May 2017 Grocery Challenge

meg72

Awwww hugs love you could have done without that.

Elsiepac don't know why the quote didn't work.

meg72

Decided this month to use my full budget of £80 to stock up. After all these months of saving to get my fridge freezer I now feel quite rich, lol, but am quite mean about spending it all.

This what I`ve bought so far this month.


Chicken 3.09
Pork Chops 6 3.99
Bacon 2x 250 2.19
Sausage 1 x 12 0.99
Cooking bacon 1kg 1.00
Mince 6.00

Eggs 20 1.60
Loaf 0.50
Butter 1.09
Cheese 2.00

Frozen mushrooms 0.69

Cornbeef 1.49
Pilchards 1.09
Beans 3 1.00
Tomatoes 3 0.75

Bananas 5 0.50 27.97

Remaining 52.03

Skintmama

I spent £41.51 on Sunday from my May budget. Also spent my remaining allocation from April on some birthday tea treats.

Feeling quite tense about the May budget for some reason. Unexpected things keep happening and it is hard to keep my head and not rush out to the shops.

ancientmum

Have had a busy week, so just updated sig of spends up to last weekend. Needed to re-stock cupboards so a big spend to start the month.

[Deleted User]

elsiepac wrote: »

I'm having a total nightmare, my car hasfailed MOT and needs £270 work done to sort. Panic and upset are ensuing over here, especially when I think of how much I've wasted on essentially carp in the last six months now that I'm tracking again in the GC. Feeling very down!!

Sorry to hear about your car. Maybe put it down to lessons learnt re grocery spends, so that's a good thing. Some people never learn to budget, so your ahead of the game. I wouldn't feel down. It's just trial and error. I really recommend meal planning and using up stores, before shopping 'with a list'. If you can make 4 or 5 meals with what you have in stock, put off shopping, it really puts you in a different mind set. These are just things that work for me.

No spends for me, except on alcohol, which amounts to £4.85. No spends needed until Saturday. Have updated sig.

armchairexpert

amandaatnumber7 wrote: »

Yes I am I'm in Perth

I am unreasonably excited to meet someone else who understands my figures and won't blanch at my prices, hello!

Elsiepac sorry about your poor car! Your menus always sound so delicious I'm reluctant to enable you to cut down at all, but I hope you can recoup the price somewhere.

Plodding along here. The weekend's baking fest has really helped for lunches this week, I must try and stick to doing that every week or two. Yesterday's lasagne stuffed eggplants were less of a success, admittedly, but tonight is tried-and-true bolognese so everyone'll be happy. Did have to do a bread-and-milk top-up shop today, but that's the only top up this week so I'm counting it as a win.

t14cy_t

£20 spent yesterday in morrisons, had to get tea, coffee and milk plus a few others basics, spent cash, only got items on list, purse shut until next week!! xx

Ginmonster

Sorry to hear about the injured child and car XSpender and Elsiepac. It makes it harder to keep on track when you get things like that happening.

I'm trying a mini challenge suggested on the eating out of the freezer and stores thread of only spending £5 a week and weirdly I'm actually finding it easier. I've struggled every month but because I've just accepted I'm only going to use stuff I already have I'm coping ok so far. By the end of the month I'm going to be eating some weird things I reckon but I'll manage it.

Suffolk_lass

Ginmonster wrote: »

Sorry to hear about the injured child and car XSpender and Elsiepac. It makes it harder to keep on track when you get things like that happening.

I'm trying a mini challenge suggested on the eating out of the freezer and stores thread of only spending £5 a week and weirdly I'm actually finding it easier. I've struggled every month but because I've just accepted I'm only going to use stuff I already have I'm coping ok so far. By the end of the month I'm going to be eating some weird things I reckon but I'll manage it.

I echo that Spender and Elsiepac. I'm still struggling to imagine what recipe needed four packs of coriander too...

Same here Ginmonster I want to really frugalise my spending for the rest of May. I reckon milk, salad and maybe bowl fruit should be all for the routine stuff, plus a good red wine and some soured cream for Saturday as we are taking part in a Progressive Dinner in the Village (I cook one course for 6 people and go to two other houses for starter and dessert - there are 21 couples doing it!) - it's a great way of getting to know lots of neighbours and it makes money for the fund-raising causes.

My own danger-radar is bleeping though. I have just ordered some Euros from Sainsbobs to collect on Saturday afternoon. I do like Sainsbobs and I know I will want to look round.

mcculloch29

It's amazing what you can find in your cookbooks - or online - to help you use up unlikely store cupboard ingredients rather than trotting out to the shops.
This week I've tried a new recipe involving lentils and anchovies from a Jocasta Innes cookbook I've owned for thirty years. Yesterday I had a very simple but very tasty mushroom risotto from Meal in a Mug
Today I am adapting a Jocasta tuna recipe to chicken, again it's from The Pauper's Cookbook. The reason I haven't tried it before is that the original recipe calls for haricot beans to be cooked for hours. I'm just washing the sauce off a tin of Aldi's Corale baked beans instead.

As has been pointed out on another thread, Jocasta's 'Pauper' recipes can be heavy on fuel but the vast majority can be easily adapted by using the microwave, instead of the hob or oven, or by using tinned foods such as Aldi potatoes and beans.

All this living off stores has meant no spends yet this week for me. I have been at the challenge since April 20th and so far spent just over £40 on food.

I will probably shell out at some stage over the weekend. Originally my £140 budget would have gone to May 20th, but progress has been so good that hopefully I can get it to nearer May 31st.

I have spent some money on buffet tea type foods for my birthday, so this is even more pleasing.