May 2008 Grocery Challenge

Phoolgrrrl

clair2305 wrote: »

I normally do a big monthly shop but I think I may buy cupboard, household and freezer stuff monthly, but fridge stuff weekly. THINKING OUT LOUD....could have my monthly budget, buy cupboard/freezer stuff then divide remaining budget between number of weeks for fresh stuff. What do other people do?

And why am I about to buy my 4th tub of butter in under a month?????

We do a meat, frozen veg,tins etc once a month and then a weekly shop for about £8.00.
Weekly - milk, sandwhich meat, bread (must start hm!), fruit, juice.
Also any top up we need.

Go to lidls once a month for choc and treats.
Go to instore as need - prop every other month- for cleanin/bin bags etc

the veg doesn't really work out month to month as we are still using last months now, but will run out this week. We will have to go to iceland this week for veg and cod in butter sauce and other 'saturday night teas' to replace takaways.

On that note I am putting everything I spend now in this month total. I should prop re-jig as bought loads extra meat as on offer - have salmon, mince and cod all in freezer for all next month. Likewise the veg will last most of it. Reckon the freezer stuff is about £20 so if I am over this month won't be too hard on myself.

Also bought 3kg pasta and 4kg rice this month!

Have roped Mum into takin me to Makro with her card for baking stuff and the chinese supermarket too

MRSMCAWBER

Afternoon all

Well I have managed my 3rd NSD in a row :j .... determined not to add anything else into the fridges yet... poor old hubby has been reduced to 1 bottle of beer in the basement fridge and 1 whacked in the freezer to replace it at a time The occupation of his "beer fridge" is now complete :rotfl: ...and he is very gratefull that at the moment there is a gap in the freezer that he can just wedge a bottle in.... i'm slipping
Bless -he is even threatening to get one of those funky glass fronted beer fridges -so i won't wedge stuff in as it will look untidy...like that will stop me :rotfl: in fact i might get him one for xmas :whistle:

Had a loaf of bread rising in the tin... then i remembered hubby doesn't need lunch tomorrow as he is going out and a regimental thing so will get fed and watered for free :T .... so that loaf will get sliced and frozen..
made a batch of poppy seed breadsticks for hubby to munch on with some tzatziki and made a variation on the parmesan thins... that aren't thin -mine are parmesan podgies:rotfl:they are a bit like mini cheese scones only softer -I have just tried one and they are lovely.... think they would be nice if i made them a bit bigger and dropped them on a casserole for the winter -a bit like a cobbler;) ... or as a replacement for blinis..will deffinitely need to make this for xmas snicky snacky snoos when my brother is here! it only made 21 -so i doub't hubby will let them get through the night

Have finally got all my veggies planted out :T .... have loads more flowers on the beans and pods on the peas :j and todays salad is going to have the first of the salad leaves, baby spinach and watercress out of the garden
can't wait to be fetching everything in...and saving a fortune :T

right off to get the loaf in the oven... have a good one everyone

Sharon_1970_2

MrsM - Please can you tell me how you make poppy seed breadsticks and parmesan thins? I have loads of recipes for sweet stuff to snack on but not many savoury and I don't want the OH resorting to buying crisps

Zend

Another weekly shop yesterday, £52 :eek: . I did get a few BOGOF's and a birthday cake for OH. He's 60 this week, bless him. He does not want a big party so we are going out for a meal with friends on Sunday at a place where it is eat as much as you like for £10. I am going to do him a small party, just the two of us. I've spent the morning making fruit scones, hobnobs and chocolate cake with rice crispies that I had left over. Just cannot get the hang of the cooker at the moment and keep burning everything, still the carbon will aid his digestion .

clair2305

Phoolgrrrl wrote: »

We do a meat, frozen veg,tins etc once a month and then a weekly shop for about £8.00.
Weekly - milk, sandwhich meat, bread (must start hm!), fruit, juice.
Also any top up we need.

Go to lidls once a month for choc and treats.
Go to instore as need - prop every other month- for cleanin/bin bags etc

the veg doesn't really work out month to month as we are still using last months now, but will run out this week. We will have to go to iceland this week for veg and cod in butter sauce and other 'saturday night teas' to replace takaways.

On that note I am putting everything I spend now in this month total. I should prop re-jig as bought loads extra meat as on offer - have salmon, mince and cod all in freezer for all next month. Likewise the veg will last most of it. Reckon the freezer stuff is about £20 so if I am over this month won't be too hard on myself.

Also bought 3kg pasta and 4kg rice this month!

Have roped Mum into takin me to Makro with her card for baking stuff and the chinese supermarket too

Hi, Phoolgrrrl, thanks a lot for this, I think I will try this method like your, which was what I was thinking for my June challenge.

Thanks again

MRSMCAWBER

Hi there Sharon... here you go :-


The bread sticks are :-

• 150ml warm water
• 1/2tsp dried yeast - i use 7g of fresh
• pinch of sugar
• 225g plain flour
• 1tsp salt
• 2 tsp caraway seeds

Just dissolve the yeast n sugar in the water and throw into the dry ingredients ...nice n simple :T ... knead for a couple of mins -then divide the dough into 20.. usually about 20g each...
roll into long sausages -about 12" and place on a greased baking sheet -i use a non stick liner .. and wang in the oven at 220c/425f/gas7 for 10-12 mins
When you are rolling them out you do need some flour but try not to use to much as they just slide about :rotfl:
When mine are cooled i keep the wrapped up in a clean tea towel so they stay crispy..a bit like grissinis ...only nicer...I have altered what seeds i use before...
I have done them with poppy seeds too, without the caraway seeds and with 10g parmesan and 1 tsp of mustard seeds - they are rather nice.. and with poppy seeds
Hubby munches them all week -much better than the salted peanuts he used to demolish and lovely with tzatziki and dips mmmmmmm

I will give you the proper recipe for the thins...not the concoction i have just created :rotfl:
Parmesan thins:-
makes 16-20
pre-heat oven to 200c/400f/gas6

1. 50g plain flour
2. 40g butter -softened
3. 1 egg yolk
4. 40g fresh grated parmesan
5. pinch salt
6. pinch mustard powder

• sift flour, salt and mustard powder together
• add butter and rub in
• work in egg yolk and cheese
• mix and bring together into a ball
• roll into a long sausage shape, and wrap in clinfilm -chill for at least 10 mins
• remove film and cut into thin slices -1/8"-1/4" and arrange on a baking sheet
• press down with a fork and bake for 10 mins or until crisp
• place on a cooling rack to cool

victory

Updating sig, needed fridge stuff which cost £16.44 at Mr S and spent £1.88 at lidl on veg...you would think I needed nothing as the freezer you have to kick shut but then again no milk, no bread, no toms, no baking powder and the little list went on:rotfl:

ifonlyitwaseasier

Sharon - they are a little chewier but i think that was me not cooking for long enough , i've been using them as side veg and in anything i would normally except for raw, those i keep a stash of in the fridge

MrsM - thank you for those recipes, i needed something savoury for OH, he's scoffing all my hobnobs!

angelnikki

I have been making cheesy biscuits a lot this week as DS's cold has put him off most of his food but he loves these:

Cheesy Biscuits - Makes about 20 Ritz sized biscuits

50g SR flour
25g butter/marge
80g grated mature cheddar
splash of milk

Mix all ingredients together and knead a little until you have a ball
Roll out to about 2 1/2mm and cut into stars (or whatever shape you fancy)
Bake at 200c/Gas6 for about 8-10 minutes until they start to colour.
They rise really nicely and crisp up a bit as they cool.

The original recipe said to add 20g Parmesan and a pinch cayenne pepper too but they’re just as yummy without. You could use an egg yolk instead of the milk to bind, which will crisp up the biscuits a bit.

Nikki
x

PS Thanks MRSMCAWBER for the breadsticks recipe :T :A I always buy them for DS so think I'll have a go making them instead (without the seeds though as DS is too young)

Daisydoll

I haven't really been posting on here this month but always set myself a budget each month of £200 but I have not been sticking to it, so this month I am doing my challenge from payday to payday which is tommorow(20th) and have decided to take out cash each month and split it into weeks and see how I get on!

Normally I get my shopping delivered or shop at asda but I decided to try Netto today and was pleasantly suprised only spent £37!! I have enough meat in freezer to last the week so only bought mince, but think I have enough for the week yippeee! Normally I end up seeing clothes or other things for the kids in asda/tesco which I didn't do today!:D