August 2020 Grocery Challenge

thriftwizard

Bother, bother, bother... nearly £50 over, after today's market shop. But there it stops... nothing more needed until next Friday. I'm realising that there have been some genuine & sustained price increases over the last few months, pretty much across the board, so I'll review whether to increase my target OR drop some of the things we've allowed ourselves to become accustomed to. 

That said, there were sacks (25kg) of new season's Maris Piper spuds at the market for £6.99 today. I'm not sure they went much below £10 all last year, so perhaps it's not all bad news...

boultdj

Now at £260.87/ £300, still got a delivery for back end of next week, it's going to be tight.

PipneyJane

joedenise said:

Both recipes look good Pip and have bookmarked them.  I have some lentils vert which I bought back from France last year.  Think I bought too many as still have 2 boxes left!

There’s no such thing as “too many” when it comes to dried pulses; just call it “fortuitous planning”.  

I have a small shop to declare from today.  We went to MrT’s to get the paper and, for what seems like the first time in forever, scored a haul of Yellow Sticker items from the condemned shelves.  (The condemned shelves were heaving.)  We scored YS mushrooms (2x71p), YS strawberries (£1.32), YS Finest Goats Cheese & Red Pepper Tart (£1.52) , YS Beef Steak Medalions 2 per pack (2x£1.79) and YS “boring” pork sausages (72p).  Add in our usual fresh milk, Yeo Valley yoghurts (2x£1.30), large creme fraiche (£1.79) and a bag of mixed leaf salad (75p), and we spent £14.79.  

The tart and salad became lunch.  One packet of steak and the “boring” pork sausages are now in the freezer; the other packet will be dinner tomorrow night.  I’ll use the sausages at some point for that Spicy Sausage & Lentil Casserole I mentioned earlier.  (Really cheap sausages are textureless, hence “boring”.)

The above spend brings our total for the month to £112.57/£140, leaving £27.43 for the remainder of the month.  I suspect most of that will get rolled over to September.  We haven’t done the stock up shop I had planned for MrT’s, so it’ll get spent then.

- Pip

pamsdish

I received an email from Morries offering money off a spend, first of those for months, another sign things ARE improving, just trying to avoid a second wave.

BrassicWoman

I was visiting a friend this weekend who LOVES TO COOK and all she asks is that you enjoy it. She wouldn't take a contribution so I have come home very well nourished, full of stuffed peppers and cake.

£9.07 + vouchers in M&S today. They were also giving away the free tote bags with your sparks card, they feel quite robust.
I got some decent YS on bakery and pears. Menu for the week now includes tahini crusted cauliflower, chickpea korma, baked potatoes, and I'll need to think of something for the carrots not going into the korma. I make a nice peanut/tofu sauce, so maybe carrots in that? I also got loads of fruit - I am liking their 65p selection at the front of the shop now -  raisin bagels, and wholemeal pitta breads.  Sadly, no yogurt, that looked really bad value. I should really make my own, my microwave has a setting for it. But it will have to wait until I get some soy milk in; September budget.

That left about £33, so I have placed my order for next weekend from the wholefoods place  - lots of organic fruit and veg, vegan yogurt and cheeze (only cream cheeze, vegan hard cheeze is rank), museli, flapjacks, polenta and tofu. Also a small pumpkin, and some carob, although I have no idea what I'll do with them just yet.  Probably not going in the same dish...

So as long as I can stay in (and I have a new jigsaw and no reason to go out) I will be 12p under for the month...

elsiepac

Well, my budget is totally blown but I'll have my pay tomorrow.  Did a nice veg shop in L1dl yesterday - £20.97 for some beautiful produce plus stocked up on quinoa (89p a bag!!!) and a bag of risotto rice, and two of the largest sweet potatoes I ever did see!

@thriftwizard I'm so glad to hear about the lovely care home for your dear mum, it must be such a weight off, and it sounds amazing, I'm a bit jealous!!

@PipneyJane I agree regards the second wave - I have become really quite paranoid since my covid experience (although technically I know this is silly as I'm probably now immune but the brain doesn't seem to compute that) and so whilst I do normally at least try and keep spares of everything, I have found that I'm buying extra things.  My budget (or lack thereof) is shot but I am feeling fairly well prepared just in case. 
It does amuse that after the great pasta shortage when all the shops ran out and then we started seeing all the random brands coming in as obviously their normal suppliers were out, that now they are selling off those one cheaply! There are 500g packets of really nice linguine in my local smallish Mr T for 31p so I pick a couple up each time I go in.  I love linguine! 

@JingsMyBucket I'm very impressed with your "imperfect" box - it all looks pretty perfect to me!

@BrassicWoman your menu for the week sounds lovely! Funny enough I watched a "Tasty"/"Goodful" YouTube video this morning featuring tahini crusted cauliflower so how funny to see it twice in one day!

I'm just popping the September thread up now guys, sorry it's a few days later than usual.

elsiepac

September Challenge now up

Finstickle

Currently at £548.78/£750 😁😁😁

I get paid on Friday so only a couple of days left, shouldn't need to buy anything as have lots of leftovers in the freezer and milk etc.  We were on holiday last week and the in-laws bought all the food for the house - OH sorting out our contribution this week which will go against this number.
I'm over budget elsewhere so hopefully all in will still manage a positive outcome. 

Finstickle

@thriftwizard
I love your signature re money vs time & talent.  Really resonating today, a really good reminder to work on my priorities and get back into a routine following some hectic weeks.

Soaking and making use of dried pulses, plus turning blackberries into cordial are 2 tasks I am hoping to do this weekend. 

MazzieD

Definitely going over budget this month. I'll work out how much later as no more shopping before payday on Friday.

Had a bit of a dry cat food crisis, ran out of furry friend's favourite flavours and lo and behold they are no longer on sale anywhere.  Needless to say the replacements caused a major temper tantrum and he is refusing to eat either flavour, it seems  only kibbles with added vegetables will be consumed,  plain chicken or salmon from Tesc*s are not acceptable.  £6 wasted, I'll donate both packs to the local RSPCA via the box in Sainsbobs, I'm sure all their cats will be grateful.   Peace and Harmony have been restored, found some that are acceptable. .