August 2012 Grocery Challenge

barksavingmad

jasmin10 wrote: »

Nice to 'meet' you lol. I personnally do a mixture of the two. By the time I have put the children to bed and sat down I'm shattered and it's about 9pm before I get freed up. So at this time, the day before shopping I have a quick recky to see what I have, then write out my menu plan for the week. Then go through the menu plan and write a list of what I think I need to do this. Then I take my list into the kitchen and double check that I really do need everything thats on it, and it's either left on the list, subsituted or I have a brainwave and change it for something else that I have spotted I can make.

It takes me about half and hour or so but when I go to the sm I just aim for the things I need and job done. Without this I would be wasting more valued time and money browsing.

HTH with any ideas

Thank you so much for your reply.

Ditto re time. After everything is sorted it's around 9 ish I am free, I can spend several hrs a [STRIKE]day[/STRIKE] week typing shopping lists onto my supermarket, travelling to SM for whoopsied grub, tracking down coupons etc! Don't get me wrong I love it, but I'm exhausted and feel possibly I'm doing it all the wrong way or maybe there is a better way?!

jasmin10

I have only just started getting into the coupon way. Never realised you could get them on line and when I did find them was worried about being refused at the sm. When I go up to bed I turn on the desktop pc and just nip onto the coupon thread to see if there is anything that might help that week and print it off there and then.

Perhaps I should also use the moneysupermarket website, I have a spreadsheet that I have the prices down for each store of the things I use the most. gosh - too much to do

Question I have actually re coupons, I notice that posters are saying that the expiry is worked out from the day you print it. What do you do if there is a coupon you want but not just yet. Am I right in thinking if you want it then you print it straight away as if you leave it until you do then the offer will have finished - :undecided

jasmin10

So have written my list of things to make tonight for the picnic tomorrow (hmm someones going to be busy I think)

I have Ham sandwiches, JJ Herby Bread, cheese and Ham Puffs, Cheese and Marmite Twists, Sausage and Stuffing Rolls and finally Jelly and yogurt.

I reckon this will be enough, lots of pastry tho - oh well beggers cant be choosers. I cant remember the last time we had a whole family day out - probably my birthday two yrs ago (I feel like a big kid myself being so excited for us all lolol - silly old bird arent I)

Question btw. I was going to look up how to make puff pastry as I have never made it before. Can anyone recommend an easy recipe or even better if the BM makes it. (gosh my poor BM is doing overtime today. It's been on since 8am and still going lol.

Soworried

Hi Jasmin,
It really depends on the voucher I find. Nestle cereal voucher as an example only stay online for an hour or so so you need to print them as soon as they are on again. Most others have dates that they expire so you know if you need to use them now or not. The shortest date ones I find as well are the premier ones. As you get a new voucher for something free each week they are short dated.
To make the most from it it really comes down to knowing the prices.
My cereal and airwick airfreshners today would not have been free unless they were used at MrA due to the current offers.
I don't spend much time looking, just 5 minutes a day on here and 5 minutes a day on HDUK. Then just print if I am going to use them.
I hope this helps. x

barksavingmad

jasmin10 wrote: »

I have only just started getting into the coupon way. Never realised you could get them on line and when I did find them was worried about being refused at the sm. When I go up to bed I turn on the desktop pc and just nip onto the coupon thread to see if there is anything that might help that week and print it off there and then.

Perhaps I should also use the moneysupermarket website, I have a spreadsheet that I have the prices down for each store of the things I use the most. gosh - too much to do

Question I have actually re coupons, I notice that posters are saying that the expiry is worked out from the day you print it. What do you do if there is a coupon you want but not just yet. Am I right in thinking if you want it then you print it straight away as if you leave it until you do then the offer will have finished - :undecided

I have learnt to only print coupons as and when I need them, wasted too much on ink and throwing them away when out of date!

From my short time playing coupon If its PDF, save them to your desktop, if it's via SSM or similar then you get shorter dates. I have tended to shop by coupon rather than by meal plan. For example if pizzas are on BOGOF and there is a coupon to be used also, we would have several pizzas in the fridge and freezer that week . More recently there was a coupon with Make a meal meats, that week (or two) we had a huge amount of sausage n pasta dishes!!! Sausage sarnies etc!

Good luck with your couponing

I'm just trying to work out coupon vs meal plan shopping or whether it's possible to combine both and still get a resemblance of normal family life :rotfl:

barksavingmad

Soworried wrote: »

Hi Jasmin,
It really depends on the voucher I find. Nestle cereal voucher as an example only stay online for an hour or so so you need to print them as soon as they are on again. Most others have dates that they expire so you know if you need to use them now or not. The shortest date ones I find as well are the premier ones. As you get a new voucher for something free each week they are short dated.
To make the most from it it really comes down to knowing the prices.
My cereal and airwick airfreshners today would not have been free unless they were used at MrA due to the current offers.
I don't spend much time looking, just 5 minutes a day on here and 5 minutes a day on HDUK. Then just print if I am going to use them.
I hope this helps. x

That's Amazing! I seem to spend hrs working out each shop to ensure the best result!

Soworried

barksavingmad wrote: »

That's Amazing! I seem to spend hrs working out each shop to ensure the best result!

I just check for new added coupons since the day before, I then add the item or items on to my rolling shopping list so I don't forget which ones I want to use or print. I normally use them all at once on a Sunday or Monday an hour before closing to get the YS as well.
But I missed my YS shops this week as I have a bad back and am just up to pottering around today.

barksavingmad

Soworried wrote: »

I just check for new added coupons since the day before, I then add the item or items on to my rolling shopping list so I don't forget which ones I want to use or print. I normally use them all at once on a Sunday or Monday an hour before closing to get the YS as well.
But I missed my YS shops this week as I have a bad back and am just up to pottering around today.

That's very good. Very impressed and need to follow your lead. I follow the elite thread on here too, an amazing group of savvy shoppers who have inspired me and therefore I seem to be rather addicted! I need to slow down and find some sort of compromise

How rotten having a bad back. Have you seen a chiropractor or just allowing it to mend. Sending virtual hugs, I won't squeeze too hard so not to hurt your back

Caterina

What's the elite thread? Thank you.

PennyGrabber

For rough puff pastry, I use 450g plain flour, pinch salt, 375g cold butter, 250ml cold water. Mix flour, salt and butter in bowl, then pour in water. Use a knife to chop chop chop the butter, until it makes a sort of dough. Then shove it onto a floured board and roll out. Fold into thirds and turn, repeating as many times as you can be bothered!! I usually manage six before I stop. Leave in fridge in cling film for half an hour to rest, then you're good to go!!

I usually use a half or quarter quantity for me and my brood, although it does freeze for six weeks too.

Hth

PG x