June 2013 Grocery Challenge

Ciaerda

Hi everyone, it is another nsd today so that makes 3 in a row, will need to go shopping tomorrow so that I don't have to go to the shops over the weekend plus I have got a couple of vouchers to use, it is supposed to be nice and sunny as well so fingers crossed for that - it always seems nicer if the sun is shining.

Looking at other peoples posts looks like few of you have chest freezers are these extra freezers. I have a fridge freezer which isn't too bad but you can't really get loads in there and I was thinking maybe getting a chest freezer and having it in the shed outside. Then at least I could really stock up when meat is on offer etc, would love to hear your opinions.

Thank you and have a great day

meg72

she_who_can_not_cook wrote: »

Thats me and the reduced lol

Glad its not just me then, but talking of reduced I just had a lovely experience in Asda, NO I wasnt looking for whoopsies. I was sorting out what to wear when I go for my OP on Tues, and decided it really was time to replace a tatty assortment of knickers.

Whilst on my way through the store a young woman approached me and asked where the reduced section was, I told her but also pointed out it was much to early for the real reductions. She had two packs of pork loin steak in her basket @ 4.00 each, part of the 3 for 10.00 offer. She explained it was her first attempt at a dinner for inlaws and she needed the two packs to get 8 steaks but was really hoping to get some reduced as money was very tight. I was delighted to tell her to put them back and show her where the
exact same steaks were 4.00 a kg 8 steaks in the pack. I explained that the ones she had were 6.50 a kg and only 5.

The look on her face was priceless, I had saved her 4.00, so was mine when she gave me a lovely hug and headed off to find a bottle of wine with her savings.

K9sandFelines

meg72 wrote: »

Glad its not just me then, but talking of reduced I just had a lovely experience in Asda, NO I wasnt looking for whoopsies. I was sorting out what to wear when I go for my OP on Tues, and decided it really was time to replace a tatty assortment of knickers.

Whilst on my way through the store a young woman approached me and asked where the reduced section was, I told her but also pointed out it was much to early for the real reductions. She had two packs of pork loin steak in her basket @ 4.00 each, part of the 3 for 10.00 offer. She explained it was her first attempt at a dinner for inlaws and she needed the two packs to get 8 steaks but was really hoping to get some reduced as money was very tight. I was delighted to tell her to put them back and show her where the
exact same steaks were 4.00 a kg 8 steaks in the pack. I explained that the ones she had were 6.50 a kg and only 5.

The look on her face was priceless, I had saved her 4.00, so was mine when she gave me a lovely hug and headed off to find a bottle of wine with her savings.

Aww well done Meg, hope you pointed her in the direction of MSE too ...just kidding .

Another NSD for me today, and i have had news that my eldest DD (14) is returning to live with us from overseas :j. So the GC budget may have to be assessed in the next month or so. I am thankful that i have summer hols to get to grips with shopping for three again ( i never really got the hang of shopping for two, my mindset was stuck); and also that Mr S and Mr A have offered me free delivery over the next few months if i spend X amount and a free smartpass from Mr O. So no more being chained to Mr T for groceries.

Hope everyone is enjoying the sun. This is the best news i have had all year re DD coming back. Especially as tomorrow is an extremely sad day. I have to take my 15 year old dog to be PTS

summerlou

Weekly shop done £100.05

Tenyearstogo

Ciaerda wrote: »

Looking at other peoples posts looks like few of you have chest freezers are these extra freezers. I have a fridge freezer which isn't too bad but you can't really get loads in there and I was thinking maybe getting a chest freezer and having it in the shed outside. Then at least I could really stock up when meat is on offer etc, would love to hear your opinions.

I've just bought a chest freezer which I'm keeping in my garage. You have to choose carefully because only certain types can be kept outdoors. If the external temperature around the freezer is too low they don't work. I've bought a Beko one. Appliances online website is really good for the information.

I've only got a small one indoors (2 and a half drawers) so I'm planning to keep open packets, a spare loaf and that weeks planned meals indoors and everything else in the chest freezer. That way I can minimise trips to the garage.

I want to use my freezer to take advantage of reductions, bulk buys and batch cooking.

NickJW

Doing Tuna Pasta tonight and Chow Mein tomorrow. Not sure about Saturday yet

Had a spend of £9.76 in Co-op today - but will need to get some more things tomorrow from either Mr S or Mr W.

Hope everyone is enjoying the sun!

Bartelmy

Not sure I want to formally join in with this challenge this month, but considering it for July.:)

Because I'm currently unemployed, and under-25 and in debt, I only have £10 left per week after my bills have been paid, so that's my food budget. My nan slips me the odd tenner which goes on transport. Luckily, I only have me to feed. I've found that with detailed meal plans, it's possible to eat quite interesting and varied meals, though since it's only me eating, I do tend to have to finish off the same dish over the course of a few days so as not to waste it. I don't have a great deal of freezer space for storage, since I live in a shared house.

So far this month, I've bought a pack of digestives, soft cheese, chocolate spread, and margarine, all from Tescos. That was £2.37, and I made a cheesecake with them, out of The Takeaway Secret.:) That amount makes 6 portions of the recipe, which is quite enough to be getting on with. Today I got 5 pizzas for £4 from Farmfoods, along with 6 eggs, which were 49p. I was so pleased to find that; I was going to buy the eggs from Tesco, where they'd have been 95p, but they'd sold out of the boxes of six.

I also got a Baby Ruth to try, since my latest project is trying the American candy bars in the world food section in Tesco.:D I've heard about those candy bars on TV for years, and now they're real and I can buy them and eat them, and everything. That's awesome. The other day, I also got some midget gems from Wilko and a free sprite with a voucher, bringing my total spending for this month up to £8.81.

I've been making a lot of food from The Takeaway Secret this week. I heard about it in a thread on this forum, and it's been a really fun project.

For breakfasts, I've been eating an oatmeal and muesli mix (two parts oats to one parts muesli) with water, berries, and 4 squares (80g) of chocolate (30p a 100g bar from Tesco, which has 6 x 4 pieces). I made some homemade baked beans last week, and I've been eating those with sausages and hash browns, sometimes as breakfasts and sometimes as dinners. I made the American Breakfast Pancakes from The Takeaway Secret, with toffee syrup and squirty cream (69p from Farmfoods). They were yummy, but way too many for me. In future, I'll get 2-3 portions from that one recipe.

For lunches; I made a baked bean curry a few weeks ago, and portioned it out with rice before freezing it. I've eaten a few of those, and have 2-3 left in the freezer. I grabbed all my housemates last week, to sort out the stuff in the freezer that belongs to someone, and the stuff that's just been abandoned. It turned out everything that isn't mine is abandoned, so I used the bags of veggies to make a veggie lasagne with the remains of a roux sauce I made last week to eat with gnocchi. I just ate the next-to-last portion of that for lunch.

For dinners, I've been trying to perfect KFC copies (again, from The Takeaway Secret). I bought two huge bags of chicken thighs from Farmfoods, and I still have 4kg of fries from there, so I've been eating baked chicken and fries most nights. I like baking things. You just put them in, then forget about them until it's time to turn them or eat them. I got a bag of new potatoes for 69p from Tesco last week, and I'm planning to finish those off mashed with lots of frozen veggies, with sausages and gravy. On Sunday, it'll be mash, veggies, yorkshires (ED value from Tesco), gravy, and chicken.

stafftopets

Just calling in to update my spend so far. Grocery shop delivered £68.83 on Monday evening, not been in a shop so far this week:j - this is all completely new to me but I am determined to keep control this month.

Billie-jo

K9sandFelines - so sorry about your dog. It hurts so much but you are doing the best in the end. Had to do it a few times and its heart breaking.:grouphug:

well today spent £38.50 and £17 of it was on fruit & veg - strawberries, radish, watercress, tomatoes, broccoli and also some ys purple sprouting broccoli, carrots, bananas, oranges, kiwis, mushrooms, apples and grapes - should last a few days at least.

Tea tonight was salmon with garlic & chilli sauce with salad, followed by strawberries, grapes and creme fraiche with chopped mint.

meanmarie

Spent €30.60 today, bringing my total for the month so far to €43.33...we seem to have so much food in the house that we have decided that we are not buying anything foodwise until we have nothing let.....you know what they say about good intentions!

Marie