Paws rocks!
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Category: General Chat
Forum Name: General Chat
Forum Description: For mums, dads, parents-to-be, grandparents, friends -- you name it! And you name the topic you want to chat about!
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9001
Printed Date: 09 April 2026 at 9:10am
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Topic: Paws rocks!
Posted By: ginger
Subject: Paws rocks!
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 8:47am
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We were talking recently about budgets, and more particularly grocery budgets. She achieves a lot with hers, and I don't, so I was after advice.
I told her, firstly, how much I spend on groceries. She fainted (I have possibly taken artistic licence here for entertainment sake, however the essential course of the conversation is correct). I picked her up off the floor (it wouldn't have been polite to leave her there), and asked her how she manages with her budget. She looked me in the eye, and chanted 'Meal plan, meal plan, meal plan' I already do that, but made a mental note to improve on it, since I obviously could. She also told me to buy non-named brands. 
So, last grocery shop, I took my life in my hands, and I bought a packet of Pam's shortbread. 
And, it turns out, they are the best shortbread I have had in years! All buttery and divine, and so nice you only need one, and they are sooo YUMMY! So, come morning tea time, think of me, in heaven, enjoying my shortbread, and it's all because of Paws!   ------------- Cuinn Lachlan 23.1.09 - 22:00 Antonia Helene 4.8.11 - 09:41 |
Replies:
Posted By: Kellz
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 8:52am
| Lol Ginger! Good on you! We buy heaps of signature range and pams stuff cos its yummier! |
Posted By: Bubbaloo
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 8:57am
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I love Budgets chocolate chip biscuits they are by far the best. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">  Was danni-chick Mum to James My Angel 28/07/08 |
Posted By: ginger
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 9:34am
Shortbread are my favourite, but they have to be soft and buttery and smooth, and it's so hard to find the perfect shortbread. Well, not now!  ------------- Cuinn Lachlan 23.1.09 - 22:00 Antonia Helene 4.8.11 - 09:41 |
Posted By: AlyAyde
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 9:57am
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way to go! Hey one warning i will give about the budget, basics brands, i only just found this out myself when my mum came to my house and looked at where they were made. Alot of the stuff is made in china and because of whats been on the news lately about stuff from china having carsinogens i was a bit worried so am now only buying the basics/ budget that are made in australia or nz ------------- Jayde 25/12/04 Alyssa 08/04/03 http://Alyayde.bebo.com |
Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 10:12am
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We do the same here however there are a few things that can only be watties (tomato sauce is the major one in this house) so I only buy it on sale and usually buy a few extra cans if its a good deal. I saw that thing on the news this morning about China and their food standards and they killed the guy (that was) in charge of the food regulation as he was found to be putting allsorts of interesting things in Chinas food (the toothpaste made it to NZ) ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: Kels
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 10:14am
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Go the no name brands. I use alot of them too!! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
Busy mum to Miss 15yrs, Miss 10yrs and Master 4yrs |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 10:15am
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Go Ginger, and go the No Name Brands! We're big "Basics" and "Signature Range" shoppers, but I agree with Mummy_becks - some things can only be name brand, for example spaghetti. The Budget stuff is ewww! But most things we go El Cheapo, I even use the Signature Range sanitary pads. ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: meow
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 10:16am
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I thought most brands like budget and Pams were just the same thing as watties etc. I buy lots of them too. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: my2angels
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 10:18am
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But also a lot of the stuff is just the same as the branded stuff just with a budget label on it. Things like ice cream for example. Often they are made in the same factory and just labelled differently.
Anyway.... so meal planning is the way to go huh? Im terrible with shopping, I know it sounds odd but Ive never been taught what to buy. My mum has always worked in supermarkets so would buy whatever we needed for tea etc.. during the day rather than doing a big shop once a week. I have no idea what sort of staple foods I need, my cupboard is full but its junk or things that you need to buy other stuff for, like tins of 'Just add' sauces etc... So Paws, (our new grocery shopping guru) do you recommend one shop a week/fortnight? And if so how do you make sure you get everything you need. I never get enough fruit or vegetables (potatoes and bananas especially) or something needed if you know what I mean. In the last 7 days I have been to the supermarket at least 3 times and spent a minimum of $70 each time yet Im not sure if I would have everything I need to make a meal. |
Posted By: ginger
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 10:29am
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*starts praying that her shortbread aren't made in China*
I do a weekly shop my2angels because I find that I spend less in a fortnight than if I do one shop per fortnight - but I know others are the exact opposite. With my meals I keep it pretty simple and boring eg. steak, some form of spud (eg. home made chips, baked potatoes, mashed) and veges for example, or mac and cheese (sauce made from scratch though) - basic, healthy stuff that are easy to stock ingredients for. Then once or twice a week I'll do a flasher meal such as a risotto, or spring lamb chops with dijon and shallots ... things like that. That's where planning your meals comes in though, so you know what you need and you don't end up racing to the supermarket, getting the shallots, and ending up getting juice, bickies, some extra this and extra that and spending $50 plus!
I'm sure others have even better suggestions ------------- Cuinn Lachlan 23.1.09 - 22:00 Antonia Helene 4.8.11 - 09:41 |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 10:40am
| I'm pretty sure Paws does her shop fortnightly? We used to do weekly too, but it was getting to be a real pain in the backside, so we followed suit and now shop fortnightly as well. |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 10:53am
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ginger!!! you're not a grocery snob surely????
hubby might be getting paid monthly soon - how the heck am i supposed to deal with that...??? ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 1:11pm
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I love the Pams brand, they're a lot better than most budget stuff but still a really good price. And I do weekly shopping because otherwise the fruit/veges/milk just goes off anyway and you have to buy it from somewhere!
I do heaps of meat sauces by hand - have beef/chicken stock, worcester sauce and tomato paste on hand with a few herbs/spices available to shake in... a bit of trial and error at first but they taste heaps better than ready-made, once you have the hang of it! btw Ginger I also fainted when you said how much your groceries cost And I am even more confused now that you have said you have "basic" meals.... how much do you spend on snacks?!
With fruit, I get 2-3 types per week, bananas can go bad really quickly so get something like that and something that will last the whole week every time, like apples or kiwifruit etc. Biscuits - I get the big bags of Ernest Adams etc, that way we always have something in the cupboard. If I want something special I will occasionally buy some proper chocolate biscuits  or do home baking.
Meat - for me, buying at the Mad Butcher is the best value anywhere! Probably 1/3 of our meals are mince-based, so that keeps costs down a lot. Anything where the meat needs to be chopped up (for example a casserole), and especially with veges/mushrooms/gravy added, gives the illusion of eating more meat than if you just had a steak or chicken breast on your plate. If you have meat left-overs, see if you can use them in your next meal, e.g. if you have left over roast chicken, make a pizza with chicken in the topping for the next night's dinner. Also good in stir-fry/risotto type meals. Veges - try to buy what is in season/on special, it's heaps cheaper that way. Breakfast cereal - try to save those yummy ones for treats or have half and half in your bowl. Yoghurt - buy a 1L container and dish yourself a couple of tablespoons full instead of using pottles all the time. Deb, I have our whole account in spreadsheet format with "subaccounts" showing exactly how much we have to spend on petrol, groceries, etc etc etc... it has been a life-saver! We are paid fortnightly but doing the account this way makes it so simple and we never have to panic when we get a phone/power bill (unless we used a heap more power than usual LOL). But that system is probably only for accounting nerds  lol ------------- |
Posted By: ginger
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 1:34pm
No, see, I'm not a grocery snob!  I can't work out how I spend what I do!  Mind you, I suppose by the time DH has spent $20 on beer, and a bottle of wine say, there's $40 straight away.
I think possibly our meat has a bit to do with it - we eat a lot of meat, and we do buy Porterhouse steak  - I love eye fillet, but at $35+ a kilo  No thanks.
We do buy named brand things, which I am trying to cut back on, and of course there are dog treats in there of around $15 a week as well - I've started making my own of those to cut back, and also it helps the environment not having all that packaging! - and some cat food. For soap we use Protex (these are areas where we spend more - eg. instead of 50 cent soap, we spend $1 sort of thing), because it's about the only thing that helps DH smell better ... ermmm ... what else?
I do bake, so hardly buy bickies, and if I do, they last for weeks ... Eggs! We only buy free range. Oh. Coffee beans. $12.00 a week (cheaper than buying a coffee every day each though!!  )
And a loaf of bread just about every day, plus we go through loads of milk - 6-8 litres a week. It just doesn't seem like it should add up like it does! Mind you, we are improving too - last weeks groceries were down a bit in cost, and we have done less shops during the week (and spent less over all). ------------- Cuinn Lachlan 23.1.09 - 22:00 Antonia Helene 4.8.11 - 09:41 |
Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 1:40pm
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We have about the same amount of milk and bread... but yea I think the meat cuts might be adding to yours somewhat! What about meat under $10-$12/kilo as a general rule, and have porterhouse etc as a once a week/fortnight treat? ------------- |
Posted By: aimeejoy
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 1:40pm
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Robyn I think the best way to work out a grocery list is keep all your receipts for a few weeks to a month, then analyse them. Should be able to work out a permenent list of staple ingredients. ------------- Aimee Hannah 22/10/05 Greer 11/02/08 |
Posted By: my2angels
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 1:48pm
| Good idea about the grocery receipts but i would have to hid them from hubby, he has no idea of my supermarket shopping addiction! Whats even worse is that he works for a supermarket supplier so we can go in there and do shopping supposedly for cheaper. Problem is I get in there and see all these new cool products and have to buy them to try them or they will have a special on bulk chocolates (last week was freddo frogs so i have a huge box of them now) I try not to go in there but at the same time the amount we save on things like dog food, formula and razor blades is huge plus we dont have to pay for it as it comes out of his salary so its really dangerous. It probably wouldnt be to bad if I wasnt going there once a fortnight and to the supermarket about 3 times a week but you cant buy fruit, vege, meat there plus sometimes supermarkets have things like nappies cheaper. |
Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 1:53pm
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Put them in an envelope in a drawer
And taking them out of his salary... oo that's gotta hurt! I know it works out the same in the end but it wouldn't feel like that! ------------- |
Posted By: my2angels
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 1:55pm
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tell me about it. I forget what i have spent in a month then we get the bill and its never under $500!!!! (that includes the petrol aswell though)
Does anyone have one of those esiyo makers? What are they like? We go through heaps of yoghurt and dairy food, the kids love it. They can sit and share 3 pottles in a row so Im buying 2-3 6 packs a week. |
Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 2:22pm
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I haven't used ours for ages, the taste is different and I prefer "real" yoghurt with fruit all put in it. Have thought about buying frozen berries as well, but then it would probably work out similar price? ------------- |
Posted By: emeldee
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 3:01pm
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Hubby uses an easi-yo ...he always uses the low fat plain yoghurt and has it with his weetbix in the morning. We've put honey and fruit in it for Andrew and he really likes it. It's much cheaper than buying the six packs of yoghurt and tends to last for around 4 days here. ------------- |
Posted By: Paws
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 3:14pm
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Oh yegads a post with my name on it!!
And you're welcome. (and really she wasn't far off the mark with the fainting....there was at least a double take as my jaw hit the ground ).
And as it happens yeah a lot of the no name brand such as signature range is fact name brands without the fancy packaging. We have an easi-yo...we love it and use it all the time. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: emeldee
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 3:21pm
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I thought about doing a Paws topic but it didn't end in 'rocks'..... ------------- |
Posted By: Paws
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 3:53pm
If it was a comment about my age you have 11 more days!! And regardless....it's mean to pick on those younger than you!!!! ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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emeldee wrote:Posted By: Bombshell
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 4:45pm
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Basics brands we buy are -
pasta (seriously you can save like $2 a pack for the same stuff!!!), Toilet paper (NOONE needs 3 ply really...and the basics stuff is cheap but not nasty and saves a heap buying 12 at a time etc), nursing pads (half the price of J and J and far less than others), Milk / cheese blocks or grated (bet you wont notice the difference in taste!!!) wont tell u our bill tho either cause dont want paws to have a coronary!!!
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Posted By: Paws
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 4:51pm
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I love the $0.89 pasta!!! And yep we buy the basics look paper as well...so much cheaper and I find it just as nice. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: minik8e
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 5:01pm
| For those of you who have set up a budget using a spreadsheet, are you willing to share your (blank) prototype? I know that I have been looking for something for ages - our budgeting isn't great, made harder by the fact I'm paid weekly and DF fortnightly, and I'm too scared to download something from the net "just in case"... |
Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 7:55pm
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I did we got the budget brand milk a few weeks ago and it went down the drain it was foul ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: linda
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 8:09pm
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On Sunday night I get all the supermarket flyers and go through all the specials. Whatever supermarket has the best number of deals decides where I shop.
Having said that I do one big shop and then end up going to the supermarket a couple of times for little shops so that is where our food bill increases. |
Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 8:33pm
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Kate, sure thing, I'll get one organised, you can PM me your email addy and I'll flick you a template. Do you have Excell?
Ok I have a template, anyone who wants it just PM me. ------------- |
Posted By: Rachael21
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 9:46pm
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We use budget nappies (day only), pads and wipes.
Actually now that I think about it if theres budget we buy it Ben even drinks double brown beer lol |