September 2013 Grocery Challenge

XSpender

Flat_Eric wrote: »

I'd be interested to know how everyone meal plans. Do you use a diary (and if so which kind - daft question I know but when I've considered meal planning in diaries, I like the option to be able to see the whole week in front of me but then there isn't the room you get on a diary that has a day per page!) or is it a notebook/scrap of paper that works for you?

I use a notepad too and write my meals in pencil so I can move them about a bit if plans change. I always plan to have at least 1 or 2 easy meals like jacket pots or omelettes. I find if I meal plan too many meals that take a lot of cooking and prep or too many new recipes I fail.

I tend to flick through my store cupboard lists ( in the same notebook) as I am planning so I use up the stuff I have got.

cattysmum

You are all really organised with meal planning, I am going to do a plan for september especially when im at work, im fed up of thinking everyday right what am I having for lunch today. Going to do a stock check tomorrow before I step foot into a supermarket.

Florenceem

XSpender wrote: »

I use a notepad too and write my meals in pencil so I can move them about a bit if plans change. I always plan to have at least 1 or 2 easy meals like jacket pots or omelettes. I find if I meal plan too many meals that take a lot of cooking and prep or too many new recipes I fail.

I tend to flick through my store cupboard lists ( in the same notebook) as I am planning so I use up the stuff I have got.

Stocks in cupboard/freezers - same folder on computer as menu planner document.

kylie_smiley

Can I join in? I'm aiming to get my budget down if possible, but for the first month, I'd just like to stick to my budget.
:rotfl:
£100 for me, please!

Have started a stocktake and am going shopping at the weekend - do I just post my shopping totals for each week as I go?

MissRikkiC

Flat_Eric wrote: »

I'd be interested to know how everyone meal plans. Do you use a diary (and if so which kind - daft question I know but when I've considered meal planning in diaries, I like the option to be able to see the whole week in front of me but then there isn't the room you get on a diary that has a day per page!) or is it a notebook/scrap of paper that works for you?

Flat Eric - I just use old style pen and paper.
I also do lunches too so the OH knows what he is allowed to eat I have a list of what ive used too so that i can replace it all when i go shopping.

Ended up lurking in the supermarkets yesterday to see what clearance food were going to come up

I came out of Mr Ms with 2 whole cooked chickens £2 each, 12 cooked chicken wings for 99p, 4 sausage rolls for 39p, a chicken sub roll (OH lunch today) for 49p, a batch of cooked mixed meats (About 250g) for 39p plus heaps of bread rolls for 19p each! All in all i spent £7.21 in there and another 78p in al*i on the 2 super 6's that i missed out on the day before!

Over all - got about 10 portions of chicken now (Generous i think too) all frozen for the next few weeks and still not a huge dent in the budget!

Hope youre all getting on okay, give it another few days and everyone will be here

RC

XSpender

£6 odd spent on sains on a bag of salad, half a cucumber, a box of toms, a small box of decaf earl Gray, a loaf and 4 pints of skimmed milk.

We were supposed to be having shepherds pie for tea but I am worn out tonight and it has been so hot today I swapped about and made crust less quiche to go with the salad and some new pots. The salad was awful and I really didn't enjoy it and neither did DH . There is only a little bit left which will be heading for the compost bin.

Tomorrow we will be having sweet and sour chicken with rice and prawn crackers. I might eventually get round to making that apple crumble.

Josslette

My month will run from 29th August til 26th September.

Please can I be put down for £225?

Really need to give this a go as we keep spending random money on food on the credit card, really isn't good.

Flat_Eric

Thanks all for planning tips. I have been browsing food apps for my new phone but nothing beats good old fashioned pen and paper !:D

cheerfulness4

XSpender wrote: »

I use a notepad too and write my meals in pencil so I can move them about a bit if plans change. I always plan to have at least 1 or 2 easy meals like jacket pots or omelettes. I find if I meal plan too many meals that take a lot of cooking and prep or too many new recipes I fail.

I tend to flick through my store cupboard lists ( in the same notebook) as I am planning so I use up the stuff I have got.

My method exactly!

I use one of those student project notebooks (Pukka Pads A4) that has all the sections with little wallet type parts to keep recipes in. Very useful and very cheap with the back to school sales usually.

One section Meal Plans, another Food Inventories, another my Monthly Food Spends Ledger, etc.

They have thick paper so I rub out at the end of each month and rewrite in the next months. I'm so cheap!

Downsizing__for_sanity

Flat_Eric wrote: »

I'd be interested to know how everyone meal plans. Do you use a diary (and if so which kind - daft question I know but when I've considered meal planning in diaries, I like the option to be able to see the whole week in front of me but then there isn't the room you get on a diary that has a day per page!) or is it a notebook/scrap of paper that works for you?

I use the 'Note' app on my iPhone. This way I always have it with me whenever I head into the shops. I commute a long distance but that means I often end up in shops just to kill time before trains, so this way I can work out if I will actually use something that seems to be a bargain!