February 2013 Grocery Challenge

forever_saving

So far my total is £89.60. I usually go shopping today but we have had snow and i really don't like driving in it unless i really have to. We should have enough to last over the weekend. I can go shopping Monday on my way home from work.
Good luck to everyone else.
FS

craigywv

NickJW wrote: »

That's what I was thinking, and you know what, dinner was lovely!

I only manage to do well on months I eliminate waste (ie every morsel of food is eaten). I do wish that I got better whoopsies like you though - my spends would shoot right down if I could stock up on yellow sticker items.

i used to go yellowsticker hunting and comeback with ab nothing as i was setting my sights too high...think i was wanting legs of lamb etc... then 1 day i stood looking at all the stuff and had a major lightbulb moment there was soooooooo much random stuff i could use to accompany what i already had in the house so i got bits of veg 1 piece of fish etc..now i will look first at the fruit and veg and the meat last as i find even if i can only get 1 item of meat as long as i have the f&v to accompany it i can stretch the meat out more so saving a lot more in the long run. i also realised to not be too fussy about bruises in a bag of apples or pears as they would prob be getting peeled for stewing or made into a fruit cocktail inbowl for the fridge as soon as i got home. samefor the bread discounts inow will go for the most expensive bread as when its reduced for the last time atnight its usually the same price as the sm own brand stuff so your getting a far more superior bread for same price. hth NICK

liz-paul

Any tips for what to do with 3 pears and a mango? Was thinking of making some sort of dessert with the pears for sundaylunch tomorrow (pear sponge/crumble or maybe stew them in some lo mulled wine) but I don't think the 2 fussy kids will eat that....

Suffolk_lass

liz-paul wrote: »

Any tips for what to do with 3 pears and a mango? Was thinking of making some sort of dessert with the pears for sundaylunch tomorrow (pear sponge/crumble or maybe stew them in some lo mulled wine) but I don't think the 2 fussy kids will eat that....

I would just put a chocolate sponge on top of the sliced pears and slightly undercook it so it's sticky (Nigella does something like this). I'd serve it with a dollop of cream or natural yogurt to loosen the stickiness.

As for the mango, I would hedgehog dice it and slice it off the skin and just offer it round as a snack - over here they last about 20 seconds in that state. What a lovely dilemna!

HTH
SL

Kitchenbunny

Good morning, everyone! Hope we're doing alright on this coldish Saturday morning. I'm very happily reporting that yesterday was an NSD as we went to our friends' wedding and didn't actually spend as much as I was fearing we would! I drove, so it was quite nice, although the evening disco bit was a bit loud for me. Still, we were fed a nice big carvery and buffet tea, so it was a nice change from cooking.

Tonight I'll be doing a simple Sausage Pasta Bake, but I found some Italian-style sausages (chilli and fennel from Mr M) and have some leftover bacon to use up, so will do that. It still promises to be lovely.

My shopping list and meal plan for the week are now written, and I'm going to stick to them. This week there's quite a bit more meat than usual (Valentine's Day means I'll try and find some decent steak on offer) - I've got a choice of most supermarkets so I can shop around to try and find some bargains, although hopefully not at the extra expense of fuel. The mealplan runs:

Sat - Pasta with Italian-style Sausage and Tomato Sauce
Sun - Shepherd's Pie
Mon - Chinese-inspired Ribs & Chips
Tues - Cheese & Bacon Pancake Bake (as it's Pancake Day)
Weds - Chicken Rogan Josh with Rice
Thurs - Steak Sandwiches with Fajita Mushrooms
Fri - TBC
Sat - Toad in the Hole with Beans
Sun - Meat Feast Pasta Bake (to use up beans, any leftover sausages, bacon, etc)

Hope everyone has a good week. Don't give up if you feel you're spending a bit more than usual - it may balance itself out later in the month. Keep your chin up.

KB xx

Mrs_T_M

I've just determined that I adore pineapple in my smoothies and I'm kicking myself for not getting some of the marked down ones from Morrisons last time I was there. They were huge and only 25p each!

Verityemilia

:T:T:T £40.05 / £50.00 :T:T:T

Next week should be much less as freezer bulging and store cupboard looking good - just essentials like milk, fruit, veg, yogurts and cat food - whoop whoop :j:j:j:j

xxlouisexx56

Only spent £20 of my budget so far due to being so ill last week. But my cupboard stocks are rather run down.

Going with DP to aldi and asda this afternoon after we've been to kwik fit for a new tyre, I found a screw in the front passenger tyre yesterday grrrrrrr!

We need absolutely everything food wise! Meat, fruit, veg, juice, milk, yogs, tins.
Luckily we are ok for cleaning supplies, nappies, wipes, toilet roll etc so the shop shouldn't be too much .... Well report back later

Kitchenbunny

Well, all was well - I've just spend £11.77 today on a few bits we needed sooner than Monday (my normal shopping day). Still, a few bits less on the list.

I'll update my sig now.

KB xx

Coxy11

Hi everyone,

Welcome sprozza - will pop you on the list in a tick

Spends to report:
£22.37 in A!di
£5.49 in M&S on a chicken for tomorrow's roast dinner
£61.10 into my second purse for items used this week
£2.73 in Sainsbobs today on soup and bread for kids lunch

Need to update sig.

Looking good so far this month. We are away skiing from 18-25 Feb and have a seperate budget for this (we are self-catering) so I fully expect to come in under budget. Just as well as our car tax is due and it's gone up £30!

Damp day here in Kent. Hope everyone who has snow is okay

Coxy