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

[DizzyGirl]

As I buy in bulk it will go over $100 in just flour, sugar, cocoa, bicarbonate soda, etc.

[Brumington]

I'd love to join in this challenge.  I think it sounds like a good exercise in self control.  I'm terrible at making meal plans though :-(.  So it start 1st June?

[Halex]

I chose $100 for us as I believed it woukd be doable as a challenge, not easy but yes I could do it.

You can all choose whatever figure you want, just let us know & I can put the amount against your name.

Milk freezes fine

I started the challenge monday, but you can start when youwant.

DG, why dont you buy yiur baking items & then join us.

Marina & Brummington, I will add you to the list.

H

Just finished our lovey dinner. DH was just about take the rest of  the pork to work for lunch, I had to stop him!! i sad no we are having it again on thursday with more veggies. i dont think he was too pleased, told him lunch was soup

[Jude59]

Haha that's funny. He might not love it that you are being frugal!
 I found $100 much more possible than I thought. The tricky bit is managing to squirrel away a few things in the freezer still on that amount. At the end of the week I sauté all the leftover veg and purée them to freeze and have on hand to chuck into casseroles or soups or with a bit of cream and seasoning for sauces. They really make a lovely difference and so easy.  I also soak and cook up batches of dried beans, lentils and chickpeas and freeze. The nicest soups come from chucking a few of these things together.  Left over meat sauce and casserole is great on pizza bases with cheese too. My grandchildren and DH love that.

[Halex]

Tonight we are having sausages with potatoes & peas., maybe toad in the hole or just good old bangers & mash. Had to change the plan as have no veg until tomorrow to go with the roast. So far I have def saved money prob about $20 as I would have bought veg & salad for yesterday & today. Turned out we had 7 veg last night, a little of everything.

H

[dede]

We are having chicken drumsticks which are another nice cheap meat for a big family. $10 for enough to feed us all

[Amy :-)]

At the end of the week I sauté all the leftover veg and purée them to freeze and have on hand to chuck into casseroles or soups or with a bit of cream and seasoning for sauces. They really make a lovely difference and so easy.

Thats a fantastic idea Jude59! I've never thought to do that

[Halex]

Dede, did yiu want to join in?

Yes I can buy 2kg for drumsticks for $9 here, but they are not free range.

Jude, dh much happier today when I told him there might be about $700 at the end of June to knock off the mortgage, he is always groaning about the interest we pay

H

[obbie]

for a family of 4, I spend about $140 per week, lots of fruit and vege though.
But we are replanting the vege garden this week, so that will save us in a couple of months.

But I buy meat, fish, chicken in bulk too.

Robyn

[dede]

Count me in Halex. I think most of the time I'm pretty well under budget but sometime I can blow the budget by not being careful.

[judydawn]

I'm on the list too - will be easy for me as I've been doing it for 3 years now.  Slightly different to the rules Hally has set down but it works out the same in the end.

 I might spend $170 one week and nothing the next so I then come in well under budget.  Mine is based on a yearly thing, I add up the 52 weeks spending and get my weekly average from that. That allows for visitor weeks, Christmas etc and if I can still come in under the $100 I am very happy with that.

 I used to just buy whatever I wanted at anytime I wanted it but wasted a lot of fresh food that way.  Now I only buy a few vegies at a time instead of some of almost every variety then if need be I can get more before the week is up.  My week goes from Sunday - Saturday and if I need something on Saturday, I will do everything I can to work around not having to go to the shop so that I can start my tally afresh on the Sunday.  It is Wednesday and I still have not been to the shop this week and I will be trying to get through until Sunday again if at all possible.  This will mean I have only spent $290 for the whole of May. I have plenty of meat in the freezer, a well stocked pantry and vegies in the freezer, even after doing my personal challenge for 3 years.

It can be done, the kids may not like it when they run out of some of the things you buy them but with the variety of things we can make ourselves, there will always be something for them to snack on.

[gertbysea]

H I am like JD and try to have no spend weeks.  Very necessary when living on a pension.  Even so I would find it hard to feed the two of us plus dogs on $400 a month. Yeah ok I could do it if I didn't drink.  Is grog included? I didn't read the rules. Best go back  and see. Tomatoes Are $8.50 a kilo in Coles here.

Gert

[fundj&e]

 DS  paid $75 for a small box of tomatoes last week

[gertbysea]

Yikes it makes it soo hard in a restaurant.  You wanna  get twenty slices out of each one.

Gert

[dede]

Wow you guys pay heaps for tomatoes, think they around $4-$5 a kilo at the moment here.