June Grocery Challenge

Mint1955

VickyA wrote:

Our challenge started on 20th May for June. We've got a £100 budget for the month. We went a little over last month - £110 for two of us, but this is still a marked improvement on what we used to spend, approx £40 per week.

Yesterday was our first shopping and we got loads for £37. More that we'd like, but there were some good BOGOF offers on that we'd buy anyway, so we stocked up. We've got plenty of veggies, loads of meat and plenty of stuff in the freezer just waiting to be defrosted.

My favourite meal is spag bol and we've only got one meal left of that in the freezer, so we'll have to think of some creative ways of padding it out even more. I used to make enough for just two meals from 1lb of mince, but last time it was 3 meals - using chopped carrots, celery, lentils, mushrooms. Any ideas of how to pad it out even more?

I have heard and I am going to try it is to add a handful of porridge oats to meals like chilli bolognaise etc. I can see it working really well. So rathe than having to eat more boring spaghetti you actually get more of the sause stuff which is what the kids and I love.
Sheila

Magentasue

I work on the theory that big dinner means light pudding and vice versa. If we're having lasagne, toad in the hole etc. we have ice cream, baked apples, yogurt or similar. If it's quiche and salad, or something not so filling, it calls for apple crumble and custard or jam sponge!

Baked potatoes, garlic bread, fired bread croutons, onion sauce with green veg etc. all pad out meals when there's nothing substantial pudding wise.

Eliza252

Cant believe its June already -eek!

My June challenge starts on the 24th May
I am aiming to spend £30 a week on EVERYTHING. This wont be too difficult as have just temporarily taken on a third job (I am truly mad) so wont have any time to go shopping. Grocery bill has generally only been £6-10
Up the efforts this month to eat more healthily, i.e. stop living on yellow sticker bread from Tesco and coffee!
Have started well, by using remainder of last months budget to batch cook lentil soup and potato bake which is in freezer, will book in a few hours at the end of the week to cook up something I can freeze with left over veggies from monday - that way I'll waste less and hopefully be a bit more wholesome....
Am not going to cut off coffee but have invested in several interesting varieties of herbal tea with pin money savings....
green tea and mint/chamomile and vanilla and nettle tea - virtuous :A

VickyA_2

Mint1955 wrote:

I have heard and I am going to try it is to add a handful of porridge oats to meals like chilli bolognaise etc. I can see it working really well. So rathe than having to eat more boring spaghetti you actually get more of the sause stuff which is what the kids and I love.
Sheila

Will try that next time Sheila. I'm trying to wonder whether I could stretch that 1lb of mince to 4 meals..........

We try not to have puddings and if we do then it's just a yoghurt or a piece of fruit - and a cup of tea!

(However, last night OH popped out - me v suspicious as supper was nearly ready - and returned with a choc and vanilla cheesecake with choccy brownie ice cream. Not moneysaving at all, but absolutely delicious........... mmmmmm and we've still got most of the ice cream left. Yum, yum)

raeble

I am aiming to spend £40 for the month. Yes you read that right. It is only me, and the cat - his food is going eat up a large portion of that so I may go over. I've got so much stuff in the cupboards, that I need to eat before they go off.

Chipps

Another way to pad out spag bog is to throw in a cans worth of baked beans. It adds to the flavour, and to the protein value of the meal.

cristin

I bought some soya mince for the first time on Saturday and made a cottage pie with it. Both my very fussy 4 year old and hubby wanted 2nd helpings and said it was great - so that pleased me no end. I am going to make a huge pot of spag bol sauce today with "real" beef mince but am going to pad it out with the soya mince to make it go further!

stupid question but does anybody know if it is ok to freeze something like soya mince? - I bought the dried stuff the other day - thanks

Trow

Oh yeah, absolutely freeze soya mince - no problem at all.

No point in freezing the dried stuff though, till its cooked

Pooky

I made a 500gm pack of mince do 4 of us for 3 meals, just add loads of veg, peppers, onion, fresh toms, celery, kidney beans or baked beans and a couple of slices of bread made into breadcrumbs, I'll even throw in a small diced potato if I need to....dont forget to grate a couple of carrots into it too - you'll be amazed how far you can stretch it.

I normally make a tomato based sauce to go with it all then seperate into 3. One lot for bolognaise, one lot turned into a chilli to go over jacket pots with a salad (you don't need so much if it's only a jacket topper) and one lot gets made into a pasta bake. (part cook your pasta - chuck in the mince and sauce, give it a stir and top with breadcrumbs mixed with cheese, bung in the oven for half and hour and serve with some garlic bread).

Janeryan

Penny-Pincher!! wrote:

Hi

My month starts tomorrow.

I have quite a large "posh shop" from Ocado coming in the morning using the £20 voucher off a £75 spend with free delivery. I have stocked up on quite alot of fresh quality meat & poultry which I will mostly freeze. I love their tinned beans, pulses, soups, cinamon bagels +croissants (i will freeze these and get out daily), so have a few of these coming too. Rest of shop is normal bits, including a few goodies to have over the month.

/QUOTE]

What is Ocado and where did you get the voucher from please??