April 2016 Grocery Challenge

Wysiwyg49

Getting better at sticking to my list - £70.95 in Sainsb plus £11.17 in butchers takes my total to £289.73. Might struggle to stay under budget though! Just over £70 left for next week.

This week have split 750g of mince into 2 for two meals - just about enough for mince n dumplings plus spag bol. Cauli cheese and bacon, baked sausages and something with chicken for the remainder of the week...still got a pack of fish pie mix in freezer, keeping that for when DH goes away as he is not keen on it. I like anything with fish and so does the dog

MUST make soup as I have got some of that sweet potato and butternut squash mix in the fridge. Determined not to leave it so long I have to throw it away!!

Pandora_2

NSD for me today and I got some free eggs from my Mum's chooks and ducks as a thankyou for doing the washing up

Quick question if that's ok? I'm probably going to sound like an idiot constantly asking questions about meat/fish but I've never really had meat/fish in the house so I'm only just starting to learn what I'm doing with it. I've always just had Quorn or other vegetarian stuff and only eaten meat/fish if someone else was cooking it! So, my question is ... How long does fresh fish last in the fridge? Mum got me some from the market on Saturday and I was going to make fish pie today but was too busy. Surely it will still be ok tomorrow won't it? Really don't want to waste it and I do love fish pie!! Sorry if that's a stupid question!

nyc_451

Save_Dosh wrote: »

I buy mainly value stuff, as I don't mind the taste of what I buy, but will not scrimp on my coffee - got to be Azera. As far as nutrition, I have read loads on this, you can google it, value stuff equals or comes out better nutritionally in so many studies, as they leave out sugar etc.

Maybe it depends on products we buy

Tesco value beans have a terrible sweet sauce whereas Heinz is delicious. Biona organic bread is so much better than simple value bread, but that's £1.75 against 25p. Margarine is cheaper but I prefer butter. Greek yogurt is pricier than simple sweet yogurts. Not even mentioning finest sausages!
These are few products that come to my mind.

Spent £3.20 in lidl on veg and sausages, still need cheese and bread.

lynnejk

Evening all

Save_Dosh wrote: »

I buy mainly value stuff, as I don't mind the taste of what I buy

I'm the reverse - I cook to enjoy the taste. However, I find that you if you pick and choose which cheap products you buy, eg using budget sms, then you can have value and taste. TBH I don't find the regular sms have very good tasting value foods - however each to their own.

Pandora wrote: »

How long does fresh fish last in the fridge? Sorry if that's a stupid question!

There's no such thing as a 'stupid question' here
Personally - I always like to eat fresh fish the day I buy it or freeze it. However, the best way is to smell it. If it has a strong fish smell then I wouldn't - if little smell then it should be okay.


Managed an NSD here today


Hope you all have a super Tuesday
Lx

[Deleted User]

blue_mango wrote: »

Maybe it depends on products we buy

Tesco value beans have a terrible sweet sauce whereas Heinz is delicious. Biona organic bread is so much better than simple value bread, but that's £1.75 against 25p. Margarine is cheaper but I prefer butter. Greek yogurt is pricier than simple sweet yogurts. Not even mentioning finest sausages!

lol - I agree with everything you said. Branston beans here, bread is the specialist rolls lately, sundried, panchetta etc and I prefer butter - but I do buy Morrisons value plain yoghurt - not as nice as Greek, but I buy it as it's very nice and it's lower in calories, I do treat myself to Greek sometimes and yes I like the posh sausages from the butchers.

lynnejk wrote: »

I'm the reverse - I cook to enjoy the taste. However, I find that you if you pick and choose which cheap products you buy, eg using budget sms, then you can have value and taste. TBH I don't find the regular sms have very good tasting value foods - however each to their own.

I wrote that really badly - I cook to enjoy and mainly fresh foods - what I meant was I buy certain value stuff as I don't find much/any difference in taste to their more expensive versions - e.g. vegetables (frozen & fresh), pickle, peanut butter, chocolate biscuits, beetroot, tomato puree etc., but yes some things really don't taste that nice and I would not buy them.

Scrimps

Hi Everyone,

I have lost my moneysaving mojo, Im not sure what has been wrong with me, I know what I did wrong, I didnt mealplan etc and keep a real eye on it and it got away from me this month.

The budget was £150, we have spent £170 and the fridge and cupboard are pretty bare.

I have overspent on my own account also in buying stuff for the house, it should come out of the joint account but we didnt have any leftover money so I spent out of my own account and then overspent by some margin (000's). I was doing a carboot sale to clear some old furniture and get some extra money in which was supposed to pay for the house stuff ( that I already bought) and then used some of that money for beer and takeaway, I often have beer but never have takeaway so I dont know why I suddenly felt the need to fritter it away!!

Anyway, I have £30 leftover from the carboot, about £10 change is going to the car parking money kept in the car and £20 to bridge the gap for shopping till the end of the month, though we will spend as little as possible and try to run the cupboards down further.

Next month I will definately have to be more focused and to be honest - tight. We're saving for double glazing and we wont be able to afford it if I have any months like that again.

maria3104

Good grief we are 19 April and dd shopped yesterday and we are on 28. So month total is now 76.
Best month so far. Hope I do not spoil it.
Need raspberry jam but am to scared to go near a shop to get it this week! Could cost 50!!!!!!
Am so pleased with this month

t14cy_t

spends of £35 yesterday for dogs and poultry supplies.

[Deleted User]

Scrimps wrote: »

Hi Everyone,

I have lost my moneysaving mojo, Im not sure what has been wrong with me, I know what I did wrong, I didnt mealplan etc and keep a real eye on it and it got away from me this month.
The budget was £150, we have spent £170 and the fridge and cupboard are pretty bare.

I bet you have done better than you would normally do, if you were not on the challenge and you know where you went wrong - your still doing good though. I have a tendancy to press self destruct near the end - I still might.

maria3104 wrote: »

Need raspberry jam but am to scared to go near a shop to get it this week! Could cost 50!!!!!!
Am so pleased with this month

Well done - how about just going out with £1

pamsdish

but will not scrimp on my coffee - got to be Azera.
Carte Noir for me, I prefer Aldi baked beans, when I eat them, Last time I bought Heinz tin was mostly sauce.
Popped in Asda £2-22 on t.v. mag, reduced watercress and a lovely cauli.