October 2022 Grocery Challenge

FrugalThymes

I need to add on a couple of spends from the last few days; groceries from lidl £17.50, and £20 at tesco for toilet roll, washing powder and a few food bits.

Last night we were gifted bread, pate, cornish pasties and sausage rolls from Olio, and tonight we've just picked up ham, sausage rolls, garlic bread and doughnuts. Not the healthiest but it sure keeps lunchbox costs down! £32.65,

Now at groceries £70.15 

SausageDogSandwich

Morning all, more spends here.
£15.13 at Tesc0 on Tuesday, this was buying everything Aldi didn’t have in stock at the weekend, plus a few extras like two big bottles of ketchup, crisps and vinegar. I also picked up a few bits for the. Max cupboard but these come from the Xmas pot. £3.30 on a box of broken biscuits, £5 to my brother for another 5 for 5 curries and rice from icelan tuesday. Yesterday husband bought something for 90p at work. Hoping not to do any shopping until next week but I keep seeing lots of deals posted online for her0n so will have to decide if it’s worth the walk there at the weekend.

£76.14/200 spent.

JingsMyBucket

Wow, what a good haul @FrugalThymes. Olio isn't a thing in my area unfortunately and TGTG is only really for Greggs, Starbuck's or Costa. Every once in a while the Morrison's in town decides to get back on the app but that's genuinely about once every 3 months so it's random. Phooey. 

@leftatthetrafficlights well done on saving so much money this month! That'll nicely pad the savings or Christmas fund this year. 

I have a couple purchases to declare from Wednesday. Before Mr. Jings arrived back home I went out to get a few items. £7.00 spent at Iceland for two sets of trash bags and a big box of Kellogg's bran flakes. £25.15 was spent at M & S for bananas, eggs, strawberries, various "luxury" yoghurts, ham slices and quiche in their regular 3 for £8 deli deal, and a shrimp and edamame pot I'll eat for lunch today. 

£214.43 / £300.00 spent. £85.57 remaining

Our spending week starts over tomorrow and I'll hit a pound shop for drain cleaner. I may stop into the halal shop for tahini and brown basmati rice too. We've still got enough veg to last us so haven't ordered a fruit and veg box just yet. I might just push that into next week's budget. Today I'm making a brothy beef soup from the marrow bones and beef shin Morrison's brought last week. That should fortify us through the gloomy rainy Friday and Saturday we're about to have. I'm not quite sure what else is on the cooking plan just yet though. 

EssexHebridean

Jings if you have one near you H0me B@rgains occasionally do the “brick pack” 1kg packs of brown basmati for a reasonable price - I saw it in one of the other bigger stores recently too - possibly even Ald1 actually… 🤔 

Had essentially a free lunch today using a ready meal I was given by Mum a while ago that had been lurking in the freezer - it was one Dad had that she wouldn’t eat hence it coming my way - mushroom stroganoff with rice - technically a not suitable for home freezing job but having reviewed the ingredients  list the only reason I could see for that was the rice - and as I always make sure anything with rice is very thoroughly heated I decided to cross fingers and assume it wouldn’t kill me! 😆

LadyWithAPlan

@goldfinches I make up a lot of GF DF cake mixes, often using GF oats

As you are probably very aware leaving the GF batter in the fridge for an hour  before cooking makes a huge difference. I make a sweet version of the same batter as below - by adding sugar - just over a tablespoon,   cinnamon and ground ginger (I removed the savoury elements apart from I did add a pinch of salt)  and again refrigerating the batter. I then peeled and sliced (normal eating) apples as thats what I had in - gently fried each side in a mix of oil and DF butter. Once the batter was added to the hot oil I then added the fried apples to the  mix - and sprinkled on a  few frozen blueberries . and then baked for 20 mins. I served hot with DF yogurt
It was very delicious  and GF, DF and filling.  It is like a clafoutis so less crunchy and a bit softer.
If you use cooking apples I suggest a bit more sugar
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/user/5529476/recipe/gluten-free-toad-hole


There is this gf apple recipe but my own version as above I actually preferred
https://www.delightfulrepast.com/2021/03/toad-in-hole-apple-dessert.html

Grocery
£16.63 spent at Ald* including £3.15 treats
Bought some seeds, chia, nuts, DF milk, YS veg,  salsa, ys herbs, raspberry conserve for first time in years as I have this really not great GF YS bread I bought and froze. Eggs, oranges, sultanas for baking GF, lentils and YS turkey breast stakes for freezer.
I normally go to MR L as nearer so picked up a few seed stuffs that it doesnt tend to stock. Popped into M&S but no real bargains so bought nowt

I am still eyeing up that GF breadmaker thats reduced £100.. given the YS GF bread I bought for £1 from £3 - it is not good and I know this breadmaker makes great GF bread as my family have one...I will get one - just not before I get paid and may wait til Black Friday

Grocery Oct  22 GC £53.91/145   +    0/£55.30 for bulk


NSD Oct 7/17 - Friday should be a NSD day  as well which would make it 8/17

Food
I made a turkey casserole in the pressure cooker with YS casserole veg mix - had a portion and will freeze most the rest as I get bored otherwise
I also bought a YS veg soup mix so thats in pressure cooker  now with a can of lentils to make a lentil soup - again I will blend and freeze most of it
I do keep buying sweets and tortilla crisps but it comes out  treats budget but I can see that is mounting up.

Soontobeoap

Found some more runner beans on plants today. Cant believe they are still going. Made a sausage and egg picnic pie and knew I should make other things to fill oven even though I really didnt feel like it. Anyway I made a couple of fruit cakes and feel good that I didnt waste the electricity. Still no heating on yet but there was no sun streaming into the lounge window today so it is getting colder. Going out tomorrow night so if we can just hold out tonight we will get through until Sunday. £2.50 added to challenge for onions and milk. 

Caroby

A small spend yesterday of £4.15 in Asda for broccoli, celery, dental tape and an Asda vegan pizza (£1.75)
First try of the pizza, we were surprised how good it was for the price. Nice crispy thin base, lots of topping, will definitely have one again. I put some grated Lidl vegan feta on top as it came out the oven and we had it with peas, carrots and cauliflower.

thriftwizard

Sigh - I'm going to be well & truly bust again this month! A massive £75 spent between the supermarket yesterday & the market & bakery today. Yet again, we'll have a houseful this weekend; a dear family friend is coming, so most of the Offspring are descending too. Which will be lovely, but means I had to buy rather more expensive options than I'd planned; there was nothing large enough in the freezer. And my brother's coming next weekend - lovely again! But more catering required... oh well. We're very lucky that this is not a disaster financially, just a nuisance. But makes me think that I do need to have more options for entertaining up my sleeve (or rather, in my freezer!) than I currently do...

diminua

I've done a bit better this week. Still over target at £111.15 but not too bad, especially given I've bought salmon (which I am hoping to make a pie with tomorrow, but it's my first time making a fish pie with pastry, so fingers crossed). 

hazeldreams

Big shop day yesterday, so we're up to £341.01/£580 (realised it was a 4 week month not a 5 week one so that's why the budget has shrunk!) We're trying to average £145 per week down from £150 per week last month.