July 2012 Grocery Challenge

helen_jelly

Phew - caught up with your posts, lots happening so hugs to everyone, this bloomin lack of summer is starting to get everyone down by the sounds of it!!

Florenceem - kids eh!!! I'm sure your YD is very appreciative of your efforts - well she will be when she's got a DD and realises what you've done for her!

Spiggle - OMG, hope you have managed to get all your info back

ikkle87 - I've bookmarked your recipe - thank you

sb88 - we've gone totally out of control too, hugs and I hope you are managing to not spend and congrats on the new job

Rosieben - a huge thank you for going through the threads and getting all the recipes posted

craigyvw - welcome back, thank you for the Straw Jam recipe, I did it on Weds and its lush :]]

adelight - how are you, maybe you could write your feelings down in a letter to OH,

Budgets done to here

Helen x

Soworried

I have just been to Lidl shopping, my signature has been updated and I am already more than half way through my budget.:eek:

I need to stay out of the shops

I am going to bake this afternoon, I am making a cheese and onion flan, cheese straws and some of Ikkles cheese and bacon savouries.

JJ, The messy threads correct name is my home is a mess.

Florenceem

I have a spend of £4.80 to add to my sig - went to Mr A - got some chicken to take along to the vicarage barbecue this evening - also bought custard powder while I was in sm. I will make some muffins while the oven is on.

fozziebeartoo

DebtFree2012 wrote: »

One more question please guys

I buy fresh fruit on a w/e and by thurs/fri it's getting past it's best. Any ideas of what I can put in the kids packed lunches for the last 2 days to keep fruit intake up without ahving to hit the shops again? I will try buying green bananas and hope they ripe in time/not too early....

Make sure you store your bananas away from other fruit, they make other fruit ripen/go off more quickly:-

http://yanswersblog.com/index.php/archives/2012/01/05/how-to-accelerate-and-slow-banana-ripening/

savesummore

:eek: Ive just had 'a moment' whilst cleaning the bathroom- the glamour :rotfl:

I still have 16 days of July GC left and £60 :eek: ie im roughly halfway through the month and spent LOADS more than half of my budget!!

Im really :mad: with myself- June was my first month so fair enough just got to see how things went, learn lessons etc etc but this is my second month and ive not really changed much/put much effort in!!

To prove I am serious about doing this GC I WILL make that £60 last until the end of this challenge!!! Im going to rummage in the cupboards and try and come up with a couple of weeks meal plans (already done next weeks)

OH is making a curry and just shouted to me shall we get some ready made rice form the local asian takeaway type place (more of a prepared warm it up at home place than a take away- fab though!!) and I shouted back NOOOOOOOOOO make the bl**dy rice we have in the cupboard with the bl**dy rice cooker you went mad for!!!!!! Talk about bad timing :rotfl:

Sorry for the rant im just :mad: with myself!

fozziebeartoo

Soworried wrote: »

Thankyou ikkle87 they look lovely. I'll give them a try for lunches, I have 3 pks of puff pastry in the freezer so I have everything in.

The rain here is torrential so today will be a no spend day unless it brightens up around 6pm when the reductions get done.

On Sunday we will be having toad in hole.

When I make bacon and cheese puffs (a fave of mine ) I cut a block of frozen pastry into 4 and I find each 1/4 of a packet, makes 4 puffs, so very cost effective! :T

[Deleted User]

savesummore wrote: »

OH is making a curry and just shouted to me shall we get some ready made rice form the local asian takeaway type place (more of a prepared warm it up at home place than a take away- fab though!!) and I shouted back NOOOOOOOOOO make the bl**dy rice we have in the cupboard with the bl**dy rice cooker you went mad for!!!!!! Talk about bad timing :rotfl:

Sorry for the rant im just :mad: with myself!

I wouldn't be :mad: with yourself, to me it sounds like youve had a lightbulb moment, good for you using stuff you already have. £60 is a lot of money and if you meal plan and shop wisely (probably could have change lol). Tesco value pasta is a good one, 30p a bag !!! Good luck, im sure you can do it and if not, so what - at least your trying.

XSpender

Had to go to the library to take back 3 overdue books and on the way DMIL (who is looking after our 2 dogs with a view to keeping them) rang to say that they are out of dog food.

Visited Mr S and bought 48 tins of Ped chum on offer for £20 so worked out cheaper than own brand. Also bought a loaf of GF bread and my favourite GF cereal which between them cost nearly £7!:eek: I am going to make up a batch of GF museli with some GF oats I have in the cupboard to make the cereal last longer as it is so moreish it is barely lasting the week.

Then went to M&S for a gammon joint and some nice ham to go with our salad for lunch. Another £8 spent there as I did splash out on some nice ham as I wanted it to taste like ham. I did forget to buy 2 chicken breasts for my meal plan but will just change the plan to have some of the pork chops I got yesterday or some sausages as I have loads in the freezer.

Received 2 naan bread and a few slices of GF white bread as a free sample this morning.

DH is stuck in front of the tennis so will potter in the kitchen for a couple of hours I think and mak a cake and maybe some GF cheese scones if I can find the recipe I had.

Soworried

fozziebeartoo wrote: »

When I make bacon and cheese puffs (a fave of mine ) I cut a block of frozen pastry into 4 and I find each 1/4 of a packet, makes 4 puffs, so very cost effective! :T

Thankyou, I'm just making them now :T

fozziebeartoo

Just caught up with all the posts, I usually read the thread everyday, but have been spending time with nice new man (too soon to say DH) so was really behind with my reading.

Went with eldest DD, her soon-to-be MIL and 2 gonna-be bridesmaids to put the deposit on her wedding dress, veil and tiara......had a lovely girlie morning :j

Spent £15 treated everyone to tea and cakies but that was my pleasure, on a happy morning

Signature updated.

Been baking since I got home, made raisin muffins, cranberry muffins, JJ's herby cheese bread and Devon scones.

The scones were the lightest, fluffiest I have ever made......didnt cut them into rounds, just patted them into a circle and cut them into 8 (like when I do JJ's bread) so maybe the fact they were not handled much made them especially light???

So delish that I ate 2 and feel quite sick now :eek: eyes def bigger than belly :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: