January 2008 Grocery Challenge

rosieben

mrsdoyle1981 wrote: »

Please, please, please can someone help!!

Ages ago i saw the raisin pleat with icing and meant to copy down the recipe but i've been unable to find it since.

Does anyone know where it is? Please help, im desperate to make it!

its post *42 on this thread http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=575356&highlight=apple+braid sorry cant give you page number as mine are set differently to the norm

BlushingRose

I've posted this into my thread on the debt free wannas forum, but as this is the shopping thread, i wanted to post it here for feedback too...

We went to Lidl and Asda - and also a local store this week. Normally we shop in local stores and Asda only.

This is what we bought - comments please?

Lidl

Foil - £1:99
Choc Spread (huge jar) - £1.09
Juice cartons x 8 - £1:49
Potato waffles - 69p
Marg - 79p
Loaf x 2 - £1:70
Apples x 8 - £1:09
Carrots (bag) - 55p
Turnip - 55p
Potatoes (bag) - £1:38
Chips - 59p
Cola - 37p
Beefburgers (12) - £1:28

Total = £17:09


Asda

Baked beans x 4 - 80p
Tinned tuna x 4 - £1:08
Spaggetti x 3 - 69p
Bread buns x12 - £1
7-Up x 3 - £3:96
Cheese - £3:48
Handwash x 2 - £2:40
Pork Loins x 6 - £4:41
Mince (250g) - 79p
Simmer soup x 4 - £1
Rice Snaps - £1:37

Total = 25:21

Butcher

Meat Joint - £7:32
Cold meats - £4:55

Total = 11:87

Total spend this week = £54:17


Our usual spend often comes to about £100....

Sassamac

nykmedia wrote: »

Have you tried buying the bags of frozen fish fillets? I tried the supermarket unbranded ones - white fish fillets - and they are lovely. I think there are about 6 fillets in a bag. I'll be stocking up with more during February challenge. Just finished last bag last night - as fish pie

I use these although they can be quite watery so you need to use more then you think you do. still good value I think and ideal if mixed with some fresh fish which gives the meal more texture.

Sassamac

BlushingRose wrote: »

I've posted this into my thread on the debt free wannas forum, but as this is the shopping thread, i wanted to post it here for feedback too...

We went to Lidl and Asda - and also a local store this week. Normally we shop in local stores and Asda only.

This is what we bought - comments please?

Lidl

Foil - £1:99 - you can buy value versions in Mr T, Mr S etc (presummably Asda too) for about 50p I think. You dont get the box, its just the roll of foil, so keep the box you have just bought for subsequent rolls.
Choc Spread (huge jar) - £1.09 - I saw a recipe on this board recently for HM choc spread. I have no idea where, but I will have a search in a mo.
Juice cartons x 8 - £1:49 - BARGAIN!
Potato waffles - 69p - do HM roasts, wedges etc and freeze them, then they take the same time to reheat as the bought version.
Marg - 79p
Loaf x 2 - £1:70 - If you have freezer space its worth buying reduced and stocking up. I dont have space in my freezer but I havent paid full price for a loaf for about 3 weeks because there is often something with a yellow sticker.
Apples x 8 - £1:09 - Tesco value apples are 8 for about 86p - might be worth checking for a smartprice option.
Carrots (bag) - 55p
Turnip - 55p
Potatoes (bag) - £1:38 - you can buy 10kg sacks for about £4 in my local market, I have been told farm shops are even bigger sacks and better value.
Chips - 59p - ditto the waffles
Cola - 37p - not a necessity but not budget busting either.
Beefburgers (12) - £1:28 - again these could be HM, although that already sounds cheap.

Total = £17:09


Asda

Baked beans x 4 - 80p
Tinned tuna x 4 - £1:08
Spaggetti x 3 - 69p
Bread buns x12 - £1
7-Up x 3 - £3:96 - is this a necessity as well as the cola? could you buy own brand lemonade instead?
Cheese - £3:48 - worth stocking up when theres a BOGOF as I always say, cheese doesnt go off, it just gets more mature!
Handwash x 2 - £2:40
Pork Loins x 6 - £4:41
Mince (250g) - 79p
Simmer soup x 4 - £1
Rice Snaps - £1:37 - is this like rice cakes? if so im pretty sure they can be HM although I wouldnt know how.

Total = 25:21

Butcher

Meat Joint - £7:32 - what meat was it and how big / how many portions?
Cold meats - £4:55 - I rarely buy cold meat as I find them too expensive but you can get end bits of ham etc. cheap and also the deli counter in my Mr T has a reduced basket which I raid.

Total = 11:87

Total spend this week = £54:17


Our usual spend often comes to about £100....

Hi Rose, I have added my hints in black. sounds like you've done really well already to only spend £55 rather than £100.

chardonnay_2

blushing rose - what you and others could do is start a price book. note down what you buy, with the price & amount /weight etc at each shop and then next time you are shopping check competitors prices - then you will eventually know exactly what shop to buy each product from and if the special offer is really a special offer.

well done on halving your weekly budget

Sassamac

well I have written my list, just a few things to get today so Im hoping to spend under a tenner which will leave about £6 for any end of the month emergency that may crop up Tue / Wed / Thu.

mrs-moneypenny

my youngest DS loves those bachelors pasta'n'sauce in the red wine flavour, i stocked up when tescos had them on bogof recently but have run out now, however have since found out that there is a little indenendent shop in leicester that sells them for 2 for £1 against mrT's 79p each there were out of stock this week but hes promised me its on his list to restock, ill be popping back in next week. i couldnt believe the money i can save in that shop, he does warburtons wholemeal for 79p each or two loaves for £1.29 i was paying over £1 a loaf in sains and mrTs before. her he runs out ive now started getting bread from aldi at 55p.
Poundland is also brilliant (hope this doesnt offend anyone BUT they even sell boxes of 12 durex in there for £1)

i nipped in my sains local saturday night they got some steak pies reduced from 65p each to 30p BUT they were also marked as 2 for £1 so i ended up getting one free as when they were scanned 30p was reduced for multibuy:T shame they only had 3. i got 2 cottage pies as well they were reduced from 77p to 30p. I've popped them all in the freezer eldest DS is doing his school play all this week so will need early teas these will be ideal.

cant believe how much i used to waste just going in one shop and thowing things in my trolley without checking prices.:mad:

anyone seen vitalite anywhere apart from iceland please? im currently paying 80p for a 500ml tub but we get through loads with baking etc as well, i have to use that as two of the kids are vegan and its easier to use dairy free for everything than have to bake double lots and remember who can eat what.

theamazinggem

well done BlushingRose, looks like you've got off to a cracking start. :T

what time did you go to Asdas? I find if you go about 6.30-7ish in the evening at mine the yellow sticker area is full to the brim, got lots of cold cut meat and some meat for freezing really cheap the other day. also half price cheese...

scotrae

I know it's still January but since I set myself a very ambitious weekly budget for my first GC and had my twin sons' birthday at the weekend, I'm moving on to February now. I thought I'd post a round-up on the January thread first though.

Already the MSE ethos has changed our outlook on life and made lots of savings / clawbacks in our household. I came in under the £25 weekly budget twice but went over the other two weeks. However, at a total GC spend of less than £125 for four weeks, when we'd have spent £100+ each week before our LB moment, I'm pretty pleased with it.

We've been far more conscious of what we're buying and spending and particularly of not wasting so much as a thin crust or a bendy stick of celery. I've discovered the thrill of finding a bargain bashed pack at the supermarket, the economy of watering down whole milk (don't tell my menfolk!) and have been impressed with Lidl dishwasher tablets and toilet rolls. The homemade hobnobs have gone down a storm and the sack of farmshop spuds is lasting forever. I've started to hand over coupons at Ts for things I haven't bought, never before having had the cheek even though people have said that it's their policy to accept them. I've had my first freebies come through and am waiting patiently for a competition win, having entered stacks of things through the forum links. DH has got into it, switching his cc and cashing in his old phone with Mopay - to say nothing of his much-acclaimed meatballs and veggieburgers!

We shall need to restock on meat this month, having made our post-Christmas 'reduced for quick sale' bargains last us for January. So I've upped the budget for this month, aiming for £160 max. I'm hoping that a monthly one will be easier to stick with without that sense of failure.

Thanks to everyone for your support and inspiration. Wish me luck for Feb!

egon

Our total spent for January is £239.14. :j

We are just under budget. I am very pleased with that. The last two month went well over budget, so we seem to have managed to jump back onto the waggon!

Even though our month wont finish until the 31st, I will not need to go to the shops again!
stocked up in Lidl's this morning for the last few days and even bought something for next month with this month budget!!!!

Here we go february!