April 2022 Grocery Challenge

Suffolk_lass

Greying_Pilgrim said:

MissRikkiC said:

@Greying_Pilgrim I made the mung bean and black bean dhal you posted recently at the weekend (without the PC) and really enjoyed it so thank you! 

👍- fantastic 😊I like that recipe too.

Will need to snag a NSD today, and then just get the 'staples' in my shop tomorrow.  Although I am aware that we are too reliant on the store cupboard, and that this will need restocking at some point.  Even if we get through this ultra-tight budgetary month, I've got to try to determine a plan for going forward that enables food shopping along with all the other bills that have to be met (like everyone else).  It did strike me yesterday that i never have 'treats' on my list anymore.  Whilst healthwise it is no hardship to exclude treats, it makes me muse on quality of life as we bobble through. 

Greying X

I find the TGTG bags from SM (round here this is EofE Coop, M&S SF and Morries but I think Londis have just joined too) - they often have baked goods in them (sadly for me, as most go in the freezer) - I made a bread pudding to use up some of the bread and hot cross buns that were saved in the freezer (and gave it to DS). That's a slightly less healthy treat here but very tasty and popular. 10 items (typically) for just over £3 is typical and you can choose Vegetarian only as an option. I have ready-made pastries and desserts frozen for some point in the future that isn't Lent

Greying_Pilgrim

MissRikkiC said:

Do you think it’s worth considering what you deem as a treat @Greying_Pilgrim? I’m not saying that your current idea is incorrect however I am guilty of taking certain things which are treats for granted, but it’s very much because of how and why I deem them treats in the first place. 

For contrast I would say that homemade humous was a treat (not in comparison to anything else like shop bought but just generally) however I would say chocolate wasnt any more. 

I know you’re making your humous without Tahini at the moment, maybe the addition of that and it being more luxury could be a treat?

I think I understand the point you're making MissRikkiC - and I think that it's easier for me to see more 'everyday' foods in the treat category - than perhaps LG (for example) does.  We already never have takeaways, I haven't set food in a McD's for well over 20 years, and LG hasn't ever tasted any of the fast food items from there - or any other outlet's options.  At one of LG's clubs, the conversations often turn to the children being told (by parents) to "hurry up or we won't go to [insert fast food option of choice]".  Whilst I don't (personally) see fast food as a treat (but respect some people do, and some people see it as a more regular meal option), it's getting a bit galling that anything like that - or, indeed, chocolate, has to fall into the 'we can't afford those' category.  We don't have hummus very often (my bad for not making it 😔), but I view hummus as a food option open to us as vegetarians, rather than a 'treat' or even luxury food.

Thank you MissRikkiC for posting - I never mind my thoughts being challenged, and I appreciate being made to think about subjects in order to come up with alternative solutions, or even sometimes just to analyse stuff to the point where I can think, "yep, I'm doing my best, this can't be improved on/changed".  I always like to see things from as many 'sides' as I can - I'm quite open like that.

Greying X  

Greying_Pilgrim

Suffolk_lass - sorry I missed you post.  I do know about TGTG, but I'm unsure whether they would be 'for us'.  My reasoning is this (so feel free to tell me if I'm wrong), is that from what I have seen (people have talked about their purchases/posted pics on MSE), the most likely 'best fit' for my purchase style is the MrM, offering.  However, our MrM is over the other side of town, it would need a round-trip of at least 6 miles to get there, and I'm aware that TGTG bags are offered at certain times of the day - which could be more difficult to match into journeys. The idea was especially unattractive recently because of fuel price hikes.  

If we are talking about - for example, cakes or buns, what i need to make happen for 'me' is to work out how (for example) a pack of 6 hot x buns could be added to the MrL shopping list (of milk, bread, butter, porridge oats type purchases), without it breaking the budget.  The buns would be enjoyed as a 'treat' (we choose not to eat them year round - but appreciate others do), but we would also have the 'staples' for other meals that week.  

Perhaps it's just these 'lean' months that need to be got through, but I'm just finding it a bit hard at the moment that a shopping list can't have '6 pack lentil curls' (for example) on it.  First world problems, I appreciate.  And I DO cast my eye over to the fruit bowl and see bananas, apples and satsumas sitting there (because of bargains), so I can (and do) appreciate the riches that we are in receipt of.  

MissRikkiC - I can't buy tahini at the mo, due to my small budget (and it's rocketed in price as an ingredient), so that is why my hummus is tahini-less, however, I do appreciate the point you were making.  

Greying X

MissRikkiC

I love the discussions had on these posts and appreciate the varying views people have. I don’t ever feel like any are to be challenged, just always makes us think more that’s all  

Humous made at home is a treat for me, but I’m also a meat eater so it’s not so much a staple in our house. 

What do others who are in this challenge deem as treats? 

Greying_Pilgrim

MissRikkiC - I love the discussion too.  My use of 'challenge' was in the conversational/discursive sense, rather than the combative sense.  ie, I like to be 'challenged' to think through whether my assumptions are correct, or if my understanding is accurate or whether I truly have explored every available option.  Challenged in that sense 😊

Greying X

SausageDogSandwich

GreenCat80 said:

Hope he's not too poorly, and hope you manage to avoid it!

Thank you  Thankfully he only felt poorly for around 48 hours, my eldest is complaining of feeling ill now, but negative for covid so far. 

Meal plan didn’t end up happening as I wanted but never mind, curry is in the slow cooker for today now. I have spent £8.74 on mainly reduced items at c0 op, £2 at Hb and £12.36 in m0rrisuns on fruit, veg  and sandwich meat. Don’t usually shop there but last time I went I bought the 14p noodles and had run out so was going to stock up again, only to find they are now 25p a packet   

My total is now £41.88. Have to stay under £50 a week Friday to Friday as paid weekly, but tracking monthly for the challenge. Just need toilet rolls and milk and then no more spending until Saturday. 

The meal plan for the rest of the week is ;
thurs- spaghetti and Quhorn meatballs
fri- pizza 
Saturday- fry up 
sun- something with mash 

Smoosh

My treat is definitely my fizzy drinks. They cost us £3 a week (could be more but I try to only have 1-2 glasses of the expensive stuff a day). I could of course go without if budget didn't allow but since I rarely buy alcohol I let myself have it as a treat!

I am lucky that I get a lot of "treat" foods YS - of course this means you don't get as much choice in what you get, but being able to buy a couple of packs of muffins or cookies for 10p each that will last us the week is something I am very grateful for.

I guess because of that, I actually think of treats more as things that I don't/can't get YS - a nice tub of ice cream, some expensive cheese etc. 

zafiro1984

Got a voucher for changing the internet provider - a welcome £50 - had to spend it at Wait...... so decided it would be only fair to spend it on DH's wine as they have some offers at the moment and he was the one that changed the provider.

I added a few other items to the online shopping but only those I needed and compared the prices with another supermarket that I use online to make sure they were either the same or cheaper in price.
Good result - Total shopping cost without offers or voucher was £114.92, then minus the offers and the voucher the total spend was £24.20, it took about half an hour sorting out the 'offers' even so I was quite pleased with myself.

Total spend so far this month £24.20

QueenJess

Needed to go to the chemist to replenish some supplies.  To not waste the fuel, I did pop into two supermarkets which are also there.  Should mean that I don't need to get anything else for April now outside of bread, eggs, fruit/veg and milk.  The plan hopefully is to not spend more than £200 this month and then I'll do a major stock up shop for May with the £100 left. 

The milk/cheese shop from Monday was £4 and I had a £5.02 refund from the milkman for no delivery, so I'm up!  Went to M&S to buy treats that DH loves and so he doesn't notice I'm trying to stick to a budget.  Got 3x smoked salmon (2 for the freezer), sourdough bread and reduced bread for £14, but I had £15 of survey vouchers so it was free.  I only shop there when it's free

Did A*DA to pick up some store cupboard things like cereals etc, the odd frozen item, 21p YS crumpets, meat and fish for the freezer and DH's expensive snack bars.  Came to £38.23.  Now just need to keep out of the shops!

Total spend £62.56 / £200 (+£100 for stocking up).

joedenise

Shopped yesterday and have now spent just over £46 leaving just over £203 for rest of the month.

Still need to go to the Supermarkets which are in the opposite direction to where I went yesterday but that is mainly bulk shopping.  Want to go to Food Warehouse, Home Bargains and Sainsburys.  Not much will be from GC budget.