June 2022 Grocery Challenge

thriftwizard

Guys, I'm going to have to duck out for the rest of the month, though I'll still read along & probably comment every now & then, because without my up-to-date signature I'm lost! I normally have it written down (ok, on the back of an envelope) but I'd tidied it into the bin before we went Up North, and it's the one time the Offspring have actually remembered to put the bins out for collection, so my hard evidence has gone! As far as I remember, we weren't doing too badly so far this month.

Another reason; we do now, for the first time, have Covid in the house; DD1 came down with it whilst we were away, and DD2 tested positive yesterday. OH has developed "a cold" - he won't test, but isn't going anywhere anyway - but so far DS3 & I are clear. I don't want to have to go out for anything if I do go down with it, so I'm taking care to keep stocks right up, particularly greek yogurt, fresh fruit & veg; it's taken me 3 years since surgery to discover this, but that seems to be what my digestion really, really needs to function moderately normally. The new season allotment veg is only just starting to come now - first pickings of broad beans and globe artichokes will be eaten tonight - though the slugs seem to have been feasting on it anyway, sadly. 

Off to make sure the next few days are covered now...

EssexHebridean

Fingers crossed you manage to steer clear thriftwizard - and if your OH won't test then I'm glad to hear he doesn't have to go anywhere! Good plan to make sure you have all supplies you might need in just in case too - this was where we had an issue when we got clobbered by it back in April - we had no choice  but to stop to get shopping on our way home from where we'd been when we tested positive as we'd just been away for a week so the fridge was empty and the following day was Easter sunday! Ended up scuttling round Morries like lepers trying to social distance from everyone! 

Chilli and rice was pronounced delicious in spite of being brown rice last night, so that's good news. Tonight's tea is all prepped and ready - I even grated the extra cheese onto the top last night while I had the cheese and grater out for the top of the chilli, so tonight is as simple as whack it in the micro on combi - got to love a quick tea! I'll need more of those planned in too as our workload in our voluntary role goes up massively over the next few weeks.

Current planned spending for this week:
Veg box £15.99
Farmers Market - want to keep that to £35 tops
Al's - as low as possible! 

I reckon I will commit one of the packs of mince I plan to buy at the farmers market for an immediate conversion to a ragu which can then be turned to either bolognese or chilli base. If peter on the lamb stall had a lamb or mutton shoulder at a decent price then I'll have one of those from him - that would get slow cooked until it's dropping off the bone and will then provide MANY meals, it's well worth the cost! Allowing we need to be early at the market because we have an online meeting at 11am we stand a decent chance of nabbing one if he has them at all. 

The veg box should have salady bits so I definitely need a salad on my meal plan for early next week.

Greying_Pilgrim

Good afternoon GC'rs!

£31.99 spend to own up to today.  There is non-food (but household) expenditure included in that figure - but it's still gulp-worthy, especially as there wasn't even a snifter of booze, not even a low-strength beer 🙁

I did get a MrL box today though.  All useful stuff that will be incorporated into meal-plans.  I noticed that milk was now £1.35, olive spread is now 99p (SEL still at 85p 🙄), and I'd forgotten that bread is now 59p a loaf as the SEL still said 55p 🙄 Pesto for LG is now 69p (which I seem to think is about 11p more than I paid last time), and although I didn't buy any today, I noticed that black olives are now 59p a jar 🙁BUT MrL did finally have the 75p porridge oats in stock - YAY!!!! 

Onwards and upwards!

Greying X

goldfinches

Soontobeoap said:

😂🤣🤦🏻‍♀️. I had hidden all of the signatures myself by mistake. Technical Numpty!!!! Updated now!!!

does anyone know how I delete the edit symbol that I have at the top. I have obviously added that by mistake too. No one else has one!!!!!!

You only have the edit symbol showing on your own posts - it means you can add to them but no-one else can.

I really came by to point you and maybe others on here in the direction of this recipe for chocolate sorbet as it is suitable for a wide variety of diets and apparently tastes delicious. How to make the perfect chocolate sorbet – recipe | Ice-cream and sorbet | The Guardian

Soontobeoap

@goldfinches Thankyou for helping me understand the edit button and thank you so much for the chocolate sorbet recipe. I will let you know how I get on when I try it out. 😊

PearlRose

DH popped in to Aldi yesterday, stocked up on some soya milk and cleaning products.  

Grocery spending in June so far £91.05/£370 Can’t believe we are already half way through the month, and the figure doesn’t look not too bad actually😃

nannygladys

No spends here, but I am getting to the point of having to for butter and milk, I hope I can keep my purse shut and not see anything else!!! I really really want a very low spend this month as I would like to put a bit more into my canopy fund.
Nannyg

pamsdish

£14.26 in A1D1, seem to be frittering money away when nothing really needed, looking at my receipt, everything went into the stores, except the y.s. tuna steaks, think I will freeze those as I do have most of a large chicken to eat.
Got to go to pick my new specs up tomorrow, I park in T0sc0 car park, will try not to go in the store.

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Afternoon!

Another £9.43 to own up to spending. Much like pamsdish, the majority of spend was for storecupboard things, so a fine balance between 'do we need it', versus 'I'm here, there is some in stock, I shall get it'.  At least we are well off for fruit now, so I shouldn't really have to do anymore shopping until the normal shop next week.  

I was planning on lentil bolognese for tonight's tea, but I think I will be better off using aubergine, courgette and tinned tomatoes to make a caponata style concoction, to utilise my veg stocks. I will look to serve with bulghar and the green beans from the veg box.  

I noticed in MrA that they are re-branding the 'smartyprice' range.  I know I'm an auld luddite, but how I wish Sm's would just concentrate on having more of their existing valoo range on sale for more of the time........

Greying X

Vanlady

Good afternoon challengers,

Weekly shop done today, £44.61 in mr Aldeee.  Bringing my total to:

  £164.33/£210   (I keep a record on my phone, I noticed some peoples signatures have dissappeared)

I'm feeding people on Sunday so a larger shop than usual. Plus bought a few extras while they were in stock , as weve noticed these have run out recently- 12 tins tomatoes,  3 light mayos , rice and noodles.

Glad you were a rebel  EssexHebridean and cooked brown rice.  We had veg chilli last night and I also rebelled and cooked brown rice to serve with it, I think brown rice goes so well with chilli but....eyes roll....  mr Van prefers white (though he will submit to brown rice with veg chilli).

Goldfinches, thankyou for your recipie link for chocolate sorbet, it sounds fab, plus great that its dairy free.  I really like the Guardian recipies and the way each one has s discussion around it. I might have to dig my ice cream maker out for this one.


Lunch today was the last portion of cauliflower cheese soup, glad I tried it but dont feel I'm missing anything. 
Dinner tonight - hm chicken curry and white rice, not brown tonight for Mr Van !! and  aubergine ( on super 6) and tomato spicey stew for me, currently doing its thing in the SC.

Tomorrow -lunch indian spiced lentil and red potato soup. Dinner 'Jules sausage pasta '  ( got 3 sausages in the freezer that need eating up). I love this recipie by J Oliver.

Good luck everyone, and keep cool.
X