September 2026 Grocery Challenge

mandco

Had an appointment that ending up running way late and forgot to bring a snack - £2.50 for a pack of gf cereal bars = £624.56/£800

PipneyJane

@Soontobeoap Thanks for asking.I am making Pipi-An which is a Filipino chicken stew. It’s sort of my party piece with this group, since I make it whenever we’re away at games conventions with them. It is very forgiving.  For tonight, I’m using 8 chicken breasts and two packets of lardons.

Pipi-An - serves 4. 

Ingredients 

400g raw chicken, cubed, (or 4 chicken quarters, or 8 thighs, or 250g cooked, leftover Christmas turkey)
150g cooking bacon, cubed
1 large onion chopped
100g mushrooms sliced
2-3 carrots, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced or diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
6 tablespoons peanut butter. (Approx 1/2 a small jar.)
1 heaped teaspoon ground chilli
2 tablespoons soy sauce
300ml boiling water
1 chicken stock cube
1 can of chopped tomatoes

Method 

1. If using fresh chicken, put it into a small saucepan, cover with the boiling water, add the chilli and the stock cube and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the bacon in a large pan and dry fry until all the fat has rendered out of it.  Add the onion and fry until clear, then add the mushrooms, green pepper and the garlic and fry until the mushroom water has evaporated.
3. At this point, either pour in the chicken and it's stock as cooked in point 1 above or add your leftover turkey, boiling water, chilli and the stock cube.  Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring back to the boil.4. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the sauce is thickened and the flavours blended. 
4. Serve over rice. 

I have no idea of the cost. My DH paid for the groceries and is taking the money back from the Running Away Fund (aka our holiday money), so it won’t be accounted here. He’s got the receipt.

• Pip

K9sandFelines

Spends today Tofu from Asian supermarket £4

£1.30 or £1.35 broccoli and cauliflower, £1.30 for YS avocados and three anti bacterial bathroom spray refills which are on clearance. I use them normally anyway - 38p each and tinned potatoes (to make my favourite soup again).

I think that's it. Will double check; once I'm nea to the receipts.

Soontobeoap

Thanks @PupneyJane. Sounds delicious.

We.are.off on our road trip in a camper van around Scotland on Thursday so will be doing a shop of tinned and meats soups and veg as well as a small amount of fresh stuff tomorrow. We are going well stocked as some of the time we will be a long way from. Supermarket. I love going back to basics and surviving on less. Makes you appreciate what you have when you get back to central heating and a bathroom in the house. 😂 Will report spends tomorrow.

Greying_Pilgrim

£5.58 spends to own up to; celery salt and marjoram from m&$, and 2 x jarlic from bargins of home and a bag of apples £1.

I also spent some money on non-food things, but that comes from a separate budget.

I did happen to notice in m&$ that they are having a promo on their organic range (I saw storecupoboard things specifically), and I just happened to notice that they had lentilles verte for £2.30 a 500g bag (I think), I'm pretty sure that is only 10 or 20p more than 'conventionally farmed' lentils in other supermercados. They had red lentils too (can't recall cost), and couscous which was £2 a bag. As I say, not the cheapest, but surely not too bad for an organic product?

Greying X

Suffolk_lass

I thought the same @Greying_Pilgrim - I too was in M&S, collecting a reduced sweatshirt I need for the holiday. Bought a loaf though £4.25 along with yellow sticker bits of fruit and falafel, and houmus and figs for lunch. £12.19. Our last spend of the month as off on hols now until October. I have bust my £150 aim by £19.72 (£169.72/£150).

TravelCrystal

Morning G.C’rs

Just glanced through the posts, 25 to read. Had a busy few days with both neighbours now in hospital and won’t be coming back to live by us, you never know what’s around the corner.
On the shopping front I discovered Ocado have refunded me another £1.49. I have bought liver in M and S whilst looking to spend £35 and get £5 off, however Ocado must have special deals through M and S that they don’t use in their stores as things were more expensive, so I didn’t bother. Picked up my free chocolate while I was there as did @JingsMyBucket I believe for my birthday treat. Liver was £2.51 and very tasty. And spent 75p on rolls yesterday whilst taking another neighbour shopping

Total spend £1.77 = £217.43 so far this month.

I have an Ocado shop coming next week that will go on and will be for October so I don’t have shopping arriving when the kitten turns up.
Also on holiday at the end of next week, hopefully not much more to add for this month.

T.C

mandco

58p in M&S on table salt & a banana did also pick up some Xmas Percy pigs but those came out of the Xmas pot.

£14.72 in Asda - mild cheese, yogurts & lurpak 2 for £5 5x gf choc snack bar mutlpack rtc @ 58p down from £2,50 & 2x cold capsules as the boys have all come down with some lurgy

£3 in £land on brioche baguettes, kinder chocolate bars & Heinz ketchup

£642.86/£800

Soontobeoap

Freind found choc oranges for Christmas at Poundland priced at 2 for £3.00 this week if anyone wants any. Tesco have them for £1.80 each. Normally £2.50 so quite a saving.

Did an Aldi shop today. Mainly Tins to take on our road trip. £31.39 spent. It will be store cupboard meals cooked on 2 rings with the odd pub mail thrown in. It's fun thinking what I can cook with so few resources. Takes me back to when we were first married and a mortgage was our priority before we had children. I think it will be a nostalgic trip for us. Hope so anyway.

I will go over this month but only because we are buying doubles of things so that we can take food away with us. Most food will have already been bought this month so not too many meals out whilst we are away

Finstickle

Well my plan to be accountable each week seems to have been as successful as my plan to stick to my budget! things have got slightly out of control all around so I am taking myself in hand and getting a grip.

I next get paid on the 28th which means 1.5 weeks and 2 weekends, including my birthday weekend and a weekend away to cover with very little funds. the plan is to get through the rest of September and then be done for the year with my recklessness. I'm a single mum and am spending like I have backup which I don't or a salary better than I do, so control needs to return in more than just my shopping habits.

Currently:

£315.54/£350

Going over budget is inevitable at this stage as I will need fresh fruit and veg which I don't have but I will be looking to use the freezer and cupboards as much as possible. Will survive the month and start with renewed vigour, there have been a lot of expenses lately which have ended up on the credit card as well as another expected £1k bill this weekend. The only way forward is to get a better handle on what I am doing and start living below my means to ensure that I can pay back the money used. Hitting my grocery budget is one aspect of that.