January 2008 Grocery Challenge

TheBees

:mad:
Annoyed with myself as I went into Tesco for milk, cheese and cat food and spent £17! Actually bought those three things plus a Prima magazine, reduced sausages which I have frozen, jam tarts and apple pies (for packed lunches as home made cakes have run out), scotch eggs (because I couldnt face making sandwiches tonight), and some chicken tikka cooked chicken which we chopped up with savoury rice for tea.

Last Thursday I went to Lidl and was really pleased with myself only spending £36 whereas if I'd gone to Tesco it would have easily been double that. Our total now stands at £270 and our budget is £350 for January. However our month starts and ends on the 3rd of the month so we have 12 days to go yet!! Think we should make it though. Will probably drop the target to £300 for Feb as its only 4 weeks, one of which is half term.

Anyway, I must stay away from the shops!

Good luck everyone

singlemum_4

Hi Guys,
Feel like Ive been away from here for ages, anyway to up date;
65p for hot chic at college
£25.00 eating out with kids for a special occasion (DS doing V.V well at school)
So last week grand total of.... £25.65
This week so far £40.31 at Mr T's:eek: Will go and update sig, but think Im still just under for the month. Glad to see you all doing so well, must try and check in more offen...Dam work and studying stopping me:rotfl: XX

belfastgirl23

Bobbykins wrote: »

BG23.....oh dear, lots of hugs ((((0)))) for you!

What an absolute nightmare! You should be SO proud of yourself for resisting the crisps.:T :T ....I'm afraid we would now be down :-

1 bottle wine
1 large box chocs
1 box tissues (for my sobs!)
1 giant family pack of hand cut crisps
1 tub of salsa
1 good book to take my mind off it all
(and 1 enormous pack hedex for my poor old headache!)

also, I'm with you on the spookiness of the attic :eek: :eek: , so don't beat youself up....I know it doesn't make logical sense but then where's the logic ever been for scaredy cats like us?

I'll be thinking of you hun, and praying for a dry night.

Good luck
Bobby

I think your prayers worked.

The rain has stopped.

Emboldened by sugar from the remains of the choc biscuits I decided to have a go at closing up the attic. DH has a flinging approach to it that I have never managed but it turns out that slow and steady does the trick too. I'm just praying it doesn't fling itself open again in the middle of the night...and that the rain stays off.

cheers for the kind words, feel a lot less stupid for them

Jacks_xxx

belfastgirl23 wrote: »

So have managed a feeling very sorry for myself spend - £1.19 on OJ and £1.45 on chocolate biscuits which I have already scarfed most of

DH is away till Friday, it's pouring and the roof is still leaking like billy-o. I have to go up every hour into the attic to change the pans under the leaks because they're right under the eaves so only my good baking tins fit and I have to crawl on hands and knees to get to them. Am praying the rain dries up during the night or I might have to set the alarm to go up and do it.

To top it all I have PMS and am getting over the cold and it's freezing in here because the attic is open (I can't reach to close it, will have to get DBIL to do it when the roofer has finally been). Yet I am also having to keep the heating on to try to dry out the ceiling. And I am idiot enough to be a bit spooked by having to sleep in the house on my own with the attic open. Can't bear to turn the light off in it as it is.

Rant over. Sorry for sounding off .... I am sort of proud that I didn't buy the crisps that my hand automatically reached out for tho

Oh honey,

I'd be just the same hon regarding the attic door. It just feel wrong and a bit scary doesn't it?

I think it's a survival instinct / genetic memory. After all, some of our ancestors who ventured into dark caverns wouldn't have come out again, but the ones who were too scared to go in would have lived to have babies!

We're obviously descended from the cautious ones.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it anyway!

and a bit of a treat during a rough week is totally fine honey. Please don't beat yourself up about it. We've had problems with our roof during all this rain and it's a very stressful situation to be in.

I hope it's sorted out now.

Love Jacks xxx

Justamum

egon wrote: »

Can't wait for DS1 to be out of Nappies! He is refusing to potty train at the mo.

How old is he? I'm having this trouble with my youngest daughter and she is 3 on 3rd Feb. My eldest was out of nappies by 20 months, so I thought it was a doddle. Thought too soon! My son was 3 before he was out of them, and even when he was in year 2 he would have "accidents" (of the number 2 variety!)

MRSMCAWBER

Morning all

Righty ho...cheerfulnes and bigmummaF....

I Do have an electric mincer/sausage machine...and of all the appliances I have (and i have quite a few:o ) Its is the one that has earnt its keep the most. Even though it doesn't get use daily like some things -it is definitely a money saver :T

I don't see wht you can't adapt the recipes..say in sausage rolls where you want skinless anyway, or even by shaping into meatballs or patties.
You could either buy good mince -or pick your meat at the butcher and then ask them to mince of it -so you know just what is in there

We used to buy the "premium range" of sausages but they were still quite :eek: on the calorie front, and about £2 a tray of 6
When i made my last lot i worked them out to be roughly 15p each -and they are just meat and seasonings - i don't use stabilisers, rusk etc...and because they are all meat Hubby only has 2or 3 depending on if they are fat or thin ones and I have 1 or 2..so it works out sooo much cheaper:T

I will put the basic recipe below in case anyone wants it-i will put in red what i use

Basic breakfast sausage makes 3lb

• 4ft small casings
• 2 1/2lb lean pork shoulder -I use loin as it goes through the mincer easier
• 1/2lb pork fat -I use belly pork -easier to find than pork fat in the UK -here its a doddle....and i blitz it in the liquidiser/processor as its a devil to get fat through the grinder
• 1tbs coarse salt - I add a little more
• 1 1/2tsp dried sage
• 3/4tsp fine ground pepper
• 3/4tsp brown sugar
• 1/2tsp dried thyme
• 1/3tsp dried marjoram
• 1/8tsp ground cloves
• 1/8tsp crushed red pepper -I use sweet smoked paprika

1. cut the meat into 1" cubes. Freeze for about 30mins to firm up before grinding
2. grind the meat and fat together on the fine disk
3. mix all ingredients in a large bowl-using your hands -chill for 30mins
4. grind the mixture through the fine disk
5. at this point i drop a small piece into a dry frying pan and taste to see if it is seasoned enough -the flavour will develope slightly once rested mind.
6. then use to stuff the casings
7. refridgerate for a couple of hours or overnight to allow flavour to develope.
8. will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer

I quite often use part beef part pork too.... if anyone wants any other recipes let me know ....

Well im definitely not going out today so its a NSD for me :T

oohhh i forgot to answer the poster who asked about children and moving around (sorry i have forgotten who:o ).... We don't have children, i have to say that most forces children that i have met are really confident -I guess moving and meeting all new people every 3 years or so means they are so used to it from such an early age. I think it will do your children the world of good, and im sure they will adapt much quicker than the adults . I would jump at the chance to move abroad when hubby has finished his extra 5 years... but i think hubby has had enough of moving around all the time-he has been doing it much longer than me :rotfl:.
I hope you all have a brilliant time

Right im off for a look to see what is happening else where...then im off to slice up the gammon i cooked yesterday and freeze it up and then make a quiche out of the small chunky bits that drop off

have a great day everyone

cheerfulness4

Thanks MrsMc - thats brilliant.

I've really got into making burgers and meatballs and would never consider buying them pre-made now so I'm thinking HM sausages will be my new venture for 2008. I look longingly at the ones at the farmers markets at 3.99 for 6. :eek: (not organic either). Shall have to be enterprising and make my own.

Have been considering a mincer/sausage maker for a while now. May have to save up. :rolleyes:


Just to pick your brain again - how do you make your cheese, ham and potato pasties that you mentioned on another thread? Been salivating over the idea for the last couple of weeks. :drool:

rosieben

MrsMcawber, Thanks for the recipe! I'd really like to know what sausage recipe book you have please? I love sausages and want to get into making my own regularly (I wont bother with cases, probably just make a bit fat roll and slice it up to use like sausage patties). I've fouind a few recipes online but wouldnt mind buying a book if there's a decent one available.

MRSMCAWBER

Hi there rosieben and cheerfulness

Its called
" HOME sausage MAKING" by Susan Mahnke Peery & Charles G. Reavis

It took me ages to track a book down .... its a book from the USA -hence the likes of squirrel, dove, elk, bear and bisson recipes -which strangely enough i haven't tried yet:rotfl:

If it helps here is the contents:-

TECHNIQUES-

1. the story of sausage
2. equipment and ingredients
3. making and cooking -essential techniques

THE SAUSAGE-

1. pork sausages
2. beef, lamb and veal sausage
3. combination sausages
4. game sausages
5. poultry sausages
6. seafood sausages
7. vegetarian sausages

COOKING WITH SAUSAGEs-recipes

1. sausage for breakfast or brunch
2. sausage starters
3. sausages for lunch or dinner

metric equvalents and conversions
resources etc

If you want any more recipes let me know what sort of thing and i will post them - I won't be breaking any copyright jobbies as i replace the ingredients with the UK versions ..as im not asking any butcher for 2 1/2lb of "pork butt"
the book even covers things like salami, chorizo and air drying, smoking... i am soooooo fighting the urge to buy an electric smoker :eek: ... I will resist since im trying to save cash - maybe if we get that house with a bit of land one day i will treat myself

Hope that helps


Well so far this morning i have cleaned right through, carved that gammon and it has made enough for 6 meals for me n hubbie.. a bag with pieces that will make a pasta dish and i have just taken 6 x 5" quiches out of the oven...:T and we have allready had a meal off it
Figured if i made 1 bigger quiche it will get eaten quicker..this way we have 3 meals each -plus it looks nicer

right -off i go again

MRSMCAWBER

Ok im a dipstick

Forgot about the cheese n potato pies :rolleyes:

You probably have a pastry recipe, but i will post the one i do as it is soooo soft to work with and goes really crisp.
If anyone stuggles with patry this way is an easy way -as pastry doesn't like getting warm -so keeping your hands out as much as possible helps

I make shortcrust pastry using:-

8oz plain flour
pinch of salt
3oz fat -i use half butter half lard (room temp)
If you have a silcone patula -i use that to cut the fat in until its like bread crumbs, add a bit of fresh grated parmesan (sounds daft but i just weighed how much i normally grate and it was 3g ) and mix -then 4-5tbsp ice cold water... use a knife to mix it to start with, and just use your hands for the last minute or so to form a ball..wrap in cling film and chill

That has made me 6 x 5" flans oh and the leftovers made a small ham, cheeses and onion pasty (cooks perks)

1. the filling (you can adjust to suit really but here are the basics) its just mashed potatoe -leftovers are fine... add some chopped fried onion (you can zap in the micro if you prefer but you don't get as much flavour..
2. I line the tins (the pastry is lovely and soft, so i cut a piece off to roll rather than rolling a big sheet..it also stops it going tough from being over worked), smear english mustard over the bottom ,
3. break up either bits of cooked bacon or ham and spread over the bottom (you could mix it into the mash -but this way you can guarantee everyone gets some ham -so you can use less:p )
4. pile the potato on and level,
5. then sprinkle with a little grated cheese -again as you are putting it on top-every fork full will have cheese -so you get away with less
6. place in a preheated oven about 190 ish... and if you shove a baking sheet in the oven whilst its warming up and then put your pie tins on that it will help cook the bottoms

The parmesan and mustard make them taste lovely and savoury without being greasy and using loads of cheese.

I also do them without ham and to me they taste just like the ones we used to get at school...yummy with baked beans

Oh and if you want the filling a little lighter then bash an egg into the potato mix, when it cooks it puffs a little so the filling isn't quite as dense

Oh and they freeze just fine too:T

ok im going now