April 2008 Grocery Challenge

betterlatethannever

Hi everyone.
I've been away house sitting for a week or so and used the food that was there instead of buying my own. This has helped my budget this month no end:j I have a ridiculous amount of money left over for the rest of the month. Smoked salmon and caviar for breakfast, i think:rolleyes:

Full fridge, full freezer, just lacking on fruit and veg, but should come in hugely underspent this month:T

Hope everyones good, and keep up the excellent work

weezl74

Hiya cg1982, and a very warm welcome!:D

Maybe a good place to start is to come up with an estimate (or actual if you're organised enough to keep reciepts!) of your monthly food spend.;)

Then let us know what you usually eat/like to cook, or can't stand:eek:, and we'll do our best to make suggestions and share recipes, and you can share your ideas and tips with us too? How does that sound?

Weezl x

purplevamp

Good new - this weeks shopping came to only £47.72. Bad news - my budget is well and truly blown. £46.13 over to be precise. It's most definitely the takeaways this month that has done it. I had my Dad and step-mother round today for lunch and there is a bit left over but not much. I've put the chicken carcass in the freezer (I know that's weird!!) waiting to find a decent recipe to use it with - if anyone has one please let me know.

The HM lemon meringue pie went down really well :j - eat your heart out Bree Van De Kamp:rotfl:

MRSMCAWBER

MrDT

If you have a food processor -you can soon blitz your granulated into caster....and icing sugar if you leave it too long and if you don't have a machine you can still use the sugar -it will just take a bit longer to cream together -
Not sure about the oil swap though -but im sure you get an answer in seconds

annie123

Just need to say aaarrrggghhh!!

Just taken me 2 hours:eek: to do my shop in my new improved sainsburys.
The store is nearly finished but its so bl***y big it takes ages to walk from one end to the other, and they keep moving stuff:eek: .

Sign up saying will be finished in 9 days, tescos is further from me but I can hear it calling.

Rant over now ...sorry, feel better:o off to update signature

teedy23

MR DT, cooking by numbers is what you want, just google it. Doesnt cover an awful lot of ingredients but it,s a start. Was going to make a few suggetions myself but I,m a rubbish cook and would probably cause you to poison yourself.

MrDT

MRSMCAWBER wrote: »

MrDT

If you have a food processor -you can soon blitz your granulated into caster....and icing sugar if you leave it too long and if you don't have a machine you can still use the sugar -it will just take a bit longer to cream together -
Not sure about the oil swap though -but im sure you get an answer in seconds

I have a food processor at my disposal That's very handy to know thanks, I didn't really know the difference other than the stuff you chuck in tea is made of larger granules than the other two. Thought it might come from a different type of cane or something so best to check! Thanks

Edit - Hello cg1982 :wave: Weezl's advice sounds about right to me, get an idea first of what you're already spending and on what (receipts or spending diary), then make a list of what meals you really like, then come back for advice Do you do much cooking? And how many people are you feeding?

Edit2 - Thanks teedy23!!

purplevamp

MrDT wrote: »

Is it possible to make some kind of cake using that stuff? Ideally using up the fresh strawberries and skimmed milk? I've included a lot of strange stuff eg corn oil and strawberry milkshake, but who knows, I'm just learning to cook so maybe they'd be secret ingredients in something lol!

Hi MrDT

I've made a cake with oil instead of marg/butter before, but it was a packet job - sorry it was bought ages and ages ago before I changed my wicked ways!! I was a bit dubious but it turned out ok. My advice is to just try it with the oil and if it turns out 'strange' then just use it for something like trifle! Or totally smother it in chocolate, the answer to everything in the universe:rotfl:

MrDT

purplevamp wrote: »

Hi MrDT

I've made a cake with oil instead of marg/butter before, but it was a packet job - sorry it was bought ages and ages ago before I changed my wicked ways!! I was a bit dubious but it turned out ok. My advice is to just try it with the oil and if it turns out 'strange' then just use it for something like trifle! Or totally smother it in chocolate, the answer to everything in the universe:rotfl:

I have some stork and flora omega3 margerine if you think they might be better? They sound more cakey than oil to me, never heard of oil being used in cakes before I saw the yoghurt cake thread tbh!

Chocolate, although awesome, and indeed the answer to all the problems in the universe, would mean shopping so not really an option I'm afraid.

edit - oh and thanks btw, sorry, the frantic pace of this thread does nothing for my manners!

cg1982

weezl74 wrote: »

Hiya cg1982, and a very warm welcome!:D

Maybe a good place to start is to come up with an estimate (or actual if you're organised enough to keep reciepts!) of your monthly food spend.;)

Then let us know what you usually eat/like to cook, or can't stand:eek:, and we'll do our best to make suggestions and share recipes, and you can share your ideas and tips with us too? How does that sound?

Weezl x

right my shopping depends from time to time some weeks 20 pound some weeks 50 pound i have boy of 7 girl of 2 and a half (so nappys babywipes)


make it easier i need this week
bread 2 loafs
milk 12 pints
coffee (nescafe gold blend my only treat)
cat food 6 tins
yougurts
crisps
packed lunch stuff
dinners for 5 days
washing power
comfort so prob about 40 -50 quid including taxi home

from monday im going to stop smoking fags go on tobaco as i hate tobaco so it will incourage me to stop
my kids dont eat tomatoes my son wont eat anything 2 adventorus lol
i try to do fresh everyday sometimes cant

this weeks dinners
bangers mash beans monday
jacket potato tuesday
chilli con carni wednsday
pizza chips thursday
fish chips peas (kids have fingers) friday
saturday (naught naughty) fry up
tommorow gammon egg pineapple chips

biy of a luxury week this week
but really want to cut down and start healhty and eating cheaper but healhty

thank you for your help


forgot to say feeding me a fussy 7 year old and greedy 2 and a half year old my hubby eats at work but eats at weekends