September 2021 Grocery Challenge

Finstickle

Hi, can I be put down for £495 this month please?
£16.50pd for 30 days

The Musclefood order I was planning in July still hasn't been done, but is on the list for this week. I also need a full fridge stock up following being away for over a week - it currently looks very sad!!

ms_iiwii

we did really well last month until the last week and then it all went off track. probably about £50 over. So we'll try again. had an almost £500 cut in income so we reallyyy need to start sticking to this! especially with christmas coming up. So can i be put down for £300 again this month please. starting today until september 30th.

first spends today in little T on milk, pepsi, hot chocolate, crisps, biscuits, fresh pasta and yogurt was £18 so £282 left for the month. 

goldfinches

Hello all, I'm just starting work on my shopping list for tomorrow as I'm absolutely dying to be able to set foot in a food shop again after managing to avoid temptation since the 25th.

Sorry to hear you're still feeling under the weather and under water financially @elsiepac and hope things improve soon for you.

I have just been reading the comments on this article in the Guardian  Parmesan and Pop-Tarts: 17 foods you’ve probably never frozen – but really should | Food | The Guardian - the article itself is a load of rubbish (frozen lettuce anyone?) but the comments below the line are very helpful and have given me some new ideas on things that can be frozen in useful ways e.g.  0% fat greek style yoghurt apparently becomes delicious.

nannygladys

Elsiepac - I know what you mean about food prep, sometimes I have to force myself as well and some days I think 'blow it' and have cereal and toast all day.

Another spend free day, so l gone a full week not spending on anything, I haven't starved myself, veg from allotment and other stuff from stores and freezer. I'm still eating banana cake from the freezer and I was given a few bits as well. Not sure how long I can keep it up as I will need milk and butter before too long, but I'm pleased with it.
I'm trying a no spend month so other than my cash envelopes I won't be spending, any money left will go towards a new pair of glasses and boiler service, I do have a sinking fund for these type of items but a bit more won't hurt. 
Nannyg

BigSpenderLittleSpender

Hi

Can you put me down for £100 for September

BadBookkeeper

Hi, newbie here 👋.

My budget is £320 for September for family of 3.

Blackcats

Please may I join in for September with a budget of £320

 I'm on holiday for some of the month but it's self catering so that will also be part of the £320 and I'll have a separate eating out pot for some holiday treats.  

I've done a big shop today in order to get my £10 L*dl voucher.  As it's still August that means I've got great start to the September budget as I'm very well stocked up on store-cupboard stocks and I've got the £10 voucher to spend in the next 7 days.

goldfinches

nannygladys said:

Elsiepac - I know what you mean about food prep, sometimes I have to force myself as well and some days I think 'blow it' and have cereal and toast all day.

Another spend free day, so l gone a full week not spending on anything, I haven't starved myself, veg from allotment and other stuff from stores and freezer. I'm still eating banana cake from the freezer and I was given a few bits as well. Not sure how long I can keep it up as I will need milk and butter before too long, but I'm pleased with it.
I'm trying a no spend month so other than my cash envelopes I won't be spending, any money left will go towards a new pair of glasses and boiler service, I do have a sinking fund for these type of items but a bit more won't hurt. 
Nannyg

@nannygladys - if you're anywhere near a M*rks keep an eye on the specialist butter on the upper shelves there. I find every now and again lots of packets hit their expiry date at the same time and then they get marked down from £2 to as little as 63 pence at my local branch and I expect that their stocking is done centrally so that the same thing might be happening at your branch too.
I buy up to 10 packs of the Italian white butter and put it into a plastic box in my veg crisper drawer in the fridge. It makes lovely pastry and gives onions etc. a really good flavour. I find it stores well provided you keep it at around 5C.

Couldsavemore

Good Morning..
Hoping I can join, 

£200 for this month.

Household of
1 adult 
1 child ( paid for his school meals seperately)
1 dog 🐕 and 2 cats 🐈🐈‍⬛

So it's £50 a week for groceries, toiletries, cleaning stuff.

The cupboards are full... so hoping to focus on cooking again rather than eating rubbish, cutting back big style on the fizzy pop.

Suffolk_lass

My tally is for the year so far. I have spent £1824.29 (60.81%) out of my annual £3000 (not including the £500 contingency at this stage). 
I don't need to shop yet and plan to resume making soup for lunches. I need carrots soon to do this. @Elsiepac that is a good idea buying the ready prepped veg. I always use those veggies plus a bit of sweet potato with whatever squash soup I am making and it makes for simple, nutritious, cheap lunches. We don't mind having the same thing for days in a row (just as well!) and I have so many bags of frozen chopped courgettes (I do them while the kettle is on!) that I can always rustle up a meal in an hour from what I have in.
DS came over yesterday and asked me for three quick and easy to prepare dinners. He is as poor as a church mouse as his work remains part time. I gave him some from my stores to be able to prepare three (four!) meals - 

1. Sausage tray bake - chipolatas, a small onion, potato, some cauliflower florets, a courgette and a pack of cheese - he might need to buy a tin of baked beans and a carrot to add to this. Sprinkle the chopped veg (twisted and cut the chipolatas) with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 30 minutes then sprinkle with grated cheese and melt it for another 5-10 minutes. Serve with baked beans if you want to.
2. An onion, a potato, 2 chicken thighs, a tin of tomatoes and a tin of celery or similar soup, mixed and baked in a covered oven proof dish for an hour and served with (gifted) green beans (actually I swapped them for plums, with my neighbour), cauliflower and new potatoes - enough for two meals
3. Make up some meatballs from minced beef (onion and salt and pepper), cook these in a cast iron pan and separately some large pasta (6-8 shells), arrange in the cast iron pan, pour over some pasta sauce (I had some, in a jar in my fridge) and top with grated cheese, bake for another 20 minutes. Eat out of the pan. 

Apart from a carrot and the baked beans, and using a 200g pack of mince he portioned in his freezer, that is four days for very little spend (for him!). He was happy