August 2013 Grocery Challenge

LisaJane

Ahhhh the cost of food is so high these days!! Dropped into mr t's for "a few things" to top up last weeks big shop...spent £34.78!! Nightmare!

mrs-moneypenny

spent £100 in morrys at weekend and £15 on fruit and veg at market.
morrys was high BUT there was drink on it that will hopefully save us money on holiday as well drink in the garden instead of going to pub or club quite a few nights

Islandmaid

Hi all,

NSD here

Pork shanks (HP from Mr L) with new pots and cauli cheese and peas.

Have a fab evening all x

elsiepac

CherryPie wrote: »

This sounds right up my street, except, I don't really like mango. Do you think I could make with another fruit? I might just try mango first though, don't like messing with other peoples recipes!

In my opinion you don't really taste the mango! It's more banana and savoury taste from the spinach.

Funnily the mango was one of my substitutions from the original recipe, which called for frozen peaches and pineapples. I couldn't find frozen peaches anywhere, so I used the mango instead (and skipped the pineapple as I didn't want the sugar), but I do love it anyway so doesn't bother me! I wouldn't change the amounts though - I've experimented a lot and I think my recipe is perfect texture right now - if it's made in the order I've listed!!!

Good luck, and enjoy!

LC x

CherryPie

elsiepac wrote: »

In my opinion you don't really taste the mango! It's more banana and savoury taste from the spinach.

Funnily the mango was one of my substitutions from the original recipe, which called for frozen peaches and pineapples. I couldn't find frozen peaches anywhere, so I used the mango instead (and skipped the pineapple as I didn't want the sugar), but I do love it anyway so doesn't bother me! I wouldn't change the amounts though - I've experimented a lot and I think my recipe is perfect texture right now - if it's made in the order I've listed!!!

Good luck, and enjoy!

LC x

Thanks for the reply, mango it is then. Looking forward to it already, I'll let you know how I get on :beer:

K9sandFelines

lushlifesaver wrote: »

£4 spent today on a salad tub (to go with reduced prawn cocktail and a wrap from home) and some pies (4 - 1for my tea and 3 for the freezer)

£3 yesterday for turkey for bf's lunches etc.

Bf decided that he would pay for everything we bought to fill the freezer and the some longer lasting stuff we got for the fridge (mostly juices) as he also wanted to get a ton of healthy/allowed snacks to take with him to the tournament. In the end it came to about £65 but that included a good £15+ on tourney snacks plus we got some squash, cereal and other bits so it should last us a fair while (neither of us have massive appetites at the minute).

I need kitchen sponges and dishmatic heads. Not sure is morrisons do the dishmatic heads though so will have to check for those tomorrow.

In exchange for bf paying for those the grocery budget will pay for our meal out with his family next Friday

sig updated

For future reference, if you have a Wilkins*ns or H*meBargains, they sell dishmatic heads, only a double pack though not triple pack for 99p. I use these too. I can't use a normal sponge anymore.

angelatgraceland

I've not posted for a good month(or two) as I've been really busy with work, family, garden and things breaking down! I panicked today as I thought the BM had broken-it was just having an hours rest at the start of making a Granary loaf. I forgot how long it takes-I don't normally watch over it!:p
I've been using the cheap family recipes site and did some shopping today with a list and stuck to it apart from adding some maple syrup to put on breakfast pancakes.
I spent just over £13 in Lidl and bought the things I needed for the menu for the next few days.:D
Little gem lettuces were only 50p so that was a good saving. I have homegrown cucumbers. I am making spicy pea soup,breakfast pancakes, basil pesto pasta(homegrown basil). I made it with asdas mixed nuts-a half a packet approx 77p per packet. Also making chilli con carne, butternut squash risotto, spanish omelette(with b/n/squash in it,tomato and basil soup(my basil)granary bread, saag aloo(thats a veg curry)to use up my potatoes.
All of those meals added together should cost approx £7 plus some salad to go with the omelette. Trying to have a cheap week this week-a good start to each month is my rule, then I relax a bit! I've not been keeping track due to personal circumstances-all of the family tragedies over the last few months but I know I've not fallen off of the wagon! Old habits die hard and I buy a lot of reduced stuff and still have loads of App Foods items to use up-I must stay away from them-they clutter up my cupboards.My son was asking me why the jelly desert was written in some other language-I explained it was Polish but failed to tell him it was only 5p per packet!:rotfl: I did clear the cupboards out last week so now I know what I have-a lot of out of date stuff I am working my way through! I've sorted it all in date order now so that it will get used at the right time. I've left a few packets on the worktops of things I want to use up so I don't forget them. When they are gone I will dig out some more! I started buying Xmas presents last week! I don't want the panic I had last year. Only a few diaries and undies but it's a start. I've had locks repaired and replaced and windows adjusted , new rollers on patio doors-rather than buying new ones so although I've had to spend money on the house lately it has been minimal to what it could have been. I went to a locksmith rather than a window company as they want to"sell windows" and would try to fob me off!:money: Good choice I know as we are talking under £200 rather than 2 new windows and a new patio door!:eek: I also changed my house insurance and saved about £150 so I've not been idle!:rotfl:

Mrs-s_4

Spent £6.18 in the co*p on bread, milk, a carton drink and a reduced sausage roll for ds1 a, snickers for DH and 3 packs of co*p sweets for £1. That should be it now til Wednesday when the T shop arrives.
Wanting to put the deposit on next years holiday at the end of the month so need to be as cheap as possible so we have abit of spare money!

angelatgraceland

mumoftwo wrote: »

Just been shopping to Asda with a list £84.79 :eek:
I need to revise my list and choose cheaper groceries or visit more supermarkets. I am hoping that I have stuff left over that I can carry onto next week. It doesn't help that everyone is home all day it being the holidays and OH is off 2 days a week as well. I have still spent less than I normally would but I have already spent just about half of my budget and it's only Aug 5th :mad:

Definately making my own bread this week and rolls and cakes.

Make sure you menu plan while they are all home! I cook a few different dishes at a time so that we can choose and have time to do other things. It is always the lack of menu planning that has let me down in the past. I am going to put my spare food in my "other" fridge and put the lock on it as otherwise people just mindlessly grab stuff they shouldn't and don't follow the menu! That reminds me-I MUST do that, NOW!:eek::rotfl:

K9sandFelines

Forgot to add i also spent £1.00 i think on YS grapes in C*-*p. it was completely empty today with the new Mr M opening. So think there will be lots more YS goodies now, unless they cotton on that they need to start catering their orderes to a drop in customers.