January 2017 Grocery Challenge. NEW BEGINNINGS!

Islandmaid

NSD today again

Mainly because it's tipping down so I am staying in the warm and dry :T

Meat Free Monday so, Pea and Potato Curry tonight, easy, cheap and tasty :j

WantToBeSE

I am NOT NOT NOT going to spend any money on food today.....really struggling with this. I might make some cookies tomorrow, but i just really dont want to today.

snowfox

lynnejk wrote: »

Haha - I've just made a big pot of leek and broccoli soup. I shall have some for my tea with some stilton crumbled into it. The rest will go in the freezer, as is because DH doesn't like stilton - strange chap :rotfl: Let us know how your soup came out

My OH doesn't like stilton either :huh: Oh well, more for us! I just had some of the soup for lunch and it was delicious. I'm very pleased and already thinking about what soup to make next weekend.

Spent £6.44 yesterday on lunch things and toiletries. NSD today thanks to working from home and not leaving the flat. :beer:

Franalamadingdong

No spends for us today. It's so horrible out today I fancy baking, but we have bread and biscuits etc, we really don't need any baked goods.

WanttobeSE is there anything we can help with that you're struggling with?

WantToBeSE

Franalamadingdong wrote: »

No spends for us today. It's so horrible out today I fancy baking, but we have bread and biscuits etc, we really don't need any baked goods.

WanttobeSE is there anything we can help with that you're struggling with?

Thanks Fran..i really think it's an emotional thing. I dont feel 'safe' if i cant go food shopping whenever i want to, this stems from times in my life where i've literally struggled to feed my family.
I think it worries me to see so little food in the house, even though I've been trying to purposely eat down my stores.

It's something that i am really trying to work on, but its difficult.
Thank you for the offer of support though, this thread is really helping me

Franalamadingdong

WanttobeSE, is it you can't go shopping because something is stopping you, or because you are trying to cut back? Sometimes reframing the problem helps. E.g. I could go shopping, which means food in the house, however, I have this money set aside for food and we live this far from somewhere selling food, not just a supermarket, but even a small village/corner shop. The money and distance is the same as food in the cupboard, however food will spoil and monies can be spent elsewhere.

Can you tell I've had to have this chat with myself?! I only learned to drive in 2016 and got my first car at 29, we have awful public transport, I used to panic about running out of something I needed as I'd have to order online. It's taking some getting used to that if I run out of something I can just go and get it.

kkffoo

Franalamadingdong wrote: »

WanttobeSE, is it you can't go shopping because something is stopping you, or because you are trying to cut back? Sometimes reframing the problem helps. E.g. I could go shopping, which means food in the house, however, I have this money set aside for food and we live this far from somewhere selling food, not just a supermarket, but even a small village/corner shop. The money and distance is the same as food in the cupboard, however food will spoil and monies can be spent elsewhere.

Can you tell I've had to have this chat with myself?! I only learned to drive in 2016 and got my first car at 29, we have awful public transport, I used to panic about running out of something I needed as I'd have to order online. It's taking some getting used to that if I run out of something I can just go and get it.

Have this conversation with myself about everything!
It's taken me a few years to recognise what is going on. Buying things I think I will need, might need, needed last year...
I'm trying to think that I'd rather the retailer took the risks of planning ahead, but I still make lots of mistakes.

Last night I had the idea of gathering together the food I need for the week in one place. Anything which will need defrosting is now in the fridge ice-box, and anything I don't need for now I put in the small freezer in the garage.

I designated a kitchen cupboard shelf for the week's dry goods, all weighed out and filed into days. I even bagged up and filed the potatoes (does this mean madness is looming?)
I have some shelves in the garage which I am developing into my 'home shop'. With spare tins and packets sorted and 'faced up' so I can see at a glance where everything is and how much I have.

I ran out of time after sorting the main meals, but as I only have one smallish fridge, I'm wondering whether/how to create a chilled 'store' for goods not needed immediately. Not easy as the whole family use (disorganise) the fridge and there at times in the shopping cycle when we are pushed for space.
There's also the issue of goods which are used a little at a time but which come in a large container, and safety issues to do with isolating certain things like raw meat.

I also don't have a good grasp of the quantities we use for some things in a week, nuts for instance (count those as essentials due to the nutrition..eg selenium in brazil nuts, omega oil in walnuts)

This is turning into a long post! I'll bullet point the rest.

1. descaling my pans could save me 10% on fuel costs (wow)
2. slow cooking on the gas hob simmer ring is cheaper than my electric slow cooker (wow)
3. accurately estimating portion sizes is a huge money saver
4. Our four week 'months' are working out. I'm finding it SO much simpler to work out where I am in the budget.
5. week 1 of 4 week budget, £78.29/£273.08. Slightly high, but ok.

Lauralozzle

Trip to Asda today to get more rolls/shampoo/sandwich things. Grabbed some YS haddock portions and a YS pizza that's now in the freezer. I aware, I'm going to look like a fish at the end of this week!!

I'm now at £131.14/£300

Nearly halfway point at budget and we're not even halfway through the month :eek:

Soworried

£4.44 spent today on cough medicine & 20p Tesc@ cup a soups as I feel ill and wanted a warming drink

FurryBeastOz

NSD again. Yay.