May 2022 Grocery Challenge

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning GC'rs 

I have to confess a £13.21 spend today.  I went to MrL.

I was lucky to be able to purchase another box.  It's compostition was entirely different to Tuesday's, and featured many more wrinkles, soft bits and part packs.  BUT I will use every damn inch of food in that box, with the exception of 2 red onions that had dried up (and were wannabee cricket balls - 'tis the season I guess), they have been tossed.

I'm going to try to keep going with the GC, but things are getting a bit wobbly at the mo.  As it doesn't involve the cost of custard creams I won't discuss it here.  But if I'm not around, you know that'll I'll be in the background somewhere, trying to make turnip souffle palatable; just not out the shop-front, stacking up Radish as a distraction activity, whilst I figure out what the heckington's wellingtons to do with them.

Take care all.

Greying X

goldfinches

@Greying_Pilgrim - just wanted to say I'm sorry to hear that things are getting a bit wobbly for you just now. I've greatly enjoyed reading your contributions to this and previous month's threads and will be thinking of you and your turnip souffle this afternoon. I hope you're able to keep reading here and that you'll rejoin when you feel up to that. Best of luck, goldfinches.

thriftwizard

Wishing you luck with that turnip soufflé, @Greying_Pilgrim - much more of this & I'll be begging for the recipe - my turnips, at least, are coming up!

I'm going to go over this month, the only question is, by how much? I'd worked it out that after my massive re-stock of the store-cupboard, I had just under £60 left for each of the 3 weekends' main shops left in May. But today's trip round the butcher, baker & supermarket have set me back £54.93, leaving about £4 for fruit, veg & fish for 6 adults for the week... I've kept the £50 that Dd1's partner contributes out of the reckoning so far, but now is the moment to start adding it in. 

We are are very lucky that I do this as a challenge & a discipline, rather than because I have to, and I'm well aware that many people are not so fortunate. Can't imagine how we'd have coped if this awful situation (rampant inflation, gaps on the shelves, rents through the roof, NHS gutted & unable to treat people) had happened when our offspring were small children, and my heart goes out to all those trying to cope, in what seems to me like the perfect storm...

Soontobeoap

@greying pilgrim so sorry to hear that things are a bit wobbly for you at the moment. Your posts are inspirational and I do hope that you can keep reading along with us at least. Enjoy the turnip soufflé. 
@thrift wizard, I agree that I am glad I do not have small youngsters to worry about clothing and feeding in the current climate. This forum keeps me focused on my spending but I do appreciated that we are lucky to be able to keep up with rising costs at the moment.
Nsd today but no way that I will not spend anything before the end of the month. Once again my predictions are way off. 

Doom_and_Gloom

£17.75 spent few last post between L! do and Mr S.

£130.05/£170.50.
£40.45 left. 

I already know we are going to go over budget. We have an A&C delivery Monday and an O~box next week which will take us over. Going to not let that get to us. We will be making sure to minimise the over spend as much as possible. 

SausageDogSandwich

Had another NSD yesterday, which made it 4 in a row, then annoyingly I’ve spent £2.82 in the cooop as I had nothing in for myself, everyone else had bean stew. I got myself a pack of wedges, a quiche for the kids lunches tomorrow which was reduced and 4 pack of burgers which were reduced to 62p while I was in there. Was counting on Tesxo coming at the earlier part of the 4 hour slot, but of course it’s coming at 10pm, else I could of avoided the cooop spend. That being said, I’ve realised I maybe need to shorten the gap slightly between shops as if it would of come yesterday I would of had something in the house for me. Anyway! With a botttle of wine for a birthday, which is from a seperate budget and the items I should get my money back on, (if it doesn’t work I will have to add these to my total) I have spent £39.73 on my order for tonight. 

Added with cooop and my total so far for may is £73.81/150 spent. Not going to lie, feeling a little deflated as there are still lots of things I’m either out of or running very low, even after the shopping comes tonight  Also been looking forward to making a brownie all day when I put the oven on tonight, only to find I’d already used the chocolate and hadn’t replaced it. Hoping to have have 3 NSD the next 3 days and make do with the things we do have instead of grumbling (to much) about what we don’t! 

K9sandFelines

My month starts tomorrow. So, can join you all for a few weeks 
@Greying_Pilgrim I hope you're OK. Thinking of you
@SausageDogSandwich I know the feeling. I've got a list of essentials; and then another list of other things which I have to decide between which items to get. I've also delayed doing a Tesco shop quite a few times. 

Good luck everyone 🍀

Greying_Pilgrim

Hopefully you all 'know' me well enough to know that I always try to find something to be grateful for, and celebrate the small wins.  I'm also aware that sometimes when things go a little pear-shaped (mmmm, pears.... 🥰).... it can feel like sometimes 'someone' or 'something' has your back, or just 'serendipity happens'.

Think that happened to me today.  There was a bag of chantenay carrots in the MrL box - they really needed using up, as being wrapped in cellophane had done them no good, and they were definitely on the turn.  I thought about it, and decided that they could quite easily be made into Morrocan Carrot Salad, to be the 3rd salad for tonight's tea to accompany an omlette.  I figured that I could use the (random) grapefruit from the other MrL box to take the place of the orange in the recipe - and instead of sugar, I would use a splodge of honey in the dressing.  Imagine my delight when I cut the grapefruit in half (to juice half and segment half), and discovered that it was in fact a lone Ruby grapefruit, and was infinitely less 'piquant' than a normal grapefruit - YAY!  The carrots were trimmed, chopped and steamed, and the salad made.  I wish i could say that i didn't have to compost some bits of carrot - because I did, but I know that making the salad today meant that I at least used what I could, wasting the least amount possible.  I also PC'd the bunch of beetroot, and ended up making my goto beetroot/apple salad, and there is beetroot left to marry up with cheese in a sandwich.  



I'm keeping trying.  Greying X

MissRikkiC

Will be thinking of you @Greying_Pilgrim
i do believe you and one other poster have been talking about Buddha bowls and I needed to come here to say a great big thank you! 

I made one tonight, as we had collected the veg box and it was just amazing. It used up stuff from the fridge, gave us a meat free meal and we enjoyed a range of flavours and textures, all prepped and served within 30 minutes. Also whilst I only served my 21 month old, the butter beans, bulgar and sweet potato she polished it off and had extras 🥰 love it when that happens! 

It’s staying firmly on our meal plan!! 

Pinwheel

I have just done the weekly L*dl shop and spent £76.08.  

I could really do with staying within budget but we have over 2 weeks until payday.  I'm really going to try.  I have always tracked what I spend but doing this challenge definitely keeps me on track.  Thank you for all your ideas and inspiration.