Anyone want to join me on my $100 per week food challenge

[obbie]

I ordered 1/2 a beef yesterday

[Halex]

Woohoo, what are you going to cook?

[Wonder]

Jude, I will be very interested to see how you go, i've looked at this place before but was reluctant to purchase because we gernerally stick with chuck for casseroles and eye fillet for steaks plus top quality mince so was worried we would end up with a lot of meat we don't like. Pardon my ignorance but why is there no eye fillet listed?

[Bubbles]

Wonder I have just had a look at the website also, eye fillet is under the first drop down box above rump steak. You can choose either eye fillet + porterhouse, or T-bone (as eye fillet and porterhouse both come from a T-bone you have to choose either.)

[obbie]

I should get it next week.

I am loving the PC at the moment, so fast and easy.

meat pies, casseroles are easy.

[cookie1]

I've just done my weekly shop and I tried really hard to cut back. I didn't buy any meat and we are eating casseroles etc from the freezer this week. But I still spent $138. I spend about $60/week on fruit and vegies alone. How do you all do it please? I thought I was reasonably economical but obviously not. I bought the week's milk etc and don't usually buy anything more in the food line until next week. I make our own bread and cook from basics. DD does take a spinach salad to work each day with bocconicini in but that is only $5.20 a week for the bocconcini. We could grow some of our vegies but our yard is taken up with paving and old cars and car parts. (it doesn't look as bad as it sounds).  I did need to buy rolled oats and a few staples but I'm sure others do too.

I admire you all.

[obbie]

Cookie, that is about right.

I cook for the 4 of us each nite, then about 5 nites a week for my parents too, so 4 adults, 2 kids.

I do buy meat, lamb, pork, fish, chicken in bulk though.   $145 for us this week.

[gertbysea]

Cookie 1 I have become a bit mean these days. It is always just the two of us. DH just likes toast and liver wurst or cheese or some such. I have my congee for Breakfast. We have our main meal at lunchtime and sometimes late so we have maybe nothing at night. Instead of buying a kilo of this and a bag of that I am buying just what we will eat that week. Now we have very few  leftovers which wind up with the dogs usually.

Amazing how I do not miss the excess. Used to buy 4 pork chops because DH will eat two and I will eat one and that is how they come but nowI just source out three. Instead of buying a kilo of sausages I buy  4 pr 5.  I am not freezing much and not getting sucked into the two fers. I am changing a lifetime of bad habits. We don't eat sweets or drink juices. I limit myself to  about 3 cans of diet coke a week.

Today I bought  1/2 a stick of celery but found when I or home I was charged for a whole.i am really pissedd off but do,I go back  get my money or let it go?

Gert

[Jude59]

Oh! Good point about the mince.... Didn't think about that... Will have to see how we go. I don usually buy sausages either but the fellas like them. Hope I've done the right thing. Got all excited about the grass fed bit.

[Halex]

Cookie, this week my fruit & veg bill is just over  $50. Last week might have spent $10 on fruit & veg. I just used what we had. Today is a prime example, fruit & veg delivery tomorrow. Normally I would have bought items today for tonight, but looked around & found that I could make a beef dish. I didn't have enough mushrooms or shallots, just put in what I had. Have carrots & potatoes so that is what we are having. I make do until the delivery. Judy also taught me to have frozen & canned on hand which I do now too. We might even have peas as well tonight.

I buy meat in bulk so as you know meat is not included.

I consciously  go through bits & pieces in the pantry to use what we have.

It is getting harder for sure, plus I would like to start making some new recipes next week which will probably include ingredients I dont have. Some things are running low which will need replacing over the weeks. I think the main thing that keeps the cost down is I make do & see what I can use.

Plus you probably dont have freezers, pantrys & fridges stocked like some of us hoarders

Also like Gert says if I need 3 of something I buy 3 not a whole load etc, its starting to pay off

 

[cookie1]

I tend to buy meat mainly only when I need it and only the amount I need. We don't eat sweets apart from icecream or yoghurt, which I make. Everyone here likes 3 meals a day, including me. Lunch is salad, protein and 2 slices of bread for me. DH has left overs or a sandwich. We use at least 8 litres od milk a week and a dozen eggs. We do eat a lot of fruit and veggies.  My pantry doesn't have great stores in it, although it is full. Lots of flour, different rices etc.
Oh well, thanks Hally. I must admit I do like things like nice balsamic and nice cheese, not that I bought any today.

[Jude59]

We have deserts/cakes only on a sunday when the family is here and then I can send home leftovers or freeze.  I buy seasonal veg and fruit so that makes things cheaper and it's good to eat whats in season anyway.  This week I have started some seeds for the veggie garden and we have quite a lot of carrots in the garden and silverbeet and spring onions. It all helps.  Only buy fruit juice for sunday and we have a soda stream, which keeps me supplied in soda water.  I now never buy canned fruit (except passionfruit and occassionally pineapple) or any curry mixes or pastes, just make my own.  Probably the only tinned stuff I buy is tomatoes, tuna and coconut milk and I KNOW I could and should be making my own coconut milk    I really think my shopping trolley has changed so much in the year I have had my TMX.  It's put the power back in our hands just knowing we have the ability to make a lot of those pre prepared spices and condiments that we used to buy and depend on.  It's not all about just saving money though it's about being able to have a say in what we eat as well.  Ithas been a lot harder the past few weeks to stick to $100 and I have been more like $120 and my freezers are looking a bit sad now. 

[Halex]

Rice pudding is a big filler here during the week. I dont make other deserts that often.

I dont buy juice, full of sugar, soft drink once in a blue moon. We drink a lot of water in our house.

Plus my dh & cp like to have bread at dinner, another cheap filler & I dont mind because its home made.

 

[Jude59]

Cookie, you can still have a veggie patch.  We have a second property, which is our business office and it has a bit of a backyard with a great sunny fenceline.  We bought some old apple crates from an orchard (they are really quite big and a nice level so you don't have to bend whilst gardening) and we lined them, put in drainage holes, put hay in the bottom and filled with soil and they have been a fantastic addition for growing veggies.  They look quite nice too!

[gertbysea]

Milk is a big thing in a lot of  families but we do to drink milk at all. I do use it for cooking and try to buy only the mungali dairy milk in one litre containers. Now I freeze half of that so I don't waste it.

I used to keep so many things in case of but all my friends have now moved away so there is no danger of anyone dropping in.  It really is strange to me not to have a fridge full of cheeses and crackers in the pantry plus a salami or 6 ready to roll. DH has asked about the bare fridge but if he wants some "stuff"  all he has to so is ask And he goes  to the shopping centre every day to pickup mail so.........

Of course the wine racks are always full. Don't you just hate an empty space there?

Gert