June 2012 Grocery Challenge

sonastin

happy_chick wrote: »

Fantastic - it's great that your kids have incorporated cooking from scratch into their schedules. I read the challenge notes before starting and reading the posts it seems those who have been most successful at cutting down have made the GC fit with their lifestyles and thats something that is different for everyone. For me it means moving slowly towards cooking more rather than a drastic shift. I'm hoping for permanent changes

Babysteps is definitely the best way to achieve a permanent change. I went from ready meals, to ready made sauces and adding fresh meat/veg + pasta/couscous/etc, to making my own sauces and so on. Now that meals from scratch are pretty much mastered, I've started doing my own baking. And we've started growing our own fruit and veggies this year so hopefully I'll be able to make use of some home-grown produce later in the summer too . I notice from a later post that you're on a gluten-free diet so the ready-made sauces might be more of a challenge for you, but you've no doubt got loads of experience of checking the labels

The other thing to remember is that "lifestyle" isn't just whether or not you work. When I was single, I had a much busier social life - my OH is the most antisocial so-and-so so I have much more time for cooking now that we live together. You have to make the decision on what actually matters and where your priorities lie. I spent easily £200 on my own. Budget for the 2 of us is £200. I was in a position where I could afford to spend more on groceries for the convenience when it was just me, now I've got to budget more with the rest of the finances for 2 of us so the grocery budget needs to be managed much more carefully. When I do go out now, I just have to be more disciplined to make sure I have something available to eat which can be prepared in the time I have available to prepare it. Sometimes that involves slow cooker, sometimes its a frozen HM "ready meal", sometimes its a sandwich and sometimes its a very creative concoction! OH doesn't like those days :rotfl:

jumblejack

Hi. Does anyone use a Dutch oven? I've been watching Hugh cooking outdoors with one on the riverside cottage programme. They look awesome. We want the kids to do more outdoors stuff. They are going on a bushcraft weekend this summer and we want to kit ourselves out.
I wouldn't mind cooking outdoors more on location for woodland walk days, etc too. How exciting to cook outdoors with a couple of foraged items too:j

Does anyone use one in the home?

JJ

Florenceem

CAT££ wrote: »

Your food always looks lovely. How do you make the chicken?

It was pre barbecued chicken from the freezer.

Florenceem

MrsCD wrote: »

Have a great time away Florenceem. What sort of craft class/workshop is it? Remember your MSE mantras!

I am going to a card making class on Friday but I think we are altering a mirror! :eek: On Sunday - it is an all day card making workshop. Never remember the MSE mantras when I am faced with craft goodies!

Florenceem

Need to alter my sig today.
We had roast potatoes, roast parsnips, pizza, roast - cauliflower, leeks, mushroom and red pepper for dinner.



See you Monday or Tuesday.

craigywv

Florenceem wrote: »

Need to alter my sig today.
We had roast potatoes, roast parsnips, pizza, roast - cauliflower, leeks, mushroom and red pepper for dinner.



See you Monday or Tuesday.

:)looks yummmmmmmmmm have a great time x:)

Winchelsea

Thanks as ever zippychick, rosieben and helen jelly for getting us organised.

Please put me down for £35 this month please - I think it might just be doable.

Thank you!

elsiepac

Finally my first day of the June GC! Yay! However... I'm going to go against the grain and try NOT to buy anything today... let's see if it works!

I have 3 portions of my pasta salad left for lunches (which is very tasty by the way), so that's today, Friday and Saturday sorted. Dinners are not sorted, however I have so much in...am sticking with only allowed to buy fresh stuff! Also, this month I'm thinking I could utilise eggs more in my diet, as I don't really use them that much, and things like frittata are a lovely easy dinner or make ahead lunch.

Having said all that, I am going to mums for tea tonight, which I am making, and she asked me to buy the ingredients and she'll refund me. So I'm not sure on that as I hate taking money from her, so I may have a spend today after all!

I got my latest issue of Good Food yesterday (friend bought me a subscription for Christmas) and there's a lovely sesame noodle recipe I was thinking for tonight - the only thing is I think it might need something else, as it is just noodles, veggies and the sauce. Maybe I'll bulk out the veggies...

Have a great time at your workshop Florenceem, and hope everyone else has a lovely day too!

LC

jumblejack

Found on hukd:

141° £5 off £35 @ Aldi spend back Plus Other Vouchers in tomorrows (31st) Mirror
11

£5 off £35 spend back in tomorrows (31st) Mirror

Pick up tomorrow’s Daily Mirror (in England and Wales) or the Daily Record (in Scotland) which contains the Quids In supplement. You’ll find a ‘£5 off a £35 Aldi shop’ voucher, as well as up to 50% off vouchers for lots of your favourite products.

Vouchers are valid from Thursday 31st May until close of business on Thursday 7th June 2012 and must be presented at the start of your transaction. Please see vouchers for full terms and conditions

tip from bill the bus on mse
Found 12 hours, 11 minutes ago by
lucerysmum

meg72

Morning All, just to say many thanks for the support and advice re my doorstop caller yesterday. I have taken the advice given and notified
the relevant departments. Hopefully this will help stop this scumbag.

I am off to Birmingham today to visit my Mum, she has been hospitalised again as horrible bed sores and complications due to diabetes. So no shopping for me today but in truth I do not need anything but did fancy a wander round the shops.