April 2008 Grocery Challenge

MRSMCAWBER

Evening everyone

Noticed someone mentioned that rice is going up in price :rolleyes:
On the same subject -I was talking to my mum today, and she was telling me that tomatoes are going up too :eek: ...apparently sis went to get some tinned ones and went to customer service as they charged her wrongly.. the assistant then told her that they reckon by the end of the year the top end the range of tinned toms are going to be hitting £1 :eek: and the basics at least 50p :eek: ...down to the poor crops again last year.... mind everyone i know back in the UK who grows their own had really poor crops too :rolleyes:

Im planting loads of extra tomato seeds this year...just in case if i get a glut i will roast them with olive oil n salt and blitz them and whack them in the freezer -they were lovely last time :j and im going to get a good supply of passata in too.. i can get 500g cartons for 25c at the moment..so better to be safe than sorry

Is there any food that isn't rising in price at an alarming rate back in the UK ...I can't believe the prices when im talking to my mum :eek:

MrDT

Justamum wrote: »

Does anybody else make meals to go in the freezer, then not want to use them up?

I do I have spag bol in the freezer since, err, the end of february I think, but I kinda ignore it and make some new stuff that also ends up in the freezer, and gets ignored for a while too!

I'm going to try and work down everything I've got in the freezer over April so I can defrost it at the end of the month. Will be nice to start again with an empty freezer, hopefully have more home made soups and casseroles etc in it and less chips and pies etc this time next month!

Does anyone have any ideas for food that can be made in advance and frozen to suit the summer months? I like salads and stuff, but would need to do regular trips to stock up on fresh bits and without a car that's easier said than done, and I figure the least visits I have to the shops the better! I'll try weezls ice cream, but I need more summery main meal ideas really!

JennyBee_2

MrDT...I know what you mean about the lack of ideas for summer food. The only way I've got around it is to have a veg/salad box delivered which keeps me away from the shops most of the time! The only thing I can think of other than that is something like couscous and roasted veg? Doesn't sound particularly inspiring does it...sorry!

weezl74

I really agree that summery food feels harder to do on a budget, and I think the main culprit is salad leaves, unless you grow your own.

One of my solutions is to have a few slices of my meat loaf, cold, with HM houmous, HM plum chutney and a thing made with a few defrosted frozen sliced or fine green beans (just pour hot water over, then dress with oil and vinegar, cumin seeds and a little dessicated coconut. :T

Et voila, a cold salady meal, but all from storecupboard and freezer. Hope that helps!

Weezl x

nopot2pin

Mr DT.... HM quiche freezes well.... for summer main dish ideas.
I normally make mine, then cut it into individual portions, bag it and freeze it.

I also freeze fajihta fillings... which, although good in the winter, is also good in the summer.
Still not got round to making Mrs Mc's tortilla's yet :rolleyes:
Maybe I will get round to it this week.

I currently have some of Mrs Mc's onion and seed bagels proving.
Next will be trying the cinnamon and sultana bagels ... still abit unsure of the quantities for the cinnamon and sultana's though..But will have a wee experiment anyway

JennyBee_2

Note to self...Never EVER put some potatoes on to boil and then decide to read a couple of forum posts to pass the time.

I have just spent the last 30 minutes clearing up the potato water which has gone every where and trying to prise bits of potato off the bottom of the saucepan

Luckily, all is not lost and I now have two very lovely looking cottage pies in the kitchen (an extra portion than normal due to the addition of a good handful of chopped up mushrooms and a handful of oats!!)

gunsandbanjos

Evening all, just updated my sig with yesterdays spends. £9.39 in sainsburys, that did include 3 bags of bread flour though, they are down to 48p each, think they are price matching Tesco
NSD for me today though:D

ifonlyitwaseasier

sounds like they are all at 48p now, lidl, tesco and sainsbury's

KITTY_2-2

:hello: Evening all. Not posted for a few days as been extremely busy but have finally caught up with all the posts.

Had a couple of no spend days earlier in the week but had to pick up a few bits whilst out yesterday and today. I have updated my sig and total's are looking OK for now :cool:

Back to work tomorrow (been off for a year) so must avoid the shops close by. This is where I always spent money that I later "forgot" about, then wondered why I was skint :doh: We don't need anything until later in the week when we will require milk, sandwich bits for lunches, cat food and loo roll. Might just send DD as then I only get what I ask for. Funny how things never jump in her trolley when she's not looking :whistle:

Take care all, hope it's a good week.

Mollymop5

Evening everyone.
Had an asda delivery today.£55 spent so will update sig in a mo.
My kids are just starting their school holidays here so my shoppping was a little different.I bought tons more fruit( cos I know it will disappear fast), extra tins tuna and extra flour as more rolls will be eaten and tuna is the favourite filling.
I also made twinks hobnobs and choc chip muffins in preperation for the wailing" I'm hungry" that I'm bound to hear over the next couple of weeks.I plan to use the soup I have stored in the freezer.This weather makes me ready for soup again.
Well think thats all to report.
Thanks to this challenge I am prepared fo the hols for the first time and won't have to drag unwilling kids around the supermarket on the first day of the hols when i realise I have nothing for lunch.
Thanks for all the support here :T :T