November 2007 Grocery Challenge

gingababe

Hi Guys,

Can I join you? I am looking at £30 per week, I have plenty in store, & am looking at cooking a lot, there is me, my hubbie & my dd(3). I am looking at doing some meal plans, so if anyone can help I would really appreciate it. I am a veggie, but my hubbie & dd eat meat.

Will keep you all posted

Ginga:j

suzialwaysbroke

Hi all, just popped in quikly to say I will be starting tomorrow & am budgeting £475 for November

Suzi xx

roxy7699

Im in, not too sure what I ended up with for october, more than the £50 initially spent. Budget this month £150 as long as I get paid, bit worried as my boss has gone away

MRSMCAWBER

Hi there gingababe...

I find that meal planning saves me a fortune..not to mention lots of hassel pondering what to cook every day......you will need a little more thought -having to come up with veggie and non veggie meals... but the plus point is, that you can freeze up the extra portions for later in the week ....

Here are a couple of things that spring to mind..

A cheap, tasty and filling thing i do is layer potatoes and onions in a dish and dissolve a stock cube in a cup of water - pour it over and cover with foil and bake until soft -then uncover an crisp up the top ones (you can also use milk instead of stock) you could give that to hubby and little one with sausage and veg and veggie sausages n veg for you.....the onions almost disolve -just in case DD isn't keen... I serve this quite often instead of plain boiled..they are sooo tasty...

what about cauliflower cheese with jackets..... i steam cauli, broccoli and carrots, throw them in an oven proof dish throw in some frozen peas and pour over cheese sauce...and shove in the oven - again if hubby needs meat you can serve it on the side...

You can make a quick, light cheese sauce by getting a tub of philli - well the own brand version mix in a little milk and heat in a pan over a low heat until smooth - great for pasta, cauli cheese, chicken breast, fish... and for hubby and little one throw in some ham and thats another quick dish that you can do for all of you and then just alter at the end..

Hope thats some help... sure i can come up with loads more if you need em:D

hypno06

Hi guys! After always failing abysmally at grocery challenges, I have re-done my budgets and see that I absolutely have to stick to £40 a week or else we are scuppered big time!

So, for a family of 5, including 3 teenagers, we will be meal planning and BOGOF'ing like there is no tomorrow!

Total for the month £160.....off to add it to my siggy now.

gingababe

MRSMCAWBER wrote: »

Hi there gingababe...

I find that meal planning saves me a fortune..not to mention lots of hassel pondering what to cook every day......you will need a little more thought -having to come up with veggie and non veggie meals... but the plus point is, that you can freeze up the extra portions for later in the week ....

Here are a couple of things that spring to mind..

A cheap, tasty and filling thing i do is layer potatoes and onions in a dish and dissolve a stock cube in a cup of water - pour it over and cover with foil and bake until soft -then uncover an crisp up the top ones (you can also use milk instead of stock) you could give that to hubby and little one with sausage and veg and veggie sausages n veg for you.....the onions almost disolve -just in case DD isn't keen... I serve this quite often instead of plain boiled..they are sooo tasty...

what about cauliflower cheese with jackets..... i steam cauli, broccoli and carrots, throw them in an oven proof dish throw in some frozen peas and pour over cheese sauce...and shove in the oven - again if hubby needs meat you can serve it on the side...

You can make a quick, light cheese sauce by getting a tub of philli - well the own brand version mix in a little milk and heat in a pan over a low heat until smooth - great for pasta, cauli cheese, chicken breast, fish... and for hubby and little one throw in some ham and thats another quick dish that you can do for all of you and then just alter at the end..

Hope thats some help... sure i can come up with loads more if you need em:D

Wow thats fab.. I am soooo impressed, if you have anymore let me have em... hubbie doesn`t insist on meat every nite is happy to do veggie no prob.
Thanks

Ginga

Bobbykins

Hi Guys

I'm in again....still trying to get down to the elusive £200 a month, the rascally little budget figure keeps getting away from me at the moment!!!

Hoping for better things this month as I really, really need to empty out both freezers and give them a good old defrost/clean before Christmas.

So, all the stuff that's been batch cooked and is stuck lurking in the back of there is going to see the light of day this month:eek: :eek: , so I'm hoping for a good result!

Ginga - if it's any help, you can make a basic veggie in tomatoe-y type sauce go a very long way with a bit of imagination! I make up a batch as follows:

fry off some onions/leeks or whatever you have, in a little oil
Add a mixture of chopped/diced veggies of you choice (whatever's left in the fridge!) along with:-
a dash of veggie worcester sauce
a mixture of herbs (I use basil, thyme, marjoram and sage mainly)
a bay leaf
a tin or two of value chopped tomatoes
either fresh or tinned mushrooms
a teaspoon of sugar to bring out the flavour of the tomatoes.
a good big squirt of tomatoe puree! (about a tablespoon at a guess)
Season to taste
Let it simmer for about 30 -45 mins

You can bulk it out with some lentils or beans too if you like.

I then use this as the basis for veg lasagne, veg chilli, veg pie - we call that shepherdess pie in our house ( cos it's like shepherd's pie but with a little something missing!:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: )

We aren't veggie but really enjoy this.

I usually make up 3 or 4 meals at once based on this and stick them in the freezer. Cheap, cheerfull and filling!

HTH

Blairweech

I'm in again

I *think* I managed to be within budget for October - haven't quite totalled all my receipts yet. I have run the freezer right down now

I'm going for £150 for November. I have a slight problem in that OH refuses to eat proper meals like breakfast and lunch, and would prefer to snack on chocolate instead. Then he wonders why his stomach hurts :rolleyes: Think I will force him to eat breakfast. HOWEVER - I have convinced him to keep his receipts, so progress has been made there

redmel1621

Right I am in again this month, I sort of lost track last month half-way through as had lots of uni work to get done plus both kids were ill which dragged out for nearly two weeks of sleeples nights......etc.....etc....

Anyway Grocery wise I don't think I did too badly and was managing to keep my Tesco deliveries down to around the 50-60 quid mark which left me a lot for just milk and a few bits, I think I was managing around the £70-£80ish mark all month, so for this month I am going to be brave and cut myself down to £70 per week (£280 for month) here goes....

Mel x

Sporticus

Hi

I'm back in again this month. Another £100 pw budget as although I'm coming in under budget I've got puds & cakes to make for Christmas and also a family party to cater for in early Dec (it's my turn for this shindig!).

Last month I budgeted the same and came in at £396.34

Here's hoping!

Sporticus