August 2014 Grocery Challenge

K9sandFelines

£59.00 today at Tesco online and used one voucher for fruit and veg from M*rrisons. I also bought Plenty kitchen towel on offer, cheapy kitchen towel and a few YS bits totalling £5.24.

Total £64.24

malamay

Another £7.95 spent today, mainly on baking supplies. I was asked to make a cake for a friend tomorrow, and overestimated my supply level. Included are two copies of the Sun, which should get used this weekend!

atolaas

malamay wrote: »

Another £7.95 spent today, mainly on baking supplies. I was asked to make a cake for a friend tomorrow, and overestimated my supply level. Included are two copies of the Sun, which should get used this weekend!

I've been getting cakey things too...its my little boy's bday next week so I did a big stock up of things...£34.31 spent at Mr T's xx

lynnejk

Solstice_3 wrote: »

Good luck with the debate, are you in the audience I don't watch these things!

Yes I was in the audience (1 of 350). Not a good debate but a super experience

shiningfaery wrote: »

does anyone else cook with their slow cooker everyday?

I tend to use it more in the colder months, but still use it for stews and curries all the year. It is so good for batch cooking or using cheaper stuff eh

Solstice_3 wrote: »

Any suggestions for using up courgette for someone who is sometimes adventurous and someone else who only likes to eat it if it's hidden? I have some in my fridge and more coming Friday argh!!!

You can hide them chopped or grated in things like chilli, bolognaise, stews, casseroles and soups. They are good stuffed, grilled and in fritters. Have a look at AGCJ recipes as she uses them quite a bit. Hth


I spent £1 on 2xhandwash in Sa*ers today. Sig updated.


Hope you all have a fantastic Friday
Lx

recovering_spendaholic

Solstice - I don't really like courgettes but I had some the other week and used them to make the most delicious courgette and lime cake, with lime cream cheese frosting - It was really nice and everyone devoured it without realising that there were any courgettes in it! I will look out the recipe and post it if you like.

So far have spent £25.74 out of my £350, but I haven't been and done a big shop yet - I will need to do one as soon as I get paid however. I should have been paid at the beginning of the month but I am self employed and my fees get paid when clients feel like paying so it is incredibly hard to budget properly. I have had to cancel my mortgage and insurance direct debits to avoid insufficient funds charges, so will have to ring and pay them as soon as money goes into my account!

Made home made burger for tea tonight and it was delicious, but I made the burgers too big and could only manage about half of mine! I used some of the Aldi Burger sauce and it was really nice - a bit like Big Mac sauce, but nicer!

Have got steak out of the freezer for tomorrow - might make it into strogonoff as there isn't really enough for three but if I add a load of mushrooms and onions hopefully it will stretch.

I wish I had a Morrisons near me but the nearest one is about 15 miles away so it isn't worth it I don't think.

Finetta

Hello everyone, hope you are all well.

I have a spend from Tuesday to report: $2 on dry soybeans, so that I can make my own soy drink with the automatic soy milk maker ($140) I have ordered. I've worked out that it will take 10 months to recoup the cost of the machine, assuming my current soy drink consumption/cost of soybeans doesn't change. I will be able to make a litre of soy drink (retail, $2.50) for $1 in ingredients and power.

This and the pet food question made me ponder what should actually fall under the grocery budget.... then I remembered my DD used to subscribe to a grocery industry magazine, called FMCG. I stared at the cover for ages before admitting defeat and asking her what FMCG stood for. It's Fast Moving Consumer Goods, and I will use "fast moving" and "consume" to evaluate what qualifies as a grocery for my budgeting purposes. If it's something that regularly ends up in the trash, down the toilet or drain, and I have to keep replacing it, it's a grocery. If it's a durable tool like the $145 soy milk maker or even a $2 bag of plastic bag clips for the freezer, it's not a grocery.

I came to this decision this afternoon while I was chopping up one of the self-seeded pumpkins that grew in my garden last season. I put a quarter in a crockpot of barley/split pea/vege soup and the other 3/4 in cubes on a tray in the freezer.

If I'd worked this grocery question out last month, my non-food spending would have been lower, but then again I might not have budgeted as much for it either, so I am leaving my sig as is.

wishus

Doing pretty well, as with my first week's 'budget' barely spent, the freezer and cupboards are pretty full. I used my Sun voucher yesterday and with allotment donations from my bro, I've got enough to last the next 2 weeks I imagine. Got all the milk I need, juts need to buy yoghurt, and then I will make more yoghurt and some cheese next week as well as freeze excess milk to make it last the month.

Sticky time is a short break in the middle of the month, but that's budgeted for. :money:

meg72

Have got 2 Morrisons vouchers for free fruit and veg so that shold get me enough for a couple of weeks.


Plan is to spend £10 stocking up on offers. I noticed asda have Almond
breeze at £1 instead of 1.48 so thinking 5 of those, also batchelors super pasta sauce at 50p so 6 of these, leaves £2, might go to heron to see if microwave rice is still 3 for a £1.

WelshWoofer

I have another Morrisons voucher to use up but as I live alone its quite hard to get through loads of fresh veg quickly before it goes off but I don't want to waste the offer of free food!

My question is ....do fresh sliced pre-prepared runner beans freeze ok without cooking? Are they ok tastewise when cooked after freezing?

I love fresh runners but won't get through 2 packs in the next couple of days (1 already in the fridge) and don't want to waste the voucher on something that won't work.

Thanks!!

meg72

WelshWoofer wrote: »

I have another Morrisons voucher to use up but as I live alone its quite hard to get through loads of fresh veg quickly before it goes off but I don't want to waste the offer of free food!

My question is ....do fresh sliced pre-prepared runner beans freeze ok without cooking? Are they ok tastewise when cooked after freezing?

I love fresh runners but won't get through 2 packs in the next couple of days (1 already in the fridge) and don't want to waste the voucher on something that won't work.

Thanks!!

Yes they freeze well. I do it all the time with homegrown ones.