July 2025 Grocery Challenge

Changeyourlife25

Hi everyone! 

How are we? Sorry I’ve been quiet 
updated spends

£511.65/£600 

C_J

t14cy_t said:

C_J said:

Enjoying the slightly cooler, slightly breezier weather this week. Much more comfortable.

Another £1 spent in my favourite Community Fridge today, yielding:

Jersey Royal new potatoes
2 large baking potatoes
Onions
1 e-n-o-r-m-o-u-s butternut squash
1 tub of M&S microwaveable mixed greens
Aubergine
2 cos lettuce
Tomatoes
Celery
Red peppers
White mushrooms
Porcini mushrooms 
1 bag baby spinach
Avocado
4 apples (Pink Lady, I think)
Bananas
Limes
Rhubarb
1 large pack M&S raspberries
1 large pack M&S strawberries
4 pints whole milk
1 large carton single cream
1 large carton clotted cream
1 pot Greek yogurt with raspberries and blueberries
2 M&S skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 curried potato and pea bake-your-own pastie
1 pack of prawn toasts
1 pack Waitrose breaded Wiltshire ham
1 Pret hoisin duck wrap
1 Pret egg mayo sandwich
1 loaf Hovis sliced granary bread
1 half loaf of Jackson's sliced white bread
1 pack of 6 crumpets
1 pack of 4 chocolate brownies
1 tin chickpeas
250g pack baking spread
1 bouquet M&S cream roses


I've frozen the chicken breasts, half of each of the loaves of bread, 4 crumpets, the prawn toasts and the curried pastie to have later in the week. Somebody next to me in the queue said that the porcini mushrooms are delicious sliced into coins and cooked in garlic butter/olive oil like scallops so I might try that, but there are lots of them so I will also dehydrate some in the Ninja and then blitz into porcini mushroom powder which is lovely added to soups, stews and risottos.

I'm not sure what to do with the whole milk (I don't think whole milk freezes very well (?) but some will be drunk as milkshakes tomorrow when the grandchildren pop over after school).  Any other milk suggestions welcome! Similarly suggestions for the massive butternut squash would be very welcome - it gets a bit repetitive always just having it as soup or curry, I'm stuck in a bit of a rut with this one.

July total so far now stands at £17.67/£150

i love seeing what you get!!

@t14cy_t : Thank you! It's a very handy way for me to document what I get, and I refer to it often to ensure I haven't forgotten what's been put in the fridge and freezer. I do feel a bit uncomfortable posting the lists though as I don't want anyone to think I am showing off in any way. I absolutely recognise that I am very fortunate to have this resource, and maybe if it prompts other people to look for similar larders in their own areas then maybe it's a good thing!

K9sandFelines

Auti said:

Looked for community fridge but none here so looked for pantry but only one here and has a waiting list to join - so supermarket only (only one near enough) or corner shops

Try the Bread and Butter thing. It's not as cheap but you still get some great stuff.

C_J

PipneyJane said:

@C_J, whole milk will freeze and be drinkable on defrosting, but it will dehomogenise, which means that the cream will rise to the top.

- Pip

@PipneyJane - thanks for this. I think this time the grandchildren will demolish a lot of it this afternoon as I'll make milkshakes for them after school. I have also become a bit obsessed with the dehydrating function on my Ninja as a way of preserving fruit and veg, and I read an article this morning saying it is easy to make milk powder by dehydrating full fat milk so I am going to give that a whirl and see how it works out. I will report back tomorrow!

Pennypincin

I've spent a little of my own money on treats again, but fortunately not as much as I have previously.
The food budget has gone untouched, although I will need to get a few bits over the weekend.
Mainly salad veg and possibly some potatoes.
c_j, the butternut squash possibly can be added to a risotto or roasted and added as a side dish to another meal.

C_J

Suffolk_lass said:

C_J I would make a custard with the whole milk and then make that into ice cream. Or the other favourite here is homemade rice pudding. Cooked in the oven forming a skin, then chilled in the fridge and eaten with fresh berries

@Suffolk_lass : Ice cream is an excellent idea, except I have temporarily lent my super duper ice cream maker to one of my daughters where it will get far more use than here with me. (I have a feeling I may never actually get it back from her as she is now obsessed with home made ice cream for the grandchildren, she's making healthier low-sugar/fresh fruit versions for them and loving it!)

C_J

mandco said:

C_J your community fridge is amazing there’s nothing even remotely similar here
with the milk I’d look at making up a batch of cheese sauce and freezing handy for all sorts of recipes -alternatively custard / angel delight for the grandkids?  Butternut squash how about a risotto.?

@mandco : the fridge is indeed absolutely wonderful and I feel so lucky having it as a resource. There are in fact five community fridges within easy range of my village, and many many more throughout the county.  Some are smaller than others, but between all of them there is at least one open every single day of the week. I don't know which part of the country you are in, but it might be worth searching FB with your nearest town name plus key words such as "larder", "community", "fridge" etc to see what comes up, as every one which I visit has an active FB presence. I hope you find something

C_J

JingsMyBucket said:

@C_J for the butternut squash, I like to chunk them up into cubes and roast them. Before roasting I season / toss the chunks with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme, and sometimes smoked paprika. Chili powder and other spices or herbs would work well. They’re very flexible and will absorb any flavours you give them.  

TravelCrystal said:

@C_J I would do similar to @JingsMyBucket and roast them in cubes and spices. If you make loads and freeze you can always take them out and add to a risotto, curry or eat with a roast dinner 😊

@JingsMyBucket @TravelCrystal : roasting it is! I've shuffled a few things around in the garage freezer and there will be room now for a few ziplock bags of roasted squash in individual portions, so my job this afternoon is to prep it and stick it in the Ninja with some chilli flakes, crushed garlic and a spray of oil. Should take less than 30 minutes to roast. 

The smaller bits of the butternut (around the seed end) will be added to some chopped onion and carrot to make a small pan of soup for lunch tomorrow.

C_J

Auti said:

Looked for community fridge but none here so looked for pantry but only one here and has a waiting list to join - so supermarket only (only one near enough) or corner shops

@Auti : I'm sorry there's nothing similar near you. I do think the network of these organisations is growing so I hope you find something soon. Maybe try searching other terms such as "larder" or "food hub", they all seem to have different names.

For a while I went to one of the council-run pantries but it cost around £20 a month by direct debit and you were only permitted to take 10 items per week. Everything on offer seemed to be full of carbs and sugar, and there was seldom any fresh fruit or veg so I cancelled my membership after a few months - but you don't know what a place will be like until you try

K9sandFelines

£6.40 spend to DD1 for adding lentils, coconut milk and hand soap to her Tesc@ shop for me.

£1.65  at the Co-@p for two bags of YS courgettes ( lucky find as I'm having roasted veg and pasta tonight); and a carrier for the outside food bin.

£1.95 for three loo rolls from stores. Got both DDs and DGD here at weekend, so pulling out an extra one.

Bang on a tenner!