May 2020 Grocery Challenge

elsiepac

Budgets updated to here 

@Amandaa5449 Usually for the first month if you don't know what you currently spend we suggest just keeping a track of every single spend you make - get receipts! That way you have some idea of how much you are currently spending and can decide if you need to cut that down and start reducing gradually.  Have a read of the first few posts as there is tons of information and advice in there.

Thanks @wmf I'm paying the cheque in tomorrow - exciting to have a large amount like that even if just for a short while before it all gets divided out into boring things lol!

@abrooksaver definitely have a look at the first few posts as well as @PipneyJane suggested - there's so much information gathered there over the years!

@PipneyJane that is a very good question!! It's certainly not immediately obvious!  I'll do some investigating in our board guide section and see if it's been mentioned and come back to you

elsiepac

@PipneyJane just worked it out

Looking at the post if you click on the date/time it was posted it changes the URL to one that includes a comment number, so you can copy and paste that!

PipneyJane

elsiepac said:

@PipneyJane just worked it out

Looking at the post if you click on the date/time it was posted it changes the URL to one that includes a comment number, so you can copy and paste that!

Thanks @elsiepac, I will have a play.  The recipes are @Suffolk_lass’s Coleslaw and my Carrot & Hazelnut Roast.  If I spot others, I’ll link to them too.

- Pip

ETA:  Yes, that worked!  Yay!!!

XSpender

DH wanted to visit Morris’s to look at the outdoor plants so instead of picking up bread and a couple of bits we decided to do the full month shop we had planned for Wednesday as we had run out of so many things like dog food, soap powder, wine ( ), loo roll, soap etc.  Very impressed with how well the store was stocked but still unable to get GF flour or frozen/fresh broccoli.  They did have yeast and normal flour and I picked up cooking bacon which I haven’t seen in a long time.

We don’t usually shop n Morrie’s but will go there instead of the more expensive local co-op or Asda for the next few weeks.  Picked up 2 x 1KG of GF oats which I haven’t seen anywhere else and were much cheaper and has saved me ordering them on line.  

I have found some yeast in the cupboard but it went OOD in November 2019? Will it still work?

Total of £266.06/£400 spent.  This leaves us £133.94 to last until 31st.  We will still need bread, fruit, veg, dairy and DH beer each week and strawberries and cream to make DS birthday cake this week.

joedenise

The OOD yeast will still work but not as well.  You might a bit extra but not sure about that.  Also it's worth activating it before putting into the flour as you'll be able to be sure it works before making the bread - at least that way you won't be wasting the flour if the yeast doesn't work.

chirpychick

Hi all. 
Asda delivery due tonight and just had the email so this weeks spend is £64.28 . So this also includes delivery. I found it to be a hard shop. There are 3 of us and DS has special requirements and it also includes dog food. I found I brought everyone a treat each and it came to what we had been spending daily on junk before lockdown! So it'll be good for our waistlines if nothing else. I did spend £8 on diet coke and this has made me see that this has to go! I like the idea that everyone gets a treat on shopping day but next week I will give them a budget. So I'm also vowing that this will be the last week I buy coke! I am using up some things we already have and I estimate the stuff we already have is at least £20 worth so I am worrying about how we will keep the momentum going for spending less when we don't have so much in the house already. I had to buy loo roll and got value, bin bags also value, dog food is asda heroes, 2 of the dogs just eat dry but one refused to eat completely and is so skinny so he has a bit of both but the asda meaty stuff cost me £7.50 - that should do him for the rest of the month though but wanted to get it as the shop keeps running out. 
I couldn't get any bread so we will make some and we have plans to make some other things during the week. Last night I made a summer fruit crumble using a bag of mixed summer fruit that's been in the freezer for months. I need to experiment making waffles for DS and we have a sack of potatoes that are going soft so we are going to cook them up and freeze them today. 
My beef joint was expensive at almost £7 (just re reading through) but other than that and one pack of bacon I didn't buy any other meat. We mostly eat quorn.
Rambling again lol - so far my total is £132.02/£375 so £242.98 left and 3 weeks to go.
Husband had a call from his boss last week we are anticipating redundancy news before the 14th. I wonder if it's possible to feed 2 adults, 1 SEN child, 3 dogs and 3 non laying chickens for £45 a week including delivery... that's going to have to be my overall aim.
Stay safe everyone x

GunShotResidue

Can I please join?

I'm aiming for £180 this month for two adults and two kids. I did a shop over the weekend that was just under £39, but our debit card has a 'save the change' thing, so will call it £39 exactly so £39/£180 so far  

Doom_and_Gloom

£57.90 spent.

Small fruit and vegetable box £14.25

Potatoes 
Carrots 
Leeks
Asparagus 
Cherry tomatoes 
Courgettes 
Apples
Rhubarb

Cooks ingredients box £19 (not the best picture sorry) 

Jersey Royal potatoes 
Portobello mushrooms 
Cavolo Nero 
Pimentos de padron (little green peppers) 
Sweet salad mix
Wild sea purslane 
China rose radish punnet 
Thyme 
Fresh tumeric 
Blackberries 
Limes

Like last week we also got 1kg of onions (£2.30) and the 4 lemon pack (£2.90) as an addition.
OHs milk, 1kg bread flour, 500g fusilli pasta, 500g chickpeas, tofu marinated and super firm, soya milk, strawberry soya yogurt and toilet paper. 

Off to work out a meal plan with what I now have and what was left over from last week. 
OH will work out what to have day by day mostly though he has a basic thought of what he can have during the week. (I will make sure to put aside some of the vegetables I know he will use). 
 
Shouldn't need to do a small top up shop until Wednesday after I finish work, hoping for Friday after work though. As per guidelines we are doing our best not to go out unless needed, hense the above rather large shop. 

£68.07/£300
£231.93 left

elsiepac

Doom_and_Gloom said:

£57.90 spent.

Small fruit and vegetable box £14.25

Potatoes 
Carrots 
Leeks
Asparagus 
Cherry tomatoes 
Courgettes 
Apples
Rhubarb

Cooks ingredients box £19 (not the best picture sorry) 

Jersey Royal potatoes 
Portobello mushrooms 
Cavolo Nero 
Pimentos de padron (little green peppers) 
Sweet salad mix
Wild sea purslane 
China rose radish punnet 
Thyme 
Fresh tumeric 
Blackberries 
Limes

Like last week we also got 1kg of onions (£2.30) and the 4 lemon pack (£2.90) as an addition.
OHs milk, 1kg bread flour, 500g fusilli pasta, 500g chickpeas, tofu marinated and super firm, soya milk, strawberry soya yogurt and toilet paper. 

Off to work out a meal plan with what I now have and what was left over from last week. 
OH will work out what to have day by day mostly though he has a basic thought of what he can have during the week. (I will make sure to put aside some of the vegetables I know he will use). 
 
Shouldn't need to do a small top up shop until Wednesday after I finish work, hoping for Friday after work though. As per guidelines we are doing our best not to go out unless needed, hense the above rather large shop. 

£68.07/£300
£231.93 left

Oh my goodness... the padron peppers would be perfect in this recipe - I made it years ago when Tesc0 randomly did big packs of poblanos and it was so good!
https://thevegan8.com/smoky-white-bean-potato-stew-with-broiled-poblano-peppers/

Doom_and_Gloom

Thank you for the idea elsiepac. I was trying to work out what to do with those to be honest. I believe I have everything needed. My potatoes aren't Yukon gold potatoes but I do have the Jersey royal which would likely work in place of them.