February 2011 Grocery Challenge

SOT2011 · 27 February 2011 at 11:50PM

Hi

Many thanks to Spiggle for comment re: my planned major budget drop in one month.

Agree is going to be tough, but there are only two of us, plus small dog. We have enough dog food in for a couple of months so no spends on her food this month and despite best of intentions I used up very little out of the cupboards and freezer last month.

Have done a freezer stock take today and have enough meat and qu**n to do us at least 16 meals each and i really want to make some space in there so I can fit a loaf of bread and some milk as those are the main things I seem to run out of between shops so I am going to give it my best shot. I do have the £12 left from Feb budget to top up if needed, but it is going to be quite a challenge and require some rigid sticking to lists as this tends to be my downfall!

janie-h · 28 February 2011 at 12:10AM

Hi all :wave:

Quick update -
L**l -£16.49
Grocer - £4.49 Mega choice, value and friendly staff! 1st time I've been in there, but will def go back
Post office - 89p (loaf of bread, on special and cheaper than L**l across the road)

Total = £21.87 to add to Feb

Had my Mary Berry cake book out and made apple cinammon cake yesterday (delish :drool:) and had some warmed up with custard for pudding today (delish, delish, delish :drool:) Got some HM greek yoghurt, so am going to try her recipe for lemon yoghurt cake... mmmmmm.

Missus_Aka · 28 February 2011 at 12:30AM

NSD for me today, seeing as it was my birthday lunch was made for me dont feel like ive turned 23 though still look like a teenager (i get asked for id everywhere) maybe this will benefit me more when i am my mums age (she looks like my older sister)

OMG just watching wife swap, wife says that the reason she does not clean ANYTHING and wakes up at 1 (with 18m old baby) is because looking after a baby is a full time job, YES it is BUT (BIG BUT) taking care of your baby means your house should be hygenic, messy fine, untidy fine but dirty no i dont think so, kid is crawling near cat litter tray that hasnt been emptied in what looks like a month. sorry but just had to have somewhere to rant it upsets me, people like this is why there is a poor opinion of young mothers.

Anyway on a better note am going to do my 4 week meal plan tomorrow and need to find a new recipe to make, have got no idea what i am looking for though...we will see...congrats to everyone who succeeded with this months challenge and to everyone else even though you havent met your budget you have succeeded in spending less money then you normally would

Hippeechiq · 28 February 2011 at 12:33AM

HAPPY BIRTHDAY hun - hope you had a lovely day

rosieben wrote: »

forgot to mention about the Chocolate Stuff - its a bit like Tiffin and we have 2 Tiffin recipes on the list so I'll cross reference them, I much prefer the name Chocolate Stuff though

Yeah - Chocolate Stuff is a quality name! lol
You're right too, it is similar to Tiffin in the recipe index, especially the 2nd one, they're pretty much identical.

Love the sound of your cakes Janie - would you care to share the recipes? How are you getting on with the no smoking?

Pink. · 28 February 2011 at 12:57AM

Hi everyone,

Just to let you know that the Grocery Challenge for March is now up and running so I'll unstick this thread in the next couple of days... yes I know, how can it be March already! :eek: Anyway, spring has sprung here so I'm feeling optimistic! I hope, despite the dreadful price rises that we can all make the best of what we have to spend on our grocery budgets.

March 2011 Grocery Challenge

Thanks as always to MRSMCAWBER and rosieben for all their hard work and good luck to everyone taking part. I hope it's a good month for us all.

Pink

janie-h · 28 February 2011 at 1:51AM

Hippeechiq wrote: »

HAPPY BIRTHDAY hun - hope you had a lovely day

Yeah - Chocolate Stuff is a quality name! lol
You're right too, it is similar to Tiffin in the recipe index, especially the 2nd one, they're pretty much identical.

Love the sound of your cakes Janie - would you care to share the recipes? How are you getting on with the no smoking?

Hi Hippeechiq
The no smoking is going great - 10 days smoke free! Had a girly night :beer: & :EasterBunat a friend's house on Sat and NO SMOKING! Feels great! :j:T

This apple cinammon cake is really easy to make and tastes yum!

APPLE CINAMMON CAKE -

8oz soft margarine
8oz brown sugar
3 eggs
4oz walnuts (chopped)
4oz sultanas
8oz SR flour
2tsp baking powder
14oz apples (peeled, cored and grated)
1tsp cinammon

Oven 180C/350F/Gas4. Grease and line 9" deep cake tin.
Mix marg, sugar, eggs, walnuts, sultanas, flour and baking powder together until thoroughly blended.
Put half mixture in cake tin, then grated apple, sprinkle cinammon, then rest of mixture. You can sprinkle with more sugar and walnuts on top if you want.
Bake for about 1quarter-1half hours or until well risen and golden brown.

Delicious cut in wedges with or without custard/cream/ice cream!

youngmummy · 28 February 2011 at 2:30AM

hi all i would like to declaire £444.68p spent so far out of my annual budget of £2800 please could you update as i start march on the 28th of feb, many thanks. i came in under budget for this month as a have £233 a month but some months will be more than others this is why i have set myself an annual budget as it is easier for me. hope everyone is well, take care all, see you over on march's board. :j:kisses3:

youngmummy · 28 February 2011 at 2:53AM

minnie2 wrote: »

anyone seem any cheap airers anywhere?

my local dun*lm m*ll had them £10 instead of £20. they are similar to the minkey ones from arg*s which are sold at around £30.
or freecycle xxxx

boultdj · 28 February 2011 at 7:09AM

Done my last shop for this month, and thank's to moving and useing stuff up managed to keep it at a low $30 giving me a total spend of $90.48 for Febuary.

Winged_one · 28 February 2011 at 10:49AM

I went way over in the end - declaring at €568 for the month.

I went to the large SM yesterday, and there were loads of special offers on thingsI use a lot of anyway, that I was low in stocks of. And I had a good few stores items to get too (dishwasher powder, washing powder, pasta, rice, breakfast juices, squash concentrate etc). I got a lot of cheese as we were out of all types, and DD is going to take chunks in a small tub rather than pre-packed pieces so I needed some variety but it should work out cheaper (and if it gets calcium into her, I will be happy). The sandwich meats had good long dates and were reduced a lot. And we were out of wine and beer, but I got beers that we like that were also on special so €10 for a box of 12 bottles (I got an indian and a mexican kind that we both like) and they had nice wine half off (so I got 6 bottles - 3 red, 3 white - and got another 5% off again).

€127 in grocery, and another €54 in off-licence. I didn't have any vouchers to spend there this time, but I will get at least €2 back on that lot alone next mailing.

I had also been into the smaller convience store on Sat on my way home from a morning clearing out the school garden. Loaf of nice bread, some sambo meats (not all for weekend), coleslaw, whoopsied garlic toasties (on my list anyway), bag of whoopsied bananas, tomatoes, peppers, spring onions, lettuce, mushrooms, carrots and a roast beef joint for yesterday's dinner - €38.

I was way over, but at the same time, I am now back to full again and, given all I have in, I should avoid supermarket next week at least (just bread, milk, f&v, meat, fish - all either convenience store, F&V shop or butcher, and have promised DD we'll go to local fishmonger on the pier, and feed the seals also, on Sat morning) and hopefully longer.

Meal plan for the week:
Sun: Roast beef, roast pots, roast carrots and (HG) parnsips. Rice pudding.
Mon: Pork chops, mash spuds, veg (of some sort).
Tues: Macaroni cheese with bacon pieces and loads of veg.
Wed: IKEA meatballs, HM potatoe wedges, frozen veg mix.
Thurs: Chicken Fajitas
Fri: Masi Goreng or takeaway
Sat: Fish - probably with spuds but perhaps a risotto

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

February 2011 Grocery Challenge

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