December 2007 Grocery Challenge

Doom_and_Gloom

Bought organic rice cakes and 2 pots of humous for £1.10 yester day as the humous was reduced to 30p a pot (although with BF's discount got the both for 51p :rotfl: ) and I LOVE the stuff :drool: and it goes soo well with rice cakes as a quick quite nutricious snack . I am round my parents untill boxing day or the day after but I'm not sure yet and I doubt that other than my veg box delivery (£15) that there will be any more spending this month/year :cool: .

Spent of budget = £32.59
Left of budget = £17.51

lil_me

£69.30 in the farm shop for the meat order, I had allowed £90 so was cheaper than I thought

Savvy_sewing

Second attempt. Lost my last one? cyber space maybe.
I did say thanks to lil-me, for the link to the butchers. Its at the other end of Oxford, to me, but I will go and see in the new year. I hope.
Mr T did deliver my turkey crown, thank goodness. But no loo rolls, so luckily my eldest daughter had come to visit yesterday and as the weather was pea soup she stopped the night. She took me to Sainsburys this morning. Mind you I ended up spending £44.18 in there. What with my tesco shop £122.30 my challenge is getting very tight!!.
Ah well it is christmas...
When its gone, its gone.

atypicalblonde

Hi everyone! Well, this week I have spent a little more than anticipated, taking my grand total so far to £119.34 - 66p left!!!!!

I think it is pretty much fair to say that I won't come in on budget, but I'm not going to be too hard on myself, as this is the first time I have done the GC and we have bought more alcohol than usual due to the festive season. Hope everyone else is doing okay x

meanmarie

Hi all,

With my usual talent for disorganisation I have mixed up the Christmas and Grocery challenge and think that I am still in budget ...combined budget IYSWIM! So I am giving myself an ok in respect of the December challenge....I bought a turkey and got a present of one also...so that leaves me seriously overstocked with meat for January and into February...also got a ham so there are many meals there for only 4 when the others return home.

Happy Christmas to all if I don't get back before the big day

Marie

MRSMCAWBER

Evening everyone

just thought i would pop back again... got hubbies "head n shoulders shampoo" yesterday :j a 200g bottle that costs us about £3.25 back home was 99p in home bargains - so i grabbed 10 would have got more, but that emptied the shelf :rotfl: ... so thats the shampoo and nescafe dealt with... so for that i have spent £39.90... back home we would have been just over £90 ...one heck of a saving :T still have to get sugar free dilute, bread flour, gravy granules, oxos and cheese.. lets see how much i can save on those

I have also got a new note book, and set it up on a weekly basis -so i can keep a check on what im spending every week..im determined to keep as tight a budget as possible for 2008..im sure it won't be to painful with all the hints n tips on here :T

lil_me

Try Instore/Pounstretcher for the Oxos, £1 shops sometimes have the £1.79 boxes for £1 aswell. £1 shops might have the shampoo aswell, I've bought it there before. Gravy granules too, maybe even the dilutey stuff. Bread flour Tesco seem to have Doves Farm at a decent price again, Lidls I think is usually the cheapest apart from there, have you tried just using plain flour instead or half and half? Works out much cheaper for me and noone has noticed any difference. Lidls near me had the Nescafe on offer this week when I was in if you need any more, Instore do that aswell cheaper but the labels aren't UK ones.

egon

Hi MRSMCRAWER,

If you let me know, whereabouts you are in Germany, I might can help you with shops where to go.

I am German and my husband is in the forces too.

Egon

MRSMCAWBER

Hi there

EGON - we are in Bielefeld.... most of the German products i love, and think they are much cheaper than the UK... its only about half a dozen things that are crazy prices..... Near us we have REAL, PLUS, ALDI, LIDL, JIBI, and not to far are MARKAUF(SP) and RATIO - but i find those 2 quite expensive...
Luckily the car is fairly empty on the way back -so i have room to stockpile,

The only problem i have had is figuring out which German flour is "white bread flour" -a lot of them seem to have the yeast already in the mix.. and i wanted just basic flour ..... so i have been getting the tesco own from the NAFFI, but it will be cheaper to buy flour here and take it back.... unless you can set me straight LOL

Where abouts are you? I have lived in HOHNE before and loved it, although at least where we are now i have places that are walking distance to go to...
I love Germany and would stay out there if it was possible

lil_Me
I will take a look in those stores -well the ones around here...I never thought of those stores - thankyou... i get through loads of oxos especially the lamb ones

egon

Hi MRSMCCRAWER

My parents live in Bad Oeynhausen! So not far from you.

OK flour - Mehl is the word for flour. You can also get "Backmehl".
Which means backing flour. Most flours have a number on the front too e.g 405 (Basic Weizenmehl 405 which is basic white flour). The higher the number, the more minerals are in the flour (eg compares with strong flour).

The most suitable for baking bread is Mehl Typ 550.
Buchweizenmehl is buckwheat flour, Roggenmehl is rye flour, Weizenvollkornmehl is wheat full grain flour.

Like you are saying, Bielefeld is a nice little place.

Bye the bye, we are back in the UK. We do live in Malvern (Malvern Hills are great).
But we go back to Germany once a year.

Let me know, if I can help you further.
Egon