September 2025 Grocery Challenge

JingsMyBucket

@carboot_karaoke well done on keeping on track in the small sho. The smaller branches are usually more expensive, probably by 10% or more. 

I’m also pulling from the freezer and stores to use up any straggling food before we leave this week. We’re low on vegetables so I cut up the last two carrots to roast with the sriracha chicken as our dinner vegetables. I meant to cook the last few sweet potatoes as miso roasted sweet potatoes but I didn’t start early enough. They can go for tomorrow night. 

When I stop by Holland & Barrett tomorrow to collect my order, I’ll also visit M & S to get bananas, berries, and a curry. I’ll likely swing by Superdrug to also get travel sized deodorant as well. 

Soontobeoap

I think I have almost used up everything leftover from family staying in the summer holidays. I cooked the leg of lamb that I bought half price at Easter on Friday and we had. Roast potatoes and veg with it. Lamb hotpot on Saturday. DH had lamb sandwiches today and I have frozen 4 more portions for lamb hot pots later. The joint was £15.00 and we will get 8 meals each out of it plus a sandwich. Today I cooked up the 10 sausages that I had bought for the gluten free twins and made a double sausage casserole. One eaten and one now frozen. Pasties tomorrow and then I can go shopping again as we will have our car back after MOT. I haven't done the freezer stock take yet. Must do that very soon. Struggling with project managing the renovation and painting of our living room. It's manic here so I am quite pleased with my accomplishments in the kitchen this week. The house however is an absolute mess!

Suffolk_lass

Over here I am at £91.81 for September and we are away tomorrow until the last day of September. Nothing else needed here, But I think the milk that will be delivered in the first week of October will be paid for on Friday 26th, so I will add that when I get back, keeping our total just under £100 (by 44p!).

I need to process more courgettes and tomatoes today, ready to use through winter. I will roast, blitz and jar up courgettes as there is very little room left in the produce freezer now, and tomatoes (which take a lot longer) can be prepped and frozen to await October processing into homemade passata

remmie

I am sorry but I am ducking out of this months challenge. RL is getting in the way and I've a lot on. I will however log my receipts and report back at some point.

Good luck to everyone.

JingsMyBucket

No worries @remmie. Good luck with whatever it is you're facing. 

wishus

Two more A*di shops to add.

Out of £150 budget, I've now spent £137.01 leaving a paltry £12.99 for the final 8 days of the month. Going to need to make that stretch!

Some ready meals hopped into the basket to cope with being out volunteering on Wednesday. I need to pack a picnic for the weekend as I'm attending an event. 

I am expecting a business delivery tomorrow, which is my usual eco-shop day, so wasn't sure I'd be able to get to it. 

Still not got potatoes, only chips...why didn't I just buy the potatoes instead? They don't cook any quicker!

Meal plan then:

Tonight: a late dinner of pork and apple burger, homemade slaw, chips.
Tuesday: pork loin and mashed swede
Wednesday: sausage rolls to tide us over, then a late pizza at home
Thursday: mushroom stroganoff
Friday: Fish, chips and peas
Saturday: spicy chicken and chips when we get home
Sunday: chicken chasseur

carboot_karaoke

Evening all, 

I am happy to have No spends to declare 😁

But l do have an Olio question l would appreciate your comments on.

I am new to the app and have been really happy with the items I've been chosen to collect. I do however keep missing out on items despite requesting within a few minutes of listing and offering to collect immediately.

It could be a coincidence but I'm wondering if part of the reason I'm not chosen is because I only click on meat items awaiting a response before adding other items like bread, veg, sandwiches etc. My rationale was that if l clicked everything l wanted straight away l might be chosen for a couple of lower priced items and have to make the several mile journey to collect, whereas its always worth the effort for meat / eggs etc the other items are a bonus.

Now I'm thinking 🤔  that from the FWH perspective its probably easier to allocate items to people who request several items to reduce the number of collections??

What do you think?

Soontobeoap

Another £4.98 spent today on milk and cereals.

TravelCrystal

So I got up early today, put a loaf on in the bread maker and off to Lidl's for perspective bargains
Spent £10.60 
Kitchen rolls, frozen fruit x 2, one tin of b beans, Marg and milk
Free potatoes as reached £50 spend and £1.50 on a fruit and veg box.
Had to take pic's
This is why I shop in Lidl's 

Was going to do Spanish rice with some cooked lamb I took from freezer for tonight's tea.
Now we are having lamb, new potatoes and ratatouille
I have put the ginger in the freezer. Cooked some of the dodgy nectarines and froze and cooked the sweetcorn and will scrape off the kernels and freeze as my teeth sadly can no longer bite through a cob  

Total so far £86.74/£350



On holiday from next Monday for 4 night so hopefully won't spend too much
We shall see

Have a good rest of the month everyone

T.C

Pennypincin

I somehow came £20 under budget last week, so it was put into the bulk fund.
Restarted this week with £40.
I really needed to eat healthier than I have as I've slipped up again after attempting slimming world again for a month and deciding to stop.
It's a good idea, the plan, but I struggle to stick with it. Especially as I seem to be getting fussier as I get older.