April 2022 Grocery Challenge

Naturelover22

Hello,
Monday again! This month is flying by.
Added up our spends for the month so far and we are on £148.51 for food, household and pet. £6.20 was treats for work as my husband starts a new job this week.
It is very interesting to narrow it down actually and we have spent a fair bit on socialising without doing anything special.
Food shopping is going well, it was Sainsbury's yesterday as husband needed diesel and the cats eat their own brand cat food. Then a top up in the Range of cat litter as Sainsburys have discontinued their cheap one.
I have been reading the discussions and I am enjoying learning more about everyones lifestyles and ideas what to do with the food.
We will have family round on Sunday so need to plan for that, probably roast lamb but have not decided. We are having a day out on Saturday and I think I'll suggest a picnic rather than more spending out and about, maybe just buy a hot drink while we are there.

Soontobeoap

well DS, DIL and GD’s have arrived today. Staying in rented house but having meals other than breakfast with us. Was going to buy an expensive roasting joint to impress but I didn’t want to give up on my frugal habits, so I dug 2 small brisket joints out of the freezer and cooked them with yorkshires roast potato’s and 4 veg. I have never had so much praise for a roast since my kids left home and 6yr old GD who has been very poorly with chicken pox ate it all up. She hasnt eaten anything but puddings for a week! Just goes to show that it is not the cost of the meal but the love that goes into it that counts! Have frozen 2 tubs of leftover beef to make into stews for DH and I and have put all of the little bits in a tub in the fridge ready to make pasties when I am not so tired. Feeling quite smug actually.

Anyway went shopping to Aldi tonight to get some picnic stuff for tomorrow, salad stuff and ice cream. It was only 5.o. Clock and I couldn’t believe how empty all of the shelves were. We couldn’t find any salad stuff and fruit was very limited. Picked up 2 small bottles of sunflower oil as I will need it at the beginning of next month and it seems to be getting harder to get.£19.31 spent but still need to find salad ingredients somewhere tomorrow to go with Lasagne for dinner. 

DawnW

No grocery, or indeed any other spends today. We had chicken pesto pasta today, using up the last scraps of the free range chicken I bought with last week's shopping. The pesto was from the freezer, home made from basil I grew last summer. I am working all day tomorrow, so made a big casserole with veg from the fridge, tins of beans and tomatoes, and a packet of sausages from the freezer. Chucked in some chard from the garden, as there is loads of it at the moment. There is plenty for dinner tomorrow, plus another meal for OH and I a bit later in the week. We will just have mashed potatoes with it tomorrow, as it contains loads of veg.

MissRikkiC

Approx £23 spent today mostly on YS items, mince, mushrooms, peppers, humous, veggie sausages etc, topped up with full price items of milk, toddler snacks, paracetamol and sudafed. Hoped I just had a bit of a head cold but turns out it’s the dreaded C-19 so glad I got the paracetamol as I’m taking them like tictacs at the moment. Well at least the freezer is stocked

otb666

Now up to 348/600 for food.  Had to buy some birthday stuff (candles cake balloons cards) and could not resist  chippy today. That means only 50pw for remainder of month

K9sandFelines

K9sandFelines said:

My meal plan (Vegan) if anyone is interested, is as follows:
Today : Savoury lentils (basically potatoes, brown lentils, carrot and parsnip done in the instant Pot, then add gravy powder). I was going to have sprouts, but it was lovely on its own. 
Tomorrow: Kyivs (they've changed the name in support of Ukraine), homemade chips and peas. Or if we are full from party bits, then I will omit the chips and maybe add broccoli to the peas.
Weds :  Punch jerk sweet potato nachos (this is a Lidl recipe) 
Thurs : Lamb style shawarma in pitta
Fri: Chilli and rice 
Sat : Swedish style meatballs with mash, red cabbage and parsnips w. Lingon Berry sauce. (This is dependant on whether I have potatoes left or if they've been used for the chips on Tues).
Sun : Wagamama Raisukaree curry with rice

Weds Thurs, Sat, Sun meals will carry over as we had something else.
Yesterday we had burrito style wraps, tomorrow is Dan Dan noodles to use up half a pack of mince. Daughter can choose on Sunday, as she is off work; and Saturday I'm not sure yet; so tbc. 

I'm about £3 over budget so far with just tomorrow to go. Ideally need bread and bananas, not sure what else. 

Trying to eek it out. 

Greying_Pilgrim

MissRikkiC said:

 Hoped I just had a bit of a head cold but turns out it’s the dreaded C-19 so glad I got the paracetamol as I’m taking them like tictacs at the moment. Well at least the freezer is stocked

Oh MissRikkiC - I hope you escape being too ill, and have help at the mo. 

Managed a NSD yesterday.  Tea was boiled rice with curry out of the freezer, and I made a batch of lentil dhal in the PC.  Mind, we munched a deal of the dhal, so there wasn't as much left as I'd hoped to stash in the freezer for another day, but there you go.  I was listening to 2 episdoes off eye-player of 'The Food Programme' on R4 as I cooked.  Sheila Dillon was investigating legumes; beans and pulses.  I think i'm going to move into the legume aisle in yer slightly-above-average Spanish supermercado - sounded heavenly!  And got me thinking....... dug out my 'ancient when I got given it, for free' copy of Rose Elliot's 'The Bean Book', and did some planning.........a possible little project for the last week of April - or before, if the pennies really start to squeak........😬

Greying X

MissRikkiC

Thanks @Greying_Pilgrim 2 years without having caught it and now in my last 5 weeks of pregnancy so hoping for a mild cold. 

Interested to hear about your plans… I’m attempting to grow some beans from seed this year to dry out and use (if I ever finish getting the greenhouse built!) if it’s anything similar?

Greying_Pilgrim

MissRikkiC said:

Thanks @Greying_Pilgrim 2 years without having caught it and now in my last 5 weeks of pregnancy so hoping for a mild cold. 

Interested to hear about your plans… I’m attempting to grow some beans from seed this year to dry out and use (if I ever finish getting the greenhouse built!) if it’s anything similar?

Lawks I feel for you - soooooooooo many people have successfully avoided the dratted virus, and then seem to have succumbed now, and that's folk not growing a baby.....  

I'm not going to grow any beans myself.  We live in a rental.  However, I did used to grow beans yonks ago when I had an allotment, I was very into heritage seed and certainly grew drying varieties.  So my project will only involve recipes using beans, but it will hopefully prove thrifty and frugal, which may be very much needed the way prices are going at the mo. 

Greying X

Pinwheel

Good morning

More spending to report - £53.88.  I am including toiletries, dog food and alcohol with my groceries.  We rarely have take-aways and never go out to eat.  We treat ourselves to a coffee in town at the weekend sometimes which I am not including.

Today I am making a curry in the slow cooker, I have some sweet potatoes (which I have to cut very small so they disintegrate as I am the only one who likes them), peas, lentils and spinach.  We will have it with rice and naans and I will hopefully have some leftovers for the freezer.  

Have a good day