February 2013 Grocery Challenge

Chellie1964

Going ok with the challenge, but this month is like a reconnaissance mission (thank goodness for predictive spelling!) so I will study receipts and meal planners to see where and what we can buy less of etc.

Meal planned and bought a bigger joint (from local butcher) so I could use leftovers for other meals which I've worked into planner. Bought 17p choc from Li** and DS was about to throw out about 1/8 box of Rice Snaps as he said there were too many crumbs! Used them and the choc to make krispie cakes, delish dessert for him and krispies not wasted.

Thank you to the challenge for keeping me thinking about what I'm buying and wasting.

Coxy11

Morning all,

Took DS2, two of his friends and DD to cinema yesterday for DS2's birthday treat. We stopped at McD's on the way, so another £20 to add to GC total (it was £19 odd but they NEVER give a receipt :mad:)

Also £4 on sweets in the £ shop - cheaper than buying at the cinema :money:

Roast chicken for dinner later. DH and DS1 will be back from camp and will no doubt be ravenous

Coxy

Islandmaid

Hi all,

Had a naughty spend at Mr M,s during the week, wine, sweeties:mad: spent £12.

Spent £30 at Mr L,s and £40 at B@@kers yesterday.

Did buy 24 chicken breasts and 48 loo rolls at B,s that will last 3 months, so will divide that by 3 for this weeks spends.

So £72 added to spends.

Have had a freezer clear out and using up some fish in a fish pie for tonight.

Kitchenbunny

Morning, everyone. Hope you're all well. Today is going to be an NSD today as I really don't fancy going out. I've got everything in to make tonight's tea of Shepherd's Pie and I've rationed out the remaining slices of bread to make sure there's enough for lunch and Mr KB's sandwiches tomorrow. I'll take one of the cup soup things in my cupboard that need using up and will have a slice from the loaf I buy in my main shop, tomorrow.

I'm toying with the idea of having a batch cooking day and filling the freezer with home-made microwaveable meals, but time and budget will be the concerns as to whether it happens this month or next.

If I can't find pork ribs on offer at Mr M, I'll be substituting them for fajitas. They're light, quick and tasty, and I'll save the ribs for when I can find a decent offer. I have most of the bits in anyway and need to buy fajita spice (as I've yet to find a recipe to make my own that tastes like our favourite brand). I have salsa, so all I'll need is the wraps, which I don't mind buying as the cost of making my own (including the fuel to cook them inititally) can't be much different to the Value ones.

Have a lovely weekend, everyone.

KB xx

xxlouisexx56

£95 between aldi and asda yesterday. But now have lots of meat and bits in. Freezer is full!

she_who_can_not_cook

Well I went to aldi and Iceland this morning iceland had reduced beef roasts that had " origin UK and cut in the UK" at2.50 happy with that so do you think there willbemore reduced meats. Lol

Chellie1964

What a wet day here in Swindon - as a result I will be cooking up my own storm in the kitchen:

Wholemeal bread - in the breadmaker as I type
Surprise mini loaves (the surprise is nutella in the middle) - the jar of nutella has been lurking and bothering me in the cupboard for some time - note to self to use this as a pancake filling on Tuesday - had this in Italy and it was yum)
Soup about to be made for lunch using up the leftover celery and chicken stock frozen from chicken we had during the week
Slow roasted brisket going in the oven later when the mini loaves have risen so that the loaves can hitch a ride during the sealing period of the brisket)

Sounds like a good day

Mrs_T_M

elizabunny wrote: »

Thank you:T Funnily enough I am hoping to pop to the Garden Centre tomorrow and pick up some seeds. We can't go on like this -he is eating about a quarter of our monthly GC budget:eek:
I really struggle at this time of year because there are none of the usual herby bits in the garden and he's a really veggie kind of bunny:cool:

Do you use a greenhouse or just grow on the windowsill?

I'm just growing things on a glass shelf that I've put in our kitchen (on the south side of the house) and in the kitchen windowsill for the moment. I'll begin using our front bay window (north side of the house) for growing lettuces once it warms up a bit more.

Here's a photo of the glass shelf (please pardon the mess, Monday is our cleaning day here!):


I have started some potato peelings in the box on the bottom and the biscuit tin on the bottom shelf is currently holding my seeds. I have two containers of broccoli, two tins with african violets (from leaves), a tin with a lavender plant (from a cutting), two containers with tomato seedlings, two containers with basil, one of leaf lettuce, and two of sweet peppers. For the toilet roll tubes, I have four garlic cloves, 2 romaine lettuces (from scrap roots), a leek (from scraps), two parsnip tops (scraps), a random onion, and a radish. The radish was to test the seeds!

I also have a dried jalapeno chilli, a jar of chilli flakes (with seeds), a jar of mustard seeds, and a jar of fennel seeds sitting on the shelf waiting to have some planted. I've spent about £15 on stuff for the garden and plants, and most of that was compost!

I also have a tray (top of one of the crisper drawers in the fridge in fact) for starting scraps that currently has carrot tops, leeks, and a single parsnip top in it. Beside of that I have a strawberry punnet with a small african violet plant and a lemon tree sprout in it. I also have various bulbs sitting in windowsills around the house.



I'm coming down from having 5 acres in the states, 1 of which was nothing but a vegetable garden.

Nicky_Noo_Na

Kitchenbunny wrote: »

Morning, everyone. Hope you're all well. Today is going to be an NSD today as I really don't fancy going out. I've got everything in to make tonight's tea of Shepherd's Pie and I've rationed out the remaining slices of bread to make sure there's enough for lunch and Mr KB's sandwiches tomorrow. I'll take one of the cup soup things in my cupboard that need using up and will have a slice from the loaf I buy in my main shop, tomorrow.

I'm toying with the idea of having a batch cooking day and filling the freezer with home-made microwaveable meals, but time and budget will be the concerns as to whether it happens this month or next.

If I can't find pork ribs on offer at Mr M, I'll be substituting them for fajitas. They're light, quick and tasty, and I'll save the ribs for when I can find a decent offer. I have most of the bits in anyway and need to buy fajita spice (as I've yet to find a recipe to make my own that tastes like our favourite brand). I have salsa, so all I'll need is the wraps, which I don't mind buying as the cost of making my own (including the fuel to cook them inititally) can't be much different to the Value ones.

Have a lovely weekend, everyone.

KB xx

If you are near an asda they have brand name wraps reduced to 75p and the spice 25p (or they did in my local asda anyway)!

lbnblbnb

Mrs_T_M what a brilliant start! I must get some seeds going, I need to rig up something in front of the living room window, south facing. Off to have a look round to see what I have...