July 2013 Grocery Challenge

sugarpuss27

Well no joy in the Ys dept this evening, everything had gone! Never mind I got what I went to sainsbobs for, £26.48 worth:eek: This leaves me 10.48 to cover 10ish days. Oh well this was the first month of the challenge so I'll evaluate at the end. Plenty in the freezer. Hope you all had a good day.

CountingPennies

Another NSD yesterday. Won't be today. I have to pop to town to bank some cash gifted it me from my parents from PPI claim i did for them. Will be taking the kids as they already broke up and have promised them a pasty and cake each. Also have to pick up tomorrows cinema tickets so will most likely pop into home bargains or poundland today to get some sweets to take. I should avoid Mr T's today. I have plenty of milk/bread/general grocery. Might aim to keep away all weekend because i know i have enough in to feed us all. Only thing i might run out of is milk so if i pick up 2 cartons today then i may have a NS weekend! Or maybe thats wishful thinking lol

Bluegreen143

Just popping on to say no spends yesterday

Had a veggie, egg and cashew stirfry with noodles for dinner followed by HM apple pie & icecream (yum). Lots if apple pie left for the weekend

Flo - you're totally right about HM food and I think so many people lack the knowledge/skills/confidence in the kitchen (though to be fair it's also hard to find the time especially if you work full time) and that's what really needs to be taught to be people.

I'm sure for the single mum & daughter the daily budget was £2.10ish each or something - our budget (just the food bit, not toiletries, cat food etc) is around £2.35 each a day and we each get three proper (and filling!) meals, including only buying free range meat, fresh fruit & veg as I don't like frozen and buying treats for OH like crisps and coke - so if I was in dire straits, I know I could cut back in these areas and could get down to £2 each a day or less - without us having to skip meals or live on tea! I felt so sorry for that woman who clearly was just struggling to cope and had no confidence or knowledge of how to cook

For instance yesterday we each had a bowl of value cereal with milk for breakfast, for my packed lunch/snacks I took HM lentil soup & HM bread with tinned peaches/yoghurt and a banana, and OH took a ham sandwich on HM bread with tinned peaches and crisps, then for dinner we had as above, stirfry followed by apple pie. I certainly got my five a day, OH maybe not, but we at least both got more than enough calories and it was lovely too!

pixiedust09

So far a NSD and no plans to buy anything, but I have no wine:( and its friday.

I'm making the nigella lawson ultimate chocolate cake for a colleagues leaving party on Tuesday, and need good quality 70% chocolate. I would normally go straight for the G&B choc but it is rather pricey. Can anyone recommend any other good quality choc that is really good. (I do want to impress with my cake, we tend to get competitive with our cake making at work ). Also was wondering where the best place is to get some sugar flowers?

meg72

I have been trying to post a pic on here but its not working. I havent done this for a long time so may be doing it wrong there used to be instructions on here but I cant find them now, help please.

Florenceem

Bluegreen143 wrote: »

Just popping on to say no spends yesterday

Had a veggie, egg and cashew stirfry with noodles for dinner followed by HM apple pie & icecream (yum). Lots if apple pie left for the weekend

Flo - you're totally right about HM food and I think so many people lack the knowledge/skills/confidence in the kitchen (though to be fair it's also hard to find the time especially if you work full time) and that's what really needs to be taught to be people.

I'm sure for the single mum & daughter the daily budget was £2.10ish each or something - our budget (just the food bit, not toiletries, cat food etc) is around £2.35 each a day and we each get three proper (and filling!) meals, including only buying free range meat, fresh fruit & veg as I don't like frozen and buying treats for OH like crisps and coke - so if I was in dire straits, I know I could cut back in these areas and could get down to £2 each a day or less - without us having to skip meals or live on tea! I felt so sorry for that woman who clearly was just struggling to cope and had no confidence or knowledge of how to cook

For instance yesterday we each had a bowl of value cereal with milk for breakfast, for my packed lunch/snacks I took HM lentil soup & HM bread with tinned peaches/yoghurt and a banana, and OH took a ham sandwich on HM bread with tinned peaches and crisps, then for dinner we had as above, stirfry followed by apple pie. I certainly got my five a day, OH maybe not, but we at least both got more than enough calories and it was lovely too!

I was married at 18 and really didn't know much at all about cooking or having a budget. When I had 6 children under 11 years old and a husband seriously ill so unable to work - we went on benefit. I soon learnt to cook and budget.
I got baking equipment at jumble sales/boot fairs - some of it was past it's best but with a good clean - it did the job. There were cookery shows on TV and I got cook books from the same place as the baking stuff.

Bluegreen143

Florenceem wrote: »

I was married at 18 and really didn't know much at all about cooking or having a budget. When I had 6 children under 11 years old and a husband seriously ill so unable to work - we went on benefit. I soon learnt to cook and budget.
I got baking equipment at jumble sales/boot fairs - some of it was past it's best but with a good clean - it did the job. There were cookery shows on TV and I got cook books from the same place as the baking stuff.

See, I think the people on the show (and the viewing public) would have learned SO MUCH more from the show if they'd had someone like you, who's lived through it, to do the recipes rather than celebrity chefs who were just clueless!

Florenceem

Bluegreen143 wrote: »

See, I think the people on the show (and the viewing public) would have learned SO MUCH more from the show if they'd had someone like you, who's lived through it, to do the recipes rather than celebrity chefs who were just clueless!

Not good viewing though - to have a non celebrity cook on the show. The BBC are just worried about their viewing figures not the folk who are struggling.
I can just imagine having someone like me on a show - the professional cooks would try to pull me to pieces.

she_who_can_not_cook

meg72 wrote: »

I have been trying to post a pic on here but its not working. I havent done this for a long time so may be doing it wrong there used to be instructions on here but I cant find them now, help please.

Sorry i can not help But is it on the above line with bold italics and underlining good luck i love everyones pics

Islandmaid

Hi all,

Just popping in to declare a NSD - AF delivery tomorrow and shopping to do, so that will bump up my spends, will try and be careful though.

AF order is to keep the kids topped up in carp over the holidays.

Have a fab day all x