March 2014 Grocery Challenge

kayester

Frugalsod wrote: »

I live in a village as well and my local butcher is only slightly more expensive than the supermarket but the quality is better and I can get exactly what I need rather than have to buy more than I really need. Every now and then I get a special order of turkey crown roast made up and cut the way I like it. It costs a lot but I can get loads of meals out of it, and most goes in to the freezer any way.

If you do it all via supermarkets then a solution is to do big shops so to minimise the delivery charge. I will use MSM as a shopping list and before I place the order I will go through and pick off those that are cheaper at one other store and build up an order on there. So my MSM order will go through one store and the second order will be through a second a few weeks later but can be added to as a top up shop. Because it is a few weeks later anything that has run out will be added to that second shop. The advantage is that it minimises the delivery charges and you get the best of two stores prices. You can still do additional shops elsewhere as well.

yeah have been minimising how many times i order but have got the mr a delivery pass too. it was only this odd occasion that i went to the mr m store (with my mum) I dont have a car anyway, if i did then maybe ide travel to markets more often have a very expensive sainsburys local and coop in the village, both very expensive lol.

Zippy001

Can anyone help please , our local poultry farm has closed for retirement. So i am trying to find a replacement, for the chicken breasts. I am a bit fussy when it comes to chicken it has to be british chicken.

some in the supermarkets are soo small and the prices are not great
any ideas is greatly appreciated.

Frugalsod

kayester wrote: »

yeah have been minimising how many times i order but have got the mr a delivery pass too. it was only this odd occasion that i went to the mr m store (with my mum) I dont have a car anyway, if i did then maybe ide travel to markets more often have a very expensive sainsburys local and coop in the village, both very expensive lol.

If you have a delivery deal then I suggest planning to ditch it when it expires and work out how you can minimise the deliveries when it expires. I am in the same situation, no car, with only a small Co-op and Tesco express, though most of my purchases in there are YS items so I do save a fortune on normal prices. I have a huge advantage that I live alone so can really cope with not having a car doing it all online.

Nicki_Sue

Zippy001 wrote: »

Can anyone help please , our local poultry farm has closed for retirement. So i am trying to find a replacement, for the chicken breasts. I am a bit fussy when it comes to chicken it has to be british chicken.

some in the supermarkets are soo small and the prices are not great
any ideas is greatly appreciated.

I often get my meat from an online butcher and the Clare Barry Green Offers are great for bulk buying top quality butcher meat (I split the package up then freeze).

The green offers are here.

Ladyluck1

Thanks for all the kind words!
Have to get milk today and will probably pick up a cheap loaf and some ham from lidl too...
We've got a large portion of bolognese sauce I found in the freezer mixed through spaghetti with added frozen peas for dinner and HM garlic bread x

craigywv

nsd today shall be baking today fancy some gingercake, have all ingrediants in to make it. everyone is doing really well,keep up the good work all. x

catandy

I'm doing ok with this which quite surprises me - just shows what planning ahead and using some imagination as to what to make with 'nothing that goes with nothing' can do


up to 71.41 for the end of the first week as I had to get some more milk in (my kids drink it like they are babies still, never mind they are 18 and 19 resepectively and built like barn doors....)


dinner tonight is Spanish chicken done in the slow cooker with rice and veggies - seriously need to go and do a restock of the cupboards / fridge / freezer etc. this week the plan is to cook / bake everything and fill up the fridge etc so DS1/ DS2 don't have an excuse that they are too busy to prepare stuff and hence they use 12 eggs making 2 omelettes or 2 tins of tuna for a sandwich (they just omit the bread).... I feel like I'm a cross between the food police and their nursemaid but to have any hope of having food left for the end of the week its got to be done...


menu for the rest of the week I think will be:


mon - cheese/ potato pie/ sausages/ baked beans
tues - chilli and jacket potato
wed - tuna steaks or salmon with steamed veggies
Thurs - pasta n something
Friday - fish pie/ veggies
sat - freezer surprise
sun - roast dinner with trimmings (family visiting).


suggestions gratefully received on how to fill up 2 bottomless pits/ teenage sons - they eat pretty much anything but its got to be grab and go - otherwise they just skip meals then stuff their faces when I get in to prepare stuff.... yep I know we've got to get more organised

Ladyluck1

Catandy - flapjacks or scones? Very filling and fairly easy especially the flapjacks, can ad dried fruits too for some extra goodness

lushlifesaver

Craigy do you mind sharing the ginger cake recipe? I'd love to try and make one.

This morning I have whipped up some ice cream (from an angel delight packet mix) and put that in the freezer, made some vanilla cupcakes, made a small banana loaf and used the other half of the banana cake mix to make some small cakes, going to make some chocolate cupcakes as well!

meg72

NSD 9 today really want to try for 14 now as I havent managed to achieve this yet. this would bring me to Friday when I will need fresh fruit and veg, long life milk and eggs so not a very big shop.