November 2014 Grocery Challenge

mon1o

Hi i would love to join please please put me down for a budget of £250 for November

Many thanks xx

WantToBeSE

Hi all, can I please join in too. Its been many months since I did a GC and I could do with it!


So, I'll aim for £350 please, that's for myself and my 2 sons (14 and 10) and my fussy cat. It'll include all food, drinks, cleaning products and cat food.


We are trying to cut out sugar as much as possible, and I don't drink milk (I drink Almond and Hazlenut milk instead), except for in my cups of tea and coffee. Alternative milks can be expensive I find.


My main spends are on snack foods for packed lunches, so will be aiming to cut this down as much as possible. I have loads of raisins, dates, walnuts, glace cherries etc in the cupboards so think I'll try and make some kind of bars to go in the packed lunches.
If anyone has any ideas for recipes, that'd be a great help.


Thanks Zip for starting the thread and good luck to everyone

Soworried

I'll be in again from Friday please, my budget will be the same £200 for the 4 of us. It covers food, toiletries and cleaning items.

lushlifesaver

Shopped on Friday but this is the first chance I've had to get on! Went to Tesco and also bought a couple of bits for my Christmas stash, tights for work and some clothes for wonder bairn and they all have their own budget so deducting those.

Used some vouchers Tesco sent through and also two of my three Orchard vouchers so got a few pounds off there too.

Taking all that in to consideration I spent £37.47, not bad I think as thats 2 weeks food for the two of us bar chicken, bacon and beef (mince and small joint) which I will go and buy a months worth of from a butcher in town on my lunch break.

We also spent £17 in Boots on two weeks worth of formula, two weeks worth of baby food and an outfit for wonder bairn. We had a money off coupon from the Parenting Club, bf had £10 in vouchers from a company as an apology (got to pick the store) and we had a small amount left on a gift card we got when wonder bairn was born so it worked out that we paid full for the formula and then 2p for all the rest!

so in total that's £54.47 spent out of my £130 budget. We are away for 3 days this month at a tournament and bf is away for 3/4 days at a camp so there's some days I can make some savings on what we (I) eat.

Yesterday I made a lasagne (6 portions, we ate 2), leek and potato soup and beef in ale casserole. I'm going to nip to the shop later whilst out and pick up some freezer safe containers (haven't decided between foil trays or plastic boxes yet) to freeze them in though we are going to have the casserole in the next couple of days so may freeze that in what I've cooked it in.

Feel the need for a new slow cooker coming on; it would have made yesterdays cooking-fest so much easier having the casserole in the slow cooker!

Off to update my sig...

january_23

WantToBeSE wrote: »

We are trying to cut out sugar as much as possible, and I don't drink milk (I drink Almond and Hazlenut milk instead), except for in my cups of tea and coffee. Alternative milks can be expensive I find.

I use plant milks as well. The nut milks can be expensive but are usually on offer somewhere. Mr S has the Alpro almond milk and hazelnut milk 3 for £3 until November 11th (they also have the coconut rice milk in the offer as well as several other non dairy milks). They are UTH though, not the fresh ones but may be of some help to you.
I personally like to buy UTH as I can buy up loads when they are on offer but you might not like the taste. I know my OH doesn't like UTH dairy milk but there again he is fine with UTH non dairy milks.

WantToBeSE wrote: »

My main spends are on snack foods for packed lunches, so will be aiming to cut this down as much as possible. I have loads of raisins, dates, walnuts, glace cherries etc in the cupboards so think I'll try and make some kind of bars to go in the packed lunches.
If anyone has any ideas for recipes, that'd be a great help.

Fruit and nut breakfast/power bars would be a good idea. This site http://www.yummly.co.uk/recipes?q=fruit+and+nut+breakfast+bars can give you a lot of ideas. It depends exactly what you have in/are willing to buy but don't require added sugar (or at least none of the ones I looked at did).

WantToBeSE

january_23 wrote: »

I use plant milks as well. The nut milks can be expensive but are usually on offer somewhere. Mr S has the Alpro almond milk and hazelnut milk 3 for £3 until November 11th (they also have the coconut rice milk in the offer as well as several other non dairy milks). They are UTH though, not the fresh ones but may be of some help to you.
I personally like to buy UTH as I can buy up loads when they are on offer but you might not like the taste. I know my OH doesn't like UTH dairy milk but there again he is fine with UTH non dairy milks.


Fruit and nut breakfast/power bars would be a good idea. This site http://www.yummly.co.uk/recipes?q=fruit+and+nut+breakfast+bars can give you a lot of ideas. It depends exactly what you have in/are willing to buy but don't require added sugar (or at least none of the ones I looked at did).

Thanks January


I don't have a Sainsburys near me, I only have Tesco and Morrisons.
Tesco now have the Nut milks on offer for £1, so I have stocked up on both Almond and Hazlenut milks. I want to give the oat milk a try too.
I have always been on a mission to find a non-dairy milk that doesn't separate in my hot drinks. Any ideas?

january_23

WantToBeSE wrote: »

Thanks January


I don't have a Sainsburys near me, I only have Tesco and Morrisons.
Tesco now have the Nut milks on offer for £1, so I have stocked up on both Almond and Hazlenut milks. I want to give the oat milk a try too.
I have always been on a mission to find a non-dairy milk that doesn't separate in my hot drinks. Any ideas?

Ah we don't shop in Mr T as we aren't fans of theirs. Our Mr S isn't all that near us (2 busses taking around half an hour as no car) but we get deliveries. Do heavy stuff/frozen etc and spend £100+ so don't pay delivery.


Have to thank you for mentioning Mr M. We moved a few months ago and didn't really know the area - just looked and the Mr M isn't far from the Ald! I found so I'm rather happy about that.


As for the problem with the milk splitting I don't know what to say. I've never really had that problem. I've read it mostly happens when the drink is too hot - I don't ever let the kettle boil for my hot drinks. I've read that people stir constantly to avoid it happening as well or even putting the non-dairy milk in first then adding the tea/coffee etc. Maybe one or all of those will help? I also read that the brand can make a difference but I can't remember what ones are supposed to be better about not splitting and I can't find the information.

eveie189

After totting up the last couple of months spends and lurking on here I think I definitely need to join in for November. We have been spending over £700 per month:eek:

Think I will be aiming for £500 to start with and will note my own budget 8 my sig starting 1st November.

Aloofdragon

Hiyas all can I be put down for £240 for the whole of November please we are going to EuroDisney on the 30th so want to stock up on some bits to take to take the pressure off our budget, apparently chocs and sweets and pop etc are extortionate so will take some with us x

PennyGrabber

Hello everyone! I'm pledging £100 for November. this is a little over the £1pppd rule I try to follow, but allows for when I feed the bf, and to buy a few things ready for the big C. As always, I am starting with a huge stock, which never seems to go down!!

I'll be trying a few new recipes each month wherever possible, using mainly stuff I have in. This month I fancy trying some red lentil recipes. Anyone have any great ideas? Would be very grateful if you could share, as I have loads, and I know they're good for me... The most I've ever done is use them to bulk out spag bol when I was reaaaaaalllly hard up!

TIA
PG x