April 2008 Grocery Challenge

Jumps

Hi can I join in too?
I would like to set mine at £250 for me DH, DS(4) & DD(2):j

arkonite_babe

Can I join in for the first time please?

Hmmmmm, budget........

Put me down for £300 for the month as I currently haven't a clue what I'm spending so I'll probably be well over

I will get on top of it as I have started to look at meal planning and as soon as I get freezer space, I will be bulk cooking too.

angelnikki

pink_princess wrote: »

oh thank you any help gratefully received this is my first meal plan ever so not to ambitious
sat bolognese wraps
sun chicken dinner with works
mon duck wraps with hoi sin sauce and garlic peppers
tues pizza all round (tut tut)
wed beef special fried rice with prawn crackers
thursday bangers and mash onion gravy
friday hm chicken soup with paprika prawns and garlic bread to follow

any help on cheaper ways would be fab

Hi PP :wave:
Do you make your own wraps? MrsM has an excellent recipe that's really cheap and easy to make. I think she has one for pancakes to go with duck aswell... I'll just find the recipe...

Mandarin Pancake Recipe
Wraps Recipe

HTH
Nikki
x

Kaz2904

pink_princess wrote: »

oh thank you any help gratefully received this is my first meal plan ever so not to ambitious
sat bolognese wraps
sun chicken dinner with works
mon duck wraps with hoi sin sauce and garlic peppers
tues pizza all round (tut tut)
wed beef special fried rice with prawn crackers
thursday bangers and mash onion gravy
friday hm chicken soup with paprika prawns and garlic bread to follow

any help on cheaper ways would be fab

With the bologneise wraps try doubling up on everything except the mince. Add any veggies you can chopped small or grated. Then add some porridge oats (value). You could use passata too.
Then split it into 2 batches. 1 will do the wraps and the other with beans added will do a chilli.
After the chicken dinner, strip the chicken and use the leftovers to make a chicken and vegetable pie (we're not over keen on pastry so I use mash for pie toppings).
The pizza can be made at home. If you have a blender it's really easy to just chuck it all in and whizz. Then leave overnight if needs be to rise.
Use some passatta and cheese veggies maybe some of your leftover chicken etc for toppings. Serve with garlic bread and salad to stretch it.
With the beef rice how about 1/2 the beef and double the veggies?
Bamgers and mash- how about toad in the hole- use less sausages as batter is filling. Serve with lots of frozen veggies. More filling and full for longer.
You may find that the snacks and treats are what costs you so much. How about chucking a home cooked pudding in when you have the oven on.
Someone posted a recipe for microwave sponge pudding and I had a fab syrup sponge or spotted !!!!!! pud that I googled one night when I fancied stodge!
The puddings can be made so cheap and quick that they will make you feel satisfied for the sweet stuff. They don't take ages faffing and can use the not so nice bits of fruit that are left.
It will bulk out meals too for pennies and can be served with custard or ice cream or cream if you need a bit of liquid.
Hope it's given you some ideas for stretching.
MrsMc is the master of food stretching!

NannyOgg

Hi everyone :hello:

I'm finally coming out of lurker land and I would like to join in for the April challenge please - I'm aiming for £200 for two adults and a voracious cat.

I read the March thread (most of it!) and I'm really inspired!! I have a freezer full of 'bargains' to get through then I'm going to start trying all the recipes I've collated from here...

Good luck everyone

lainz

Day one of shiny new budget! Went to Morrisons this morning and only bought cat food :rolleyes: (not in my GC budget!)

MrsMc - made the bread sticks while I was doing some potato wedges for my tea. Put some parmasan in them - nom nom, will have to put them in the freezer now as they keep falling off the baking tray :rotfl: .

Good luck everyone!

meanmarie

Mrs MC

Put me down for €300 please...have to sort March still

Marie

cheerfulness4

I didn't get the breadsticks recipe. Is it on the last thread? Not like me to miss out. :rolleyes:

First shop of this challenge spread over Morrisons, Asda and Aldi came to £24.64. Really pleased as the cupboards are heaving again.

Aldis were selling bags of sweet potatoes for 79p with 4 in but I found a bag with 4 huge ones that weighed twice as much as all the others. Still went through at the same price. Shall be looking for bargains like that again.

Not really shopped at Asda much but was surprised at some of their bargains.. currants 20p (biscuits to be made I think) and the dessicated coconut for 11p. :eek: Thanks to whoever posted that.

Will now go update my signature.

willow_girl

I love the feeling of the start of a new month (or is it that there's money in the bank :rolleyes: ).
Going to be a 5 week month for us. Got to try and use up some of the stuff that's lurking in the freezer.

I am cheating tonight and we are having a takeaway (hang my head in shame ). Fancied a treat. Haven't had one for ages.

Good luck to everyone, old and new

JayJay14

A brand new sparkly month:j

Please put me down for £200 again MrsMc.

I will be trying to get as far below this as pos but I have to do a bit of stocking up as the freezer has been run down a bit. Welcome to all the newbies - this is my third month and it's amazing how much of a habit the GC becomes,

OH cooked tea tonight - sausage, chips,egg and beans - it might not have been gourmet but after a hard week at work it was delish not to have had to cook it myself:rotfl: :rotfl: