May 2025 Grocery Challenge

C_J

Thank you for the kind words and hugs, they really do help.

I made another Community Fridge trip and have added another £1 to my running total below. This time I got:

• Bag of baking potatoes
• 1 large brown onion
• Shallots
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Leeks
• 2 pak choi
• 1 bag of Cavolo Nero kale
• 1 ball of mozzarella
• 2 limes
• Bag of mixed salad leaves
• 1 bag penne pasta
• 1 punnet chestnut mushrooms
• 6 free range eggs
• 4 chocolate puff pastry twists
• 1 pack blueberries
• 1 grapefruit
• 2 oranges
• 1 pack Waitrose roast chicken slices
• 1 pack chicken satay sticks
• 1 chicken chow mein ready meal
• 1 large loaf multigrain sliced bread
• 1 Pret sandwich (chicken tikka)
• 1 tub tub organic double cream
• 1 M&S Greek salad bowl
• 1 tub hummus
• 1 potted mint plant
• 1 potted tarragon plant
• 1 M&S chocolate dessert pot
• 1 large bunch Waitrose mixed flowers (price labelled at £16!)

There’s sufficient there for a couple of lunchtime salads, some snacks, a veg/pasta cheesy bake, a stir fry, some soups, baked potatoes, and a mushroom omelette at least. I’ve divided up the herbs and repotted them, and will see if I can encourage them to grow strongly enough to be transplanted into the herb garden eventually. 

A bit less than normal on offer this time, but still very good for £1.

Running total for May currently stands at £23.60/£160.

PipneyJane

Good evening All

I’ve got multiple spends to declare, so I’ll list them below:

• £3 on English asparagus from a market stall on Saturday.
• £8.99 in Sainsbugs on Monday, spent on mushrooms £1.13, bananas 78p, 450ml Yeo Valley Greek Yoghurt with Honey 4x£1.77.
• £3.08 in L!dl on Monday on YS quiche £2.39, Pastel De Nata custard tarts 69p (plus 1 free)
• £2.49 this morning on 4kg of brown onions from our local greengrocer.
• £17.53 spent in L!idl this afternoon, on YS gammon joint 1.035kg £3.54, spring onions 59p, Cornish vanilla ice cream 3.05, 1kg mixed berries £2.99, Gold instant coffee £2.69, cream cheese 2x95p, 1kg baby potatoes £1.09, muffins 69p, 8-pack seeded wraps 99p.
• £2.97 spent by DH in Sainsbugs on his way home from work:  488g broccoli £1.07, Onion & Chive bagels £1.90.
• £3.48 spent by DH in L!dl on two packets of YS smoked salmon 

There was also £2.05 of shrapnel that’s gone into the money boxes, including, one £2 coin .

This brings our total May GC spend to £57.42/£160 leaving £102.58 for the rest of the month.

I really must work out a meal plan.  At the moment, I’ve only really got a plan for Thursday (we’re off to a VE Day commemorative concert tomorrow evening, after work, so will be having a picnic of bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon for dinner).  Hmmm….

- Pip

JingsMyBucket

Evening. I’ve been felled by a sinus infection and a sore throat that came on yesterday. Before heading home I went to M & S for some shopping. 

£24.30 spent on bananas, clementines, garlic, a bag of onions, a chilled butternut squash soup, milk, Parmesan cheese wedge, 1L of olive oil, and some rolls from the bakery. 

£138.44 / £325 spent. £186.56 total remaining.  

otb666

329/600 I have 2 shops left in May as go from 23rd to 23rd So on budget for 3 adults and 2 tortoises. 

goldfinches

Evening all from a warmish and sunny day here, hope you all got the same weather or better too.

I did a salad top up run to M*rks yesterday and bought 2 x yoghurt, carrots, green beans, cherry toms, lettuce, olives and 2 x radishes for £10.60. Then I treated myself to a multigrain baguette on the way home today for £2.50. I shall need to buy some milk, loo rolls and a gas cylinder for my sodastream tomorrow but otherwise I think I'm set for the next few days.

That makes my new GC total £44.85/£150 which is a bit ahead of where I should be but ought to be manageable with a bit of contriving.

In other news I baked entirely from stores today and managed to use up a leftover lemon rind and a rather elderly orange from the bottom of the fridge so that's all to the good. I forgot to take any photos of the results so sorry about that, I'll try to remember next week.

t14cy_t

C_J said:

Thank you for the kind words and hugs, they really do help.

I made another Community Fridge trip and have added another £1 to my running total below. This time I got:

• Bag of baking potatoes
• 1 large brown onion
• Shallots
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Leeks
• 2 pak choi
• 1 bag of Cavolo Nero kale
• 1 ball of mozzarella
• 2 limes
• Bag of mixed salad leaves
• 1 bag penne pasta
• 1 punnet chestnut mushrooms
• 6 free range eggs
• 4 chocolate puff pastry twists
• 1 pack blueberries
• 1 grapefruit
• 2 oranges
• 1 pack Waitrose roast chicken slices
• 1 pack chicken satay sticks
• 1 chicken chow mein ready meal
• 1 large loaf multigrain sliced bread
• 1 Pret sandwich (chicken tikka)
• 1 tub tub organic double cream
• 1 M&S Greek salad bowl
• 1 tub hummus
• 1 potted mint plant
• 1 potted tarragon plant
• 1 M&S chocolate dessert pot
• 1 large bunch Waitrose mixed flowers (price labelled at £16!)

There’s sufficient there for a couple of lunchtime salads, some snacks, a veg/pasta cheesy bake, a stir fry, some soups, baked potatoes, and a mushroom omelette at least. I’ve divided up the herbs and repotted them, and will see if I can encourage them to grow strongly enough to be transplanted into the herb garden eventually. 

A bit less than normal on offer this time, but still very good for £1.

Running total for May currently stands at £23.60/£160.

wowsers!!!  vwey well done!!xx

t14cy_t

i collected from olio fwh last night so nsd for  next few days. !!

carboot_karaoke

Morning all,  

I'm popping on to declare another spend of £8.70 at Asda yesterday. This was for bread, a large block of cheese,  greaseproof paper, and zip lock bags. 

We really need cling film, but the last few I've brought haven't been very "clingy" does anyone have one they could recommend? 

New totals £77.17 /£470

TravelCrystal

Good morning everyone 
So sorry for your loss @C_J sending best wishes to you.
 I hope this doesn’t sound wrong as you said you found it difficult cooking for one. Would it be silly to say cook for more and freeze some so you have a meal ready for you when you don’t feel like cooking 😊
Love your Community Fridge trip. Wish we had one nearby.

Don’t know if I mentioned last week on my visit to Aldi that I thought prices had gone up.
Surprise, surprise Lidl has followed suit.
Tinned tomatoes and Yoghurt both up by 10p each. Oh well guess we have to suck it up.
Anyway details on my Lidl shop today.
Free cake 🍰 😋
Discounted baguette £1.11 which I plan to cut in 4 and use for our Saturday meal which will be pulled pork. Only one joint of pork left and 2 lamb legs so will be upping budget next month for bulk meat and bulk wine.
Had discounts on apples and tea bags.
Had to stock up on washing up liquid and washing liquid for clothes.
Milk, yoghurt, potatoes, pizza (treat) mustard, cheese, baked beans. The dreaded tinned tomatoes. Fruit and veggies.

Will be having prawn salad for tea tonight with some jersey royals.

Singing in our Choir later for VE Day celebrations and lighting of the Beacon.
Hope it’s not too cold tonight.🥶

Total spent today £32.21
Total so far £141.36/£200

Have a good day all

T.C

C_J

@TravelCrystal - thank you for your good wishes. I do quite often batch cook and freeze portions (and I am also okay with cooking once and eating the same thing over two or three days!). I've spent today processing quite a bit of yesterday's Community Fridge food, and have made six portions of a pasta and veg cheesy bake, and four portions of a cauliflower, potato and spinach curry all for the freezer.

I am trying to create some daylight in my large freezer though, it needs a really good sort out - but I am getting nowhere, because as fast as I use things up I seem to be adding twice as much    A very nice problem to have of course, and I am very thankful that I have several such brilliant Community Fridges nearby.