September 2023 Grocery Challenge

kayannie

@goldfinches. I've only used gf puff pastry once, when I used it to make nut wellington when my coeliac daughter was with us on Christmas day. It was ok ish, but wasn't as good as 'normal' supermarket puff pastry - although I didn't really expect it to be. I've been baking for a gf diet for over 50 years, & know just how difficult it is! 
KA

PipneyJane

joedenise said:

I've signed up for the Nectar fruit and veg challenge too but only bought a couple of things in there today but got 6/50 (it's 50 portions not 30 unfortunately)!  I don't shop in Sainsbury very often either but thought it's worth signing up for in the hopes of some extra points.

It’s a great idea to sign up @joedenise.  I have no idea what they deem to be a portion size, but we’re up to 25/30 portions just by buying a large head of broccoli, a bunch of bananas and 600g of mushrooms.

I have a few spends to declare.  (Seriously, you’ll think I live in the shops.). £47.27 in L!dl last Saturday, which did include 200g smoked salmon (£4.69!) and a packet of bagels, because I was sick of eating Meal Deals at the Proms and we had an open cream cheese in the fridge to use up.  There was enough salmon to make 8 or 10 generously filled bagels.  Also bought a family pack of mushrooms which, despite my best endeavours, were growing fur by Monday.  (More about that below)

After L!dl, we went to Sainsbugs to buy the aforementioned broccoli and bananas, plus a tub of crème fraiche. £3.83 spent.  Then on Sunday, we went to MrT’s, spending £9.20 but that included 6x35p on 300ml bottles of DH’s favourite “Essentials” shower gel, plus to jars of their own-brand diet hot chocolate.  (I like mint-flavoured hot chocolate so use 1 teaspoon of the expensive, flavoured Options stuff and 2 heaped teaspoons of own-brand per mug.  It’s minty enough and thick enough.)

Monday, I was about to cook dinner when I discovered the mushrooms were all growing fur. Since they are an essential ingredient in my Hot And Sour Soup, DH and I walked down to the local C0-0p to see what they had on offer and/or if they had any mushrooms.  Don’t know if they did have mushrooms, because the first place I went was their Condemned fridge, where we succumbed to stuff-crust pepperoni pizzas, 2 YS packets of black pudding (82p each) and an ice-cream offer.  £8.21 spent, including cashing in in my £1.76 C0-0p points. (The shop assistant informed me that our shop/petrol station has been sold to A$da and will morph at the end of the month.).

On that walk, we also stopped at our local Iceland for a mixed box of 15 eggs for £2.20.  L!dl didn’t have any eggs on Saturday, and I forgot to check in Sainsbugs or MrT’s.

Tuesday, I stopped at Sainsbugs on my way home from work.  Got the mushrooms - we had Hot & Sour Soup for dinner on Tuesday - plus 2 large YS tubs of Yeo Valley Yoghurt and 2 YS balls of mozzarella.  £6.56 spent.

All of the above brings our September spend to £77.27/£178, leaving £100.73 for the rest of the month.

- Pip

Cocobeans

Popped to Sains on Tuesday to get packed lunch stuff and a few bits and spent £18. Haven't spent any money from the budget since then which I'm really pleased about! Won't spend any today but will need milk and fruit tomorrow so will have to spend some money then!

£70.50 / £250 spent  

Soontobeoap

I agree ready made gf puff pastry is a real let down.

Went shopping at Aldi today. £27.50 spent. 🤞 That I can keep going like this in September. 😊

Florenceem

Went to a meeting at SA where I was fed on biscuits at break time and then jacket potato/salad/tuna/cheese followed by a cornetto.
NSD - Mr F has just gone out to get a local paper with the words - don't spend any money - ringing in his ears.
We will be shopping tomorrow - need to restock orange juice and lemonade - had lots of cold drinks this week.

lilly81

Had a few spends this week, mainly ice lollies 🥵
How do you all stay cool on a budget? 
I missed the community larder yesterday as I was far too hot to go!
I collected from ASDA for the community fridge, I've got some apples and crisps 😋
I'm volunteering at the fridge tomorrow so will hopefully have a few more bits.
Spent £64.33/£264

goldfinches

@lilly81 - I keep a 2l bottle full of water in the fridge door to refill my sodastream bottles and put a couple of wet flannels in an old Lurp*k container in the fridge so I can lie on the sofa with them draped over my face when I come home from a walk in the broiling heat. 

@kayannie and @Soontobeoap thankyou for your verdicts on the gluten free puff pastry which confirms my gut feeling that it wasn't me it was the pastry so I will be giving that a miss in the future.

I popped into Mr T's on the way home this evening and spent £7.55 on frozen fruit, strawberries and grapes and the baking fund spent £5.40 on more Doves Farm flour.

That makes my monthly spend a whopping £79.18/£120 which is an average daily spend of £9.89. 
The new Baking Budget figure is £10.10/£20.

I foresee lentils and beans both tinned and dried featuring heavily in my meal plan as soon as the temperature drops.

selloptape

£99.09 / £440 spent. 

lily81 I used to make home made ice lollies with dilute drinks like squash, but the sets of lolly moulds don't seem to last very long so they don't end up being as money saving as they should be.

Popped into T3sco for ice cream on the way home last night, tired and hungry, but was saved from overspending by a freezer breakdown across the whole store.

Average daily spend to hit target is £14.66, and I'm currently on £12.39, so in a good place. Heading to a lovely food market shortly so this may all change very soon 

Verulamium_Vixen

Hi everyone 
What a scorcher out there today. I have no plans to do anything today but will check TGTG and see if there is anything to pick up tonight.

£119 spent so far this month

Verulamium_Vixen

By the way, I had on online delivery last night from Morris*** and one item costing around £4.50 was missing. 
Are they good at making up missing items or will I  have to get angry?