November 2007 Grocery Challenge

kbl

Have been HORRENDOUSLY awful at this! Sunday we all went to watch my eldest daughter in a gaelic final, on way there bought snacks and on way home went to chipvan, then had to do a mini shop for OH lunch in local shop. Today have bought 10 tins dogfood at 1.50 each (our pooch only has a specific brand that we get from vet, on plus side we just mix half a tin per day with his middle feed of dry food, which I have over a month's supply of). Also bought food in two shops (one was Aldi at least) and started my sister in laws baby present (OH wanted to buy them a buggy @350, I'm filling a baby bath with essentials for about 60 - 80, still expensive, but a vast improvement! This has all come out of the grocery money, cos I hadn't budgeted for anything else this week.
Baby stuff = 23.56
Aldi 13.48
Centra 37.65
Dog food 15
Chipvan 12.50
Snacks 8.35
Total 110.54 Must go update my signature, fear I have been too ambitious with my target!

kbl

WHOOPS, sorry about the double post, haven't got the hang of this yet

Queen_of_NO_MATTER_WHAT

well I ended up spending £24.07 this week at Asda, but I did buy 3 big packs of meat for £10 which has stocked up my freezer. SO way over budget this week and only £35.93 left for the rest of the month. Not sure that I am gonna make it. Having said that, whichout the meat I would have come in on budget so we'll see.

tattycath

Well, OH decided to nip to supermarket last night!!!:rolleyes: He came back and announced that he had spent £13.00!!! He bought teabags, waffles, pancakes, icecream, buns, maple syrup and raspberry coulis!!! Now is that bad or good??? If anyone has any recipes with raspberry coulis and/or maple syrup They would be much appreciated. Thanks. Just got to update my sig now.

tattycath

belfastgirl23 wrote: »

Just coming on here because I'm really pleased with myself for finally getting back on the OS horse Made a pile of pizza dough on saturday - we were down to the last two sad looking little pizza balls and now back up to about 40. Yesterday we fed 6 people on pizza with potato and FIL's excellent apples roasted up for dessert - reckon it cost about £13 all in
Hi Belfast Girl. How does that work then? (please excuse my ignorance) How do you make it and how do you store it please?? My DDs love pizza and always seem to find the most expensive way... apart from when we do our own make shift pizzas. (toast one side of bread under grill, turn it over, thinly spread tomato sauce, put a few small pieces of corned beef on top and grated cheese on top of that , then back under the grill til done!!)
Please can you give me your pizza base recipe and tell me how I should store it etc? many thanks.

freyasmum

Hiya,

tattycath, men! I know, I know I shouldn't tar them all, but mine was a numpty when it came to shopping and budgets :rolleyes:.

I haven't spent anything today, except the money for a scratch card... and I won £20. So I changed £2 for £20

Lx

tattycath

Hi freyasmum, I know what you mean, My children went to see their dad on saturday, we dropped them off and my OH said, ooh why don't we call at this cafe for breakfast, £12.50 later... I had said to him 'what about this new budget' and he said, well oh don't worry about it, it'l be fine we don't often go out without the kids etc etc (you know how it is!!!) When he got home last night, I asked if he had looked in the reduced section and his excuse was he didn't have time!!! :rolleyes: So yes I'm in full agreement with you mine is a proper numpty when it comes to shopping and budgets too!!! Of course I love him to bits and woudn't swap him for the world, however.... lol

belfastgirl23

Hi Belfast Girl. How does that work then? (please excuse my ignorance) How do you make it and how do you store it please?? My DDs love pizza and always seem to find the most expensive way... apart from when we do our own make shift pizzas. (toast one side of bread under grill, turn it over, thinly spread tomato sauce, put a few small pieces of corned beef on top and grated cheese on top of that , then back under the grill til done!!)
Please can you give me your pizza base recipe and tell me how I should store it etc? many thanks.[/quote]

I use jamie oliver's base recipe. From memory 1kg strong white bread flour (he suggests using some italian 00 flour but I never do), tbsp salt, 14g yeast, tbsp castar sugar and 650ml lukewarm water. Mix yeast with the water and castar sugar and let sit for a few minutes, breaking up yeasty bit with a fork if necessary. Mix in with the flour and salt and knead (I'm lazy these days and do it in a food processor) till silky. I often find it's too much liquid for some reason. It is really idiot proof, the only bread that uses yeast that I've ever consistently got right.

I tend to make thin pizzas so this would probably be enough for 12-15 bases for me. I make a big batch at a time and freeze some of them in round balls dusted thickly with flour and wrapped in clingfilm (flour is important or you have a heck of a time getting the clingfilm off). Ideally they should be defrosted in the fridge overnight but you can also whack them drunkenly in the micro to defrost (not that I would ever do that!)

I use pizza stones to cook on - a really good investment at £12 a go if you make it as often as me. It's good to have the stones really thoroughly heated so I usually put them in the bottom of the oven and do some other cooking first. I also heat the oven to its highest setting. For the potato pizza - slice and parboil about 1 med potato per pizza. put grated mozzarella and finely chopped red onion directly on the base and then cover with potato slices. Add a drizzle of olive oil and some italian herbs and cook. I know it sounds funny but it tastes really good! And is very filling.

For a good tomato sauce (recipe from real live Italian!) use 500g of passata, tbsp oregano and 1-2 teaspoons of salt depending, also 1tbsp olive oil. Cook till thick. Freezes really well too.

Another tip too which I found out the hard way. It's best to make your pizza on whatever it will be cooked on (ie on the stone or tray) since it's a real b****r of a job transferring a fully loaded pizza, esp if base is thin.

Good luck!

flossyblog

Hi everyone,

My October final figure came to €161.41. That’s quite a lot over budget.

I’m going to set a budget of €130 to see if I do any better this time. I’ve been shopping twice so far and spent €34.85, and this is what I bought.

Chicken - 4.03
Potatoes- 89
Avocado- 89
Carrots - 99
Spinach- 60
Bread- 1.75
Rolls- 79
Worst- 1.09
Bacon- 99
Tea- 1.78
Hagelslag- 99
Milk- 59
Toms- 1.59
Carrots- 69
Bacon- 99
Appels- 1.85
Cucumber- 59
Peppers- 1.29
Mozzarella- 45
Bananas- 59
Pine nuts- 1.69
Lettuce- 50
Mushrooms- 1.19
Eggs- 99
Ham- 2.16
Bread- 91
Worst- 1.01
Broccoli- 1.11
Bread- 98
Cocoa- 99

I have 5 portions of chilli, 1 bolognaise, 1 steak and 4 chicken fillets in freezer

I do hope I do better this time.

Good luck everybody

valk_scot

Well, I've got £14.50 cash left , I'm not needing to go shopping for anything today and I can go top up the housekeeping purse on tomorrow. So that's not at all bad...I'll be under my £80 weekly budget no problem. Any surplus at the end of each week I'll put aside, for emergencies and bargains.

I do have to say that it's been pretty easy this week because of my extremely well-stocked freezer and larder, but as part of this challenge for me is to clear these out a bit that's no bad thing. I'm hoping that once I get these emptied, I'll be more used to the mindset of shopping for less, keeping to my list and not just throwing things into the trolley on impulse.

And my two best aids? The shopping list and keeping the housekeeping money seperate, in cash.