August 2012 Grocery Challenge

jumblejack

gettingready wrote: »

I use similar method - slight variation:

1 part rice with 2 parts water on full heat with lead on till starts boiling.
The moment it stars boiling - heat on minimum and 10 min like that.

Never take the lead off from start to finish - perfect rice every time

That's exactly the way I used to do it. I now use a thermal cook pot and have realised the potential of retained heat with cooking.

The 'turn off the flame and keep the lid on' method really works though. This way I don't risk getting a crispy layer of rice on the bottom of the pan if I forget it .

You don't need a thermal cook pot either. This works with any lidded pan. :money:

Soworried

debtfreewannabe321 wrote: »

I'm not sure if i have posted any spends since i was up to this amount- £151.23/300- but have trawled the pages and can't find any more from me (although may have missed them if they are there!)

Well since that last post i've had the worst month ever. My hubby has left me (not totally unexpected but still not nice) and so i've been to family which means for me my budget should come in under this month (gotta be some positives eh)

I spent £43 one week, then £48 this last week and that will see us through to payday now (friday) so my total for the month is 242.23/300

I am so sorry to hear your news. Hugs to you.
Make sure you keep talking to your family about how you are doing, and come on and rant or cry here as well. The worst thing we can do when something bad happens is to bottle it up. x

Soworried

jumblejack wrote: »

That's exactly the way I used to do it. I now use a thermal cook pot and have realised the potential of retained heat with cooking.

The 'turn off the flame and keep the lid on' method really works though. This way I don't risk getting a crispy layer of rice on the bottom of the pan if I forget it .

You don't need a thermal cook pot either. This works with any lidded pan. :money:

I read this tip on the one liners thread. I also read to turn the oven off 5 minutes before the end and turn the hob and grill off around 3 minutes before as well.
I have been trying it and it works great. :j
Thankyou to the original posters. :T

NickJW

Thanks Jumblejack - you're really motivating and a kick up the ..... I sometimes need! :rotfl:

Great ideas about the rice and coke. I'm going to try and stop buying diet coke first though. I did used to get through a 2 litre bottle a day a few years ago (which is why I avoid buying bottles now) :eek:, but now normally have one or 2 cans a month. This month I just seem to be really tired all the time and need a pick me up that only diet coke provides. Going to try having some ginger tea today instead to see if that is better.

Now to spends:

£4 in M+S yesterday on 2 packs of their washing tabs (cheaper than Fairy and good for sensitive skin).
£4.04 in M+S today for lunch things
£2.58 in the market (had the day off yesterday and there was a very cheap market so thought I would use this instead of Mr W tomorrow) - spent 58p on a can of coconut milk, 50p on a HUGE bunch of coriander and £1.39 on 4 huge sticks of lemongrass! :T

Total = £10.62...just 2 more days to go until the end of the month!

bossymoo

Hi all

finally updated sig from last weeks spends, but havent been shopping since, and am just under budget, hurrah!

am still making my own coleslaw, today it is with prawns, so added a little tom sauce to the mix, a chopped gherkin and some chopped sundried tomatoes mmm.

am trying to use up fridge contents as going on hols on friday, so no more to add to August spends, although we will be having lunch out on fri but i dont count eating out in grocery spend... how convenient!

Best wishes to all, and see you over in September in 10 days or so...

Make-it-3

Hope everyone had a lovely bank holiday. We were away, so had to do a quick catch up shop yesterday so £19.57 of groceries to hopefully last us until the weekend.

Total stands at £150.96/£200. So if I make it till Saturday with 3 NSD's that's a massive 25% under budget.

Billie-jo

Spends since last post of £23.81 We had some friends coming around so brought some wine and nibbles that wouldn’t normally buy so this has put our total up but its ok as we are not on such a strict budget that we cant afford to go over. More like I don’t see why we NEED to go over our set amount. Had a load of tomatoes that need using so made more soup. Was surprised that one grandson who will NOT eat tomatoes, onions, garlic, courgettes or peppers ate a bowl full of the soup! His mum is now sulking that he will eat it for Grandma but not her. In my opinion she doesn’t encourage him enough to try different and healthy foods and its showing as he already has a weight problem at 6 The other two grandchildren (different mum) will eat most things and have no weight issues at all.

Am half way through planning next week’s meals so as can do a list for shopping tomorrow and this SHOULD be my last shop for this month as it’s the 1st on Sat. I have also taken 3 items out of freezer and only put 1 back in - RESULT:)

Have been reading the second purse challenge and am thinking of giving it a go. Did toy with the idea last time but then never took it up properly. Does anyone on here do it or not and if so what do you think about it?

Sorry to hear your news
debtfreewannabe321

Nicki_Sue

Well this was my "test week" before the September challenge and I am signing it off as £9.40 over (Not bad for a first try I suppose but still a bit miffed).
Mind you, I was practically stock cupboard-less so a curry required buying rice, curry powder.... everything.
Cupboard being rebuilt now after a rough few weeks and my head is on straight for September. See you on the Sept board

mummyyof5

Have a MrAs being delivered tonight which is £36 inc delivery...just heavy things tins,catfood,milk that I just cannot carry from town

£15 in HB

£8 in A**IS...or the crispy shop as LO calls it....buy crisps here for kids hence the crispy shop...bless shes only 3.

Shepherds pie for tea using 2 packs of lamb mince YS at 70p:j

Going to MrTs tomorrow night again to see if I can get any more YS...we seem to have got through a fair bit of what I got last time

Updating sig now x

Soworried

A great night here, I just got the following.
Pouting fillets in parsley sauce down from £2.75 to just 25p.
Finest fillet steak down from £7.01 to £1.75.
2 Salmon steaks £3.99 to £1.05.
Gammon joint down from £6 to £1.99.
Salmon parcels down from £3 to 75p.
Frijj milkshakes down from £1.45 to 35p each.
Total cost £25.65 down to just £6.49p.

I just managed to fit it all in.

I'm off to add it to my total.