March 2019 Grocery Challenge

Suffolk_lass

Spent a bit more than I was expecting, with £12.13 for my store-cupboard and £29.22 for this week's shopping. I could not get organic milk (again today!) Not sure what my local Morries ordering is up to. We will have to get some but in the meantime I bought a litre of Channel Island Milk for £1.

That should be me done, if I can make do until Tuesday (DH's pay-day and our new month). I am up to 22.04% of my annual budget now, but we will be away for nearly two weeks in April, so hopefully April will be low cost.

Matron_Midge

Quite an expensive month for us as I bought meat in bulk for the freezer and I restocked all my store cupboard and baking supplies.
Declaring March at £462.17/£400.
I will endeavour to claw some back during April but as the students return for a holiday, it might be May before I gain some ground on my annual budget.

dollypeeps

Enlightening .....is what I'd say these spend diaries are!!!

Only been doing it for 2 weeks and for both those weeks we've been going over what I try to stick to each week..

It would appear that we are spending £80 per week ..there or thereabouts
I cash £70.....£60 for the weekly shop and then £10 kept for top ups like milk bread and rolls etc....

I think the main area is the weekly shop which almost always goes over the £60 so that is what I think I'll be concentrating on throughout April and possibly then post targets to make me even more accountable!!!

euronorris

My best laid plans went awry as DD has come down with a D&V bug and our nappy supplies (which should've lasted until mid next week) have been decimated. Had to take an early lunch and do an emergency dash to Morries and pop back home with supplies for DH and DD.


Now want to disinfect EVERYTHING! lol

freyasmum

Hello,

I'm no longer part of this challenge, but wonder if this recipe may be added to the list at the front, so as not to forget it?

We shall hopefully be moving soon, so I adapted this from a Mary Berry recipe (which is HERE- http://www.maryberry.co.uk/recipes/baking/mincemeat-loaf-cakes)

Mincemeat Loaf Cake
150g softened butter
160g light brown soft sugar
2 eggs
225g self raising flour
1 jar (441g) mincemeat
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp ginger spice

Mix everything together and split between 2 x 2lb loaf tins.

Cook in an oven which has been preheated to 160* for an hour.

Leave to cool, if you can. It will be very, very crumbly if you don't though.

Lovely served with extra thick cream (I used the tinned, sterilized stuff).

Thanks

freyasmum

I can't edit on my phone, or make recipes stand out - I would be much obliged if someone could do that for me.

Thank you

PipneyJane

Afternoon All

I went to Lidl this afternoon and sort-of blew the budget. Spent £44.35, but the meat fund contributed £40 of that: £14.99 on an air-dried Spanish ham, £15.98 on 2xBeef Wellington (£7.99 each), and £3.99 on Salmon en Croute, £3.99 on Cheddar (yes, I know that’s not meat). The balance was spent on their double concentrated squash, which hasn’t been in stock for about 6 weeks. The blackcurrent and applie is much nicer - and stronger - than MrT’s value equivalent.

If the meat fund hadn’t coughed up, I’d be considerably over this month’s budget BUT I wouldn’t have headed to Lidl in the first place. (The decision to go was driven by meat and the prospect of beef Wellingtons. No meat fund money = no shop.) As it is, we’re at £156.11/£162, leaving £5.89 for the remainder of the month.

- Pip


ETA: We had the Wellingtons for dinner tonight. Not worth it. The “beef steak” was, maybe, 4cm square and tough. The parcels are not large. The jus/gravy accompanying them was very nice though.

PipneyJane

freyasmum wrote: »

Hello,

I'm no longer part of this challenge, but wonder if this recipe may be added to the list at the front, so as not to forget it?

We shall hopefully be moving soon, so I adapted this from a Mary Berry recipe (which is HERE- http://www.maryberry.co.uk/recipes/baking/mincemeat-loaf-cakes)

Mincemeat Loaf Cake
150g softened butter
160g light brown soft sugar
2 eggs
225g self raising flour
1 jar (441g) mincemeat
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp ginger spice

Mix everything together and split between 2 x 2lb loaf tins.

Cook in an oven which has been preheated to 160* for an hour.

Leave to cool, if you can. It will be very, very crumbly if you don't though.

Lovely served with extra thick cream (I used the tinned, sterilized stuff).

Thanks

That looks great! Thank you.

- Pip

PipneyJane

freyasmum wrote: »

I can't edit on my phone, or make recipes stand out - I would be much obliged if someone could do that for me.

Thank you

Hopefully sorted for you, Freyasmum. Good luck with the move!

- Pip

freyasmum

I can't quote either, so thank you Pip

And thank you again!

And to stay on topic, we have reduced our grocery budget to around £260 a month (for 2 adults, a teenager who eats more than I do and a toddler who also loves a scoff) thanks to this thread in previous months. I still read, but am hopeless for remembering to post.

Previously this was between £3-400, depending on how many times we had people over.