January 2012 Grocery Challenge

Suffolk_lass

Well, we’ve never done this before but here goes – we will start with £400 for January – I tried £100 per week in 2011 and mostly exceeded it but I am determined to reduce this year while not giving up organic milk or meat. My secret weapon is sending my husband and son shopping. They can be relied on to buy only what is on the list. Whereas I am more amenable to offers – only things we use but I do buy when I don’t need.
We are a household of 3 adults (one is a teenaged son) and 2 cats

cheekychipmunk

Just had to spend the first few pennies of the year today, as we ran out of bread and a couple of other necessary things. As for tea tonight, soup made of jerusalem artichokes and kale from the allotment, followed by pasta and homemade pesto (from the freezer). Think it might be a windy night inside the house as well as outside

JIL

bupster wrote: »

Very pleased with myself until I got home to be reminded that last year I idiotically agreed to cater a meeting I'm having on Sunday - £3 a head for 20 people. Arg. I can afford the outlay (and will be repaid) but don't know where to start. My head hasn't really got in gear for the new year yet! Any suggestions?

Depends what you are looking to do, if it is the minimum of fuss and we have done this ourselves at work. Buy cheap ready made sandwiches, cut up into triangles and arrange on a plate. 79p per pack in Aldi. Buy some pork pies, cheese and onion rolls, indian snacks, quiche etc and arrange on a plate. A cheeseboard with a pack of grapes and a jar of pickle. a few crisps and some fruit. Garnish with a salad bag and some baby tomatoes.


If you want to go more up market, Get some cooked meat and quiche and arrange on plates and serve with crusty french stick and some pasta salads, potato salad, coleslaw, tomatoes,cucumber etc.

If you are doing hot food, try a vat of chilli and jacket potatoes/crusty bread, remembering to do an alternative for veges.

Dont know if you have to provide drinks as well or dessert?

Hope this helps, good luck.

CRANKY40

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

Honestly, my pal's son is exactly the same - refused to eat what she'd made for Christmas lunch and expected her to make something else (she didn't!) - when I was young none of us would've dreamt to saying we didn't want what was put in front of us.

Generally speaking I would agree, but my sister and I still have a snigger about my dad's "curried mince". It was particularly nasty, and yes, we did try it to find out. We could have sat there all week in front of it without being able to eat it, but my dad thought he was being quite exotic adding curry powder to the mince and kept making it. Even now 34 years later, the thought of it makes us both shudder :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Flat_Eric

First shop of 2012 and I have spent £29.20. Back to work tomorrow and trying hard to meal plan but struggling for ideas particularly as I'm very keen to get back on the SW wagon so base my meals on healthier options. I have eaten a lot of pastry this week which is something alien to me and something i am not keen to repeat anytime soon! (the perils of buying the OH a pie cookbook for xmas....)

Will try to stay out of food shops until the weekend / until the meal plan is written up although I know I will need milk before the week is out.

PS I bought some ready made polenta which was used in the pastry and there is quite a bit leftover - any ideas of how to use it up ??

stardrops42

Well just got back from the first shop of the new year. I've spent a total of £46.59 between Aldi, Mr A, home bargains and Iceland. Got 2 loaves of 50/50 from Iceland for £1.10 :j They sell 2 for £1.70 but I had 2x30p off vouchers so total was £1.10! I would normally pay that for 1 loaf at MrT. My cupboards, fridge and freezer are full up again now so I'm hoping I can keep on track with my food budget;)

meanmarie

Spent €75.93 today, reckon I will not have to spend for a week...have dog and cat food for the month, potatoes, butter, cheese, flour, oil, noodles, tinned fish, beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas, broad beans, rice, pasta and enough veg to last for at least a week...there is fresh fruit, frozen fruit and veg and at least 10 dinners worth of protein in freezer.

That looks as if I might get away with a fortnight before I need to shop....here's hoping

Marie

rising_from_the_ashes

Spiggle wrote: »

Hi rising, so now I'm confused, what is 'liquid gold' when its at home?!?!?

cw18 wrote: »

That would be petrol/diesel - it's got soooo expensive it gained a nickname that seems well suited

Yup..... I can't remember if it started on the Frugal Living Challenge or the NSD one but it's aptly named!:eek:

Spiggle wrote: »

If you don't need £40 worth of food don't buy it! Keep the voucher for when you need it or if it expires then be glad that there's £31 (assuming your basket comes to exactly £40) you haven't spent needlessly!

Thank you:D I've taken your advice - I'm going to do a check through staples etc and see if I can stock up a bit on them for a couple of months. It's valid until next weekend, so plenty of time to use it to the best advantage.:D

So, £14.31 in Mr A (milk accounted for £5.12 - 4 litres:eek: of that - and I think I now have a years' worth of toothpaste as it was on one of those can't pass up offers:)) and £10.05 in the Co*op on Diet Coke (it was BOGOF on the 6 packs and I take one to work for a lunchtime - so stocked up for a while on that too!:))

So .... £24.36 in total - not too bad.:)

Pixie_Fairydust

Do any of you make your pastry in a food processor?
I bought myself a F.P before Christmas and its still in the box!

My bread maker has yet to be used also :eek: if anyone has any really easy recipes/tips for breadmakers I would be very grateful!

I bought myself an index box and some cards, I'm going to write out my recipes to try and make menu planning a bit easier :T

Happy January to you all
Pixie

hex2

A trip to the co-op resulted in three 600ml tubs of double cream RTC at 48p each. Now packaged up in 4oz packs of unsalted butter ready for the freezer. 2lb 4oz of butter for £1.47 which seems like a bit of bargain for messing about with the food processor for a bit, plus the bonus of nearly a pint of buttermilk ready for scones.

£6.41 in the co-op to add to the £50 in the butchers. 4 tins of Branston Beans are £1.17 - cheaper in Lidl I think but not once you factor in the fuel/time to go.