The £50 CHALLENGE - Week One

Welcome to week one of the £50 challenge. This isn't going to be easy after months of having fallen of the frugal wagon, but to be honest both my purse and my waistline are suffering and so it's time to make a change.

And being super-enthusiastic I have managed to come in at weekly shopping bill of just £33.78 - but I need to square with you, I have got a larder full of pasta, rice and other store-cupboard items to supplement this; so what I will do is on the daily dinner posts, I will add the costings in for the additionals, still with the mind-set of keeping the price within the £50 weekly challenge.

In order to really keep a tight reign on the budget, I withdrew the cash before hand and then left my cards at home - this is a great technique to stop impulse purchases, and one which I am going to try make a habit. It also really helps prevent the kiddie pressure, as they can actually see the money in the money bag - oh, yeah, I went all out on the whole 'Granny knows best' method this morning.

Normally, I would menu plan and then shop for ingredients, but being we only got back from our summer holidays at 11pm last night and it was the first day of term this morning, surprisingly that didn't happen!  So I'm doing it back to front this week, but normally I'd say, MENU PLAN before you shop.

So here's what my £33.78 got me today at the local TESCO store. (I'm not a supermarket loyalist so this just happens to be the store that was most convenient today.)

MEAT & FISH
2 x whole chickens (3 for £10 meat deal)
1 x 400g pack of mincemeat (3 for £10 meat deal)
1 x packet of Lamb's kidneys £1.40
2 x plaice fillets £2.87

VEGETABLES
Onions 1kg £0.79
Kale £1.00
Salad Cress £0.24
Broccoli 0,59kg £0.83
Spring Greens £0.68
Carrots £0.60
Grapes (Reduced) £1.48
Aubergine (Reduced) £0.40
Lettuce IceBerg £0.49
4 x Large flat mushrooms £1.00
2 x 2pk Sweetcorn on cob £1.40
Lemons x 5 £1.50
Cucumber £0.49
Tinned Artichoke hearts £1.60
4 x Jacket potatoes £0.69
Spring Onions £0.49

OTHER STUFF
6 x lunchbox fruit juices £0.90
1 x 6pk of Free Range organic eggs £1.25
2 x 4pk of Shape fruit yogurts on offer 2 for £2.00
1 x 3pt Semi-skimmed milk £1.00
1 x loaf of wholemeal bread £0.69

NB: Normally I only ever buy Organic Milk but at twice the price I opted for the standard semi-skimmed milk. If I'd known how much under budget I'd come I would have gone for the organic at £1.85 (The reason I go for organic is because the 3 y/o drinks about 1.5 pts a day and I'm personally spooked by some of the discussion surrounding hormone and anti-biotic levels allegedly found in 'standard' milk.)

HERE IS THE MENU PLAN FOR THE WEEK. Recipes for adult evening meals will be posted on the blog over the coming week.

THURSDAY
Children's packed lunch - couscous with ham and cucumber, apple, yogurt, box fruit juice
Children's dinner - Spicy drumsticks and chicken wings with vegetable salad crudities.
Adult dinner - Plaice gratin, served with buttered green kale and buttered caramelised carrots.

FRIDAY
Children's packed lunch - couscous with chicken (stripped from thigh meat of chicken) raisins, chopped apricots, cucumber, an apple, yogurt, box fruit juice
Children's dinner - Cheesy, bean stuffed jacket potatoes with cucumber and carrot crudities
Adult dinner -  Kidney's with Artichoke Heart, Lemon and Thyme, served with white butter-bean mash.

SATURDAY
Family breakfast - Soft boiled eggs with soldiers + yogurt, crushed frozen raspberries and honey.
Family lunch- Fresh homemade bread (use a mix at £0.79) add poppyseeds and chopped apricots, cheese and chutney.
Children's dinner - Cheesy broccoli and ham bake served with corn on the cob and buttery carrots.
Adult dinner - Chilli, garlic chicken breasts with sweet corn and crispy green lettuce.

SUNDAY 
Family dinner / late lunch - Full garlic and lemon roast chicken dinner. carrots-vichy, spring greens, roast potatoes, stuffing, Yorkshire pudding, broccoli and peas.

MONDAY -
Children's packed lunches - Chicken, grape, mayo and cress sandwich on wholemeal
Children Dinner - Reheated roast dinner and gravy served in giant Yorkshire puddings.
Adult dinner - Iranian Beef and Herb soup with Yogurt, served with homemade garlic nan-breads

TUESDAY -
Children's packed lunches - small garlic nan stuffed with meatballs (iceberg lettuce) and yogurt and cucumber dip,  apple, yogurt, carton of juice.
Children Dinner - Creamy chicken and Broccoli pasta
Adult dinner - Aubergine, potato and tomato mince layer (Moussaka adaptation) served with salad

WEDNESDAY
Children's packed lunches -
Children Dinner - Bolognaise shepherd's pie (made with the mince base of last night's adult dinner)
Adult dinner -