July 2020 Grocery Challenge

Pixiehouse55

I popped i tesco a while ago, no token or £1 coin. I was given one of their trolly tokens and told to keep it when I said I would bring it back after I finished shopping... £16.60 in Asdas yesterday for our service users birthday (carrot) cake rolls of wrapping paper and salad stuff. Fish n Chip dinner tonight as that was her birthday meal choice. Will find out how much and add it later.
Friday and Saturday should be no spend days. Sunday will be veg for roast dinner,, Monday left over from Sunday meal and thats my July food shop. Tuesday is the start of a new month for grocery challenge 

Chloris

Small spend at a zero waste shop on brown rice, chilli powder and veg. Weekly shop at lldl and salnsbuys and paid the milkman. I went through the fridge and cupboards before meal planning so now I'm on £453.10/550. So it's totally doable 😁 i did skimp on f&v this week but that was because we have a lot here to use up and with school out, I can nip to the shops for anything we run out of if I can't find an alternative at home. I will be looking for alternatives!

I am in two minds about our next shop (Wednesday) as it's so close to the end of the month. I think I'll try for a use it up shop again to keep it small but big enough to last a week.

Good luck to everyone nearing their finish line!

Suffolk_lass

Ooh @Finstickle - a 25% saving would be amazing. Well done. Just need to keep it going - I used my initial savings to build up my "second purse" (see Page 1) or stores budget. Four months of lockdown means it needs a bit of a top up.

Finstickle

Suffolk_lass said:

Ooh @Finstickle - a 25% saving would be amazing. Well done. Just need to keep it going - I used my initial savings to build up my "second purse" (see Page 1) or stores budget. Four months of lockdown means it needs a bit of a top up.

Thanks Suffolk_lass, it's going to be tight but 🤞🤞. £9.03 in tesco today, decided I wanted broccoli for tea, which I didn't have. Also picked up bread, potatoes, discounted cookies and 4 portions of YS fish. I try and eat fish once a week but as it can be expensive really try and make the most of YS. Also means we try different types - today got some Basa fillets, hopefully they'll be similar to seabass which I really like. 
Curry for dinner tomorrow, one beef, one butter bean.  I always try to do a veggie curry along side a meat one to help it stretch - looking forward to that and have everything we need 

boultdj

To hot to cook, so called at local co-op, for pork pie, sausage rolls, more jumped in as usual, so £10.42 to add, now at £280.02/ £350.  Got a delivery at the end of the month, it's going to be tight.

elsiepac

PipneyJane said:

It’s not a problem, @elsiepac, as long as  you are okay.  (We haven’t seen you much this month, so I was beginning to worry.)

I have another shop to declare.  We walked the 2 miles down to Sainsbugs to buy a birthday card and, while there, hit the condemned aisle.  £4.28 spent on YS pizza (last night’s dinner), YS quiche (lunch today), YS lemon yoghurt, YS pork pies, YS hummus and YS spinach (already sweated down and in the freezer).  That brings our spend for July to 

£152.43/£120, so £32.43 overspent.

- Pip

ETA the birthday card wasn’t paid for out of the Grocery Challenge money

Yes sorry, it's been a funny old month for me - been struggling with flashbacks to hospital, big trouble sleeping and various other delights of the brain... long story short I'm now signed off work and they're treating me for PTSD.  Really need to get focussed on my spending again though with no overtime in the foreseeable - my budget is going to be very tight.

Merlin's_Beard

elsiepac said:

PipneyJane said:

It’s not a problem, @elsiepac, as long as  you are okay.  (We haven’t seen you much this month, so I was beginning to worry.)

I have another shop to declare.  We walked the 2 miles down to Sainsbugs to buy a birthday card and, while there, hit the condemned aisle.  £4.28 spent on YS pizza (last night’s dinner), YS quiche (lunch today), YS lemon yoghurt, YS pork pies, YS hummus and YS spinach (already sweated down and in the freezer).  That brings our spend for July to 

£152.43/£120, so £32.43 overspent.

- Pip

ETA the birthday card wasn’t paid for out of the Grocery Challenge money

Yes sorry, it's been a funny old month for me - been struggling with flashbacks to hospital, big trouble sleeping and various other delights of the brain... long story short I'm now signed off work and they're treating me for PTSD.  Really need to get focussed on my spending again though with no overtime in the foreseeable - my budget is going to be very tight.

Take care of yourself, sorry to hear you're going through a rough time 

Suffolk_lass

Finstickle said:

Suffolk_lass said:

Ooh @Finstickle - a 25% saving would be amazing. Well done. Just need to keep it going - I used my initial savings to build up my "second purse" (see Page 1) or stores budget. Four months of lockdown means it needs a bit of a top up.

Thanks Suffolk_lass, it's going to be tight but 🤞🤞. £9.03 in tesco today, decided I wanted broccoli for tea, which I didn't have. Also picked up bread, potatoes, discounted cookies and 4 portions of YS fish. I try and eat fish once a week but as it can be expensive really try and make the most of YS. Also means we try different types - today got some Basa fillets, hopefully they'll be similar to seabass which I really like. 
Curry for dinner tomorrow, one beef, one butter bean.  I always try to do a veggie curry along side a meat one to help it stretch - looking forward to that and have everything we need 

I think basa fish are more like rock-salmon or catfish, but I might be wrong - good from the fish and chip shop and cheaper than cod!

BTW when I make veg curry my go-to are frozen spinach and roasted squash, with whatever else I have to hand. Frozen veg are so much cheaper than fresh, presumably they are frozen when in season and plentiful as a surplus crop. Frozen broccoli is good too but if you are eating it steamed, my experience is that there is a nano second for it to be perfect before it is slightly over-cooked, but it is great roasted, or added to pot-meals.

I have skipped a week of shopping and might just do a small top up on Monday as I need to go to the bank (a cheque to pay in!) and building society (to get a cheque drawn) so a quick top up of dairy and fruit might be in order. The rest can wait for August (milk and eggs are delivered).

joedenise

Basa is definitely nothing like sea bass!  I tend to only use it for fish pie as not keen on it as fish and chips!

PipneyJane

elsiepac said:

PipneyJane said:

It’s not a problem, @elsiepac, as long as  you are okay.  (We haven’t seen you much this month, so I was beginning to worry.)

I have another shop to declare.  We walked the 2 miles down to Sainsbugs to buy a birthday card and, while there, hit the condemned aisle.  £4.28 spent on YS pizza (last night’s dinner), YS quiche (lunch today), YS lemon yoghurt, YS pork pies, YS hummus and YS spinach (already sweated down and in the freezer).  That brings our spend for July to 

£152.43/£120, so £32.43 overspent.

- Pip

ETA the birthday card wasn’t paid for out of the Grocery Challenge money

Yes sorry, it's been a funny old month for me - been struggling with flashbacks to hospital, big trouble sleeping and various other delights of the brain... long story short I'm now signed off work and they're treating me for PTSD.  Really need to get focussed on my spending again though with no overtime in the foreseeable - my budget is going to be very tight.

Take care of yourself, @elsiepac.  Big hugs to you.

- Pip