January 2008 Grocery Challenge

galacticgreen

Well, went to Asda today. Looked at the prices of things today for the first time. Got a good deal on coffee and t bags, so shouldn't have to buy those for a couple of months. Stuck to the list except for a couple of things that were good deals and that we will use!!
Went to Poundland and bought enough shampoo, conditioner and toothpaste for a couple of months as well.
Only downside is we went out for lunch. Bit of an end of Christmas holidays treat!! Have added that to our shopping budget as we are counting all food. So it looks like we've spent loads, but this months budget was a bit of a guess and we've now got a house full of food, so I'm still optimistic that we will keep within budget.
It helps that everyone in the house is aiming for the same and we are all trying to keep costs down

charleypink

i popped into poundland on friday and bought my weight in toothpaste!!
thev'e got colgate toothpaste 2for1, so for 50p each you can't go wrong. they also had arrid deodorant 2for1.
don't think i will be needing toothpaste for the rest of the year lol
charley:o

millionaire_in_training

Hi there week 1 and still very motivated. I have spent £42.57. Bought loads of washing tablets and all cleaning stuff for the month though so feeling quite virtuous. Hopefully I can leep it up xx

charleypink

lil_me wrote: »

:rotfl:

Charley, Sainsburys I think charges you for what they deliver (if somethings sent instead of something else you pay the difference) Tesco is the same. Asda substitutions they only charge for what you originally ordered usually, if I order 'smart price' butter at 80p and they send a substitution of 'lurpak' at £1.19 I would pay the 80p for the Lurpak. I use them the most if getting deliveries, comes out great when I order lots of 'cheap things' and they only have the 'expensive ones' doesn't happen too often however that they have items out of stock.

i new one of the stores did. What a shame its not sainsburys, iv'e been really unlucky with asda deliveries so far, my shopping always arrives about an hour late!
still not to worry, better late than never i suppose lol.
charley:o

BallandChain

Another fantastic thread for me to read! I have been thinking of ways to cut the shopping bill down and then found this thread so I hope you can all help me. (Pretty please!) I shop for me and OH and usually the bill was for £80 a week! I have managed to get it down to £40 but as neither of us have the time to cook (we both can cook but hate it) we mostly live on salads and to complicate? things further we don't eat much meat.

I've been thinking of how to cut the food bill down and thought it would be impossible as I've been reading this forum for some time now and it seems a lot of you ladies cook from scratch.

Has anyone any ideas for simple meals that are quick to make bearing in mind we don't have the time nor the inclination to cook from scratch? Is there something else I can do that maybe I have overlooked to get the food bill down? I currently get my shopping from Sainsburys as there is no Lidl or Aldi, not even a Netto nearby. Oh and no Asda and they don't deliver to my area either.

Edited as I checked for Farm foods and the nearest is 16 miles away! You can tell we live in the middle of nowhere lol!

We buy cereal, milk, bacon, butter, bread, milk, veg, cake (I just can't get rid of this craving for cake!) ice cream lollies for OH (his weakness), household products usually every few weeks, olive oil and I think that's it.

kiwi88_2

DdraigGoch wrote: »

Nyk, it's 2 packs of firelighters @ £1.95 each and 3 Co-Op black sacks @ £2.39 each - aaargh!

Hi DdraigGoch
Can't help with the black sacks but Aldi from the 6th have a box of 64 firelighters for £1.49 and a Firelog 1.1kg for £1.29 Don't know if that helps or not but it might help someone :rotfl:

charleypink

hi ballandchain,
i know you say you don't like to cook, but what about stir frys?
my clan love stir frys and they take only minutes to cook. I tend to buy a whole cabbage, a few onions and large carrots etc, i shred it all up and bag some up. This lasts for quite a few days and is so quick to cook which suits me after a long day at uni!
another idea are wraps, i just quickly fry thinly sliced chicken with peppers and onions. sometimes i add a little chilli mix or just mayo.
minimal cooking:p
hope this helps,
charley:o

irishwexford

Just a spend of £6 for me this weekend so far. Tomorrow will need milk and cheese. Usually get a take-away on Saturday as its no cook day but decided to make a quick corn beef hash with raspberry crumble for desert as I had all the stuff in cupboard, never thought I would turn down a chance not to cook. Bought a bag of onions in Lydl for 45p and as I hate peeling them I did the lot in one go, sliced them in processor and froze into portions. Made a big batch of crumble mix on Friday as I still have lots of raspberries and blackberries in freezer. Should have a very cheap week ahead.

Mollymop5

BallandChain wrote: »

Another fantastic thread for me to read! I have been thinking of ways to cut the shopping bill down and then found this thread so I hope you can all help me. (Pretty please!) I shop for me and OH and usually the bill was for £80 a week! I have managed to get it down to £40 but as neither of us have the time to cook (we both can cook but hate it) we mostly live on salads and to complicate? things further we don't eat much meat.

I've been thinking of how to cut the food bill down and thought it would be impossible as I've been reading this forum for some time now and it seems a lot of you ladies cook from scratch.

Has anyone any ideas for simple meals that are quick to make bearing in mind we don't have the time nor the inclination to cook from scratch? Is there something else I can do that maybe I have overlooked to get the food bill down? I currently get my shopping from Sainsburys as there is no Lidl or Aldi, not even a Netto nearby. Oh and no Asda and they don't deliver to my area either.

Edited as I checked for Farm foods and the nearest is 16 miles away! You can tell we live in the middle of nowhere lol!

We buy cereal, milk, bacon, butter, bread, milk, veg, cake (I just can't get rid of this craving for cake!) ice cream lollies for OH (his weakness), household products usually every few weeks, olive oil and I think that's it.

Do you like quorn or meat free products? i buy the frozen packs ans just add to pasta sauce (quorn mince) or sweet and sour (quorn chicken pieces) or curry.I buy all the basic jars so very cheap.Or you could buy a slow cooker.chuck everything in at beginning of day then it's ready for dinner with no effort

mumzyof2

well ive spent what is in my sig so far and its been over a week now! I think im below target seen as though my monthly target is £120 and i have spent £12 something (cant see sig lol)

does everyone think thats ok?