February 2025 Grocery Challenge

sams247

Thank you all.  I have two challenges........... I have no freezer and no oven.  I use an air fryer and I have a hob.  This makes batch cooking hard, which is what I used to do a lot of.  If (IF) I manage to move this year - space for a freezer will be an essential

I use community food when I can, so discounted food, but only take what I can use within days due to freezer...
I love to cook and try new recipes, so I'll be browsing all suggestions I find here. 

Doom_and_Gloom

During our cheap electricity time I did a lentil vegetable stew in the multi-cooker. Having a portion of that for dinner tonight. 

OH is having beef and vegetable stir fried noodles for dinner. He used the last carrot doing that so we will need to buy some soon as it is a vegetable used in many things for us.

Tomorrow we are having home made pizzas (vegan cheese with mushrooms, onions and roasted peppers for me and a cheese one for OH) and wedges.

£24.82 spent so far. 

£24.82/£224.

£199.18 left.

diminua

£3.80 spent on a takeaway coffee yesterday as I had a longish train journey and it was fairly chilly (I went down to Tilbury Fort and then walked along the river path to Coalhouse fort, then took the train back from East Tilbury. It was actually lovely on the estuary once the sun came out, although I did have to look up the tides for some of it).
A little over £30 spent today between H&B (various nuts and raisins for snacks and adding to muesli base) and JS (standard groceries: coffee, veg, bread, margarine, marmite... and so on). 

EcoIntent

So two days into the week we are at £80.71/£130. I'm hoping spends might be quite low this week.

I'm away for two nights with work, and my daughter will be eating with my parents for two nights (tuesday and friday). So meals haven't been too rigid.

We are fairly well stocked had the Lidl 10% off a shop this week so saved £6.50ish with that. Currently have a chicken stew with dumplings on the hob just for me and OH as also made a homemade quiche lorraine and DD had that. That should make another four portions, I'm not here tomorrow so think DD will have stew and I can freeze three meals for next week.

Soontobeoap

Went to make up the Lasagnas and shepherds pies today. Half a bag of carrots bought on Friday were rotten and I hadn't got enough free from Lasagna sheets!!!! Managed to make up one lasagna for freezer and the other just needs putting together when I get some more pasta. ( That's what comes of trying not to over stock! We had a  Roast today so I have added the left over potatoes to mash and topped a shepherds pie with it. That will be eaten tomorrow.Hopefully be tasty. Pork and apple sauce sandwiches tomorrow and pork noodles for dinner on Tuesday. The pork was half price
around Christmas time.  There will be some apple sauce left over so I will make a bit of pastry and add the apple sauce for a couple of individual apple pies as a sweet treat with some custard.

Quantaqa

I am way behind on the thread.

@elsiepac please can you change my target to £200 for February.

I'm already well into it as we've done a stock up of meat from the butcher and a Lidl shop but still on track. 

I'm off to catch up on everyone's posts. Thanks as always @elsiepac for running the thread.

determined_new_ms

alarmingly have spent £101.58 of Feb budget already  have done exactly what was advised against earlier in the thread and front loaded. I need to refocus on getting small top ups. Have 2 freezers and a fridge full. Made dinners for the week, so hopefully won't need anything else but fresh bits at the end of the week.

Suffolk_lass

determined_new_ms said:

alarmingly have spent £101.58 of Feb budget already  have done exactly what was advised against earlier in the thread and front loaded. I need to refocus on getting small top ups. Have 2 freezers and a fridge full. Made dinners for the week, so hopefully won't need anything else but fresh bits at the end of the week.

I always front load because I typically only SM shop once, or twice at most in the month. Don't worry, it can still work. Maybe join us over on the Reverse Meal Planning thread or Old-Style What are you making for Dinner as good places for adapting and making do with what you have in to keep you from spending more

wishus

Hi @elsiepac

Apologies for the late join, I've been away with no Internet.

Please put me down for £170 for the month. 

So far spent £22.31 at A**I.

sams247

We are having our 'Christmas' meal with work tonight, paid for by work, so thats good.  And then tomorrow I plan to put on a sweet n sour chicken in the slow cooker, that lasts me a couple of days; Day 1 I have it with rice, Day 2 with home made chunky chips in air fryer.

I bought some top ups from Morsons yesterday so budget moving....  Spent £13.83