May 2025 Grocery Challenge

K9sandFelines

Nelliegrace said:

May budget for two, £155.

I bought extra tinned prunes at 99p, we have a one or two in our breakfast porridge or muesli so a tin lasts for the week. 
£18.65 spent.

DH bought 2x basic muesli £2 at Morries, when he went for fresh jam doughnuts for the bowls club coffee morning.
£7 spent. 

The hot weather has meant fewer eggs from the hens, only 10 in the last week. 

Total £100.32 spent.

You've made me want that now. Either rice pudding and prunes or with porridge as you said. Sounds lovely.

K9sandFelines

C_J said:

@K9sandFelines I like leeks wrapped in ham and baked in a cheese sauce, and cauliflower cheese with added pasta to make go further. I also use cheese sauce as the base for a creamy fish pie with mashed potato topping. You could  also use it as a sauce with spaghetti, maybe with added crispy bacon crumbled into it. 

(Just realised that if you are buying vegan cheese sauce it may be that you are vegan, in which case just ignore me, sorry!)

It's ok, no worries.
Thanks for the suggestions anyway.

Tonight I didn't eat what was planned due to a rather chaotic day.
So I've just shook some over new potatoes, and air fried. Currently waiting to try them.

carboot_karaoke

Afternoon Everyone 

Another quick pop into Asda resulted in £4.25 spent.  On ...normal bread and a tiger loaf  a tub of coleslaw and some paracetamol.  

New totals £331.25 /£470

LotsOfTea

I had a big shop delivered today which came to £123.48. More than I would have liked but I did add in a few things that I don't need immediately just to keep up a stock level of 'a couple of spares', especially things we use a lot of like tea and bread flour. With things like cyber attacks on supermarkets happening there's always the possibility of disruption to finely tuned supply chains and quite frankly no-one needs to have to deal with me if I can't get a cup of tea! 

£157.94/£200 spent so far. 

C_J

My £1 community fridge donation earlier today has yielded:

New potatoes
A few larger potatoes, but not big enough to be bakers
Carrots
Leeks
Red onion
Shredded red cabbage
Watercress
A tub of mixed spicy Asian greens
Bananas
Avocado
Pack of raspberries
Aubergine
Mangetout peas
Spinach
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Pack of roast chicken slices
Mushrooms
Bottle of pink grapefruit juice
Pack of M&S smoked duck breast slices
1 falafel and feta cheese wrap
1 chicken and sweetcorn sandwich
1 pack shawarma spiced chicken thigh fillets
2 Pret little stars yogurt pots
1 tub ricotta
1 tub M&S breakfast bircher muesli
1 tub organic M&S hummus
1 hot smoked salmon and rice salad bowl
1 Greek salad with feta salad bowl
1 loaf Hovis sliced multigrain bread
1 small white baguette
2 fruited teacakes
1 pot of ginger mint
1 bunch mixed tulips


This takes my May grocery total to £40.01/£160

I've already drunk two big glasses of the pink grapefruit juice, have put the duck breast and chicken slices in the freezer for later in the week. The mushrooms and ricotta will be turned into garlicky mushroom pâté to have with slices of the baguette for dinner tomorrow.

The shawarma spiced chicken will be diced and added to the mangetout peas, mixed Asian greens, spinach, a couple of the mushrooms and some other veg already in the fridge to make a stir fry for tonight, the salad bowls and sandwiches will be lunches over the next few days, and I found a nice River Cottage recipe for aubergine slices grilled with honey and chilli which I think I will make for Friday's dinner.

The watercress and potato will be used to make a small pan of soup to go with the lunchtime sandwiches, ditto the carrots and red onion. Bircher muesli, yogurt pots, bananas and raspberries will all be breakfasts over the next couple of days. I've frozen the sliced Hovis in portions of four slices at a time to use for toast when needed. I'm just about to plant the ginger mint in my herb garden before the rain arrives.

I think that will deal with most of the above, and I shan't need to go shopping for anything until the weekend as I have enough milk, butter and dog food to last until then.

GSDMum

Nelliegrace said:

Hard boiled eggs in cheese sauce, (eggs mornay).
White fish in cheese sauce, (cod mornay.)
Baked leeks in cheese sauce.
Pour it over any cooked vegetable.
Cheese and potato bake.
Cheese and potato pie.
Cheese sauce on toast, Welsh Rarebit.
Could you use it in cheese scones.?

Hi @Nelligrace, you probably already know this, but I've just discovered that cheese sauce freezes beautifully, it's so handy. I freeze it in individual portions in silicone Yorkshire pudding molds, so when I want some sauce I pop one of the portions into the micro. Really economical with time and money.

Just had a Tesco delivery for £69.95, which brings my total this month to £292.66, leaving me with £7.44. So far this year my average monthly grocery bill (food, cleaning stuff, drinks) is working out £358.75. 

thriftwizard

Slinking in to confess that this month's a write-off, I have less than no idea how much I've spent! It's been decidedly chaotic; I had one of my special events to prepare for & work at as well as my regular booking. OH's health has taken a slightly alarming turn - being addressed by the docs, hopefully nothing drastic, but I'm having to drive him around for all sorts of tests - & my mother's going downhill fast. I'm not sure that next month will be whole lot better as I'll be spending a fair amount of it down a hole in the ground, volunteering on a local archaeology dig, all things being equal. But I don't think I'm too far adrift; I'm still cooking mostly from scratch & trying to use up what we have, and DD2 is filling in very capably when I'm hurtling around. We'll just have to keep on keeping on...! 

otb666

580/600  Thats me done for the month as I go from 23rd to 23rd.  and no more spends for rest of the week.  I am still running down my grains and will most probably have to stock up again next month.

goldfinches

Evening all and, if you're like me you're exhausted by the current weather and general pace of life. Do you think we could all put the world on pause for the Bank Holiday? I for one need a break! If my to do list gets any longer I shall trip over it and break my neck.

Anyway I made these Brownie Crinkle Cookies today which were voted very successful although I think I will omit the cardamom next time I make them because I feel it doesn't quite go with walnuts, but they were very easy to fling together which was nice.



Then I have one rather fudged expense to declare as I did a mini top up at Mr T's yesterday and used a cc voucher to pay for most of it so came away with eggs, soda water and a bag of lemons and limes for £1.45 in actual cash which was helpful.

That makes my new GC total £132.82/£150.00 with only 10 days to go. Fingers crossed and I'm going to have a search around my phone and computer to see if I have any other unused vouchers as well.

K9sandFelines

Nelliegrace said:

Hard boiled eggs in cheese sauce, (eggs mornay).
White fish in cheese sauce, (cod mornay.)
Baked leeks in cheese sauce.
Pour it over any cooked vegetable.
Cheese and potato bake.
Cheese and potato pie.
Cheese sauce on toast, Welsh Rarebit.
Could you use it in cheese scones.?

Cheese scones is a good shout, thank you.
Also going to do a broccoli and cheese soup, using broccoli and cauliflower stalks.

Got potatoes,.could try that maybe but vegan cheese doesn't melt well, if I've to top it (and I prefer it not melted).
White fish and eggs are out.

I did think I could do a hamburger helper type affair with a mince, macaroni and cheese sauce ensemble too.