December 2016 Grocery Challenge

AccyAlly

kkffoo wrote: »

Heh heh! I had one of the packers from A$DA ring me one year asking if I really wanted forty packets of strawberry milk shake mix* and nothing else delivered four days before Christmas. Apparently they were getting organised early and already packing up ambient items. I asked her what her best guess was about the situation.
*I moved to this method after the 11kg of bananas Christmas when I filled my basket so early I forgot I did it, and blurrily imagined I was getting just 11.

Oh kkffoo you have just had me in stitches, what would you do with that many bananas. :eek: I have added a reminder to my phone in light of your mishaps!!

£2.89 spent yesterday and a NSD today.....will update sig at end of week.

lynnejk

Evening folks

Managed another NSD here today :j

Hope you all have a super Tuesday
Lx

t14cy_t

nsd yesterday, yippee!! xx

freyasmum

Planning a nice NSD here today!

Spends so far this month is £3.90. However, that will change when my OHs brother comes to dinner tomorrow; he's planning steak with spinach and mushrooms in cream. It'll all be from aldi, but still!

My efforts to stay under budget this month are most likely going to be concentrated on eating things that we have in the cupboards (hence Scotch broth and soda bread for lunch).

We still have a few HM ready-meals in the freezer to last till the end of the week. So, no cooking - and hopefully minimal shopping - needed!

JackieO wrote: »

Not bought anything yet from my food purse budget I am going shopping tomorrow for a few bits. Yesterday DD gave me a pack of cooking bacon from Tesco's as they have 500gms on offer for 60p, think I will buy a couple of packs for the freezer at that price well worth stashing for later

That's very handy to know; thank you!

[Deleted User]

Yay got a small food shop that came to £9.90 so I am very pleased about that. Nothing more to buy this week as I am eating as much as I can from my freezer

[Deleted User]

Spent £16.90 on some bits yesterday. Am trying to live off stores, so today made houmous and some coleslaw. Bought some oats, gonna have a go at making oat milk in a few days - its my fave plant milk - its bleedin expensive to buy. Need to get a few more bits Thurs - mainly spices then hopefully no spends 'till Monday - well that's the plan. Have updated sig.

Franalamadingdong

Well done everyone. No spends again today. Guess what idiot wrote her appointment for the wrong day on the calendar! Doi! Will be baking tomorrow for a work event. Gingerbread men, Victoria sponge and either lemon drizzle cake or banana bread. Should be enough and I have all the ingredients in already! Will probably be getting a couple of bits Thursday, if tum is better, on our way for last month's fish and chips reward.

kkffoo

Save_Dosh wrote: »

Am trying to live off stores, so today made houmous and some coleslaw. Bought some oats, gonna have a go at making oat milk in a few days - its my fave plant milk - its bleedin expensive to buy.

I've started making coleslaw, can't believe how much better it tastes than the bought stuff and even a quarter white cabbage plus bits seems to make a boat-full. I shall look up homous.

@Franalamadingdong I bet those fish and chips taste good when you get to them!

I spent £67.86 on a delivery shop from A$da. Scary to spend lump of cash just 2 days in, but it is all planned out, and saves hubby an Áldi dash plus a click and collect. I concentrated on items which were the same price, or cheaper than elsewhere, but still got the milk...which is creeping up in price every week and a chunk dearer than Áldi. I also bought some more obscure items which our local shops don't stock.

My detailed 4 week menu plan was an absolute mind bender to produce, but I am more or less sticking to it...with one meal swap between days.
I'm also cooking more complex (batch) meals in steps while I am in the kitchen anyway, and then assembling later.
Huge turkey drumstick took exactly the time one dishwashing / kitchen cleaning session to steam in the new humongous pressure cooker, and I will use the stock generated, and the meat in three different meals yeah :T

ab_saver

Spent £4.49 today on 4 boxes of cereal bars and some YSed milk (organic and everything...). This brings my total spent to £6.47/75.

As discussed in more detail in my diary I've been splitting my grocery spending this month into Christmas and non-Christmas. All my spending thus far have been non-Christmas £6.47/15 leaving me with £0/60 Christmas spending.

[Deleted User]

kkffoo wrote: »

I've started making coleslaw, can't believe how much better it tastes than the bought stuff and even a quarter white cabbage plus bits seems to make a boat-full. I shall look up homous.

It makes a ton - I also grate in some beetroot which is nice. For the houmous, I don't really make a proper one, but it tastes nice (well did this time), I've only made it a couple of times before. I blitz a tin of chickpeas with a bit of water, some minced garlic and a teaspoon of peanut butter (instead of tahini) and I added half of a roasted pepper (out of a jar). Seasoned and added a tiny bit of chilli powder, probably better with roasted paprika, but it was all I had. It was really nice.