April 2022 Grocery Challenge

Ginmonster

I had totally forgotten about a £3 spend from Monday when I took DS to the cinema and bought us ice creams afterwards. I bought a 4 pack from the supermarket and donated the extra 2 to the first people I met outside the shop. They were delighted to get a free ice cream each and nothing was wasted that way. 

Today I took a trip to Mr T and bought Easter eggs for family members we'll be visiting soon, bread rolls for tomorrow's packed lunch and some baking block all of which set me back £17.79.

New total is £53.02/£200

thriftwizard

£11.11 added, from a swift dive into L!dls whilst passing, on a £1.50 box (containing a cabbage, a cauliflower, a Little Gem, carrots, a leek, a big red pepper, potatoes, 2 bananas, a large lemon, 6 pears, 3 nectarines, an apple, and 2 large & 6 small tomatoes - money well-spent!) some butter beans (OH's favourite) a couple of tubes of tomato purée & some extra loo roll. Now dreaming up recipes... there are no leftovers for tomorrow's "eat-it-up" night (the troops ate seconds of the sausage & chorizo casseroles, and thirds of last night's curry) so I'm thinking potatoes, leek, cauliflower & broccoli au gratin, but the cabbage could go into a stir-fry with the last of the chicken (mushrooms for the DDs) and the flower-stalks of the winter's kale, which is coming out this afternoon or tomorrow.

allmannerofthings

I'm not doing well..... I need to declare a further £26.45 on groceries, Tesco Whoosh! again. It's so easy to do one of those every few days instead of a big shop, but of course I'm paying for delivery every time, and it makes for more opportunities to buy tempting bits I don't need. We also succumbed to a takeaway (£27.18) the day before yesterday. I've got health issues, and my husband is having to work full time from home whilst also doing all the  housework, laundry and cooking, and waiting on me. He's permanently exhausted, which I feel very guilty about, and hence the takeaway because Monday he came down from the office after work and just looked so knackered before he even started cooking, that I suggested we get something in instead. All of which doesn't help the budget. Any ideas? 

So that's £83.38 spent of my £160 budget, leaving £76.62 for the rest of the month. I'd also forgotten we are having a fish and chip supper with family on Good Friday, our share of that will be about £20. So, £56.62 left for the rest of April which is really not going to be doable. I feel like I've fallen at the first hurdle! Not sure whether to keep going and end up with a minus balance for the challenge or allocate more to the budget. I guess at least I'm realising where all the money goes! I thought £160 would be more than enough   

So I've written a menu plan for the next few days. At least I can try not to spend any more money until I have to. We do have quite a bit of food in, which is why I thought it would be easy to make £160 last 3 weeks (I was a week late joining in). Meals I've got in mind for the next few days, that I have the supplies for:

Breakfasts - toast and marmalade/cereal/yoghurt and fruit
Lunches/Dinners:
*Salad. We have enough for two salad lunches/dinners, and various things we could have with it - prawns, tuna, ham, cheese etc. I think perhaps a tuna salad with baked potatoes for tonight's dinner, and a prawn salad for tomorrow's lunch. 
*I have chestnuts and chestnut mushrooms, which we use to make a sort of veggie mince. It makes a lovely spag bol.  We could have that tomorrow evening, with leftovers (we always make double) for Saturday's dinner. 
*Friday night we're out for fish and chips, so probably a sandwich lunch.      
*We have bacon in the freezer, so I'm thinking maybe we could have a meal of bacon, scrambled egg, tomatoes, mushrooms, maybe Saturday lunch. 

That's just off the top of my head, but it's kind of a plan. 
      

Cheery_Daff

Ginmonster said:

I had totally forgotten about a £3 spend from Monday when I took DS to the cinema and bought us ice creams afterwards. I bought a 4 pack from the supermarket and donated the extra 2 to the first people I met outside the shop. They were delighted to get a free ice cream each and nothing was wasted that way. 

Today I took a trip to Mr T and bought Easter eggs for family members we'll be visiting soon, bread rolls for tomorrow's packed lunch and some baking block all of which set me back £17.79.

New total is £53.02/£200

Brilliant idea with the ice creams gin monster!

Allmannerofthings, I know what you mean about feeling like you're falling at the first hurdle. I too feel like I'm realising where things get frittered away to... I suppose we need to treat this as an observation month?! Do our best, and see where the weak spots are, and then try again next month?

More spends to report here. £4.50 on 6 pints of milk, quorn sausages and a pear for Mr Cheery yesterday, and he'd also spent £10.7oin Tesco earlier in the day on interdental cleaners and a couple of other little bits. Doesn't it add up?! 

I, however, was polishing my halo - I'd taken both dinner and tea to work (I was there for a long time) and didn't resort to vending machine or shop at all...

Crazycatlady2

allmannerofthings said:

I'm not doing well..... I need to declare a further £26.45 on groceries, Tesco Whoosh! again. It's so easy to do one of those every few days instead of a big shop, but of course I'm paying for delivery every time, and it makes for more opportunities to buy tempting bits I don't need. We also succumbed to a takeaway (£27.18) the day before yesterday. I've got health issues, and my husband is having to work full time from home whilst also doing all the  housework, laundry and cooking, and waiting on me. He's permanently exhausted, which I feel very guilty about, and hence the takeaway because Monday he came down from the office after work and just looked so knackered before he even started cooking, that I suggested we get something in instead. All of which doesn't help the budget. Any ideas? 

So that's £83.38 spent of my £160 budget, leaving £76.62 for the rest of the month. I'd also forgotten we are having a fish and chip supper with family on Good Friday, our share of that will be about £20. So, £56.62 left for the rest of April which is really not going to be doable. I feel like I've fallen at the first hurdle! Not sure whether to keep going and end up with a minus balance for the challenge or allocate more to the budget. I guess at least I'm realising where all the money goes! I thought £160 would be more than enough   

Feel free to tell me to keep my nose out but our cheaper solution to takeaways is too always have in some frozen pizzas and ready meals to use instead. 

As a family of 5 including a disabled child I’m frequently too exhausted by tea time to cook properly so do this along with preping  some meals in days I do have more energy….I’m not one to give advice really with a spend of £600 (for 5 and not just food plus the pets) 

allmannerofthings

Cheery_Daff said:

Allmannerofthings, I know what you mean about feeling like you're falling at the first hurdle. I too feel like I'm realising where things get frittered away to... I suppose we need to treat this as an observation month?! Do our best, and see where the weak spots are, and then try again next month?

Thanks Cheery Daff! I've edited to add a little menu plan for the next few days, hopefully that will help. 

Crazycatlady2 said:

Feel free to tell me to keep my nose out but our cheaper solution to takeaways is too always have in some frozen pizzas and ready meals to use instead. 

As a family of 5 including a disabled child I’m frequently too exhausted by tea time to cook properly so do this along with preping  some meals in days I do have more energy….I’m not one to give advice really with a spend of £600 (for 5 and not just food plus the pets) 

Thank you Crazycatlady2, I think you're right. Pizzas/ready meals in the freezer is a great idea, and we used to do that, until we decided to be more healthy and cook from scratch all the time.... only to end up getting takeaways on occasion    I will get some ready meals!  

Soontobeoap

Hi all. I am back again looking for advice. I took a large lasagna out of freezer to feed visiting family but have been struck down with a stomach bug for 2 days and so everyone made other arrangements. It has been in fridge for 2 days.,Can I refreeze it without poisoning our next guests. I have read conflicting stuff on line and wondered if anyone else had ever had this Dilemna. My neighbours don't eat pasta and I can't bear to throw it away but also don't want food poisoning!! 

DawnW

Is your large lasagne cooked? If not, cook it and then refreeze. If it is cooked, you could reheat it until absolutely piping hot, allow to cool and then refreeze. That is what I would do, but I would also divide it into portions and use asap instead of keeping for guests.

joedenise

As @DawnW said if it isn't cooked then cook and refreeze in portions. 

If it was previously cooked portion it up and refreeze but be prepared to throw it away if it does look or smell OK when it's defrosted as you are not supposed to refreeze foods.

Greying_Pilgrim

thriftwizard - I am completely green with envy over your MrL £1.50 box.  I too was passing MrL today, so ducked in and there were some boxes....... fine if you were in the market for your own body weight in green potatoes and little gem lettuce that were already liquifying in their packaging........🤢 Worst offering I have ever seen, and not worthy of my precious pennies.  I did however, spring 75p for a 6 pack of lentil curls, as they had some in stock 🥳 

allmannerofthings - I totally agree with Cheery, treat this month as an 'observation' month.  You've realised what the pinch points are likely to be in terms of tiredness or joining in with family occasions etc, and you've already come up with some solutions to these points.  Life happens.  Hardly sounds like you've fallen at the first hurdle, it sounds to me like you've come into the GC with the mindset to do your best, and see what tips, tricks or minor tweeks could be applied to your particular family needs/situation going forward.  I wouldn't count a 'negative' budget if it were me, I would try to spend mindfully going forward, and see what the final figure is at the end of the month - if you know what you've spent it on, and why, that will give you better data on which to base future months budgets. 

Right, I've decided to stick to the meal plan, so I'm away to cook a Quorn filet and rustle up some veg to go with.

Greying X