May Grocery Challenge

HappySad

Loadsabob wrote:

Hi Happysad (so strange, that's my name on another forum!!),

I've made a new thread called "Tofu Experiences"...I have to admit it's probably not the most exciting of topics to engage people! But I wondered how you're finding the tofu when you use it in place of meat? What has it been successful in, which type do you buy etc?...

Hi there Loadabob.
I cook it in a Japanese soup called Miso Soup. You add tofu, chopped grilled sausages, mushrooms chopped and onions chopped and the final ingredient is miso paste. Add this all the ingredient to a pot of water and heat for about 20 to 30min (well long enough for the onions and mushrooms to cook) :rotfl:

I can't remember the make of the type of Tofu I buy but I know that it is the one that is stored in the fridge rather than the one that is stored on the ordinary shelves. The fridge one last for about a month or three and has a better texture.

I don't have any recipes for soya chunks/mince but I am open to anyone else giving me a few recipes for soya. :rotfl:

omega_2

That's brilliant, Rose999. I, also had hoped to have some left over Grocery Budget for May pin……

……..but I then did a huge Boots.com order at the w/e and blew this idea out of the water! However, it was a case of “speculating to accumulate” (Huggies were on 3for2 - 9p each up front, and I got £17 worth of points back on the order, which I will use to buy non-edible essentials for littlest-o until at least Oct.

Anyway, need to adjust budgets when OH has done the last weekly shop – tonight.

BTW, on not buying a regular tele paper – when we stopped buying the cheapest w/e broadsheet, I was amazed how many programmes I actually remembered to watch solely from the extensive programme adverts on TV. If I remember, the local freebie newspaper print details of w/e viewing, or perhaps I might consult an online guide if I’m home alone, but more often than not we rely on the remote for programme choice! But then, there’s only 2 active TV watchers in the house and 5 channels – sure it’ll be different in a few years time!.

spendaholic

Magentasue wrote:

Digiguide is an online TV guide that does so much more than a paper guide (you can search by keyword for a start) and it's less than £10 a year. Try a trial at https://www.digiguide.com

Thanks again for this link, Magentasue. I've been and looked and downloaded my free trial and it really does seem to be good value for money if anyone else is looking. I've used it for the past 2 days. :j It's £8.99 for the year and there are weekly tutorials how to use it, and a 30 day trial complete with a getting started pdf in Adobe and Q&A.

Sadly, however, it keeps crashing my pc. :mad: Netscape really hates it and completely freezes, Internet Explorer tolerates it and just goes slow. Offline the pc simply freezes.

But do keep the hints and tips coming.

Rose999

Hi Crana999,
No, I'm definitely me!
I had been registered for yonks and yonks and my name always came up in my sig as Rose999, then when new forum came about this yr it started displaying my Username which was in fact my real name and I lost a load of my post counts. I did ask about changing this and why it happened but was told that I had to re register!
Anyway, Rose is my maiden name and I have always been known as Rosie but someone is already using this name so I couldn;t have it.

Just wish I was smart enough to come up with an interesting name!

HappySad

Rose999 wrote:

Well - half way thru month and I am well on target. Visited the butcher at start of month and spent £23. Then went home and cooked about 20 meals for freezer and have been living happily off those since. I think I'll only need to spend about £30 to see me thru to the end of the month, this would be less but I need nappies and wipes and bog roll as well as milk, bread, veggies and fruit. Am pretty happy tho as if all goes according to plan, I'll have about £30 left over for May pin! :j

I am amazed that you can spend so little on your food.

I am working hard to spend less on my meals. I have found out that Tesco sells very low fat mince (which I love to eat a lot) for just £1.82 when my local Sainsbury would sell it for £2.40 and my local Waitrose for £3.20. So I have to catch the bus to buy the reduced Tesco mince. I will buy it in bulk and freeze it. :rotfl:

Mint1955

crazyhazy wrote:

First thing I would suggest doing is making a meal plan for your main meals and shopping according to that. We currently spend about £100 for us 2 adults, and I managed to cut that back from about £140 just by being more organised. Once you have menu planned you will be able to see roughly what different meals cost and work out when to have them to save money. Also, take advantage of special offers but only if they are something you would use anyway.

I know its cheeky but any chance of some sample menus etc to help us overspenders get started.
We are 2 adults and 2 teen/adults. We all take pack lunch, eat breakfast (cereals/toast mainly), and snacks (cakes/biscuits usually) in the evenings and a full dinner and pudding every night.
I dont buy ready meals, booze etc but with the cleaning/household items and dog/cat stuff I spend £80 - £85 per week.

Galtizz

Mint1955 wrote:

I know its cheeky but any chance of some sample menus etc to help us overspenders get started.
We are 2 adults and 2 teen/adults. We all take pack lunch, eat breakfast (cereals/toast mainly), and snacks (cakes/biscuits usually) in the evenings and a full dinner and pudding every night.
I dont buy ready meals, booze etc but with the cleaning/household items and dog/cat stuff I spend £80 - £85 per week.

It's not cheeky at all, it's useful to get a few pointers from people who have been menu planning for a while.

A few people have already posted HERE. I will bump the thread again and ask more people to add to it now we have a few more members following the grocery challenge.

Galtizz

spendaholic wrote:

and that includes 3 magazines I really am thinking of subscribing to. :j

Incidentally, off topic, but ... TV & Satellite Week, normally 95p, has a special offer of 6 for £1, then the remaining quarterly sub is at the discounted £10.99.

Have a look at THIS thread it's a bit old now but I don't think there is a newer one. A lot of the links will still work. I got the Good housekeeping free gift and I am still getting Good Food 3 for £3 (£1 each) :eek: delivered to the door.

BountyHunter

Have finished shopping from May's Pay packet now (19th) & was getting a little disheartened that I have gone over £160 budget for the past 2 months.

April was my first month on MSE- £230, May managed to reduce to £180 so getting better & we don't feel like we've cut back (only 2 adults).

At the weekend I decided to look at Jan & Feb's statements & found a staggering £518 spent in Asda from 19/1-18/2 & £330 19/02-18/02.

Admittedly this would have included some cleaners (since educated), toiletries (now shop around) & alcohol but how the hell did we used to spend that much?

Magentasue

BountyHunter wrote:

but how the hell did we used to spend that much?

You didn't take my kids shopping with you, did you?