Low spend July for food?

[Twinklestar2]

I'm on a thread on the style and beauty board about spending as less as possible on style and beauty products in July. It got me thinking - would anyone be interested in doing the same but for food?

I'm so guilty of popping into the supermarket for something and somehow spending £30-40 on stuff I don't really need when I have a a kitchen full at home!

I thought we could share recipes and ideas and get creative about using stuff up that we already have. We could share menu plans and how much we've spent in a month.

Anyone in?

[Twinklestar2]

Since the £60 the other day I haven't spent anything .

I do need toilet roll and a few bits for the baby but will go to Superdrug instead of the supermarket!

[annatha]

We were doing well until SIL unexpectedly came to stay for a couple of days last week. Shes a fussy eater so we ended up having takeaways and trips to tesco for snacks every night she was here and completely overspending. Its amazing how easily we can stray from the meal plan and grab a takeaway, I really need a few alternative backups in just in case. Overall we've done really well this month though, its the most cooking I've done in ages and we've eaten better and spent less too. Back on it for august!

[Twinklestar2]

£60 spent yesterday! Will have to tot up what I've spent this month.... Don't think its going to be pretty!

[forumdonkey]

Again late to the party, but to the mushy pea poster, next time how about a pea and mint risotto? Blend the mushy peas with garlic and mint and a bit of olive oil for a paste for rissotto.

[Twinklestar2]

Another top up shop yesterday of £30. Really want that to be it until 1st August but baby needs his formula.

Tonight I'm making curry using a spice mix I've had in the cupboard for ages.

[Twinklestar2]

Top up shop today of fruit, milk and nappies. Spent £31. Really pleased as £20 was on nappies.

[annatha]

2nd budget weekly shop today too and we spent £51 so closer to our £50 goal. That included cupboard staples like gravy, stock cubes, sugar and a months worth of nappies too so definitely an improvement! Sadly we've had to fork out for a new garden strimmer so our savings for this month have been spent, but at least we've shaved off money where we can.

[annatha]

Brillohair that looks delicious. Basin I love my slow cookers, because dd is usually happiest to play on her own in the morning it's good being able to prepare dinner as soon as I've had breakfast and by the time its ready I'm knackered and can just plate up. I ended up buying a second one so whenever i do stews or curries I make double and do one for the freezer. I joined a Facebook group called 'slow cooked wonders :)' and its got some great recipes on.

[Twinklestar2]

Welcome basin! I'm still using up stuff from the bbq we had last Saturday.

Great pic brillohair!

[IHaveBrilloHair]

Well it went down a storm, hope it's ok to share a photo.

[IHaveBrilloHair]

I have some cooked new potatoes to use up tonight, so have halved them and put into individual foil trays, will top with pizza toppings from fridge/cupboard, so tomato, anchovies, olives, capers, cheese and bake in oven and serve with the rest of the bag of watercress and some sliced beetroot, have frozen other beetroot and bookmarked a curry to try with it.

[BasinHaircut]

Had a bit longer than I thought is here is my meal plan:

Tonight: batch cooked spaghetti Bol from freezer
Weds: home made falafel in pitta and sweet potato wedges
Thursday: batch cooked chicken curry and rice
Friday: sweet chilli sausage pasta

Saturday we are throwing a housewarming BBQ so will obviously need to do a big shop but I'm already planning how to
Make the leftovers last all of the next week! Should just need some veggies.

[BasinHaircut]

I'm a bit late to the party here but can I join? I've been having a freezer/cupboard month!

Loving the corned beef hash recipe! Might have to give that one a go, even though I'll have to buy corned beef to do so.

I bought a slow cooker about a year ago, tried to cook risotto in it and failed, and it's been sitting in a cupboard since.

Will write up my meal plan for the rest of the week later

[Twinklestar2]

Thanks for the fruit tip annatha. It really was getting quite expensive!

Well done on stretching out the mince!

[annatha]

Twinklestar I'm the same with my 8 month old. She loves fruit so I've been buying lots of summer berries to share with her but they're so expensive. I'm getting some frozen berries this week and have started buying whatever fruit is on offer and whatever she isn't keen on I'm making into purrees to add to plain yoghurt or porridge. Tinned fruit is ok too as long as it's in juice and not syrup and it's a fair bit cheaper.


The mince experiment was a massive success! DH has been out all day so I've been cooking like a woman possessed. 1 pack of mince made enough bolognese for 4 greedy adult portions and 2 portions for my dd, and the other pack of mince has made 2 huge cottage pies which I estimate around 5-6 adult portions and 2 for dd. My freezer is happy and I'm really pleased to have stretched the meat, it's really unusual for us! I did them in the slow cooker and they taste so much better than usual and are jam packed with veg and lentils. Result!

[Twinklestar2]

Another supermarket shop! But we are having people over for a BBQ so we needed to spend.

I am spending so much on fresh fruit but my 11 month old needs fresh food. Can't believe how much more I am spending and I really do try and buy yellow sticker stuff too.

[Sherbetdip1]

Calzone - mmmm sounds fab, and very easy! Thanks !

[annatha]

Gah. Went to Aldi last night to get our weekly shop. I'd carefully compiled a list of strictly what we needed to stick to our meal plan, and aimed to spend £50. Spent £76. DH decided he wanted pain au chocolat and croissants for breakfast, fruit (he never eats bloody fruit) and a loose leaf teapot . Looking at the receipt if we've stuck to what we needed it would've been just under £50 and £16 of that was baby formula and bits so I suppose that's something. I allowed £5 each for snacky bits and was surprised at how much that got us but we need to have another look at our shopping habits. The only meat we bought was 2 packs of mince, a tin of corned beef and some sausages and DH is unconvinced that it's enough meat for a week so I'm hoping I can dazzle him with my meal plan!

This week:

Med veg and pasta

Corn beef hash

Cottage pie

Spag bol

Jacket potatoes with leftover pie/spag bol

Sausage pasta

Toad in the hole

The med veg was ok today, would've been better with a bit of chicken but it filled us. I made the corn beef hash in the slow cooker ready for tomorrow and it tastes amazing. I just chucked a tin of corn beef, a tin of baked beans, half an onion, 3 chopped carrots and 3 chopped spuds in the slow cooker and grated some cheese on top at the end. Looks like it's going to become a staple. Planning on bulking up the cottage pie meat mix with lots of veg and lentils to make one pie for now and one for the freezer, and doing the same with the spag bol. DH wasn't convinced that 1 pack of mince would do for 2 meals so I'm tricking him by making double portions.

[Twinklestar2]

My rice came out terrible!

Dinner tonight was breaded fish and potatoes... Stopped me getting fish and chips!

I already feel like I'm running out of stuff though! How can this be possible?

[calzone]

Mushy pea curry

Fry onions & mushrooms in oil with curry powder. Add tin baked beans, mushy peas and tin tomatoes. Season.

Tis lush.

[Twinklestar2]

£133 spent in sainsburys today! But that included a massive box of washing powder, razor blades and nappies which came to £20 just by themselves! Then £10 just on various berries for my 11 month old son. Threw in some Basics range stuff too, mainly vegetables which will get cooked anyway so doesn't matter too much about quality. Gosh the price of food has def gone up. I spent ages in there as well looking for the best deals.

I now have a house full of food so I can really start proper meal planning.

I got some great bargains on a yellow sticker though: £10 box of fairy powder for £4, nappies for £7 instead of £10 and a box of instant honey porridge for 75p.

Have planned tomorrow's menu:

Honey porridge and skimmed milk
Ham sandwiches, fruit and yoghurt
Chicken curry and brown rice - making the rice myself instead of buying those instant microwave pouches which I tend to do! Pure laziness!

[Sherbetdip1]

Hello, I'm lurking on this thread waves as I am trying to cut down our spend and use up what we have in. calzone how do you make mushy pea curry? Got a tin in my cupboard....

[IHaveBrilloHair]

I'm making a lemon and almond potato dish tonight, to use up half a bag of ground almonds and new potatoes.
I'm getting there, and most of next week's meal plan starts with what's in the freezer.

[annatha]

teaandbisquits Its such a good feeling isn't it! I went to tesco the other day for milk and bread and came out with... Milk and bread!! I felt like I was being silly driving to tesco just for two things, then realized how ridiculous that was. I only NEEDED two things. Trying to make the most of the trip by stocking up on crap we don't need defeats the point. We've been really good with sticking to the meal plan all week then dh was off at the weekend and its all gone to pot. If it was up to him we'd have KFC or takeaway every night for tea so its hard sticking to what's planned when all I want to do is stuff my face with chicken

Weekly shop on Wednesday though and I've got a menu planned. Its sad but I'm really looking forward to the challenge. I think I've just got to shop alone and cook tea before dh gets hungry to ensure we don't slip up again.

mildlymiffed I make leftover soup in the sloe cooker- loads of veg/potatoes (fresh, cooked, frozen, tinned it doesn't matter) some chicken or veg stock and some herbs. If there's any meat lingering in the fridge that might go in too but usually its just veg. Cook it for half a day or so then blitz.

[avocadotoast]

I need to do this. I'm on maternity leave with DD and she's still so little that we don't have much to do in the day. I've found myself mooching round supermarkets just out of habit!

It's totally unnecessary because we have loads in the cupboards and a fair bit in the freezer. Really I just need to be doing fridge top ups this month!