July 2022 Grocery Challenge

bupster

@elsiepac please could I set my budget for £250 this month. 

That's up on the last two months but I've completely failed both months and I'd like to give myself a chance to come under target for once! 

Soontobeoap

@bumpster don't consider it a fail. It is a learning process. 

peony40

Afternoon, a quick post to say that £3.50 was refunded from my Sunday online grocery shop due to short use by dates.  Money has been put in my rainy day fund.  Having a sit down with a cup of tea and will catch up with everyone.

Take care.

EssexHebridean

@otb666 just popping in to offer condolences - although as you mention, that's not such a bad way to go, is it. 

I've realised that if I can't make July work within our budget then there is something going seriously wrong as because of the event we are involved in we will only have two and a bit "shopping weeks" to think about in our month - we're away from home for 10 days with accommodation paid and food provided for breakfasts - we'll probably buy easy-prep-on-site food for lunches, then have a main meal each day from the staff canteen so there will be some spending but not huge amounts during that period. I think realistically I'll be aiming to spend no more than £100 of our declared budget though - the rest will either sub spends while we're away, or stay in the food account ready for next time we buy a whole lamb.

katkin

First spend of the new month yesterday. £15.00 in Sainsbo's which was far more than I went in for as my head was turned by several yellow stickered items including cream cakes    Loads of veggies and salad though. Also spent £3.27 in a local, non-brand named discount shop where they have a huge selection of spices at 59p each. So that shop was all about seasonings.

Spend to date - £18.27

GC budget - £250.00
Balance - £231.73

My "big" online shop isn't coming until the 12th. I'm trying to play around with when I do the spend to see if it encourages me to be more creative with what I have in stock. Starting to run low on cheese so I made tonight's fish pie with parsley instead of cheese sauce and tbh I'm not looking forward to it. Feel denied! I can only try these things and see how I get on. 

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening GC'rs

£5.81 spent today, on carrots and junk food.  The junk is in preparation for the looooonnnnnnnggggggg summer hols 🙁No I'm not proud, but we won't be having the chocolate biscuits/crisps everyday, they will be strategically deployed.  But they had them in stock in our local MrA, so I got them when I saw them.  The new version of MrA's valoo brand level is now soft easter style lemony yellow.  Think the range is now called 'Just Essentials'.  As yet no price rises per item, but........

For tea I made a version of a recipe that Chef Angela Hartnett made on her new podcast.  It's sponsored by MrW, so the recipe calls for ingredients that you can find in-store....... 🙄  Anyhoo, I made it without the Sea Bass, and made the ragout from generics, stuff that I had in the store cupboard.  So my capers were from HB, my shallot was a red onion, my aubergine from the MrL box, the tomatoes were too, the butter beans were MrAl tinned, and I used a base tomato veg sauce that I made up in the PC, so my version was possibly more stew like rather than fragrant broth...........  But tasted yum.  I served it with a dollop of Arto Der Haroutunian's Jajig which is basically cucumber, yoghurt, garlic and mint, and also with some brown basmati.  The good news is that LG was served up a portion of what we had.  And after initially starting off with great gusto, and having mixed it all together, they decided they didn't like..... the yoghurt!  Never mind the aubergine, never mind the brown rice, capers or butter beans.  They didn't like the yoghurt!  Anyhoo, we struck a deal in that a small spoonful of un-mixed-in yoghurt was put to the side of the dish, and they were to see if they could finish off the rest of the meal, which they did.  So a great achievement, and another list of ingredients that LG has eaten, but how come kids always baulk at the stuff you least expect them too...........  So I heartily recommend Tomato and Butter Bean Ragout.......



Off to update my siggie.

£56.02/200

Greying X

Smoosh

I spent £4.65 earlier on a jar of hot chocolate and some cookies (definitely not necessary, but a nice treat). 

Then we did the weekly shop this evening. 

£10.53 in the first shop on 4 litres of fizzy drink, washing up liquid, veggie sausages, a sandwich (YS - 20p from £2), pancakes (YS - 10p from £1), sushi (YS - 19p from £3), mozzarella, grated cheese, 2 packs of 2 scones (YS - 10p each from £1.50 each) and 3 doughnuts (YS - 10p from £1.65).

Next shop was £12.62 on 10 litres of fizzy drink, 1 litre of juice, 4 pints of milk, ibuprofen, a box of cereal bars, pasta, 1 sweet potato, dried mixed herbs, 1 kitchen roll, 8 mini croissants, 6 eggs and 2 muffins.

£2.86 on 2 croissants (YS - 17p each from 89p each), 2 cheese croissants (YS - 19p each from £1 each), a pain au raisin (YS - 20p from 99p), a pain au chocolat (YS - 20p from 99p), herby baby potatoes (YS - 15p from £1), cheese and onion rolls (YS - 51p from £1.49), a sandwich (YS - 38p from £2.55), chicken bites (YS - 17p from £1.15), garlic bread (YS - 38p from £2.50) and green beans (YS - 15p from £1).

Then realised we didn't have enough mozzarella for dinner so had to run round to the local shop - another £1.15 spent. 

Meal plan:

1. Mozzarella, tomato (olio freebie), basil (home grown) and balsamic paninis (YS) with herby baby potatoes (YS)

2. Quorn spaghetti bolognese (sauce made using olio free tomatoes)

3. Pizzas made on wraps (cheese and olio tomatoes for me, bacon and mushroom for OH)

4. Veggie hot dogs (YS buns) and chips

5. OH is out, I'm having pasta

6. Fish and chips with my parents 

7. Veggie sausage "pie" (mashed potato top using YS mash) with green beans (YS) and broccoli

On Sunday we're also having a little picnic breakfast to celebrate the life of our cat who we had PTS exactly one year ago Sunday. We plan to eat his favourite foods - blueberry muffins and croissants - and reminisce about our time together ☺️

If puddings are wanted we have ice cream or doughnuts. Breakfasts will be YS croissants/pastries, cereal or YS pancakes. Lunches will be YS sandwiches/sushi and then wraps for OH (using YS meat from the freezer) and either YS cheese and onion rolls or crackers and cheese for me. For snacks we have about 15 bananas left (olio last week), cereal bars, biscuits and crisps.

Feeling very well stocked up at the moment and grateful for all the YS and olio goodies we are able to get. I'm making sure to meal plan carefully so that nothing we have goes to waste (as usual we also freeze almost everything we buy YS).

We have spent £110.28/£230.

I need to order cat food and we will need more dog food. Then just 2 more main weekly shops. 

Soontobeoap

Wow @smoosh. You did well.

In my determination to do better this month I have spent every spare minute I have googling prices in different stores. £9.15 spent at my local Iceland based in the range. Shopping order from Morrisons this afternoon. £39.00 for £59.00 worth of food. Checked prices against Tesco and saved £10.00 in offers and used a £10.00 voucher code for my first online delivery. Pretty pleased with that. Its my 2nd week in as I started on 24th June

I have been costing up meal portion prices in an effort to find most cost effective. Thought some of you might be Interested.

Fake away night pizza with left over veg sticks, salad bits and sweetcorn=£2.85

 Gluten, dairy, soya free version £3.00a portion

Fish, chips and beans = £1.48
Gluten, dairy and soya free =£2.30

Lasagna with sweetcorn and salad =98p a portion
Gluten, dairy and soya free =£1.06

Cheese and ham pasta = 53p a portion made with gluten free pasta and cheese according to allergies.

It has helped me to work out which meals are really good value for money. I reckon I can average £1.00a person when we are not entertaining family and friends. Fish and chips is a must when they come to the seaside. 😎

SausageDogSandwich

Morning all, small spend of £2.10 on sausages and a bottle of squash.  Couldn’t get any of the other items I wanted so will have to make do for now, hoping for today and tomorrow to be NSDs 

pamsdish

£8 in town, £4 on my favoured deodorant, Mitchum, on offer in Wilkos, and 2 packets of Aspirin £2. £2 in the charity shop, looking for soft toys for the dog and spotted one of those weighted door stops in there, needed one instead of my wellies.