April 2008 Grocery Challenge

mandy_moo_1

Kaz2904 wrote: »

Note- eggs have gone up from 85p per 10 in Aldi (2weeks ago?) to 99p for 10.
It really is setting in. How can we keep within tiny budgets when everything goes up and up and up?
At least we are not as hard hit as we would have been before try to be OS.
Anyway- rambling cause I'm cream crackered! TTFN, Kaz.

i was in Lidl yesterday, and the eggs were still 83p for 10 if this helps anyone. its flippin ridiculous how much they've gone up. i always thought of egg and chips or an omelette as a "cheapy cheapy" meal, but its not looking that way anymore.

by the way, how on earth do you manage to be up so early Kaz?? :eek:

ifonlyitwaseasier

morning all!

i think i'm going to have to spend today, but as OH spent a little yesterday it's not too bad, am planning on treating myself to a coffee at a well known coffee house

all i need this week might be milk, buts thats only if i run out before i defrost the one i froze

having mince and sthg tonight, might be pasta, and maybe making more bread as not got a lot left, OH again!

see you all later

mandy_moo_1

went to tesco first thing this morn just to get dog food for the little ones, and a yeo yogurt to do another batch of HM yogurt. i was really good....only spent £2.34 cos i had vouchers for £1.20 off :j

can't believe how much i've got done already this morning! done all my usual housework (making beds, cleaning bathroom,hoovering, washing pots) but i've also washed the downstairs windows outside, made HM buns, a quiche, and now theres some choc chip muffins in the oven. if i can be bothered i suppose i'd better cut the grass.....i HATE that job!! :mad:

i'm just grabbing a cuppa whilst the muffins are cooking but other than taking the dogs for a walk along the beach in a bit, i'm not leaving the house so i can't spend any money :rotfl:

hope you're all having a good day x

nessquic80

chimp_choker wrote: »

Add a bit more water to the bread mix. The more water makes the holes in the dogh larger. Alternativly try experimenting with half water / half milk or add a tablespoon of olive or sunflower oil.

Better still by laucke flour ........ best four you will ever use for bread.

thanks chimp choker have clicked u, just to say im gonna try another batch of rolls the mistake i made last time was putting the egg in, my problem is i dont read the instructions....doh..proving now, will post later the result.:money:

666paw

Hi everyone.

Well i've failed. Spent £8 on cat food and cleaning stuff for the gerbils and OH decided to visit Lidl again Saturday and spent £46.14, admittedly over £30 was on wine. I've still got the milkman to pay so going to be well over as I've got until the 30th. (Note to self, don't let OH go shopping, do it all myself).

Well at least I think we've improved even though over as we averaged between £75-£90 per week before attempting this challenge.

victory

Does anyone work out the spends per week as in say £50 and that has to do for the week and anything over cannot be spent or taken from the following week or do you do it monthly? April 30th we get paid and I reckon I spend £100 a week so cutting it in half, don't know whether to take out £50 say each monday and make that last or take out £200 do a huge asda shop and make that last?

Bargain_Rzl

victory wrote: »

Does anyone work out the spends per week as in say £50 and that has to do for the week and anything over cannot be spent or taken from the following week or do you do it monthly? April 30th we get paid and I reckon I spend £100 a week so cutting it in half, don't know whether to take out £50 say each monday and make that last or take out £200 do a huge asda shop and make that last?

For me it's a bit complicated. I budget a certain amount per week (so a five week month I would normally budget £100, a four week month £80), but I organise it once a month. I organise my "pocket money" the same way, though the amount is different. I find it helpful to work on a week by week basis in general, as (a) it keeps my expenditure reasonably constant, and (b) living alone with quite a small kitchen I find it much easier to do a shop each week than a big one each month.

It really varies quite a bit though, as the erratic way my social life works I can have only about £5 of "pocket money" commitments one week and £40 the next, so in practice I tend to do a bigger grocery shop in the weeks when there's more to spare in the other budget IYSWIM.

As for this particular week, just ignore me as I'm failing miserably on both counts

Atalanta

Oh dear, not doing too well this month....already overspent by £3.73 and there's still a week to go. :eek: And I would have been even more overspent if I hadn't got a free fruit and veg box last week as compensation for the fact that they failed to deliver the previous week...

clair2305

skintscotlass, mykmedia, mama67 - thanks for your comments re value/basic rice and pasta, will give them a go next week when i go to Asda (can't wait)

Bargain Rzl - well done on your whoopsies, Asda is calling me but payday is next Wednesday :T

JennyBee- I have successfully frozen yoghurts, not natural/greek yoghurt though, only the Muller ones and I either defrost them totally or defrost them for approx 45 mins for a nice frozen yoghurt

Has the May thread started yet?

Should I complain to Mr Iceland about my ham and pineapple pizza that only had 6 small chunks of pineapple? :mad:

I did attempt to ring them last nite, but was holding on for so long (over 40 mins), I had actually preheated the oven and cooked the pizza before anyone answered my call, so I hung up, was gonna email today (did take a pic) - cheek, I love pineapple

Bargain_Rzl

clair2305 wrote: »

Bargain Rzl - well done on your whoopsies, Asda is calling me but payday is next Wednesday :T

I was dead pleased! It would have been better if there had been more variety of meat, rather than loads of lamb and not a lot else - in fact there were loads of packs of diced stewing beef too, but they were only down by 30%-50% and all the lamb was down by 75%! I got the impression that the "whoopsie lady" had got halfway through doing second-round reductions then got called away to do something else. There was one good-sized organic beef joint with 75% off, would have done a nice roast or in the slow-cooker, but looked "on the turn" to me, so I didn't risk it.

I went back to the whoopsie fridge before heading for the checkout but none of the beef had been marked down any more

I wish I still lived near "Magic Sainsburys" where I routinely used to pick up organic/TTD goods for 10p or 20p late at night! (Penny-Pincher!! - are you still shopping there? Is it still as good as it was a couple of years ago?)