

I have made a batch of GF biscuits, rice crispy cakes and fairy cakes this morning for the kids to take in for a tea party.

prepareathome

I have not been posting nor up till now had totalled up what I had spent this month but I had made sure I kept ever reciept so just added them all together now and it comes to £135.79 which I am very pleased with. I have been managing to pick up reduced meat, fish, chicken, sausages etc from Mr S, been lucky getting there just as they had done the reductions so that saved some money. I have also started to look carefully at what I spend after my massive over spending for the last couple of months as I studied what I was actually buying and spending. Apart from milk and the food for my youngest dog I don't actually need anything else before the end of the month. Doing this, this month has meant I was able to have my hair restyled last week ( £25, which I thought was very, very cheap and yet they did a wonderful job), we are planning to go to cinema tonight and going out of a meal with hubbys bowls friends at weekend and I have actually booked myself a wash and blow at hairdressers ( £12).

Its amazing how by watching what I spend we have plenty in, but I have money left, something basically unknown for me. Hubby gets paid on a Thursday and I used to be penniless by Saturday and here I am saying cinema tonight and will still have money left. For me to have £40 left on a Wednesday is a total first as like so many here we live just above benefits limit so after paying bills not that much left but at moment no water rates or council tax to pay but come April they are due and hubby will be moving to monthly pay. Will not be doing this very often as I want to start saving so come March when we have to live for 3 weeks on one weeks wage till his first monthly pay and of course the due bills will mean less available money but really want to see Warhorse and had not been near a hairdresser for about 4 years. The meal is an annual one the bowls team go for and usually we cannot afford it. I still have not heard since sending in my form to transfer from Incapacity benefit to ESA so of course if I am refused we will then have less money than if hubby was unemployed and claiming job seekers for both of us so thought why not go to the meal and see the film as hubby does not want to give up his job so if if I lose my money we will have no money for anything even tv, phone and internet will have to go, so I have taken copious notes from this site in case of that as he loves his job even though he only works 24hrs a week and I cannot ask him to give it up.

. All the tips I have learned here I am putting to good use. I admit I have not actually meal planned, but I do think about what we will have over the 7 night like chicken one night, stewed steak another etc., but don't decide until the day which we will have and what I will make with it, like tonight we will have chicken, been defrosting it overnight, but as yet have not thought what to make with it or what it will be served with.

Thank you for all the wonderful advice you all share so freely

Herbyme

Prepareathome, you have done amazingly, but what a dilemma, I thought the 'new' system was supposed to end all that (hollow laugh). I hope it doesn't come to that. But remember your local library, if you still have one, will give free/nearly free internet access so you can still get to MSE support.
Fingers crossed and prayer that it works out ok for you:)

Spiggle

Fantastic prepareathome, :T brilliant achievement :beer: and here's hoping everything works out for you with the ESA.

It does feel so good to be in control. Enjoy Warhorse, we did.

Also congratulations everyone! :T This has been a very busy thread this month and our successes have been amazing. :dance:

Nobody 'fails' on this thread and especially not newbies who are trying this for the first, second, third, etc attempt. We are all learning and everyone learns at different speeds, has different circumstances and different needs. :cool: To be setting a budget and monitoring spends against that budget is a huge step in itself and it can take time to get to being on or under budget, it's a learning curve. :think: The most important thing is that each of us is doing this challenge to improve our circumstances, ensure needs are satsified and learn long term strategies for keeping it that way. Well done all, you're brilliant. :T:A:T

See you tonight,
Spigs