March 2008 Grocery Challenge

jackie_w

Hi Everyone,

Hope your all having a good day.

I wanted to ask you all for your advice.
The other week it was my birthday, and I was given a little bit of money. Anyway, Ive been thinking about buying a waffle maker, ice cream maker and a doughnut maker.

Does anyone use them, and if so, do you think you get good use out of them?

Ive also been looking at the lakeland website, and ive been itching to spend my money there, but, I dont really know if I would be wasting my money. Ive been looking at Mermaid pie dishes, pastry cutters, whisks, a pizza crisper thingy .

Do you think I should buy these things, or, save my money.

Jackie

P.S I did check freecycle for the electrical things, but, never got a reply

redsquirrel80

Big thanks to everyone for the support, I knew a good MSE talking-to would bring me round I've managed not to add to my grocery spends, instead made myself a sort-of-salad with mixed veg (I'm not buying Tesco frozen mixed veg next month, I am soooo sick of it ), tuna, sunflower seeds and fresh coriander, with some salad dressing over it.

MrsM's mention of planting things got me inspired enough to take the trip to buy gardening stuff that I've been meaning to for a few weeks. Grew loads of herbs last year, but this year I've got a little backyard, which as of this afternoon has tubs of garlic & onions planted, I've also chucked the remainder of last year's herb and salad seeds into some trays, and have some seed potatoes which I'll plant once I've checked exactly what you're meant to do with them!! I spent about £12, which is coming out of some other budget that I haven't invented yet

Sitting down now with a big cup of tea and some chocolate that I found (yes, found! In my bag from work yesterday. It can't be a bad day when you find chocolate can it? )... dunno what I'm going to have for tea tonight though.... :rotfl:

purplevamp

Hubby has just come back from Co-Op with a few bits, mainly milk, fruit and bread and only spent £9.32. But they had no bananas or green apples. I'll have to go out Monday and get some after work. Just eating one of the plums he bought and they're sour as anything

JayneC

Hi again,

Well I couldn't find the kitchen scales ( I suspect DD2's bf hid them cos it's his washing up day and he didn't want to wash up the baking aftermath!!), so I made sausage rolls, a sausage plait, a jelly and prepared the burgers for tea, but then I found them HaHa!:D so made some hobnobs too. I've now run out of baking marg so have to make things that don't need much cos I'll have to pinch the everyday spread! Think I will make a rice pud as that doesn't need much. Has anyone any ideas of what I could do with berries, I have raspberries, blackberries and blackcurrants that I got form Mr T's ages ago whoops to 10p each:D . They've been inmy freezer for ages but had to evict them to make room for the bread:rotfl: .

Thank fo FFM for suggestion about porridge. Me and DS2 have porridge a lot but only like the instant oats stuff - I get Tesco's own and they're qite reasonable. I shouldn't succumb to the pester power for the chocolate/sugar coated c**p really. They will eat weetabix and shredded wheat which is cheaper, think I will have to be stricter. We sometimes have eggs too , or hot x buns, crumpets which I could probably make myself.

jackie_w

Thanks for your words of encouragement Mike D and Purple Vamp Im just going to keep ignoring her. Wont have to work with her for much longer anyway.

DS is much much better now, has absolutely no problems eating now (hes nearly 11), and has a brilliant appetite (sp). Hes still underweight, but, we think thats just the way hes going to be, but, hes healthy thats the main thing, and still goes to see a dietician every 3 months, but we think thats going to stop soon, as they can see he is putting on weight slowly but surely. Hes quite tall for his age too (not too far from being 5 foot:eek: ), so, they think that is probably why he is underweight too.

He definetly has hollow legs at the moment with all that he is eating. I wonder if they still have "growth spurts" like babies do, and thats why hes eating so much.

Jackie xx

skintscotslass

jackie_w wrote: »

Hi Everyone,

Hope your all having a good day.

I wanted to ask you all for your advice.
The other week it was my birthday, and I was given a little bit of money. Anyway, Ive been thinking about buying a waffle maker, ice cream maker and a doughnut maker.

Does anyone use them, and if so, do you think you get good use out of them?

Ive also been looking at the lakeland website, and ive been itching to spend my money there, but, I dont really know if I would be wasting my money. Ive been looking at Mermaid pie dishes, pastry cutters, whisks, a pizza crisper thingy .

Do you think I should buy these things, or, save my money.

Jackie

P.S I did check freecycle for the electrical things, but, never got a reply

Hi Jackie

Could you borrow from family/friends to see if you would use as much as you think you would IYSWIM? I borrowed mum's BM and that made up my mind that I didnt need one as I wouldnt use it that much. FWIW I love my ice cream make

getting-sorted-sarah

jackie_w wrote: »

Dont get me wrong, she is an absolutely brilliant cook, but, she shops in M&S. Ive told her the things she gets in Asda, Morrisons, etc are just as good as M&S (IMO anyway), but, shes adamant that M&S is the best.

She is very well off and works only to get out of the house (her wages are her own to do with as she pleases lucky thing), so shes a wee bit of a snob. Oh well, each to their own.

Jackie xx

Cooking from scratch.... from M&S....? Last time I was in there they didn't even sell flour! Most things are pre-prepared! Nice for treats but you couldn't actually shop there... well I couldn't anyway. Silly woman.

Anyway, my total has leapt up because I decided to include wine... that'll teach me. And also I bought some investment stuff like plastic boxes for the freezer and baking paper etc, and toilet rolls to last for months!
Still doing ok though, but I think we may have to have a takeaway tonight as I am ill (again!) and the kids are feeling neglected.

weezl74

Hi,

Thought I'd post an update. Another batch cooking day for me. 9 large naan bread, 6 loaves of cinnamon sultana bread, HM paneer (for saag paneer) and a 4 portions sage and onion quiche.:j

Still thinking I can manage the challenge, but fresh milk may be my downfall. DH won't drink Long-life milk in tea, so I've been hiding it in quiches, paneer, cheesecake... and using the whey for bread etc... At 2pts a week average, I may still do it.:eek:

Hugs to all who need them.

Redsquirrel, my mum has days like that too, she feels that if everything is planned, she wants what isn't planned, if you see what I mean. I just think that's a valid way of being, and you're probably a really lovely spontaneous person as a result. I'm not, I'm uber-planned and rigid!

Weezl x

jackie_w

getting-sorted-sarah wrote: »

Cooking from scratch.... from M&S....? Last time I was in there they didn't even sell flour! Most things are pre-prepared! Nice for treats but you couldn't actually shop there... well I couldn't anyway. Silly woman.

Anyway, my total has leapt up because I decided to include wine... that'll teach me. And also I bought some investment stuff like plastic boxes for the freezer and baking paper etc, and toilet rolls to last for months!
Still doing ok though, but I think we may have to have a takeaway tonight as I am ill (again!) and the kids are feeling neglected.

hmmmm Sarah, youve got me thinking maybe shes telling a few fibs!!!!!! She always says she cooks from scratch AND she always says she shops at M&S:think: . We will give her the benefit of the doubt and say maybe theres some things she buys from other places .

Its very rarely that I go to M&S and when I do its usually to buy their chocolate teacakes mmmmmm. Next time she she says something, I will have to say something about M&S not selling things like flour and see what she says :rotfl:.

Jackie xx

jackie_w

skintscotslass wrote: »

Hi Jackie

Could you borrow from family/friends to see if you would use as much as you think you would IYSWIM? I borrowed mum's BM and that made up my mind that I didnt need one as I wouldnt use it that much. FWIW I love my ice cream make

Hi There,

IM afraid I come from a family that dont use these things. Another reason for me thinking of buying these things is my youngest is getting checked for a peanut allergy. As far as we know he is okay with all other nuts, just peanuts (they are having to do more tests apparently), anyway, if you look at alot of the packaging, it says "may contain nuts", so it doesnt actually say what kind of nuts, so, if I make alot more stuff myself from scratch, I know exactly what is going into everything. Im really paranoid about this nut allergy, do you think I would be taking it too far by wanting to make everything myself?

Jackie xx

P.S your so lucky to come from Edinburgh. I absolutely love Edinburgh, especially the Grassmarket lol. Im a weegie:D .