January 2008 Grocery Challenge

mrssnowy_2

Blairweech wrote: »

I haven't been keeping up with the thred, alhtough I have been trying with the challenge.

Luckily, OH is getting on board now - HE ACTUALLY GOT ME A RECEIPT TODAY!!!!

That's strange ,DH now involved.2 more weeks to see what we spend in 1 month and where I can cut down.
Have found that I am frittering less on non-foodie bits,but not driving at mo' due to broken arm,so having to carry it all,in a rucksack up quite a big hill! (live in Mid-Wales) (DH not fit to drive)
My 80 year old Mum took me shopping yesterday!!!
At least it was dry today-and good friend has SC she doesn't want!
So good day all round.

Mollymop5

I spent £10.20 today on some washing powder! I know its alot but it's going to last me months and months.It's an eco brand new to the market and I read about it on Netmums site if anyone is interested

BigMummaF

I wanted to be helpful for a change & suggest a lovely alternative to Maris Piper spuds, but I can't remember the name now....it begins with a W tho:p They are the best---I was so surpried cuz I only ever used to buy MP or King Edwards; these take a wee bit longer to cook, but mash, roast & bake wonderfully. I got a 25kg sack from our little pet shop for £8, so I'll go back to him again:T

Thanks for the banger recipe MrsM...guess a food processor wouldn't be quite the same thing But for those of you who do splurge on butcher's sausages, I had six in the freezer, & was thinking about making a toadie when struck on how to make them go even further. I split the skins & made little meatballs out of 'em, browned them in a little smidge of oil before adding a tin of chopped toms, onion, garlic, herbs, etc & served it all up with pasta:j Strangely..they didn't like the sausages when we had the others just served with mash, but thoroughly enjoyed the meatballs:D

OK....I'm on the cadge again....head's up to
Mollymop for her bread secrets--they sound lurverlee--must get into this bread making!
Scotrae for the hobnobs--the offspring eat 'em like they're going out of fashion:eek: , &
DdraigGoch with the red pork--sounds interesting

Look who I've found>perhaps he should be our mascot:rotfl: to prevent us doing the same:eek:

affordmylife

Im finding it really easy to stick to the budget - i dont go to the shops!!!!!

Having said that I will probably go saturday/sunday as we will need fresh fruit and veg but very little else.

Well done everyone so far.

My month will end 31st Jan which luckily is also my payday. So I hope to remain in budget and look forward to February's challenge too.

MRSMCAWBER

BigmummaF

You could do the sausages by "mincing" in the processor.... they would just be a bit smoother -but still taste the same

galacticgreen

fresh meat, dairy, fruit and veg arrives tomorrow, but needed some milk tonight. Managed to pop to the shop and only buy 1 pint of milk so v pleased. We are having discussions about what to set next months budget at. Think £200 might be difficult as we've not got as much stuff lurking around the house as we did after Christmas, but we're thinking we might give it a go as it might focus us and give us something to work towards.
Have updated sig. I'm away for a couple of days now, so will update on my return. Keep up the good work everyone:T

DdraigGoch

Thanks for asking, BigmummaF. It's really so simple you won't believe it! This is the way I do it, based on Kenneth Lo's wonderful recipes in the book, "Cheap Chow" It's out of print, but grab it if you see a copy. You will save a bundle and have delicious food into the bargain - yummmm.

It’s quite rich and the fat melts into the meat, so it goes well with plain steamed rice. It's a "sweet" taste and very more-ish, but as I said, very rich. To serve, remember to put the plain rice in the bowl first, then a little meat - with a bone if possible - then a good dollop of the sauce. A little goes a long way. Served with very weak tea it's well balanced as the tea cuts the fat, and the rice extends the taste. Kenneth Lo used to refer to it as a taste explosion, in that you should make your expensive meat so tasty that you can put it with 6 or 7 times the amount of plain rice and still feel satisfied! It works.

To cook one belly of pork, with bones in, take your largest casserole [not roasting pan unless you can completely seal it closed, THIS IS IMPORTANT!]. Into this casserole I measure, roughly, one large wine glass of cheap red wine [and one for the cook :beer: if you can afford it], one small wine glass of cheap sherry, one small wine glass of soy sauce, one tablespoon of brown sugar, one teaspoon of sea salt [I know, I know, but it tastes different to me] a crushed clove of garlic, a pinch of 5 spice powder, a slice [or two] of root ginger, well bruised, and finally, a pint of water.

If you have time, and I suggest you try to, now put the pork into the marinade, ensure you cover it completely and leave it for at least overnight. I have left it in the back of the fridge for nearly a week before now - it was very tasty and incredibly frugal, in that you only needed a tiny amount. If you cannot cover it completely, and it is very awkward, then just turn it over in the marinade every few hours to ensure an even covering.

When you are happy to start cooking, just gently bring it to the boil and then simply put it in the oven, covered as it is, and leave it on low for over an hour.

After about 20 minutes, bring double the amount of water to rice to the boil [1 cup rice and two cups of water per head], tip in the rice, stir to break up any lumps and once it has returned to the boil, pour it quickly into another casserole. Put this into the oven along with the pork.

Walk away and forget it!

Come back an hour or three later and it's ready.

Enjoy

Remember to use this marinade as both sauce and then re-use the remainder with more wine, water, sherry, soy sauce and no more spices as needed to top up as a marinade for your next piece of pork!

[sorry for the rambling method, it's just how I do things ... ]


DG

curly_cabbage

Good morning to you all, well last week of my January GC, and so far i've spent £18.89 this week giving me a total of £ 80.47 :T which is very slightly over my buget by 47p, but i would dread to think how much i would be spending if i did'nt have the buget in the back of my mind telling me to put down the expensive biscuites ect and either make my own or just don't have them.
i am currently doing an audit on the content of the frezer and cupboards so i can set myself a budget that is achivable and still saving, currently i'm looking at £30 P/week.:j

frankerooney

Blairweech wrote: »

I have also pointed out to OH just how expensive our potatoes are (he insists on Maris Piper), but we should be getting some new pots to try from a farmer - if he likes them, we shall get a cheap sack (£5). He also told me he likes Mayflower potatoes, which hopefully could be cheaper as well.

I sent DH to buy one potato the other day and it was 43p :eek:, wasn't even huge. I was really surprised, I always thought potatoes were a cheap filler but they're not really are they.

Gemmzie

It came to £80 this week, so we have a week left of the month and £147 left of the budget :j