July 2012 Grocery Challenge

liz-paul

Just back from tescos & I have gone about £40 over my budget and I still have to get to next friday
I should only need bread & milk next week. And maybe ham. Oh well, will try to minimise the damage and August should be a low spend.....

Soworried

Make-it-3 wrote: »

Jumblejack you make me feel so inadequate in the kitchen!

Just been to get some lunch and found the bread has gone mouldy again - 3/4 of an unused loaf - urghh! I am NOT going to the supermarket again. Guiltily, we do have a breadmaker, I just don't know how to use it. Think I'm going to go hunt for the instruction manual ....

Hi
What make is your bread maker? One of us may have the me one so we can help you.

wannabe_sybil

Down to 70.65

jumblejack

mummyyof5 wrote: »

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/487245_335539546527697_1394041548_n.jpg

They look fab!:T

Make it 3,
Don't feel inadequate. I make plenty of blunders!
I can give you a very recent example...
I made a wild cherry jelly but left it on too long. It set so hard that it would stick your teeth together if you dared try it. :rotfl:
I have managed to finally get it out of the jar and have reheated it but with added water. It seems to be a better consistency but I will see when it goes cold.
I am not going to bottle this one up now but make a WHOPPING batch of jam tarts until it is all used up. I will then try freezing the surplus tarts (anyone ever tried freezing jam tarts?).
That will be on my to do list for tonight now though.

Honey_Bear

Long time lurker, posting because she needs help. Having decided the box of apricots I bought were too woolly-flavoured to eat as fruit, I made them into jam yesterday and everything went fine.

However, when I tried to make the marrow and ginger jam I planned, it never seemed to get to setting point. I split the recipe between two pans, and the smaller one was fine, but the bigger pan almost caremalised in the pan. I potted it up but this morning it still hadn't set and the jam has no flavour. This has happened to me in the past with batches of marmalade.

If it were a lack of pectin, the smaller pan wouldn't have reached setting point, so I'm very confused.

I use the saucer in the fridge test because the sugar thermometer I bought years ago was utterly useless. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what it is I must be consistently (but not always) doing wrong?

XSpender

Boodle wrote: »

It sounds like you are doing all of the right things XSpender. You could use dried soya mince instead of the Quorn which is cheaper than Quorn anyway The only thing I can think of, though obviously I don't know the reasons you have begun eating meat again, pulses and nuts are usually a much cheaper source of protein and iron.

I started meat again after struggling to eat a balanced vegetarian diet after being diagnosed with Coeliac diease. All the usual things I ate like veggie sausages and qu0rn pieces are not gluten free and with a full time job, a toddler and 2 professional qualification courses to complete by next summer I don't have the time or the energy to make everything from scratch. The funny thing was I missed my veg. I would have 'something' with veg and pots or salad and because I wasn't having the 'something' I wasn't having my usual veg.

I couldn't think why I actually stopped eating meat even though I was never a big fan of it, more as a reaction to my parents divorce I think than any moral reason. Something that had never crossed my mind as a reason in the last 25 years until I started questioning it.

Welsh_Poppy wrote: »

I dont know enought about CD but can you use tesco veggie mince or Morrions version?

I can eat the dried soya mince that Mr T sell in the wholefoods section but not frozen veggie mince as it contains gluten.

I recently made a lovely veggie chilli using green lentils from a Rose Elliott recipe I discovered in May and have also made lentil bolognaise with some batches frozen for future use. I haven't tried the bolognaise yet. I made it on a batch cooking day when I was trying to stay veggie and popped all the portions in the freezer.

I am adjusting my meal plan to split the meat meals and veggie ones 60/40 to try and stretch the meat and cut costs.

My shopping list for tomorrow consists of lots of fruit, mainly Ald1 super 6, milk, bread, gravy powder, baby wipes, frozen veg, ham, orange juice, cider and either some garlic butter to convert some GF rolls(freebie:D) into garlic bread or some GF garlic bread. I am hoping to spend £40 or less.

Today will be a NSD, I didn't even buy a cup of tea at work!

bossymoo

Been to sainsbobs on way home today and filled fridge and some costly storecupboard items and spent nearly £70 oops.

We have plenty in though now, so shouldn't need anything till the end of next week.

mrs-moneypenny

mummyof5 cakes look fanastic and are bound to sell
went Ts yesterday and this morning so need to update sig

veggie sausage stirfry for tea tonight
need to make some cakes as well

sb88_2

Hii everyone! So far this month i've spent £82.26 on grocerys ( 2 adults, a dog a tortoise and a bearded dragon)

I have gone over budget, i manged to spend £61 in my first week, twice as much as I planned (I had some good news and was somewhat distracted shopping)

The good thing is I've really taken on board some lessons . I love reading your posts, I don't get to post often but I do read them! I spent £20 this week on grocerys, and have really tried hard with making do with what we already had in the house!

OH has been fantastic, he is normally very fussy eating, but he tried the morrisons own brand pot noodles! (And liked them) and he joined me eating falafel! (I get a dry mix and soak with cold water)

Slowly he's trying new things and not eating meat at every meal. I'm so grateful to this site ! I am learning new things everyday and hopefully it will set me up for a old style life!

on another note! Finally it isn't raining and I can get some washing out!

keza

ok so ive gone sailing over now ive got some store cupboard stock and my veg box came today! !!!!!!

I will cut myself some slack thou as i only grabbed the bull by the horns at the beginning of July (we start our month on 25th - payday). so id already done a £95 shop! :eek: and i only just started the 2nd purse challenge this month too so i need to find the right balance.

next month i will come under budget