November 2022 Grocery Challenge

SausageDogSandwich

Didn’t mAnage to get out for milk again last night but finally did this morning after taking the kids to school. I got milk, cucumber and a pack of biscuits £3.35 spent. Kids are all having a hot dinner at school today, usually only the youngest does as it’s free for her. So they’re having cheese wrap, cucumber and crisps for tea. Not going to lie it’s great to have a day of not having to think or prepare a meal, husband and I will have an eycland curry later tonight. 

I’m not doing anymore shopping until Sunday when I have Asda delivered, buying everything for Xmas I can now and then a fresh Xmas shop on 23rd December. So just added a few bits that we need for now onto that order. Kids also taking food bank donations to school next week but I’m going to get them to make a list of needed items and a few bits they choose aswell. I have £20 left from last months challenge so will use that. 

Spending has gone a bit crazy with Xmas, dogs needing stuff, daughter started gym and needs a uniform, son needed football boots etc    So it’s nice to have the grocery challenge where I have a little bit more control. 

mumtoomany

Went shopping for bread and milk Tuesday evening. We were nearly out of chicken feed so combined journeys. Bought a few bits we needed in Aldi, toilet roll, onions, carrots, kitchen roll, milk etc. Went to the cash and carry for bread, they sell it frozen at 20p loaf. Bought 8 loaves, and fruit loaf for 10p. Also some chicken ribs, sort of bumpy burgers, for £6 for 3kg, 97% chicken. Found reduced butter, I've been buying spread since the prices went up. Four x 2kg tubs for £6.50 each. The equivalent of 81.25p per 250gms. Bought all four, three now in the freezer. Total spend for two shops was, £51.53. Taking the annual total to £2551.92/£2640. I also have £28 in vouchers for lidl and M&S. 
I don't need anything else this month, except milk. Hugs to all, mumtoomany.xxx

Paspatur

I didn't know you could get real butter in tubs
What is the make and the ingredients please

mumtoomany

Hi @Paspatur, it was at the cash and carry. No make. Just plain white tubs. Probably the companies own make. Company is Castell Howell. Ingredients are, 98% butter, 2% salt. Sorry i can't be more helpful. HTH, mumtoomany.xx

Gettingmyshiztogether

Wow that sounds awesome Mumtoomany! I need to get down to the cash and carry I think! 

TgTG update! I tried M and Sons again but a different town. Still good value; 10 items for £3.09. I got a bag of carrots, three nets of four lemons, two big bags of coriander, a pack of 6 baps, a pk of four flatbreads, a pk of four soda breads and a pk of four cheese muffins. Working out to be almost 31p per item. 

My girls had the rest of the lasagne from last night and some soda bread for their dinner. They didn't like the soda bread.

DH and I had a homemade (vegan GF) curry I made tonight using TGTG bits. I used mushrooms and mange tout from the TGTG box, chopped an onion, threw in some spices, a tin of tomatoes and a tin of coconut milk. oh and some of the coriander. We had it with some basmati rice and two of the flat breads done in the toaster. Sooo good. I had two portions of the curry left also for the freezer so that meal probably cost 50p per person ish. 

The bread rolls have gone into the freezer. The coriander chopped and put into a 2 litre tub in the freezer. The lemons I'll make lemon cakes this weekend with those, as well as some carrot and coriander soup (I use lemon and ginger in mine ... Great for colds!), and some carrot cakes with the carrots. The remaining two flatbreads will be toasted and had with hummus as after school snacks tomorrow. 

At the risk of this becoming some weird obsession, I am going to see if i can grab another TGTG box tomorrow from another local shop and then I think my "research" will be done! I'll report back of course 🤣

happydenial

£8.79 spent in M&S today on a pack of butter (gone up to £2), a dozen eggs, reduced hummus, reduced bag of mixed peppers and something else I can’t remember (the cat is sat on me so can’t check 😁)

Waitrose have been out of their £1 boxes of mixed eggs for over a week now. 

£323.21/500 to go. Shouldn’t need anything bar milk until next week now. 

Caroby

Small splurge on bits in Home Bargains yesterday, £8.03 on sweets, biscuits, Soreen malt loaf, Vaseline cocoa butter body lotion, hand gel and toothbrushes ... will need them after scoffing all the sweets and biccies. Just over £75 left now out of the £180 budget.

Paspatur

mumtoomany said:

Hi @Paspatur, it was at the cash and carry. No make. Just plain white tubs. Probably the companies own make. Company is Castell Howell. Ingredients are, 98% butter, 2% salt. Sorry i can't be more helpful. HTH, mumtoomany.xx

Hi, thank you. No use to me being so far away but interesting to know. xx

Greying_Pilgrim

Morning

Just nipped to HB to get some of the 'household non-food items' and came away from there (with an associated quick duck into MrS for Milk and a jar of pasta sauce), having spent a total of £20.87 🙄 

Entirely my fault as I went in to get toilet roll, and came out with a cake tin 🤔But I saw the 'Christmas Cake tins' (also good for storing other baked goodies), and just liked the one classic design, and figured if I dithered, it wouldn't be there when I made my mind up, so I bought it.  I was glad i went perusing in those aisles as I picked up something needed for a craft item LG will need to make for school in December, and whilst i didn't actually expect to find the product in HB, I did and I got the last packet that was on that particular stand (natural moss).  

I would normally make my own pasta sauce, pizza toppings etc, but I bought the jar of pasta sauce (only the auld Mother Hubbard's brand) for the store cupboard.  It's the same price as passata but has the seasonings already in it.  It's a back up/emergency helper.  

Although I can't - and won't - bust the budget for Chrimbo, and we (purposely) have an entirely modest time, I am willing to look at making some new purchases/embrace new traditions as we go through the years.  When DH and I were just a couple, we pared Christmas right back - being veggie there was no need for a gigantic turkey roast, we stopped going to the 'Works Xmas do' very early on, as it wasn't enjoyable, and even though 'free', seemed to demand a high price in individual dignity to prove you were 'getting in the spirit' 🙄........  But since having LG things have obviously changed a little.  I'm delighted that LG still loves Christmas Trees with a passion, and I'm so glad that our 'bought with MrT vouchers' fake, 6ft thingy, still hits the spot, in their eyes........  They still love the handmade advent calendar that I spent hours frustratingly lovingly crafting when they were but a babe in arms, and look forward to it coming out each year.  We're very, very lucky that as yet, 'rampant commercialisation' of Christmas hasn't really overtaken our modest celebrations.  But I was thinking this year I may well expand (from virtually nowt) the Christmas baking that occurs.  I'm not wholly sold on going back to making xmas pud (even though I've had my PC for many a year now, which simplifies the process no end), and I've never really bothered with iced cake.  I like to see what people craft, but am happy with a 'taste' of iced cake, and don't really want the additional calories stored in the house.  However, we all like fruit cake, and I particularly like the recipe for boiled fruit cake I picked up from MSE years and years ago (I think it's described as the 'Never Fail' cake in any recipe listings), so may well have a go at that.  LG likes mince pies, and whilst I won't bother to make my own - we do quite like supermercado in-store bakery offerings, so some of those may fall in the new tin......  

Milk, YS'd lemons and coffee was more or less the only 'edible' components of my shopping today, and is of no comfort when my grocery budget stands at £126.02/200........ 😂 Gonna have to ban myself from t'shops for a while, which should be quite easy, except for when I forget to buy milk as I did when I went to MrL yesterday...... 🙄😖  Ho hum. onwards and upwards!

£126.02/200

Greying X

thriftwizard

I've managed to avoid the supermarket for this weekend's shop - haven't yet run low on yogurt & cream, which are the two things that can't be found elsewhere in our little town - though I will need to go topping-up there on Monday or Tuesday next week. So this week's haul came in at £73.60 for meat, fish, cheese, fruit & veg for 3-5 of us - I'm expecting it to be 3 of us for 4 main meal/breakfasts, and 5 for the other 3, but all subject to change at short notice!