May 2022 Grocery Challenge

joedenise

No you're probably right!  Didn't realise it had parsnip in it.  Looks like you'll have to grin and bear it until it's gone 🤣

K9sandFelines

Bluegreen143 said:

@K9sandFelines we were going to watch Eurovision with my friend this year (my friends love it!) but in the end they can’t make it. So I suggested to DH we use our child free night night (kids are going to my mum’s, we don’t get many children free nights either) to go out on a date night. He was so disappointed to miss Eurovision we’ve swapped to going out for afternoon drinks and will come home for Eurovision 😂

Its a good job you love him 😉. I'll have to watch it tomorrow on catch up as I've got GD here and if I stay up to watch it, I will not be able to get up with her in the morning 🙃

EssexHebridean

T’s shop plus a quick visit to F@rmf00ds today. Total of £34.93 in T’s, and £6.66 (eek!) in FF.  Of that £13.66 was storecupboard items. 

I’m now on £58.19/£200 however I usually start the month with a bit more spendings as I stock up on things, and that’s definitely true this month as we’re trying to protect a little against rises. 

If anyone is in FF’s anyway and needs butter they currently have CountryLife for £1.69 or another brand (it was out of stock in ours but the shelf edge label was there) at - I think - 2 for £2.60 - so a saving to be had there over prices elsewhere.

Things we couldn’t get - there was no T’s own brand tuna at all - not brine, spring water or oil, and the only own brand sardines were the skinless boneless ones - the ones that are £1 a tin rather than 40p. (I wonder why those were left, hmmm?!) I bought a couple of small tins of pilchards which will do for our purposes. Did manage to nab a YS’s white sliced loaf for 33p which is stashed in the freezer - can’t make it for anywhere near that price right now! 

ladyholly

What tuna do you get for 40p. The cheapest in Tes** here are £1 usually although they are all out of stock except the drained version at £1.20 or 3 for £3.00.

Vanlady

Good morning May GCs

2 shops done this week (1 big, 1 small) bringing me to....

£109.66/£200

I've just looked at the calender and 2 more main shops to go in May so should be doable.

Some of this was spent on 24 (yes, 24 ) tins of mackeral, plus 12 tins of H***z tinned spaghetti (on offer at 50p a tin)........all mr Van's. Hes a bit of a hoarder at heart so I do have to keep my eye on him.  The good thing is it will all get eaten, nothing is wasted here except some peelings, coffee grounds, tea bags. 

I dont have a bulk fund like some folk do, my grocery spends all get lumped together.

Managed to get 2 bags of WM bread flour in L**l yesterday, but no white bread flour to be seen for ages. I might start to add a bit of white plain flour into my white bread flour to eeck it out. And no £1.50 boxes either, boo.

Veg stir fry last night and tonight , with chicken added for Mr Van

Tomorrow...finishing off some frozen cooked chicken in the freezer from xmas day with Al** wonky potatoes (anyone had these? They're very good, glad to see them there), lots of veg and stuffing.

Tuesday....cheese and onion omlette with potatoes and veg. This is a weekly staple of ours, saves me having to think too much.

Wednesday....fish fingers with potatoes and veg. Again, another weekly staple.

Thursday....spaghetti puttanesca 
 I will make double, 1 to freeze.

Vanlady

Ps meant to add...

I love all the wonky veg and always buy it if available. Sometimes they dont even look wonky so I dont know how they get classified as such??? Wondering....would all that have been wasted if not sold as 'wonky'. If so that's just shocking!

EssexHebridean

ladyholly said:

What tuna do you get for 40p. The cheapest in Tes** here are £1 usually although they are all out of stock except the drained version at £1.20 or 3 for £3.00.

There’s no tuna around for 40p a tin as far as I know? 🤔 The only 40p item on my “couldn’t get” list was the sardines as mentioned.  The T’s stores in here usually have their own label tuna at 4 for £2.83 - occasionally the “value”  stuff too but not often. 

Vanlady - a lot of the wonky veg would get wasted I believe - purely based on what it looks like. I think Hugh FW (?) did a bit of a campaign encouraging folk to use it a few years ago. We have an “Oddbox” veg delivery every couple of weeks which we really like - if anyone wants to give it a try then drop me a DM as there is a referral code that I think  gives you a cheap first box and me a credit on my account. 

ladyholly

EssexHebridean sorry I misread your post. On second reading you said sardines not tuna. I think my glasses need cleaning.

Suffolk_lass

Ginmonster said:

Since the weather is so lovely we went for a little walk this afternoon and stopped in at the zero waste shop near us. I spent £4.23 on stuff I totally don't need but fancied as a treat - pecans to go in my morning porridge and dark chocolate covered ginger just because it's delicious. We ate a couple of pieces on the way home and really enjoyed it. 

I used up all the sad and bendy veg today with half a tin of coconut milk I had leftover, some red lentils and some Thai red curry paste to make a big vat of soup and now I'm hoping it stops being so hot because I really don't fancy soup! There's zero room in the freezer so I'm going to have to just get on with it and eat the soup over the next few days. 

Now at £90.26/£200 and it should be fine as I still seem to have plenty of fruit and veg. I think I can make it to next weekend before needing any more. Hope everyone's enjoying the sunshine!

@Ginmonster when I make it too hot I stir a good dollop of Greek-Style yogurt into the finished hot soup in a cup/bowl (ie don't heat it) and that works really well to let it down a bit (cream works too, as a swirl) - stir it through as you go. Gives it a lovely, slightly tart tang to work against the parsnip too (I am notorious for too-hot butternut soup which is similarly sweeter)

DawnW

@Vanlady I don't have a bulk fund either, if it is food, basic toiletries or cleaning stuff, it comes out of the grocery budget. And if I do buy anything in bulk, as I sometimes do, I either go over budget or cut down elsewhere, depending on how rich or otherwise I feel.