Shopping list

Now that I'm living alone and have bills to cover by myself I need to try to economise a little.

And when it comes to food shopping I'm not really used to budgeting. I tend to be ruled very much by my stomach and what I fancy on any given day, meaning I probably spend too much on food - some of which (I'm ashamed to say) goes to waste.

I've decided to try writing myself a weekly meal planner and shopping list to stick to, in the hopes of using up everything I but and saving a bit of money. I'm on a late shift today so I've put together my first list this morning... and I have a feeling that part of my challenge will be finding everything I need from my new local shops in Belper.

My meals for next week include lentil and spinach cottage pie and pasta with leeks (both recipes torn from last Sunday's Observer Food Monthly magazine), roasted butternut squash ravioli (from Tuesday night's Hairy Bikers), bangers and mash, jacket spud with veggie fingers, and a quickie tea one night of egg chips and beans. I'm also going to make a banana cake and minestrone soup this weekend to take to work for my lunches next week.

Obviously I've already got some of the above in my store cupboard or freezer, so my shopping list is as follows:

Lemon
White onions x3
Carrots x4
Celery
Mushrooms
Bay leaves
Thyme
Weighing scales (I left my old ones behind)
Vegetable stock
Spinach
Spuds x5
Eggs x12
White flour
Sage
Parmesan
Red onion x1
Creme freche
Butter
Brown sugar
Gruyere
Broccoli
Leeks x2
Tupperware (to freeze some soup)
Baking powder
Bicarb of soda
Milk
Kale
Tin mixed beans
Tomato x1

Lets see how I get on...