February 2014 Grocery Challenge

CountingPennies

Another NSD yesterday, amazing really that i made what was left last. Anyway, small-ish spend today of £6.15. Really need to do a decent shop but working all weekend!

CP xx

mags50_2

Went into town today and spent £20.49...£10 of which was on treats like chocolate and wafer bars from the £1 shops...eeek! I was fed up of not having any 'treats' in the house, and have been so good lately, but sometimes you just need something to perk you up

I got a small bottle of cider to make pork, cider and apple casseroles and small tins of Heinz beans (DH won't even try any others) and UHT whole milk to make yogurt with. The milk was £2 for 3 big packets so was pleased with that. I've been using skimmed milk but yogurt hadn't been very thick, unless I've been making it wrong.

I'd left a stew cooking in the slow cooker which DH had for tea and a rice pudding in the wood burning stove which had burnt to a frazzle but hey ho I shall know not to leave it in so long next time! The yard cats thoroughly enjoyed it lol

Stay safe x

kayester

as OH was ill last night i had a treat of a pizza takeout and chip wrap, regretting a little as on a diet but it was yummy. £8.60 added to sig.
also meal planning for rest of month, and it seems very bland and boring and a lot of same things, any tips on what i can batch cook out of left over beef or mince? this is how my menu looks so far, be helpful if any of you could advice me how i can spice things up a bit

sat: sausages/bacon
sund: toad in the hole 9th
Monday: curry, chicken from freezer
tues: pasta bake
weds: chilli
thurs: spag bol
fri: valentines day
sat: pie
sunday: beef roast-supermarket day 16th
monday: stew (batch cook day)
tuesday: curry
wednesday: lasagne
thursday: chilli
friday: spag bol
saturday: pie
sunday: cottage pie 23rd
monday: lasagne
tuesday: chilli
wednesday: OH bday
thursday: spag bol
friday: pie 28th

seemasfriend

kayester wrote: »

as OH was ill last night i had a treat of a pizza takeout and chip wrap, regretting a little as on a diet but it was yummy. £8.60 added to sig.
also meal planning for rest of month, and it seems very bland and boring and a lot of same things, any tips on what i can batch cook out of left over beef or mince? this is how my menu looks so far, be helpful if any of you could advice me how i can spice things up a bit

sat: sausages/bacon
sund: toad in the hole 9th
Monday: curry, chicken from freezer
tues: pasta bake
weds: chilli
thurs: spag bol
fri: valentines day
sat: pie
sunday: beef roast-supermarket day 16th
monday: stew (batch cook day)
tuesday: curry
wednesday: lasagne
thursday: chilli
friday: spag bol
saturday: pie
sunday: cottage pie 23rd
monday: lasagne
tuesday: chilli
wednesday: OH bday
thursday: spag bol
friday: pie 28th

I think you have the answer in your question. Spice it up! The meals you have planned can all be prepared in quite different ways. It might help if you went one step further in your descriptions eg Mediterranean vegetable lasagne, minted lamb curry, chicken and mushroom pie etc as it makes everything sound more appetising. I am an avid reader of cookery books and browse on a regular basis to get inspiration for cooking staples in alternative ways. Eg casserole - how many variations on a theme could we come up with between us? Hundreds I am sure.

Good luck and shout if you need any ideas. Happy to help.

Yesterday I dragged myself out of bed for a brief trip to ald! £7.23 which included 6 small lidded pots (baby food containers) that are perfect for decanting homemade yogurt into. Milk (for more yogurt) leeks and baking potatoes (soup, jackets and risotto ) bag of apples (grated into yogurt) butter and 1kg of bananas (perfect cold food as slips down easily and needs no prep)

Total spend £19.53 / £80 so well on track.

seemasfriend

Thank you all for your feedback on my "what is too frugal" dilemma. I think the trick is to work out a realistic living budget rather than just minimising spend. I am not working currently and am living off savings. Problem is that I can see the pot shrinking and am scared it will be frittered away. The GRocery challenge ensures I am actually aware of how little I am spending as opposed to how much. Iykwim

shiningfaery

mags50 wrote: »

I've been using skimmed milk but yogurt hadn't been very thick, unless I've been making it wrong.

Not not wrong mags just need the fat content in the milk to get a nice creamy yoghurt. you should notice the difference this time around.

Not been a good time for me recently, I am currently trying to look at ways to save money on food and seem to be hitting a brick wall. For instance last night I am ordering food shopping online and had only added the basics and top ups no meals at this point and I was sitting at £65 :eek:
Now I shop every week so wasnt that low that I needed to be spending this and its only 2 adult and 2 children (both under 5) there was no nappies in there only formula at £10. so I deleted the basket and started again ended up spending £40 incl baby milk and have resolved to being very creative with my meals for the week ahead.

I am not working at present so down 1 income, with all the same expenses. Where do you all go for your essentials that prove cost effective? I normally shop with Tesco or Asda.

forever_saving

Updating my total to £115.15. I did go shopping yesterday but it was a spur of the moment shopping trip so didn't have a list. I forgot several things so will have to pop out at some stage over the weekend. I doubt very much it will be today as the weather isn't too good here today and i am not feeling 100% anyway.
Good luck to everyone else.
FS

sinner2winner

Morning all hope everyone is keeping well .
Just wanting to put in writing how impressed I am with myself and everyone on this thread we are doing so well !! I managed to spend £45 in the last 2 weeks , I did a big shop then banned myself from getting anything else , it was tough As I've been so used to popping in and picking what I fancy . Anyway just did first shop of the month last night with free ocado deliver that I shared with mum , they had king prawns and tea half price so she stocked up on them. My shipping came to £31.94 so have another £13 to spend today on bits i know are cheaper elsewhere then no more shopping for 2 weeks again

cw18

shiningfaery wrote: »

I am not working at present so down 1 income, with all the same expenses. Where do you all go for your essentials that prove cost effective? I normally shop with Tesco or Asda.

I'm spoiled, in so far as I have access to Costc0. Have to buy in bulk, but it means I get good quality chopped tinned tomatoes at the cost of Mr T's value ones. And although I have to spend £10-£20 a time on each of chicken breast fillets / skinless and boneless chicken thighs / mince / stewing steak etc. it leaves me with a freezer full of very good quality meats at around (or under) supermarket value prices per kg (and because they're better quality I use less per meal).

For fresh veg I go to A1di, and rarely hit anywhere else for it these days. At the moment a couple of things are only a penny or two cheaper than rollbacks and such (not compared to the Mr M '3 for £1.50' offer), but it saves me wandering everywhere and they do tend to be consistently cheaper. Just find I have to be more aware of the dates - which aren't as obvious on A1di's goodies (they print week and day numbers rather that date, so today is 0606 rather than 8th Feb) - because a lot of it is today or tomorrow, and they never reduce this stuff at mine (sometimes see reductions on bread or fresh meat, but even that's not often any more). The only other problem is I can't get '1 leek' or '2 bananas' as everything's prepacked, so it's when I want something like that I nip into my local Mr M instead.

Toiletries and kitchen bits (like foil and cllingfilm) I check B'n'M, Qualty S@ve and A1di - though I'm checking Costc0 for foil next time I'm there as I've started using a lot more and could use a wider roll for making up the parcels I'm popping into the oven. Cleaning stuff and toilet rolls is now mostly Costc0 (when it's on offer), but used to be a 'stock up big time' when Mr T/M/A had a really good offer on.

MrsCautious

Feeling more on top of things as the only things I'm having to count towards grocery spends this week have been some bin bags and toothpaste. Been getting through plentiful supplies this week and next week should also, touch wood, be okay. Will take a list of what I don't need as well as what I do, when I go shopping, which is likely to be Monday now. On paper I have just over £50 to last me until the end of the month but I also have nectr points, some luncheon vouchers and Sains vouchers which will keep my total down if I use them. I don't count those when I have earned/been given them as I'm not spending my money.

I ate rather old Ryvita yesterday, I seem to buy it about once a year!

shiningfaery
I buy most f&v at Aldi and smaller amounts at Sains. I use the Basics range a lot and have been known to venture to the 99p Store for some toiletries.

I do mystery shops (v poorly paid) at a cheap supermarket and spend my (paltry) fee on essentials but as opportunities come up a few times a month, it all adds
Have a lovely weekend.

Iceland and Farmfoods have good low prices for milk I've found, Sains is far dearer x