July 2012 Grocery Challenge

Coxy11

Morning everyone,

Hope you are all well and those in flooded areas are coping okay.

NSD today as I have rearranged our meal plan and will do DR pork meatballs, spaghetti and napoletana sauce for tea. DS2 is being invested as a Cub this evening and needs to eat before he goes at 6pm.

Never have I been so glad to own a slow cooker as yesterday. I spent 3 hours up and down a ladder in the stairwell of our house as I'm decorating. DH and DS1 were away at scout camp so I cracked on with it by myself. Then I really really wanted to watch the tennis (:() and could do so in the knowledge that DR beef rib and casserole veg were bubbling away. Who would've thought that casserole, dumplings and mash would be so appreciated on a 'summer' July day :rotfl:

Off to my sisters tomorrow so will pop into her A!di to grab the veg and fruit that we need for this week.

Scout camp leftovers this time included 10 pints semi-skimmed, 3/4 box of weeto$ and frostie$, 30 slices mature cheddar, 1 doz eggs and a 2kg pot of marg (hardly touched). Makes having to store all the carp, organise the MrT order for food and generally being a good egg all worthwhile

Have repaid 2nd purse for items used since Friday. It is now back in the black :cool:

Have a good day everyone.

ikkle87

SusanP wrote: »

Not strictly grocery related, but GC has encouraged me this morning to sit down and list where all my money goes each month in terms of bills... Big chunk of that is food!

From there it should be easier to figure out where the other little bits drip away.

I've been watching you tube videos on spreadsheets and am going to hit library tomorrow for a book...

Milk seems to be where a lot of my grocery budget goes, I seem to buy it everyday?!

The main thing I need to do is make more user of the freezer I think??

Hope everyone is on track and doing well....here's to a NSD tomorrow!

How much milk do you use a day hun? Ald! do 4 pints for £1 x

rafspender

this month i think my target will be:
90£ thanks:)

fozziebeartoo

Good morning - hope everyone is well!! :j

I am planning a NSD and have no plans to leave the house
today

DGS was dropped off just after 6am today :eek: so I am hoping that he will have a nice long nap later.......and so will I!!

I am having a "cant-be-*rsed" day today.....:rotfl:

No idea what to cook or take out of freezer or what jobs I need to do today or how to keep DGS amused - it feels like it should be a duvet-day :T

Welsh_Poppy

Morning

JJ
Thank you:)

I spent £1.85p on 8 slices roast turkey reduced for DH
Then MR M and spent £40.00 but £30 was saving stamps as I buy £60.00 a month which is out of grocery budget.Will update signature.

Not sure what we will have for dinner as DH may take me out as a special day.

SusanP_2

Ickle, I could easily do 4pts in a day... Think I'm addicted, just drank a pint now!!

That is great value, but we've only got a JS and Mr T in my city, I'd have to drive next town over for L!dl, not even sure about A!di close by, then I think travelling cancels out saving...

Maybe I should try and cut down a bit, but I think you hit that point where you get fed up with cutting down, I don't drink alc, I don't smoke, I don't wear any make up... I am always on a diet...I want an indulgence!!

jasmin10

thank you all so much for your kind words. You are all so right, the roof over our heads and a lovely home is something to be proud of and more needed, I'm sure my Nan will also be very proud of how far we have come.

I guess like everyone else has found, things havent been this hard for a while. DH took a pay cut a while back so he could change his shifts at work due to a bit of a crisis (I found him one night in the midsts of ending it all in the kitchen a couple of years ago), needless to say I want to do everything I can to make this work and to take on board the £200 a month drop (money was something we never thought about before and they are only just sorted out a new shift pattern for him). I dont speak about how hard it all is (money wise) as I dont want to make him feel bad and worry. Still 20 years on and we are as strong as we ever were I guess and thats what counts (still have our moments tho). My family is my world and we all do what we can dont we.

You lot are all so kind and make me realise what it is all for, you give so much inspiration and excitement about finding the next bargain.

As JackieO says, walk away from the purse

DH now wants to go out to get some plants for the garden and wants me to escort him, no way will I be getting out of the car as it will be too much temptation for me.

Hope you all have a lovely day.

p.s. just a tip re milk buying. I know a lot of you have to keep going every other day to get milk. I buy 5 4pinters on my shopping day and freeze them. I then dont have to buy any more and I have more nsd's

ikkle87

SusanP wrote: »

Ickle, I could easily do 4pts in a day... Think I'm addicted, just drank a pint now!!

That is great value, but we've only got a JS and Mr T in my city, I'd have to drive next town over for L!dl, not even sure about A!di close by, then I think travelling cancels out saving...

Maybe I should try and cut down a bit, but I think you hit that point where you get fed up with cutting down, I don't drink alc, I don't smoke, I don't wear any make up... I am always on a diet...I want an indulgence!!

Aw it's a shame you don't have one local. They take up so much room in the freezer too so wouldn't even be worth stock piling.

I agree some things you don't want to cut down on, I too don't drink, smoke, wear make up, go out, buy new clothes etc. I don't really drink milk though only have it on my weetabix lol x

[Deleted User]

Liz-Paul we too have a chicken in fridge i cooked and didn't eat. I will probably just bung our in microwave in portions, but you do not get the crispy skin, not too bothered as on diet and take it off anyway, but im sure you can put in oven though not sure if it will dry out much.

mrs motivated sorry to hear about the divorce, you have such a lot on your plate, but you sound like you are doing really well. I too have twins, girl and boy, they are just turned 19, still my babies. . Not sure if you can change your name, you might have to re-register, would love to know how to do it if you can. Good luck with the GC and everything else

Boodle

Well although we overspent last week and were supposed to use only £18 on the shop this week, we actually overspent again at £26.52 (we did have a picnic to go to yesterday, sharing food with others so knocked it up a bit, also having to add snacks for me as I am not gaining any weight yet so got ingredients for white choc cheesecake to have a portion of each weekday plus a Nkd bar and an Eat Natural one ) So now £16.48 for next week. I have tried to start planning for next week by using what we should still have in the house, but my brain just isn't working this morning. Also found out my dad's disability has been cut to £38 per week so that plus my mother's state pension is not going to get them far so can't get mind of hwo I can help there Thinking of making a big jar of Choc Chip and Peanut Cereal as she isn't keen on value ones, and maybe a couple of plain loaf cakes for my dad a week as its the calorific foods that are very important for him at the mo. Main problem is, trying to do it subtly so my dad doesn't think it is charity (yes, even from his daughter )

Hope everyone's week goes well x