February 2023 Grocery Challenge

smudgybunny

I haven’t been very good at updating on the challenge, but it’s been so good reading everyone’s posts and being accountable! Reporting a spend of £238.28/£250 
We have more than enough food to last until the end of the month and the £11 ish left will be used to buy kimchi and miso soup tomorrow. I want to thank you so much for running this challenge, as a newbie it’s been so helpful! 

diminua

Hot cross buns bought at the weekend - I've given up sugary things and crisps for Lent so made the most of those and pancakes on Tuesday, as well as my pastry on Monday.
Groceries this week were: milk, tuna, bread, a small bottle of wine, coffee (which I am not giving up but may cut to four cups a day) tomatoes, potatoes, sundried tomato paste, pasta, muesli base (which I will sweeten with a few currants and nuts) and butter. I also had £10 in nectar points so still have £19.16 left. I'm at Kew on Saturday, so need that small buffer in case we decide to get tea and cake or drinks. 

Edit: Already forgot I'm not eating cake. Tea then. Or drinks. 

Saver-upper

Yesterday I only needed eggs for a spinach and ricotta cannelloni I was making. (Recipe calls only for egg yolks, and since eggs are so hard to find at the moment, I did consider skipping them, but I was a bit scared how it would turn out ).
on my way home, I dropped in at three different supermarkets before finding them at co-op. £3.10 for 10 eggs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! .
If I was a bit braver at going off-piste when following recipes, I would have left them there at that price !!!
And doughnuts were purchased at the request of daughter, who was with me. Total spend £4.35

Total Feb spend so far including the great egg robbery: £253.54/£300

2Scratters

We are down to the bare bones of £19.57.
 If I can make this do with the ABSOLUTE bare bones till Monday which is my wages day we will be 1 whole month in credit. Tea tonight is sorted and will be eaten with rice as we have no potato's. Just need to plan other meals with the same sort of plan or with pasta/spaghetti. Need some mushrooms and 2 onions.
DH has just told me has hasn't taken what he has spent on milk and other bits 
It is what it is, this is more like a balance of £9.57. We will be increasing to £250 for March to cover dog food and the other bits of incidentals.

2 Scratters xx

thriftwizard

Oh dear. Just added up my assorted grocery spends for the week & we are now waaaay over, at £500.69 when I was aiming for £450. Worst of all is that that's caught me unawares: I knew I was going to go a bit over, but I'm shocked by just how much. Part of it has been down to the fact that I do now need to eat a LOT of fruit, veg, nuts, herbs & spices & I haven't quite got into my stride with sourcing this as effectively as possible; I need to add in more frozen/tinned/home-grown stuff and rely less on fresh, shop or market-bought. Part of it is that DD1 & the BF are here, there & everywhere at the moment & I'm not always aware of their plans; the freezer is now full of bits & bobs that we've cooked for them & then discovered that they're eating out/going away/bought their own! So I need to clarify things with them, though they do try to keep me up to date - some of the time! Anyway, that's it for February; payday next Tuesday. Now to work out a realistic, achievable-but-challenging target for March...

Gettingmyshiztogether

Just catching up with everyone progress!

Last shop of the month planned for tomorrow. We have just under £115 left in the budget, and 10% off L!dl so my plan is to sit and write a meal plan for the next two weeks later and buy what I can that will keep. That's the plan anyway! Will keep you updated on our progress. 

Re: eggs, my top tip is to avoid the supermarkets and head out to the villages instead where you night find farm shops, stall with honesty boxes on, we even have a am egg vending machine near us! Today I got 30 eggs for £6.50 in a little village shop. It's worth hunting for them 💗

£305.20 / £420 

MissRikkiC

Does anyone have the seeded or malted bloomer from Mr Lidddl? It’s the Rowans bakery loaf. I’ve thrown out the wrapper (brown bag type) and curious as to if the ingredients contain milk or soya and wondered if someone could tell me? I’ll check otherwise then I’m next there but figured someone might have it too! 

Gettingmyshiztogether

MissRikkiC said:

Does anyone have the seeded or malted bloomer from Mr Lidddl? It’s the Rowans bakery loaf. I’ve thrown out the wrapper (brown bag type) and curious as to if the ingredients contain milk or soya and wondered if someone could tell me? I’ll check otherwise then I’m next there but figured someone might have it too! 

No but I am going there today, so if they have any ill check the label for you 

Suffolk_lass

I was hoping for a less-than £200 month as Jan was so big, but I bought some extra store-cupboard items that have not been on the shelves or online since Christmas, and I noticed the Savers Bleach no longer has a label on the shelf in the local Morries so bought the 2L OB for almost three times the price. Net result is £202.04 which sounds fine until January's £332.65 is taken into account. So after two months where I want to be under 15% of my annual £3000 I am at 17.82% or £534.69, which feels much worse. 

I'm off to scrutinise subscriptions and see what we could skip

PipneyJane

@2Scratters - my condolences.  I am sorry for your losses.  

Soontobeoap said:

DH still has 4 jars of options hot chocolate powder that I bought last year for £2.00 a jar. I have pointed out to him today that one jars best before date is March, one is May and two are June. 

@Soontobeoap, you may want to dissuade your DH from drinking his flavoured hot chocolate so quickly.  Last time I looked, a jar of Options was nearly £4!! It’s a dried product, so the best-before dates are irrelevant.  It just guarantees that the jar will remain sealed to that date.  

FWIW, we extend our flavoured hot chocolate by using 1 heaped teaspoon of Options with 2 heaped teaspoons of plain, own-brand hot chocolate, per mug.  It doesn’t create a noticeable difference in flavour.  (I like peppermint flavoured; DH caramel.)  Even the price of own-brand has gone up by 80p-£1 this winter.

Did someone mention Douwe Egberts Instant Coffee?  Best storage jars ever.  I use them to store my spices, which I buy in 500g bags.  (Good coffee, too.)

I have a couple of spends to declare from Monday.  I went to W8flower on my way to choir rehearsal and bought this year’s bottle of their own-brand woolwash (£3), plus 3 of their 500g bags of Black Turtle Beans (now £1.80/bag).  £9 spent.  

On my way there, I dropped DH at Sainsbugs, where he bought lemon juice (on offer), plus 3 chorizo sausages (£2 each) and some ice creams for £9.54.  On his walk home, he went to L!dl and spent another £1.65 on some chocolate. 

£82.37/£142 spent, leaving £59.63 for the rest of the month.

I’ll be off to L!dl shortly to do a small shop.

- Pip