April 2012 Grocery Challenge

Florenceem

fozziebeartoo wrote: »

I had 3 NSD's in a row and that makes 10 for April :j

Today spent £1.99 in Co*p (3 handwashes Buy1Get2Free) and £16.74 in Lidl - signature update.

Had the last of my HM bread toasted for brekkie.

Then baked 3 sorts of cookies for charity fund raising thing, so lunch was a white choccie cookie, a Mars bar cookie and a Snickers cookie......or possibly 1 or 2 more

Tea was egg fried veggie rice and a shop bought chicken korma - I didnt enjoy it at all!!

I am so used to my tasty home cooking now, that what I was considering a "treat" was actually tasteless and boring compared to my usual homemade teas these days.

So boohoo for not enjoying tea but woohoo :T for my cooking from scratch!

And I daresay another Snickers cookie will cheer me up!!

I find now - that I walk by someone eating chips or a fish/chip shop - smell is so greasy - really don't fancy anything like fast food.

Ninno820

Evening all - just popping in to report a small spend. Truthfully its not a grocery spend - its £5.29 on postage for ebay - but it all comes out of the same budget. (Yes I know that I have been paid the postage into my bank account but this is my little way of saving).
Dinner tonight is another frozen left over meal- shepherds pie. Its really overcast here but I have managed to mow the lawn at last and am going to hunker down with a nice fire (logs cut from dead bushes in the garden last year - topped up with a little coal to get it going)

cattysmum

Hello all just popped in for a quick update this is my second NSD in a row so quite pleased eben though there is a £20 TESCO money card burning a hole in my pocket. Lunch of home made bacon, mushroom(which I really needed to use up) and egg pie, it was scrummy. Off now to update siggy!

jpscloud

Popped into the local co-op for mushrooms and got a large pack for £1 - also picked up buy one get two free on the timotei conditioner I use, but that's on a separate budget.

Spotted another separate budget bargain, in the whoopsie bin - with apologies to any blokes reading - Always ultra nights at 49p a pack! The checkout person said it was a glitch but the manager knew and didn't care, he just wanted to clear them so I bought a fair few :cool:

Feeling better today but still having very strange dietary cravings, hence the urgent need for fresh mushrooms (I have plenty of tinned ) but I'm definitely not pregnant :eek: , it's just my age.

jumblejack

Just back from Liverpool field trip

We had bacon, shredded lettuce and mayo sandwiches for dinner so we weren't tempted to buy lunch. Also took a flask of cocoa and apples n bananas.

It didn't take long to cut some chips and warm up the last of the pork casserole with a few rounds of bread n butter when I got in not long ago

I need to get some potatoes in so will go Tesco in half an hour and hopefully pick up some reduced. Need to get my thinking cap on as to what to cook for a hot meal tomorrow for my folks.

I have some cute sausage meat balls which I thought of doing in little bun tins with some batter for mini toad in the holes but I bet they are fed up of sausages: sausage casserole, sausage pie, bangers with cheesy mash n onion gravy, etc

Will have to save that chestnut for another day!

Hmm, *scratches head thoughtfully*...

Cool_Nanna

fozziebeartoo wrote: »

I had 3 NSD's in a row and that makes 10 for April :j

Today spent £1.99 in Co*p (3 handwashes Buy1Get2Free) and £16.74 in Lidl - signature update.

Had the last of my HM bread toasted for brekkie.

Then baked 3 sorts of cookies for charity fund raising thing, so lunch was a white choccie cookie, a Mars bar cookie and a Snickers cookie......or possibly 1 or 2 more

Tea was egg fried veggie rice and a shop bought chicken korma - I didnt enjoy it at all!!

I am so used to my tasty home cooking now, that what I was considering a "treat" was actually tasteless and boring compared to my usual homemade teas these days.

So boohoo for not enjoying tea but woohoo :T for my cooking from scratch!

And I daresay another Snickers cookie will cheer me up!!

Not been around for a while, I am on target for this month but won't declare until Thursday.

Have you got the recipe for the snickers and mars bar cookies they sound delicious.

jumblejack

Oo Oo. I have just had a cheeky thought.....

I complained a month ago about some rank Holland Pies that spoilt our tea. I cheated and bought these on the way back home from a trip for a quick tea as we had loads of mushy peas (HM of course!) leftover from a night before. The smell from these things was stomach churning. Anyway, the point is that they sent me a £6 postal order that I still have in my purse.

Q: Would it be naughty to use this £6 on shopping to save me making a total wreck of my Grocery Spend this month? It might reduce the damages?!

Answers on a postcard please...;)

fozziebeartoo

jumblejack wrote: »

Oo Oo. I have just had a cheeky thought.....

I complained a month ago about some rank Holland Pies that spoilt our tea. I cheated and bought these on the way back home from a trip for a quick tea as we had loads of mushy peas (HM of course!) leftover from a night before. The smell from these things was stomach churning. Anyway, the point is that they sent me a £6 postal order that I still have in my purse.

Q: Would it be naughty to use this £6 on shopping to save me making a total wreck of my Grocery Spend this month? It might reduce the damages?!

Answers on a postcard please...;)

Not naughty - just sensible!! :T

PS. I made your quick microwave choccie sponge and it was delish, thank you!!

fozziebeartoo

Cool_Nanna wrote: »

Have you got the recipe for the snickers and mars bar cookies they sound delicious.

Of course!! And I have to say, they are lovely!!

My fave basic cookie recipe is this one:-

http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/380762/White-choc-chip-and-hazelnut-cookies

I make up a batch leaving out the choc and nuts and then add chopped up Snickers or Mars or Dime bar (Daim I think its called now) or chopped dried apricots or mixed fruit or choccie chips or chocolate covered Turkish Delight etc.

I havent tried Bounty yet but I should think that would be good.

You just need to keep a close eye on them because of the high sugar content of the "bits".....

And let them cool for a few minutes on the tray before you transfer them to a cooling tray so the chewy bits can firm up a bit.

Yum! :j But mind your fillings.....they can prove very
chewy :rotfl:

jumblejack

fozziebeartoo wrote: »

Not naughty - just sensible!! :T

PS. I made your quick microwave choccie sponge and it was delish, thank you!!

Thanks

Glad you like the 2 minute microwave cakes. They are SO easy.

You could also add to the 2oz of sugar, butter, flour and 1 egg many things to adapt it.

How about adding a bit of dessicated coconut then smearing the cooked cake with hot jam and a few sprinkles of coconut.

You could also add either syrup or lemon curd at the bottom of the dish before you add the mixture. Then just upturn the servings in the bowl.

You could add pineapple rings to the bottom for an upside down pudding.

Mash a banana in the mixture for banana pudding.

The list is completely endless. It's a great way to use up fruit too.

I do hope others give it a whirl. It's quicker and cheaper than warming up a prepared pudding from the supermarket and it's fresh too.

I bet the clever folk on here will come up with some awesome adsptations.

I really miss having a microwave as I used to do these a few times a week. Since cooking at mums I have made the most of hers though :T