March 2022 Grocery Challenge

diminua

£56.44 spent. Biggest extravagance was honey and brand name whisky for hot toddies last week as I had a cold (I had lemon juice already from pancake day) and the second biggest today's lunch of mozzarella and sundried tomato baguette (I should have made a sandwich Sunday night. I know what I'm like in the mornings). 

Other than that: Muesli base and flaked almonds in H&B (almonds on special offer). Broken brazil nuts, bread (sliced loaf for toast and fancy sourdough to eat with soup) milk, tinned tomatoes, tinned kidney beans, red pesto, the aforementioned lemon juice, crisps, cocoa, eggs, double pack of coffee, pasta, potatoes, mackerel fillets and one pain au chocolat. 

Smoosh

Weekly shop done. 

£21.94 in aldi on 3 litres of fizzy drink, bag of hash browns, jar of pasta sauce, lemon meringue pie, 40 dishwasher tablets, 1 litre of juice, shampoo, shower gel, tin of spaghetti, 2 ready meals, noodle pot, 1 kitchen roll, 9 toilet rolls, 2.5kg potatoes, block of gran padano, broccoli, pot of houmous, big pot of yoghurt and 4 cheese topped rolls.

Then £3.74 in asda on 2.5kg baking potatoes (YS - 18p), fresh basil (YS - 10p), 1kg carrots (YS - 18p), 4 mini corn on the cobs (YS - 18p), ready made cheesy mash (YS - 10p) and 4 litres of fizzy drink.

Did not intend on buying so many potatoes this week, but couldn't pass up the 2.5kg baking potatoes for 18p! Hoping they will last OK. 

Meal plan:
1. Quorn nuggets, spaghetti/beans and mash. Used the YS mash above.
2. Burgers (beef for OH - YS from the freezer, veggie for me) with chips and the YS corn on the cob.
3. Pasta with a tomato and olive sauce (got a jar of olives in the fridge that need using, so will blend them into the premade sauce).
4. Breakfast for dinner - beans, veggie sausages, hash browns and eggs (YS from a few weeks ago - trying to get them used up). OH will have mushrooms too. 
5. Pie (Quorn lattice for me, YS chicken pie from the freezer for OH) with mash and broccoli.
6. Spaghetti carbonara with peas. Quorn bacon for me, pancetta for OH. Still using the YS eggs. 
7. Having my parents round for a roast. Meat eaters will be having sausage meat wrapped in bacon (YS from after Christmas, from the freezer). Veggies will be having vegan wellington (also YS from the freezer). With broccoli, carrots, peas, roasted onions and Yorkshire puddings. Afters will be lemon meringue pie.

Total spend this week: £25.68.

We have spent £89.34/£200 so far. 

EskarinaWeatherwax

Hello @elsiepac thank you so much for running this thread. I’m
not able to be here much at the moment for reasons but am sticking to my budget and writing up my spends every day. I’d rather stick to that religiously than feel I’ve failed by not being able to update here too. 

This thread is genuinely inspiring even when I’m not here. I’ve seen somebody’s signature which says don’t give up what you want for what you want right now and it’s just in my mind all the time.

I’ve made some huge changes this year just from being part of this community and I’m so grateful for it.

Keep at it everyone

K9sandFelines

Greying_Pilgrim said:

Meal plan until Sunday 6th March;

W - Buddha Bowl
Th - Lentil bolognese, pasta and green beans
F - Mugg, mixed veg curry & rice
Sa - Black olive/mushroom pizza and HM wedges
Su - Veggie sausages, yorkies, mash, mixed veg & gravy

Today's buddha bowl will feature rice, lentil dhal, beetroot/apple salad and an omlette - plus anything else that stands still long enough to be incorporated 😁 The beetroot salad is based on the 'Happy Pear' recipe, but I don't currently have any seeds to toast, so it won't be exactly as the boys wrote it.  I can't find a link to the actual salad recipe, but if you need any plant-based recipe inspiration, then head over to their website.  

I have managed to find the recipe that I always use for Mugg (moong bean curry), and if you click Friday's 'Mugg' it'll take you to the recipe, just in case anyone is interested [Edit: - scroll down the interview, the Mugg recipe is first on the list after it].  I remembered that it was originally an 'Eat Hackney' recipe, and in trying to search out a link, I came across a new (to me) website for 'Made in Hackney'.  There are some seriously interesting recipes listed on their website - I can see that I'm going to get mucho inspiration hanging out on their wonderful site 👏

Greying X

I absolutely love the ethos behind what Made in Hackney. I was working for the same sort of company for 18 months but they weren't vegan, though they offered the odd vegan meal. 
I'm vegan also 👍

Greying_Pilgrim

K9sandFelines - thank you for your kind comment.  As well as the MIH recipes, I discovered RebelRecipes from the MIH site, which is also  vegan. Don't know if it would be of interest to you too.

Greying X

poppy811

So far so good, staying within budget.  Next online shop is March 23rd which looks as if it will take me just over £80 budget.  Dishwasher tablets are so expensive but with my illness I am loathe not buy.  Everyone seems to be doing well, this challenge really concentrates the mind!

Suffolk_lass

pelirocco said:

Suffolk_lass said:

Wraithlady said:

zafiro1984 said:

Yesterday, I bought a whole fallow venison carcass, from the local game farm. I did the same last year, lovely lean meat, everything from fillet to mince, liver and kidneys as well. This year it works out at £5.38 per kg affordable at that price.

Up here in the wilds of Manchester, I can't find anywhere that will sell me a full deer carcass - I can butcher it myself, it's not that difficult.

 All I can find is expensive 'meat boxes' which really don't seem to be much value for money - also I don't get a choice in how I want my meat prepped, chops are not much use to me.

maybe explore if there is someone who culls nuisance deer that have escaped - we have a few estates near here and have previously had a problem with them wandering around. You have Tatton Park to the SW and The North Peak District to the East - I am sure there will be people. Maybe check with a NT Property who they use

Escaped ?
You do know deer live outside of commercial deer parks ,deer are a native animal 

Yes I do know. I also know that red deer and roe deer are the only truly indigenous species in the UK although fallow deer have been in the UK for about a millennia. The other three species (Sika, Chinese Water Deer and Muntjac) are asian imports that escaped from captivity and cause a lot of damage to native habitat. 

There is a difference between living wild and native.

I mentioned an estate because it is a more straightforward way to find out about people who are licensed to cull in a humane way

poppy811

Forget what I said,  oil prices have increased by 100% and electricity looks like again it will increase again by at least 100%.  I am on a pension and have a an inoperable cancer so not quite sure to how to deal with this.  At least we are better off than those people in Ukraine but I feel the world has gone mad.

Soontobeoap

poppy811 said:

Forget what I said,  oil prices have increased by 100% and electricity looks like again it will increase again by at least 100%.  I am on a pension and have a an inoperable cancer so not quite sure to how to deal with this.  At least we are better off than those people in Ukraine but I feel the world has gone mad.

It is worrying I know . However we are going into the summer when we use less electricity anyway and on this site people seem to keep coming up with new ideas to stretch the pennies. Worrying will make you feel so much worse and won’t help your condition. Can you access the cheaper food from supermarkets at the end of the day or even the food banks. I know it is hard but you would not be the only one struggling in these awful times. Please try to get some help. There will be groups in your area I am sure. You just need to reach out. 

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening

Popping in to confess a £1.79 spend.  Got to peruse the aisles of MrT and MrA whilst waiting for LG to finish their club.  Had I needed white bread finger rolls for veggie hot dogs, I could have had several YS'd packs in MrT, alas I have a packet in the freezer, and need to save space for other things.  The YS'd vegetables were still rather expensive, even the bendy, brown, limp stuff........  Mr A was a much better selection, although not absolute knock down YS'd prices, but I got 2 punnets of green grapes (63p each - and there were well over 20 punnets - I heard staff counting them), and a pack of P1zza Expr3$$ dough balls (the small pack, should have been £2) for 53p.  I've never had dough balls before - and never made them, so thought they were worth a punt for 53p.  The only thing I regret not getting was a 10p bag of brussel sprouts, but I literally only had £1.80 in my purse, so am happy with my purchases.

Greying X