January 2012 Grocery Challenge

kersplatt · 16 January 2012 at 9:43PM

Another NSD here. Cereal for breakfast, tomato soup and wholemeal bread for lunch followed by an apple and then a homemade HFW vegetable pasty with beans for dinner - hurrah managed to get 3 of my 5 a day in lol!

So much to use up in my freezer though I daren't go to the shops. I need to get on and do some batch cooking as well but I fear I won't have adequate freezer space currently if I do. I am gradually filling my cupboards back up with a plethora of plastic tubs though!!!

Millie321 · 16 January 2012 at 10:09PM

Hi all, i'm new here but just getting the hang of buying value products and drastically reducing my spend. Seeing your budgets i'm envious and hope to reduce mine all the more.

We're a family of 6 and at a guess i'd say last year we were spending approx. £600 month on all groceries - inclu. cleaning products, catfood, nappies etc.

I've successfully stuck to £100 per week for the first two weeks of this year. so please put me down with a monthly budget of 400.

Looking forward to tips from the rest of you!

Millie x

JIL · 16 January 2012 at 10:13PM

I thought I would share one of my favourite recipes with you all.
Play about with the spices until you find your favourite blend.

Add spinach, or peas for a bit of variety.

this serves at least 4

4 hard boiled eggs, peeled
a tablespoon ish of oil.
A mug full of red lentils.
A chopped onion.
A couple of chopped garlic cloves or a tsp of granules.
1tsp chilli powder
1tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp ground ginger or fresh finely grated.
a vege stock cube.
1 tsp garam masala (optional)
2 mugs of water (at least)

Fry the onion very lightly for about 5 to 10 mins in the oil, the idea is to keep it white (you could use ghee)
Add the garlic for a minute
Add all the spices and fry gently for a minute or so.
Add the lentils stir to combine then add the water and stock cube.
Simmer gently for about 20 mins adding more water if required.
When it looks like porridge, you are about there. At this point if I have coconut milk I add it and melt it in.
Its up to you you can half the eggs and pour over them or put the eggs in the sauce for the last five mins of cooking (the turmeric and spices will flavour and colour the whites a little.

Serve over rice or with chappatis or nann bread. mango chutney etc.

If you have left over dahl, it firms up and makes a lovely sandwich filling.

XSpender · 16 January 2012 at 10:31PM

54p on tea at work this morning. I have decided from next month that any spends on tea and carp at work can come out of my personal spends, it might encourage me to get up 15 mins earlier to have a second cup of tea and maybe a bite of breakfast.

DH had a lovely curry for tea tonight using a jar of sauce with a top section of spices from Ald1. It was chicken so I couldn't have any but it smelt devine and DH said it was fantastic. He even saved half of it for lunch! I had odds and sods from the freezer.

Thanks to the poster who listed the Costco offers. I am planning to go get 2 big boxes of nappies as DS is ready to move up to a size 5. Also going to send DH to Mr T for swim nappies as we are planning to take DS swimming on a regular basis and they are half price. These will be coming out of next month's budget (starts Friday), I am justgetting organised.;)

DH and I have agreed to try and eat the contents of the freezer this month:D I have 2:eek: There is quite a bit in there and we could do with keeping our food spends as low as possible, especially since yesterday we bought a new bed which needs to be paid for at the end of March and DH discovered that my car tax is due next month:eek: I really want to buy 12 months not 6 months this time.

Jacket potato night tomorrow as I am at college until 8 and pasta bake and garlic bread Wednesday using a jar form Ald1:o

I have spent £24.14 out of the £25 I allocated to my 2nd purse. Tonight I used some half price beans I bought so need to charge the GC 64p for them. I don't carry a lot of change as I stick it in my sealed pot so am trying to do this virtually by putting the money in an on line account. Not sure if this will work as well as real cash in a purse. Think I will read Mothership's instructions again.

EverTheOptimist · 16 January 2012 at 10:39PM

Evening all

Havent posted for a while but have been TRYING to stick to my budget, which was going well until this evening.

I went to Mr S with a shopping list, this comprised of ingredients for 3 meals, but would make approx 15 portions. so i could freeze some meals. I also looked online before i went so i knew what i would be spending. However a few extra bits made their way into my trolley. :mad:

It was all stuff we use and on offer so have meals and snacks to get us through to the end of the month, although still need to get essentials and budget is currently at approx £149 /£150. :mad: :mad:

I know i didnt have the best start to the month so am planning on Feb being a better month.

On the upside had a lovely Chicken and sweet potato hotpot this evening and couldn't even tell that i used almost all basics range items. :j

Hope everyone is well.

ETO
x

mummybearx · 16 January 2012 at 10:43PM

Spent £16.66 in MrA's this afternoon. Picked up 2 packs of tuna for £5. Not bought that for months for DH, he was over the moon when I made him a batch of tuna pasta tonight

Also made myself a batch of veg pasta, chopped onions peppers tomato cucumber with sweetcorn, mixed with cooled pasta, mayo and seasoning. Was delicious! Got 3 portions, that's lunch sorted for the next few days x

[Deleted User] · 16 January 2012 at 10:50PM

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

Meant to ask this earlier but forgot:o

So, after another trip to the dentist and yet another clean / filling, I asked my dentist if an electric toothbrush would make a difference (it was a yes).

Popped to B**ts and got one 1/2 price (and some extra heads which should last out the year:)) ..... which budget would you take it from?

I include toiletries in my grocery one, and toothpaste a "normal" toothbrush would usually be taken out of here but ...... not sure if it should come out the "anything else" budget?

Any thoughts appreciated!:)

I buy all toiletries, cleaning stuff, toothpaste, toothbrush out of grocery budget, but something like an electric one, would come out of a general budget, but thats just my way, hth

Sproggi thanks for the cabbage link - my cabbage pie was so nice, i will post recipe 2moz

Kylieminoag · 16 January 2012 at 10:53PM

An NSD for me today - thats four this year....:j:j

only just managed to keep driving past Mr T though!:o I must stop going out when I'm hungry!!

DH is getting the hang of it too now.... :eek:he decided he would have left over onion gravy with a dash of tabasco as soup for his lunch!:cool: he even suggested turning the left over cabbage, kidneybean, tomato, cheese and rice dish we had for tea into a frittata for tea tomorrow. Will give it a go.... another NSD tomorrow I hope:T:T:T

Keep up the good work everyone! Even if you go over budget a bit at least you've tried and helped others by sharing your experience. |You will also have learned a little more about yourself that will help next month.... dont give up !!:lovethoug:lovethoug:lovethoug

PennyGrabber · 16 January 2012 at 11:08PM

Rising, I wouldn't include it in my grocery spends, as it's not something that will run out, IYSWIM. I might include the replacement bits, but I wouldn't count the actual toothbrush itself. I see my budget as a consumables thing, and you won't need to replace the toothbrush, just the heads.

Not the NSD I planned for today. Thought I needed icing sugar, as we were decorating my first ever hm gingerbread house! Turns out I had enough, but you can never be too sure with icing sugar, I find! Had a swing by the whoopsie section, and a young lad was re-reducing everything. There was LOADS of meat there, and other bits and bobs. Anyway, the long and the short of it is that I spent another £10 and some pennies. Grrr! I didn't need any of that except the icing sugar, and I've got no space in my freezer to put it! Really cross with myself, as I'm now a touch too close to my limit for comfort. I must stay out of the shops! In my defense, I'm really sad today, as one of my very best friends in the whole wide world is moving to the other side of the whole wide world to live, and today was the last time we saw her in person. She and her children came round. and the six of us set off a sky lantern together (something we did a few new years' ago) with a lovely message on it. Sob sob!! Still, there's always skype, and now I have to save up for a holiday to Oz!!

PG x

Justamum · 16 January 2012 at 11:24PM

I think I'm going to give the 2nd purse a go. I didn't really understand it at first, but I've had a good read of it and I think I understand. I've got quite a good food stock in reserve already, so I suppose I should start 'buying' things off myself.

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January 2012 Grocery Challenge

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