£15 Charity Challenge - The List

Yep, I never learn… Not a great deal of interest in basically starving your family for a week. Funny enough. It's a hard sell! Though I have managed to persuade a great friend here to keep me company. So, no longer a team of one…

I've been better organised this year and had a bit more time to shop around, which helped squeeze every penny out of the £15 grocery budget (not losing sleep over the extra 10p...)

I park the car in the Marks and Spencer's car park at the bottom of town every morning and walk the kids to school (to avoid the horrendous traffic and stay sane) - so, I often wander through the shop to get back to the car…which isn't the most sensible thing to do when you're hungry. Or when you're not, to be honest. I'm pretty good though, considering - and because I'm there just about every day I've picked up some great bargains. Always scanning for yellow labels. My best find this week was a 300g block of Ayrshire cheese reduced to a pound. Looks interesting, and it's going to come in handy over the next 7 days…

So, apart from finishing off a few stray tomatoes, half a cucumber, 2 slices of ham, a little butter and some soft looking apples left in the fridge, this is what we'll be eating.

Doesn't look like much, does it…
The only thing missing from the photo are the chocolate mousse/mousses?  Mousses sounds wrong somehow - anyway, 18p for four - not bad.

Lidl
Chicken                           £3.04
Flour 3kg                         £0.90
15 eggs                             £1.19
sugar                                £0.49
tinned tomatoesx2            £0.62
porridge oats                    £0.39
rice                                   £0.40
pasta 500gx2                    £0.58
milk 4pts                           £0.89
Tesco
butter                                £0.86
potatoes  2.5kg                 £1.00 (half price offer)
choco pops cereal             £0.83
3xonions                           £0.22
carrots 1kg                        £0.53
tinned peaches                  £0.50
4xchoc mousse                 £0.18
Asda
pesto                                 £0.88
chocolate 100g x2            £0.60
Marks and Spencers
Ayrshire cheese                £1.00

Total                                £15.10

I'll post our meal plan at the weekend.

Off to make some bread!

Would you?….The Charity Challenge returns

It's almost that time again, when the kids make a fair bit of fuss… yep, it's the good old £12 Charity Challenge! When I slash the weekly shop to just a few pounds a day for 7 days. Not just for the hell of it, but for charity. The rest of the money usually spent on groceries will be going to Comic Relief.

Now, last year, it all went quiet when I asked if anyone fancied joining me…Very quiet. And because I never learn, I thought I'd try again - but give a bit more notice this time (the Challenge week starts on 7th March and ends on the 13th, Red Nose Day), AND increase the amount from £12 to £15, to see if that might encourage a few takers?

Maybe?

Ah, go on…

Can I just say though, if you don't fancy the £15 bit, then please, don't be put off - any cutback in the shop that week and a small donation, would be fantastic. At the end of the day it's all for a great cause.

And if you do fancy the Challenge bit, don't feel you have to jump in at the deep end. Why not look at it as a perfect week to use up food that's been lurking in the dark recesses of your kitchen cupboard, or an opportunity to make a bit of space in the freezer?

But I'm a right old stickler for my made up, totally self imposed, slightly bonkers rules. So, no freezer/cupboard dipping here, and only a few cupboard basics allowed, if I have them - otherwise the 4 of us (5 at weekends) really do live on the £15 shop for that week. And as weird as this might possibly sound, I do almost enjoy it. It appeals to my frugal side: the side that likes making do, using up leftovers and inventing meals from not very much. Some of my meal inventions haven't been great mind you, but when they work, well that's a good feeling.

Remember though, NO ONE'S LOOKING. So, if you're interested in the Challenge, do what suits you. It's primarily about raising money for charity, not raising stress levels!

This is our 4th year, so if you'd like to have a look at some of our past shopping lists or menus, there's some here, here and here. Last time we went veggie for the week too, which was totally fine for me, but not that brilliant for the kids. Fussy little blighters. Anyway, back to making a few meals from a roast chicken, which is always a good one, but I'm also going to try to vary our menu a bit more this time. The challenge for me isn't just to survive the week, but to feed us well too.

And that's another of the things I like about this Challenge: it slaps me around the face and makes me think. About how easy it is to take food for granted.

It makes me think on a micro level, because the key to cracking the Challenge is planning: planning what to buy right down to the last penny. I'd like to tell you I'm now a zealous meal planner, but that would be a lie, because I'm not.  For the rest of the year I slip back into a rather slap-dash approach to meal planning; I'm also a total sucker for offers, and rarely stick to my list. If I make a list at all. Having said that I'm not an extravagant shopper, just a disorganised one.

But as well as being a sort of trolley detox, it makes me think on a wider level too: what would it be like if it wasn't a challenge, but a necessity? And if it wasn't just for 7 days but for good. Most of us never, ever have to go hungry. The Challenge makes me think about people who do.

So, the long and short of it is, I've been an optimistic fool and set up a Red Nose Day team page - yes a team page…which is, at the moment, a team of one.

http://my.rednoseday.com/sponsor/15-charity-challenge

I'm fully aware it'll probably stay that way. But if you thought you might fancy it at all….in any shape or form...?

Return of the £12 Charity Challenge

There was a fair amount of whining and complaining in the back of the car when I reminded the kids it was £12 Challenge Time again. I'd seriously considered not bothering this year, after losing Dad, but then came round to thinking it might actually help a little. Being busy is good at the moment. Keeps the dark clouds at bay.

So, just in case you're wondering, from Sunday I'll be feeding the four of us on a tiny £12 budget for 7 days. Now, unless you know about this, I'm sure you're probably wondering why?/is she some kind of crackers…Weeell, I do like a thrifty cooking challenge, and it's for charity - the rest of the weekly shop money (guesstimated) will go to Sport Relief.

Believe it not, this will be our third £12 Challenge, and last time, in a moment of possible hunger-induced madness, I rashly promised we'd go vegetarian for the next one. Not a problem in itself - I love vegetarian food, and figure I could come up with quite a good week of cheap, wholesome meals; but despite my best efforts, the kids just aren't that keen on their greens...or any pulses for that matter. So there'll be no lentil casserole or cauliflower cheese, or mushrooms, or couscous. I've got one who won't even eat potatoes. Talk about a challenge...

Still, I'm up for it, AND the accompanying chorus of whinging that's bound to get noisy as the week goes on. 

It does mean a lot more planning and a lot more time spent preparing meals and snacks; but focusing on food in this ultra-frugal way always reminds me how easy it is to take what we have, and what we expect to have, for granted. It also makes me think about what I usually buy. I'm the world's worst for getting stuff I don't need just because it's on offer. 

Anyway, I was wondering so I was, whether I could tempt anyone else to join me for a trolley detox this time? (though, having read over the above, can't say I've done the best job selling it…) And I don't mean jump straight in at the deep end, (unless you want to that is) - I was thinking more along the lines of cutting back on the weekly shop; sticking to a meal plan; using up stuff lurking in kitchen cupboards/the freezer, and donating what you save.

there'll be a lot of this going on….

I have a few self-imposed rules to up the ante - I try, on the whole, to use only what I buy with the twelve quid, bar a few cupboard/fridge essentials. I'll get some flour, because there'll be much bread and muffin making….but I'll use up ends of bags too. Same goes for sugar and leftover marg/spuds and onions. No point duplicating and being wasteful.

I'll post my £12 shop at the weekend, but if you'd like to see last year's, it's here and my meal plan is here.

Sunday will be the first day of the Challenge, and Saturday 22nd the last. I've been organised enough to set up a Sport Relief page (http://my.sportrelief.com/sponsor/12poundchallenge) - I'd thought about doing a team page, but chickened out, in case I ended up looking like a right Norma, in a sad old team of one…

So, what do you think? Do you fancy it? I'd love some company!

Trolley detox, Team Honk and a few home truths

Almost there! And I'm not stressed about the rest, because it's homemade pizza tonight and that's everyones favourite.
It's certainly been an interesting week - tough but rewarding, with a fair amount of late night baking.. Still, no one starved.. or cried, and I have managed to feed the 4 of us on just £12 - so, Yay!

It's made me more resourceful, more organised and more grateful for what we have and often take for granted. It's also made me wonder what on earth I'm putting in my trolley..apart from the boring, obvious stuff.  I've already said I don't think I'm that bad at budgeting, but my weekly spend can be erratic - I've had to guess at it - I do know it's many times more than £12. What am I buying? Mmmm. Too many things that aren't on my list. I do suffer from a bit of BOGOF-itis - you know, when you go in for 'a few things' and come out with a boot-load of groceries that are on offer.

Okay, £12 is extreme - but this trolley detox has made me focus on my spending habits. The thing is, like any detox I'm full of good intentions straight after - all these plans for radical change, and then...it's just too easy to slip back into old ways. Well it is for me. That's what happened last time I did the Challenge: I was going to have weekly meal plans, and write a shopping list that I'd stick to like velcro, but it all went out the window, and I drifted back to last-minute 'creative' cooking. I'll try harder this time: definitely try harder to stick to my list - and I've liked feeling more organised about meals, so we'll see.

We wouldn't have got far these last 7 days without homemade bread - the saviour of Challenge..well that and the 4 trays of muffins. I thought the week would be good for my waistline, but I think I now have an extra spare tyre around my middle, made completely of bread.
It's a good job I'm a late bird too, because there was quite a bit of night time baking; and I'm really pleased I've finished off the old, mostly used up bags of flour in the cupboard (probably past their sell buy date..dared not look..)

The kids have been great: I think the Challenge made more sense this year - they know they're doing it for Comic Relief and understand where the money's going. Don't get me wrong, there have been a few trying moments, and they've moaned and complained about having no choices or treats (apart from muffins) - but I know they feel involved, which is brilliant. My 5 year old asked me yesterday if she was allowed to have a biscuit when she went to her friend's house for a play. I squeezed her really tight for that.

And I'm massively slow off the mark with this, but we've joined Team Honk at the 11th hour - we have our very own Red Nose Day sponsorship page and everything!..which is HERE if you'd like to take a look. I know the week's almost up, but if you'd like to give some money to Comic Relief by sponsoring us, that would be amazing.

So, why £12? Something I've been asked a few times: the answer is I'm not absolutely sure.. Originally it was going to be a tenner, but that would have been such a struggle, unless we grew more fruit and veg and did the Challenge in the summer. I'd have had a mutiny on my hands.

Will we do it again? Do you know, I'm sure we probably will - but think I'd like to try a £12 vegetarian week next time..

£12 Comic Relief Charity Challenge

..possibly a bit mad, but we're doing it again! It's been just about long enough since the last time for everyone to have forgotten what it was like...
So a quick recap if you're wondering what I'm on about - I've squeezed our weekly food shop down to  £12. £12 to feed four of us for 7 days. And that's it. Bar a few basics I have here.

Why? Well the why is for Comic Relief, because that's where all the money I'd usually spend on the groceries is going. We started on saturday - quite a good distraction because that's when my sister left for Australia - we finish at the end of the week on Red Nose Day.

I do like a good challenge and it's going to be interesting, planning, cooking and trying to keep the kids happy. But it wouldn't be much of a challenge if I raided the freezer and the cupboard for the week, so my self-imposed rules are no digging about in the freezer for meals, and no tins or packets except the ones bought with my £12 budget. I'm allowing myself to use up what's left of staples like flour, sugar, oil - and also the opened tub of marg in the fridge, tea bags, 3 onions, half a packet of split red lentils and a few wizened cloves of garlic I found at the back of the cupboard. It's not much extra, and sure, wouldn't it be wasteful to buy more when they're sitting there? Anyway, my rules and hey, it's for charity!

I think I'm pretty good at budgeting, but my grocery bills have been fluctuating a fair bit recently. The Challenge has made me take a long hard look at what I usually spend, and what goes into my trolley - as well as my rather slack approach to meal planning.
We're into our third day now, and the kids are still reasonably enthusiastic, but when they start moaning about the absence of treats and choices (and they will), it'll probably be a good time to gently remind them of the children who can never grab an apple or a biscuit when they feel like it; the children who have barely enough food to live on. Hopefully I'll get them to think about why we're doing this.

So my £12 list is reasonably similar to the one last year. I shopped at Lidl and Tesco's and bought the cheapest of the cheap. Quite a few are the same price as before which really surprised me, seeing as most of the things I usually buy are getting more expensive.

Doesn't look like much, does it..

Small chicken £3.09

milk £1.00

400g ham £1.65

cream cheese 50p

ball of mozzarella 40p

1 kg rice 40p

2x500g pasta 60p

1 kg potatoes 69p

loaf of wholemeal bread 47p

cream crackers 39p

2xtinned tomatoes 62p

passata 29p

1.5kg carrots 63p

4 bananas 32p

2xtinned peaches 58p

1.5kg flour 45p

Total £12.08

There isn't a lot in the way of fruit and veg. I'd thought about buying more instead of the chicken, but I can stretch the chicken to 3 meals, and we're only talking a week. I haven't included eggs because a very kind friend with hens has given me 8 lovely fresh ones, as well as 2 big leeks from her garden. The other advantage I have is I'm just feeding me and the 3 kids, because my husband's away. And I've only one milk drinker too, which helps cut costs.

Things seem to be going well enough, but it's early days! I'm trying to stay one step ahead and definitely doing more baking. I'll post my menu plan tomorrow so you can see what we've been eating. Some things crop up A LOT...Hard really to have much variety.

I think it would be fair to say homemade bread and muffins are the food glue that hold this Challenge together..

Day 91 - Twelve pound Charity Challenge!

I've wanted to have a go at this for ages!  It's possibly a bit bonkers, but I love a challenge and love a bargain, so the idea of spending just twelve pounds on the weekly food shop appeals to me. I've also told a few friends I'm going to do it, so have to now, don't I ? 


My Granny had an amazing knack of being able to make something out of nothing. There was never any waste in her kitchen and always a large pot of interesting looking soup. I'm quite sure some of her frugal skills rubbed off on all of us (apart from her fondness for offal)  
She was a wonderful cook; I think about her often and know she would have loved this challenge.


Spending so little has made me think long and hard about what to buy and what to cook. Obviously a lot more planning needed. Getting our five-a-day might be tricky and you can forget organic, apart from some sad looking parsley growing in a pot outside the back door.  Of course the challenge would be a lot easier if we grew our own vegetables (something I'm going to try this year)  
Looking more closely at what I buy has made me realise that fruit and veg make up a hefty chunk of our weekly food bill.  More than I thought really.  


So what's in and what's out?  Well, there'll be no rummaging around in the freezer, but I can use any flour and sugar that's in the cupboard and a spoonful or two of things like honey, jam, and cooking oil.   A teeny bit of flexibility is ok, isn't it? Anyway, they're my rules and the money I usually spend on the weekly shop is going to the Rifles "Care for Casualties" Appeal.  Please do take a look.


I've done my best to prepare the kids for day one on monday and they seem quite keen! Things might change when they look inside an empty fridge.  The youngest was a little shocked when I told her there wouldn't be much in the way of treats or pudding, "No pudding mummy?"   Wait until she sees what's in her lunch box....


The fun starts tomorrow!