November 2017 Grocery Challenge

CattyCatX

End of week 2 for me today and I'm £13.47 over budget... this is entirely because I spent £15 on a new running top but it was an essential as I was just too cold to go out in only my running vest anymore... I did try on every long-sleeved top I already had before buying but either they weren't suitable for running (riding up or too restrictive) when I tried them out or weren't warm enough to make a difference! The new one is fleecy on the inside and keeps me toasty... am hoping to hold out for additional running gear until xmas though.
Have 4 dinners in the freezer, plus tonight's is already done. Will do a big shop and batch cook tomorrow, so will hopefully claw back the overspend over the next 2 weeks. As October was so disastrous for me I've still only spent a third of what I had this time last month (!!), so not doing too badly overall.

Mrs_Cheshire

Need2bthrifty wrote: »

Been for a couple of shops £ 1.00 at @sda for eggs on Sunday and £3.96 at @ld! today for leeks, brussels, pears, garlic a net of lemons and a pot of thyme, this takes my total to £47.48, I'm hoping will be the last shop for my month - new budget starts on 20th.

I dont shop very often in @ld1 and haven't quite sussed out the best day to buy F&V, as a single person household I try to get stuff with a reasonably long Best Before, lately I'm always disappointed with @ld1's stuff some of the produce today had a BB 16th - makes me wonder how long its been in the warehouse and if I had left it another day it would be reduced :mad:

Eventually got around to doing my menu plan and shouldnt need to shop for at least a week.
T - Leek & Mushroom Lasagne, roasted cauliflower, slice bread
W - Stewed Liver, potatoes, brussels & carrot
Th - Chicken & Chickpea Curry, rice, green salad
F - Gammon, cauliflower & leek gratin & green beans
S - Bean Casserole, tacos, coleslaw, salad
S - Baked Fish with romesco sauce, brussels & broad beans
M - Black Pudding, Sausage, Cauliflower Cheese, carrots & leeks

How do you make the gammone, cauliflower and leek gratin?
In need of some ideas to use up some gammon I cooked on Sunday?

Mrs_Cheshire

I need to find a better way of keeping an updated list of spends, I don't get a chance to get on here every night and easily forget my spends.
Where do you all keep your receipts?
Where do you write down your spends? Notebook, Spreadsheet or something else!

I'm over budget for the 16 days I was counting this month, not sure how much by.
I'm going to try something new this month, I've got a top up debit card so I'm going to add my monthly grocery budget to the card at the beginning of the month and just use it for grocery spends, then when there's no money left I can't spend anymore!

debtfreeforlife

elsiepac wrote: »

I got new book too as it was free with the 12 week countdown. However, as a vegan, there isn't loads in there for me! A few things I can adapt. However my leader has been raving about that chip, sausage, egg bake thing, apparently it's very good!
I have the tarka dal on my meal plan this week, to go in the slow cooker Thursday.

I'm another vegan (mostly) on SW - you're right that there's not that much in the books! If I see quark in one more recipe... the veggie deluxe book is quite easily veganised, though.

Reporting £129.69 from me which means I'm on track, as that includes the veg box for this week (went for a small one this week, as I ordered a bit too much last week and forgot that was out at least two nights of the week!). I won't need to order one for next week as I'm away next weekend, and I've plenty in the fridge/freezer to take me through to the final week of the month.

Mrs Cheshire - I record everything I spend in on clearcheckbook.com. I have a grocery budget so just check that every few days and report whatever it says on here.

lynnejk

Need2bthrifty wrote: »

.........
I dont shop very often in @ld1 and haven't quite sussed out the best day to buy F&V, as a single person household I try to get stuff with a reasonably long Best Before, lately I'm always disappointed with @ld1's stuff some of the produce today had a BB 16th - makes me wonder how long its been in the warehouse and if I had left it another day it would be reduced :mad: ..............

I've found the same with Al*i recently. I used to buy all my F&V there but now am a bit more picky. Still get salad, onions, carrots, new pots and a couple of others. For the rest I go to Morrys - a little more expensive but most stuff you can get loose so just need to buy what you need. HTH

Mrs_Cheshire wrote: »

I need to find a better way of keeping an updated list of spends, I don't get a chance to get on here every night and easily forget my spends.
Where do you all keep your receipts?
Where do you write down your spends? Notebook, Spreadsheet or something else!...........

I keep all the month's receipts on a big bulldog clip and keep a running total on here. When I add my spends on here I put a big tick on the bottom of the receipt, but still keep them for the month to add up as a check for my monthly accounts - doesn't take a minute and they don't get lost. HTH

Now on eight NSDs :j

Hope you all have a great Wednesday
Lx

Need2bthrifty

Mrs_Cheshire wrote: »

How do you make the gammone, cauliflower and leek gratin?
In need of some ideas to use up some gammon I cooked on Sunday?

It sounds more glamorous than it actually is

I steam or boil the cauliflower and leeks till they are barely cooked, chop the gammon into chunks, make a cheese sauce, then its a case of assembling everything in a shallow pie dish, pour over the cheese sauce sprinkle with some breadcrumbs & grated parmesan and pop under the grill until bubbling and golden on top.

You could also assemble everything in advance then pop into a pre-heated oven 180c for about 30mins - just like a pasta bake

pamsdish

Hi all hope you are all having a thrifty November, back after my 2 weeks cruise, went veg and fresh food shopping yesterday spent about £35, put my reciepts away too quick.
EDIT, spent £40-29

PipneyJane

Mrs_Cheshire wrote: »

I need to find a better way of keeping an updated list of spends, I don't get a chance to get on here every night and easily forget my spends.
Where do you all keep your receipts?
Where do you write down your spends? Notebook, Spreadsheet or something else!

I'm over budget for the 16 days I was counting this month, not sure how much by.
I'm going to try something new this month, I've got a top up debit card so I'm going to add my monthly grocery budget to the card at the beginning of the month and just use it for grocery spends, then when there's no money left I can't spend anymore!

Working on the "when it's gone, it's gone" principle, we take our housekeeping/grocery money out in cash at the start of each month and keep it in a separate purse. Ditto the meat money (which is a separate budget for the butcher). Both go into a biscuit tin in the kitchen, otherwise known as "the kitty".


I have an iPhone and an iPad so use a Numbers spreadsheet to keep track of the totals. When I empty the shopping, I slip my receipts under the kitty and do a tally-up and a declaration on here when I have time (for instance, I haven't done last Sunday's spend yet). I'm using Numbers simply because it is easier to grab my iPad than it is to boot up my laptop.

PipneyJane

K.Mack wrote: »

Hi,

I've just read through the initial post and think it would be beneficial for me to join,but will put my name down for next month. My husband and I routinely allocate 180.00 (and then some!) per month for food, so definitely think this can be improved on!
The dog has his own budget (we get a delivery of his food each month via direct debit). I have two little furry pets who I don't have to buy for that often to be honest.
We used to be a bit more organised but our work routines changed and we have extra bills now, so have become a bit lazy. I also have the problem planning things so they merge into each other. For example yesterday I cooked gammon joint for dinner and today I made carbonara with some of the left overs. I still have a small amount of leftovers and the cream from the carbonara so what should I do with them?
Or I will make something different then the rest of the ingredients go to waste because I don't know what else to make with them.

Do you guys have spreadsheets of everything? I made one years ago but could never keep to it!
Would I be better breaking up the spends in to weeks?

Please note my husband is no help whatsoever when it comes to these things. He hasn't any interest in helping meal plan.

Sorry for the long post!

Generally speaking, we stick to cash, take it out once a month and put it in a separate purse. I dislike shopping so attempt to do one large shop a month with a couple of top-ups in between (mainly yoghurt, veg from the farm shop, YS stuff from the condemned food aisle). I shop to restock the pantry, the fridge and the freezer. I keep a running shopping list, adding to it whenever we use/open the last of any item.


I use and abuse my freezer quite heavily. To use your example, if I had too much leftover gammon, I'd shove the remainder in the freezer for a couple of weeks, until I'd come up with a means of cooking it. Gammon and cream go well in a quiche, but could also be mixed with leftover rice and a fried onion, wrapped in pastry and served as a pasty (an idea purloined from Rose Elliot's New Vegetarian Cookbook where she uses rice, onion and mushrooms). Or keep it in the freezer until you have some leftover chicken/turkey and then make a pie a la half the pubs in London (make a white-wine-and-stock based gravy, stir in some cream - which can be frozen too - add leftover cooked veg or defrosted frozen veg, cover with a pastry lid and bake).


I'm not the best meal planner. Generally, my meal planning consists of standing in the kitchen before I go to bed, looking at the contents of the fridge and asking "what needs to be used up?", followed by "what haven't we had for a while?" and then rummaging in the freezer so that whatever-it-is can be defrosted overnight.


I feel your pain regarding your husband and his lack of interest in meal planning. My DH is currently unemployed but I'm still the one who's responsible for deciding what's for dinner, even though he'll cook it. It has always been thus. When we both have jobs, the rule is that the first person home cooks dinner, but I'm the one who mentally keeps track of what we have in stock, etc.


I have a couple of recipes that take 20 minutes or less to cook and, when I have time, I'll cook up batches of "base" (fried onion, mushrooms and garlic) or "tomato base" (the same but with quartered, home grown tomatoes added). These are starters for meals for those nights when we won't get home until late. Additionally, depending on what's on the menu over the weekend, I'll also prepare and batch cook dried kidney beans/black beans/black eyed beans/mung beans/chick peas, working on the basis that it takes the same effort to cook 3-recipes' worth as it does to cook one. The other portions get frozen.

PipneyJane

XSpender wrote: »

I will make the spicy sausage, chip and egg bake from my new SW cook book for Thursday.

Please share the recipe. Please.