July 2013 Grocery Challenge

jumblejack

Florenceem wrote: »

NSD here.
Tomorrow - free fish for dinner. :money:
For dinner we had HM veggie pie + carrots + onions + rice.

I've missed your pics!

I've had a mop up meal tonight as kids and OH are away until Sunday.

It was stir fried veggies with a HUGE smoking of minced garlic, oil, lemon juice etc etc.... and a plateful of prawn crackers

Supper was bran flakes.

This weeks budget went out the window with the list of supplies requested for their long weekend away.

I blew pretty much the whole budget on JUNK!!

Pop bottles, crisps, chocolate, sweets etc.

Nightmare!

They are eating out but want a hefty amount of snacks for the hotel room.

Hence my tidy up, no spend type meals.

Tea party at the weekend so will need provisions for that tomorrow but it will be baking stuff. No nasty convenience foods will be on my table that day, for sure!

Will try harder next week for sticking to my budget.

jedi82

Morning, spent 4.40 on chocolates this morning :eek: I wouldn't mind but I'm not even going to eat it! My eldest two have mufti day today so have to take in something for the tombola (big bar of choccie each) and then they also had to fill up pint pots with 'stuff' so got a big bag of fudge and split between the two. I must get more organised because this is ridiculous, next year there will be three at school and it is going to cost me a fortune!

I don't mind supporting these things but just seems a bit ridiculous today. Okay, rant over will go and tidy the house because DH is back tonight after being away for a week and we have missed him sooooooo much.

Have a good day, Jedi x

meg72

Florenceem wrote: »

I used to have a manual slicer. Found this one online -

http://www.domu.co.uk/shef-precision-electric-food-slicer-meat-slicer.html

Thats a real bargain and was the one I would have preferred but I am seriously short of space in the Kitchen and this is a fairly big one.

I eventually found a Kenwood one on the carboot for 5.00 and its great, folds up and fit behind the Microwave. but even if I had bought new and paid full price, about 30.00 it would till have paid for itself over and over.

I like to buy a gammon joint and cut of a few slices for grilled gammon and egg, a few chunks to do a quiche and roast the rest,
I buy SP which is 3.78 a killo and a 5.00 piece gives me loads of meals.

Edited to say that also that
site ha s a great bargain on a Halogen cooker, again too big for me 12 litres but would be great for a family.

meg72

jedi82 wrote: »

Morning, spent 4.40 on chocolates this morning :eek: I wouldn't mind but I'm not even going to eat it! My eldest two have mufti day today so have to take in something for the tombola (big bar of choccie each) and then they also had to fill up pint pots with 'stuff' so got a big bag of fudge and split between the two. I must get more organised because this is ridiculous, next year there will be three at school and it is going to cost me a fortune!

I don't mind supporting these things but just seems a bit ridiculous today. Okay, rant over will go and tidy the house because DH is back tonight after being away for a week and we have missed him sooooooo much.

Have a good day, Jedi x

I think this something for the school tombolla i a problem for lot of people nowaday. My Niece has three at school now and as you say the way to go is to be organised especially as her seem to only remember it the night before.

I pick up offers when I am out and about for her, she works, and so far have found little bottles of wine 4 for 5.00, put them in cellophane bag with shreaded paper and decorate with curly ribbon.
Really nice Disney tins of biscuits in Poundland and several toiletry sets on the carboot for 50p.

The aim is to have a stash of stuff ready.

sefilby

Won £10 meat voucher on a raffle at our conservation club :j £2 spent to enter (5tickets) so £8 profit :beer: going to use it to buy BBQ bits for weekend as its (fingers super crossed) going to be lush!

£3.95 in C**p as treated myself to a quick lunch.

K9sandFelines

Hi folks, i am back after a few absent days, collecting Dd1 and settling her in ( she is currently in bed, (I think slightly jet lagged and YO keeping her awake gabbing, so letting her catch up on sleep, especially with the time difference aswell).

I did have a spend in the airport for hot chocolates, whilst waiting and a magazine on the way but not including these, as normally it would have been something i would have avoided, so will class it as a NSD. Took all food with us, and had loads left over when we got home, so i planned well.

Yesterday, i went to C*-*p to get bread and managed to get it YS (400g) and some YS apples and some Kellogs crunchy nut for DD1 on promotion, so a £2.91 spend. Then went in local shop that sells cheaper goods and some dated stuff like AF and spent £1, on cake and two 100g bars of choc for Sat night. DD1 and I are making marble muffins today, whilst youngest in school, we didn't get a minute yesterday hence shop bought cake. Whilst the oven is on, i will also make bread rolls, from the soft bap mix from AF. Sometimes it hasn't worked out, so just as well it was only pennies for a massive supply. Everything else we moreorless have in, so shouldn't need anything other than fruit juice for breakfast, till top up shop Mon/Tues.

Sticking to meal plan, but hard adjusting to how long things now last with three people instead of two.

Sorry for the waffle ... off to update signature.

Bluegreen143

A few small spends yesterday - OH made dinner (which was lovely) but bought some stuff to do so. Will need to double check what his spends were, he thinks around £1.60 and bought part-baked bread and garlic (to make garlic bread) plus a couple of other bits I've forgotten (EDIT, there was definitely basil in that lot as well).

I also picked up 4 pints of milk (£1.29) and 2 YS loaves for only 8p each both in the freezer now. Will save me baking bread this weekend, I very much prefer homemade but can't beat that price and anyway, we're got so much decorating to do it's much handier to not have to make bread.

dylan2011

Thanks for the welcome people. I have spent the last day going through a lot of things, making a speadsheets of income and outgoings, and if I get this down to £250 a month we will be so much better off.
Had a NSD yesterday, but today spend £2.70 - Had toddler group and paid £2.50 there in exchange for a couple of cuppas, some biscuits and a morning of kids being entertained. Plus spent 20p on a freddo choc bar for little one.
Have loads of food in so hope won't need to much until next week, poss some milk and baby wipes at weekend.
Thanks for nappy tips - I get the Aldi Mamia range usually, 40 in a size 5 for my 2 year old @ £4.59 (approx 10 days-2 weeks supply) and 24 Newborn for £1.69 (approx 5 days at the moment) for the 10 Week Old. They both fit my boys well and don't leak easily.
Am lucky with my 2 year old as he is not fussy with his food. To be honest, think it is because he never had the chance to be. Have been skint since he has been born, he doesn't want for things because he has the things he needs, but is happy with the little things in life, which is great. He tends to eat what we have, except when we have a very spicy curry, then he has baked beans on toast (which he loves). But he also loves to do it all himself which can get very messy. lol.
Curry for tea tonight, and will be plenty left for another meal which will freeze (chicken, sweet potato and green beans in a very spicy home made sauce. Mmmm Mmmm)

sheeppappar

Hello all. Just popping in to say my frozen sausage/slowcooker experiment was not a success. I just put the sausages in the cooker (frozen) in the morning and although they were cooked completely by teatime, they were completely minging .
Maybe because they weren't v good quality although I reckon if I had had time to brown them in the pan first they would have been better... as it was they were like that meat paste you used to buy in sausage-shaped plastic wrappers. blleehhhr. Also not impressed by my Aldi or Lidl saus casserole jar of sauce...I just got it for a quick fix but next time will just put gravy or tin of toms + work out the spices for myself.

Does anyone find themselves stuck in a rut of eating the same stuff? I know some of you have lovely inventive food but I tend to go to the old favourites as I base my shopping for meat around cheap freezable stuff so it's chicken, mince, bacon, tuna etc. I am going to try and be a bit more interesting next week so have HM chicken kiev + wedges, bobotie, koftas and wraps and chick satay planned.... will see how that goes.
If anyone has any favourite easy/interesting dinners I would love to hear about them

Updated my signature with £3 in Sainsbury's -- orange squash 1.50 :eek: + milk + something else I have already forgotten... on a plus point their 2l of skimmed milk is now £1

Anyway have a lovely weekend all.. looks like the weather will be nice XX

PS Woowooo just noticed I am now a 2-star moneysaver hehe!

jedi82

sheeppappar wrote: »

Hello all. Just popping in to say my frozen sausage/slowcooker experiment was not a success. I just put the sausages in the cooker (frozen) in the morning and although they were cooked completely by teatime, they were completely minging .
Maybe because they weren't v good quality although I reckon if I had had time to brown them in the pan first they would have been better... as it was they were like that meat paste you used to buy in sausage-shaped plastic wrappers. blleehhhr.

I found exactly the same when I did a sausage casserole in the slow cooker. I thought it might be because I left them in too long but have not tried it again because they were sooooo horrible (exactly like you say above, meat paste!!!). I should try it again but can't face the waste if it is yuck again!

Jedi x