August 2020 Grocery Challenge

MazzieD

Hmm, when I go over budget I do it in style!. 

August has been really difficult as my payday has changed.  It's surprising how much difference waiting for an extra week's money makes, mustn't grumble but still can't work out why they just didn't include it in last month as I have transferred to the parent company but it is a different payroll.

Just added it all up so am going to declare an overspend of £21.76 for August  Total for month £111.76.

PipneyJane

elsiepac said:

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!

@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! 

Thanks for the new thread, @elsiepac.  That's quite a haul you had in L!dl.  I must look out for the quinoa - 89p is an excellent price.  It keeps forever, too.  

Immunity means nothing when the lunatics have pillaged the shops and you're desperate for toilet paper/pasta/rice/[insert item of choice here].  I never did understand the panic buying of toilet paper.  It's not as if Covid-19 causes diarrhoea.  (OK, maybe one extra packet in case you were too sick to get to the shops, but buying a trolley load???)

- Pip

jam2019

£7.32 spent this weekend. Froze up a block of tofu to make some stir fry and a thai curry - it goes a really nice firm texture so would highly recommend if you're not a fan of tofu. Plans to go out for chinese on wednesday and then maybe some kind of bean chilli / lentil dhal on the other two days. I've also started drinking oat milk so I bought a couple of boxes of porridge oats to make a batch (fingers crossed that goes well and tastes nice!)

K9sandFelines

Managed to come under this month, despite thinking i wasnt going to participate; though it has been a struggle.Managed to find an Aldi by me yesterday, so can now go there instead of Lidl and wont have to use the one in the city centre so much on the way to work. Hopefully this will keep costs down,as there is more choice in the Aldi than Lidl, so less trips to Tescos.
My month ends today, as tomorrow it's payday . 

Doom_and_Gloom

£14.01 spent since last post.

I've worked out a meal plan for the rest of the month for me. 
Tuesday
L - Mediterranean pasta 
D - Fajitas 
Wednesday
L - Mediterranean pasta 
D - vegan macoronni and cheese with broccoli
Thursday
L - vegetable stir fry
D - shepherdless pie, side vegetables and salad
Friday
L - vegetable stir fry
D - shepherdless pie, side vegetables and salad 
Saturday
L - vegan quesadillas 
D - quinoa salad
Sunday
L - quinoa salad
D - shepherdless pie, side vegetables and salad 
Monday
L - quinoa salad
D - vegan sausages, mash, beans and vegetables
Breakfasts are a choice between fruit, green smoothies or overnight muesli (gluten free).

OH will work out what to have day by day as normal.

£115.65/£155.
£39.35 left.

joedenise

Haven't posted for a while and have now added up receipts since last post and have the following left:

£60.82/£300
£78.50/£100. (DH bought another 16Kg bread flour as getting low)

Still have a small shop to do on Thursday which will be the last shop before we go on holiday.

Won't be doing the challenge next month as away for the whole month (and possibly early October!) touring England in our motorhome.  We've booked sites as far as 27 September and if the weather is OK we may book another couple of sites for the following week.

elsiepac

PipneyJane said:

elsiepac said:

@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! 

Thanks for the new thread, @elsiepac.  That's quite a haul you had in L!dl.  I must look out for the quinoa - 89p is an excellent price.  It keeps forever, too.  

Immunity means nothing when the lunatics have pillaged the shops and you're desperate for toilet paper/pasta/rice/[insert item of choice here].  I never did understand the panic buying of toilet paper.  It's not as if Covid-19 causes diarrhoea.  (OK, maybe one extra packet in case you were too sick to get to the shops, but buying a trolley load???)

- Pip

89p is a fantastic price isn't it!
Interestingly it actually does cause really quite severe diarrhoea (believe me!!) in a lot of cases but I don't think that has anything to with the toilet paper buying as people didn't really know that then and they were just panicking!

Doom_and_Gloom

£14.65 spent today. 

OH will be having tomato and mozzarella tortelloni for dinner tonight. 

£130.30/£155.
£24.70 left. 

PipneyJane

elsiepac said:

PipneyJane said:

elsiepac said:

@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! 

Thanks for the new thread, @elsiepac.  That's quite a haul you had in L!dl.  I must look out for the quinoa - 89p is an excellent price.  It keeps forever, too.  

Immunity means nothing when the lunatics have pillaged the shops and you're desperate for toilet paper/pasta/rice/[insert item of choice here].  I never did understand the panic buying of toilet paper.  It's not as if Covid-19 causes diarrhoea.  (OK, maybe one extra packet in case you were too sick to get to the shops, but buying a trolley load???)

- Pip

89p is a fantastic price isn't it!
Interestingly it actually does cause really quite severe diarrhoea (believe me!!) in a lot of cases but I don't think that has anything to with the toilet paper buying as people didn't really know that then and they were just panicking!

I'm glad you're better now, @elsiepac.  I would NOT have wished that experience on my worst enemy.

No shopping/spending to report here, although I will have to do some on the weekend, if only to buy onions, peppers and carrots.  (I'm planning on walking down to L!dl.)  I'm currently processing a triple batch of kidney beans in the pressure cooker, so dinner tonight will most likely be a beef chilli.  (Defrosted the mince overnight.)

Have a lovely day everyone.

- Pip

(ETA the rogue "not" to the above.)

joedenise

Another small shop of £5.40, just some cottage cheese, fromage frais and potatoes which leaves £55 and a few pence.  That will be the last of this month's shopping!  So I've come in under the £250 even with a week's holiday included so didn't need the additional £50 which I'd allowed for the holiday which will be carried forward to next month whilst we're on holiday.