July 2023 Grocery Challenge

JingsMyBucket

Morning all. Checking back in after being away for the past 5 weeks. We just returned on Friday and received a Tesco order shortly after getting in the door. That was £135.41 and had a lot of food staples along with big items like laundry detergent, paper towels, 2 big packs of toilet paper (their price keeps rising!). A lot of the food items were on sale in some form or the other but it was still high. 

On Saturday we had a fruit & veg box delivery from our local supplier. We also asked for 2 dozen local eggs. That all came to £25.40. Our fruit bowls are overflowing now and we have lots of fresh food to get us through. 

Also on Saturday: £16.80 at M & S for garlic (forgot in the Tesco order), oat cakes (ditto), biscuits for Mr. Jings, hummus, onion/garlic dip, and the 3 for £8 deli deal (half a roasted chicken, roasted tomatoes, and ham). I also spent £2.25 at Iceland for Philadelphia cream cheese that M & S didn't have. I brought fresh bagels back from New York and need my Philly to go with them!  

Sunday I was on the high street and stopped into Savers to get cough drops (throat sweets to you lot) and spent £2.72. Next was M & S where I happened to get there near closing time and cleared a bunch of good YS deals. 4 tubs of burrata, 2 packs of smoked duck breast and a 2 pack of burgers, all YS. I also got some celery and carrots to make soup on Sunday evening. £9.90 spent at M & S.

£192.48/£250.00 spent. £57.52 remaining

I need to do some meal planning but I've been roughly hanging on due to getting sick literally the day after we returned (Saturday). Hopefully I'll have more oomph tomorrow to do some heavier cooking besides just soup. 

Pennypincin

Hi, managed to save £5 from last weeks money and put it into the pot with the rest for an online delivery.
I'm about halfway through this weeks money.
It's getting tougher, but I'm determined to keep going.

elsiepac

Hi guys

August GC is now live!

Apologies for the budgets not being totally updated in July - after going through them and then losing all my changes a couple of times, I ended up giving up as it was time for the new challenge anyway! 

mucky_moo

£188.77/£200 this month hasn't really gone to plan. I'm leaving my job and having a bit of a rough time with a colleagues attitude so there has been some comfort eating. I'll try and not spend too much this week because we do still have a lot in but after talking to DH I suggested having an extra £50 this week if we need to. This is or first month trying this  and there are a lot of changes coming up that might make this easier in the future

joedenise

After today's shop have spent just over £101 and have £153.07 left for rest of month.  Pleased with that as means I can move whatever is left at the end of the month into the Emergency Fund which has had to be raided this month!

otb666

562/600 Pleased with that We have bought an air fryer as hubby newly diagnosis Diabetes means he has four meals a day and as eating more meat and fish more expensive So hopefully will use oven less   

mumtoomany

Another shopping trip on Tuesday to declare. Total of £17.31 in four different shops. Mostly milk, bread, and fruit/veg. Although OH managed to put a bag of sweets in, and I found a 2.5kg bag of hash browns for £1.50. Gone in the freezer for easy meals. 

Total to date now, £1235.18/£1860. Hugs to all, mumtooany.xxx

ancientmum

I've spent £66.32 since the beginning of the month.  This includes £41.49 on meat which should last me and my summer visitors until the middle of September. I've just got to get some fruit, milk and bread now to last until I go away for a few days on Thursday. 

Soontobeoap

So busy preparing food for visitors that when DH asked what was for tea tonight, I realised that I hadnt thought about it. I made up 2 lasagnas for guests and used the last little bits of meat and gravy to make, a shepherds pie. I threw in some mushrooms from the freezer and a tin of baked beans, topped it all with mash and stuck it in the oven for half an hour. DH reckons it was the best shepherds pie he has had in a long time! 🤣. Lots of spends since i last wrote on here. Will add them to signature. Baking tommorrow. Lots of gf cakes biscuits and treats to cook up.

Sometimes when I feel a little inadequate I avoid a freind who is absolutely perfect in everything she does. I was with her for 3 hours this week. She announced that she was now a vegan as it was totally unethical to eat meat. We were talking about fish when she said well we eat fish, i do cheat a bit there and we eat a bit of chicken. Later in the conversation when she was discussing beef she talked about how poor cows are reared and the methane gas issue. We had beef borgionion with friends the other day so we havnt stopped eating it all together she added! I asked her what she substituted mince for in pasta dishes as they eat a lot of Italian food. Oh we eat lamb she said! By the end of the converasation she was happy with her new vegan lifestyle and I was happy that she wasnt so perfect after all!😂.

Just thought this might give someone else a little giggle.

Have now totted up spends. £43.61 in Sainsburys on wednesday, £16.10 in Aldi on Friday, £116 spent on Tesco order today. Not looking good for tgis month and I thought I had alliwed plenty still we can live on leftovers in September when everyone has gone home. 🙂

Thevalueofless

Total to date for month £209.64/£270 main shopping, £14.52/£25 for stores

I think this month we may just make it though there may be courgettes, green beans and new potatoes with every meal as these are in abundance at the moment from the allotment. Had fun today making courgette flour but from almost 4kg of fresh courgettes then dehydrated and ground into flour we ended up with only 150g! Maybe not the most economical way to use the excess but interesting to try. Have put a bit into our pizza dough for this evening's dinner which will also be featuring courgettes on top 😁.

TVOL