October 2013 Grocery Challenge

Ladyluck1

Really do only have £20 MAX for this week...
Hoping I can pick up some good reduced bargains and have a lot left over from last weeks shop like;
Potatoes
Eggs x 8
Tomatoes
Milk
Today's dinner of smoked haddock fillets out of the freezer.
A fairly sad looking store cupboard now though, only a couple of tins beans and 2 x tinned tomatoes left plus the usual stock Cubes, pasta and seasonings etc
Really starting to hate being this strapped for money!

Ladyluck1

Peggybabcot wrote: »

The most common reason for popping to the shop and therefore overspending is bread and milk. Now I've got bread covered since I started making my own but wanted some advice on freezing milk. I've had a clear out of our freezer and finally we do have some room. Can you freeze semi skimmed or does it have to be full fat? And does anyone have any baking suggestions for savoury snacks such as sausage rolls etc for when the kids get in from school and also to replace crisps as a savoury element to lunch box fillers as we seem to get through too many crisps and the inevitable top up shop/overspend happens. I'm hoping for more NSD and only 1 trip per week to the supermarket in October as this is where our weakness lies. We're not veggie, I love cooking and we're 4 adults (2 teenage kids with hollow legs). Any advice would be much appreciated thanks x

Cheese twists are fairly easy?

lynnejk

Heyho fellow savers - Can't believe it's October already !!

I didn't realise this thread started so early but would like to try a 2nd month as I found you all so helpful and inspiring

Please put me down for £ 240 again as although under budget last month there isn't much in my bulk-buy account yet :rotfl:This covers all groceries, household stuff and cleaning and the fact I am a hopeless SQIRREL - Is there a cure ?

Looking forward to another interesting month on the board

L.

K9sandFelines

Ladyluck1 wrote: »

Cheese twists are fairly easy?

Breadsticks, pretzels, salted popcorn ...but not sure if any of these are any cheaper than crisps.

iammumtoone

Peggybabcot wrote: »

The most common reason for popping to the shop and therefore overspending is bread and milk. Now I've got bread covered since I started making my own but wanted some advice on freezing milk. I've had a clear out of our freezer and finally we do have some room. Can you freeze semi skimmed or does it have to be full fat? And does anyone have any baking suggestions for savoury snacks such as sausage rolls etc for when the kids get in from school and also to replace crisps as a savoury element to lunch box fillers as we seem to get through too many crisps and the inevitable top up shop/overspend happens. I'm hoping for more NSD and only 1 trip per week to the supermarket in October as this is where our weakness lies. We're not veggie, I love cooking and we're 4 adults (2 teenage kids with hollow legs). Any advice would be much appreciated thanks x

Yes you can freeze milk, I have done in the past, just take it out a day before to defrost in fridge and then keep as fresh milk. Unfortunately I don't have the room to do it now. An alternative is to buy UHT milk to last till the next shop, or if budget is really tight dried milk (I tried it, its ok bit of an acquired taste but not as bad a I thought it would be).

joedenise

Just back from holiday and will join in again for October. I'm increasing my monthly budget by £100 to £350 this month to as, unfortunately, my daughter turned off my outside freezer (mainly meat!) as she didn't realise that the switch for it is in the kitchen! Hopefully the extra £100 will help get the freezer filled up again.

Since getting back Saturday I've just done a bit of really basic shopping, bread, butter, milk, baked beans so only bread in the freezer at the moment.

Planning on getting some veg today and making some soups which I can freeze in single portions for lunches for both me and DH. Am making a chickpea and spinach curry for dinner tonight so there will be 2 portions of that to go in as well.

Denise

CH27

My October GC starts today.

I'm trying not to spend at the beginning of the week but am finding it hard to break the habit.

studentmidwife

NSD's Saturday and Sunday but spent £4.89 this morning in the local shop on bread, milk, cheese and crumpets (couldn't resist !!).

Have to say have been fairly impressed with the FF meat we've had so far. Used the frozen meatballs last night and was expecting them to be really fatty but they weren't too bad and the boys enjoyed them just as much as the chilled Mr. T's ones we usually buy. Will be trying out the frozen gammon steaks tonight I think

mothershipton

Hi, can you put me down for £350 this month. First son has gone back to uni so no food goes missing during the day. Need to save some money for Christmas !!

RomanyLass

2childmum wrote: »

Hi. Just to say it's good to have another newbie trying this out for the first time. I'm just going through my cupboards/recipe folder to plan what we will eat this week - although we are still officially spending September's money I'm having a trial run at spending less this week.

I dug out our slow cooker earlier this month as Wednesday's are manic this term and the only way to feed everyone and get everyone to the right place at the right time is to load the slow cooker at the beginning of the day and have jacket pots on the timer in the oven. We had a chicken casserole, a beef casserole and lamb curry so far and I think i will go for sweet and sour chicken on Wednesday.. I have a slow cooker cook book so I'm basically starting at the beginning and working my way through!

Foraging for free stuff sounds great. Not a lot around in the depths of London, although we have discovered a bramble bush growing in our garden (gardening not being our forte!) My long term plan is to grow herbs in one patch but it's overrun with weeds at present. I wouldn't know what was safe to eat anyway - it's great that you have that knowledge. Good luck for October!

Hi there and thank you for the lovely welcome. I was starting to think I was invisable

It is a great time of year for foraging. Plenty of fruit, nuts, berries and mushrooms in season. Unfortunately, for me, Hubby is so picky with his food. He will only eat apples, pears, melon, carrots, swede, broccoli, sprouts, mushrooms, potatoes, tinned peas, garlic and tinned, chopped tomatoes in the fruit and veg range - that's it. Daughter is even worse - no fruit and only pureed veg in soups . Me? I don't think there is a fruit or vegetable I don't like.

Ah well, I suppose it will just add to the challenge