Monday 20 May 2013

Shopping and meal plan

I started this morning with a rummage around the cupboards and the freezers.  A slight oversight on my part has reduced the weekly budget for the next three weeks to £71.50 instead of the £90 odd we originally had - a bill arrived that I had forgotten about!

So, with money already allocated for Piano, the FH's lunch club and church, and then spends yesterday amounting to £12.50 for a new pair of school shoes from Asda for the YFG and personalisation of her gym comp T-shirt, we are down to £39 for the week......

A meal plan soon emerged, with little shopping really required.

Today - Leek and potato soup, served with hot sausage rolls [family] or pitta bread [me].  The soup and the sausage rolls were all in the freezer - so not a penny spent there.
Tuesday - Corned beef hash - we have corned beef, veg, and potatoes all in stock and all I needed for this was some chopped tomatoes at 31p.
Wednesday  - Tuna pasta bake - we have heaps of pasta, some condensed celery soup and lots of frozen veg in store for this.  All I needed was a tin of sweetcorn and some tuna.  I won't be able to eat this, but I hope to spirit away a portion of corned beef hash to keep for Wednesday!
Thursday - Sweet and sour chicken - we have sauce in the cupboard with rice, and the chicken thighs are in the freezer.  
Friday - Baked potatoes with cheese and beans - I have a veritable baked bean mountain in the store and it is time some of it was eaten!  The FH will likely add a touch of curry powder to his beans too.  I will just have beans, and no cheese.  There will be salad, perhaps, if there is any left!
Saturday - Roast chicken dinner - there is a large chicken in the freezer which will make enough for two days here - with roasties, perhaps a Yorkshire pud, and lots of veg and gravy on Saturday and then...
Sunday - Chicken leftovers - either chicken risotto or a chicken and veg pie topped with mash.  I'll have the risotto for sure and the others will either join me or get the pie.

And with that in mind, I went shopping, armed with a list!


In Lidl, I bought cheese, chocolate for the YFG, tuna, sweetcorn, bananas, apples, lettuce, bread and cat food.  Total spend in there was £11.25.


In Sainsbury's, I chose lunchbox cakes and shampoo for the YFG, some treats for me on special offer, bagels for the EFG's lunchbox, along with ham for them both, chopped tomatoes for the corned beef hash, and Vitality drinks for the FH - with all the medication he is on, he seems to benefit from some friendly bacteria in there too!  Total spend £14.36.

I could have managed without the treats, and the YFG could have had some home made snacks in her lunchboxes, but this week is a rest week for me, with no gymnastics, and after yesterday, I just wanted a little break!  I did ask her whether she wanted me to make anything today, but she is feeling worn out from yesterday too, and suffering with a cold, so she didn't care to comment...

The other spend whilst we were out was a new watch battery for the FH, at £5.

By my calculation, that leaves us with just £8.39 for anything else we need this week at all.  Shouldn't be food anyway!

4 comments:

Frugal in Bucks said...

I like the way you get the best bits from different shops. You sound well organised.

FIB. X

Morgan said...

Thanks, FIB. I start in Lidl and get what I can in there, but they don't sell everything I want, so I head over to Sainsbury's for the rest. I will have to go to B&M Bargains soon to replenish the chopped tomatoes as I can get 4 tins there for £1 compared to the 31p for a carton [same weight] in Sainsbury's and Lidl. Didn't want to go all the way to the other end of town today though!

Thanks for popping in xx

Sue said...

Some good shopping there too pad out what you already have.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with buying shop bought cakes occasionally, I think sometimes we Bloggers who leave recipes and make everything from scratch just need to relax and enjoy the ready made stuff.

If nothing else it reaffirms that when we do have time to bake ourselves the products are that much tastier and cheaper to produce.

I am well known for having a weakness for virtually any stores shortbread biscuits, it's something I rarely make for myself!!

Morgan said...

Thanks, Sue, for the encouragement in your comment - it helps!

I am finding that I am far more thoughtful in my shopping this month, because I am being uber-strict with the budget, and because I am not going to the shop with ALL the temptations!

Have to say that the girls can't wait for the end of the month, but one of them has just asked for a Kindle Fire for her birthday in August, so she will have to be on board with the savings as I have agreed to pay half, if she can raise the other half!