September 2023 Grocery Challenge

kayannie

Verulamium_Vixen said:

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?

I had an online delivery during lockdown that contained several items that weren't what I ordered. They insisted that I photograph them - I was given the impression that they thought I was lying, but I took the photos & was refunded. KA

Soontobeoap

@Verulamium_Vixen, I have never had trouble with any other supermarket. Only did one order with Morris because it was so difficult to get money refunded. Good luck. 

lilly81

I went to the community fridge today got a cauliflower, then went to b&m and picked up some milk that goes out of date today for 10p 😁 I already have the other ingredients to make cauliflower cheese left over from my Mac n cheese. I plan to freeze some for post op meals.
I also got some items we're not allowed to hand out as passed there use by date for my guinea pig, and some gluten free bread for me.
I keep water cooling in the fridge but might try the flannel trick. Normally I would soak my feet in cold water but I think my puppy would try and drink it!
This weekend I need to meal plan for the week ahead

joedenise

Popped into M&S while I was out as needed some olive spread for DH - another £1.50 spent but still less than £20 for the week which I'm really pleased with.  Have most of what's needed for meals for next week but will need to buy more fruit at a minimum but probably more than that by the time I actually go on Tuesday!

Cocobeans

@Verulamium_Vixen I haven't had any issues getting a refund from Morres - I have just used the online option to let them know and have never been asked for a photo and have always got a refund. 

Went to @sda today to get some top up bits - spent £35 and forgot the milk so popped to c00p and spent a further £5 on milk and other bits! Did use the fresh pizza coupon on my app to get a kids pizza for 10 pence.

Should have enough breakfast and packed lunch stuff for next week but need to go through the freezer and meal plan for dinners this week. 

£110 / £250 spent so far! 

thriftwizard

Plot lost slightly here, I totally failed to keep track of what I spent at the market yesterday! But have added £25 to my total, which is probably about right; I had £55 in notes when I went up there, and there's £30 in there today, and the change purse feels about the same weight, so that's what I've added! I only went to 3 stalls and my trolley was not as full as it sometimes is; I got there soon after 9am but several stallholders had already sold out - cakes, fish, the cheeses I was looking for - everyone was dashing round before the heat got going. Anyway, a bit less than £200 left and two weekend shops, plus top-ups, to go...

goldfinches

I'm claiming a NSD due to traveling by bus to Banbury to visit a friend who is in hospital and then taking the opportunity to visit the charity shops there. Somehow the idea of spending money in charity shops so that I won't spend it visiting the supermarket doesn't seem quite as virtuous as I thought, I wonder why? 

Anyway, I was really hoping to sit by the canal there with a cold drink while I waited for my return bus but when I got to the bridge over it I realised the hot weather was making it absolutely ponk to high heaven, it really smelt rank, so another good cooling idea down the drain along with the rest of the dirty water.

PipneyJane

Good afternoon All

It’s a very sport-watching weekend at Chez PipneyJane.   Months ago, we bought tickets to the Chelsea Veterans vs Bayern Munich Veterans match played last night, so yesterday morning, we walked to L!dl, bought a picnic and ate it while listening to Ukraine vs England, prior to the match.  Only watched the England World Cup rugby game this morning.   (I’m currently watching the Scotland game.)

£16.63 spent in L!dl, but that does include £4.99 on an 800g lump of extra-mature cheddar and £1.99 on a litre of their “homemade” lemonade, because guess who didn’t take a cold drink with them for the walk?

On our way back from L!dl, we stopped at a local Asian supermarket and purchased a 1kg block of Paneer for £5.99. I know I’ve done this before but, for the life of me, I can’t find the entry in my GC spreadsheet.   I would have sworn it was during the Pandemic.  Anyway, I think I paid £4 last time for the same quantity, whenever that was.  When I next cook with paneer, and open the packaging, I’ll divide this kilo into four, use one quarter and freeze the other three.

The above brings our September spend to £105.77/£178, leaving £72.23 for the rest of the month.

For once, I’ve done a bit of meal planning.  These are the dinners:

Tonight is roast chicken filled with a lump of chestnut stuffing left over from the Christmas Goose, and accompanied by roast potatoes and roast sweet potatoes. (We’re now out of both.)
Monday Broccoli Pasta, made with crème fraiche and chorizo. (The broccoli needs to be used.)
Tuesday I have some sour milk in the fridge, so will make Toad-in-the-Hole with sausages from the freezer and some more broccoli.
Wednesday we’ll be at the cricket so no dinner.
Thursday Macaroni Chicken, made with some of the leftovers, mushrooms, frozen peas and my latest batch of “tomato base”
Friday  Chinese Chicken Curry

All breakfasts will be cereal, while all lunches will be leftovers.  I may swap over Thursday’s and Friday’s meals, depending on the state of the veg in the fridge.  If there is any meat left on the chicken after Friday, I’ll strip it off and freeze it  The carcass will be frozen before eventually being made into stock.

- Pip

Soontobeoap

Used up eggs yesterday for lunch as they were well past use by date. Then DH had to go and buy more for sweet and sour chicken with egg fried rice tonight! 🤦‍♀️. £2.65 spent on 6 eggs! Still using up freezer contents, but DH is awaiting another procedure and cant endure some foods so it is getting harder. He needs "wet foods" 🤷‍♀️. Any way. Shepherds pie tommorrow, although I think it is far too hot. 

Florenceem

Came home from Church to a message from DGd A - eggs and smelly cheese in your porch - 18 very large free range eggs and some cheese. All helps the budget - A works at a farm shop so they were unsold eggs.