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January 2020 Grocery Challenge

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  • lantanna
    lantanna Posts: 4,393 Forumite
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    One of the things this challenge has taught me is I go through an insane number of cucumbers and tomatoes in a month !!!
  • purpleybat
    purpleybat Posts: 477 Forumite
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    franby64 wrote: »
    Hi, just updating.
    The only thing left in the garden from last year is 4/5 multicoloured beetroot and I'm wondering what I can do with them. I can make soup but are they nice just steamed as a veg?

    Hope everybody's month is going well.

    i really like beetroot roasted with a few herbs and garlic, can either then have it hot or leave it to cool with salads. it goes well with feta cheese.
  • miss_empty_piggy
    miss_empty_piggy Posts: 721 Forumite
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    PipneyJane wrote: »
    Beyond today/tomorrow, I don’t really have a meal plan for the week. Dinner tonight is haggis with roast potatoes and the remaining broccoli from last week.
    - Pip (waiting for inspiration to strike)

    In my quest to eat less meat I had forgotten about the beloved Haggis. This may have to be my one meat that I keep hold of. I LOVE HAGGIS. I'm drooling at the very thought of it. xx
  • charlies_tribe
    charlies_tribe Posts: 1,465 Forumite
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    edited 12 January 2020 at 11:47PM
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    Good evening. It's been a busy busy week. Really need to look at the meals,fed up of the same thing over ad over again.
    Spending this week is
    £2.70 DH at work
    £22.51 DH asked to fetch bread and waffles! No idea what else he bought.
    £113.44 grocery shop

    £241.40/£650 spent so far. (£280.64 before discount).
    LBM in April 17 - £14998/£33554 (44.6%) paid. Mortgage@1 June 18 = £9935/£76350 paid.Total debt @june 18 £102311 now £84972GC Jan £40.99/£500 2021 declutter 85/2021 items 0/20 bags clothes
  • Herbyme
    Herbyme Posts: 720 Forumite
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    Very impressive work going on here! Lots of good thoughts, they really help to keep me on track.

    So far I'm under budget for Jan, spending about £2.50 a day less than my budget, or about 1.5 days to the good. If that makes sense. It's my first month doing this again after a looooooong gap of horrendous levels of un-measured spending so I'm not 'fessing up to my budget. It will be less next month!

    Somehow we had almost no Christmas leftovers by new year although we have a lot of random stuff in cupboards eg about a ton of rice and a lot of dried pulses. Nobody wants to eat those every day though. Not even me and I can stand a lot of repetition.

    So far over half my spend is in Ald1 which is an improvement. On the other hand, in 12 days there have been at least 6 small (£8 or less) top up shops, ie every other day - often that's milk or veg (we use vast amounts of both), but the fewer of those we do, the less temptation there is.

    I don't think it helps that I'm a newbie veggie so sometimes I try out a new recipe and it's just not what we want to eat. That means we sometimes get something out of the freezer so that's 2 meals used up for one IYSWIM. Also so much veggie food seems to be veg in tomato or curry sauce, we're all a bit bored with that. Had LMcC sausages and mash yesterday but we all agreed they weren't nearly as nice as the ones we had a month or so ago. Hoping to be a bit less busy and get home earlier this week so I can cook things like stir fry which can't be done in advance. We live and learn...
  • BelleBaluu
    BelleBaluu Posts: 33 Forumite
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    Morning all
    Just checking in as I’m quite excited to report we are sitting at £278 for the month so far. I have decided to change my motivation factor slightly. I have a cash back credit card that I use solely for food and fuel. I budget £500 for both I originally planned to try n reduce my monthly spend to £360 plus fuel (usually about £90) but I think what I’m going to do instead is leave the budget at £500, then at the end of the month, anything that is left in the oot will be transferred to my mortgage as an overpayment. This I feel would be more motivating for me when tempted to spend.

    So at the moment, £278/£500 🤓
    Grocery Challenge Jan 21 - £86.15/£360
  • Mrs_Cheshire
    Mrs_Cheshire Posts: 1,186 Forumite
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    edited 13 January 2020 at 1:04PM
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    tessie_bear wrote: »
    still wading through cheap sprouts here now on my last bag We spent 20 quid last week mainly on christmas bargains/milk/veg/fruit.Im not sure if proper shopping will start this week will see how i go.

    where do people buy nice steak from ? its hard to find nice steak or perhaps its the way i cook it...thankyou x

    I like rump or beef medallions from the supermarkets, I cook them on a george foreman grill until the outer edges are 1/3 cooked then leave to rest on the plate whilst the rest of the meal is plated.
    What cut do you usually buy?
    carolinerunner wrote: »
    Very impressive work going on here! Lots of good thoughts, they really help to keep me on track.

    So far I'm under budget for Jan, spending about £2.50 a day less than my budget, or about 1.5 days to the good. If that makes sense. It's my first month doing this again after a looooooong gap of horrendous levels of un-measured spending so I'm not 'fessing up to my budget. It will be less next month!

    Somehow we had almost no Christmas leftovers by new year although we have a lot of random stuff in cupboards eg about a ton of rice and a lot of dried pulses. Nobody wants to eat those every day though. Not even me and I can stand a lot of repetition.

    So far over half my spend is in Ald1 which is an improvement. On the other hand, in 12 days there have been at least 6 small (£8 or less) top up shops, ie every other day - often that's milk or veg (we use vast amounts of both), but the fewer of those we do, the less temptation there is.

    I don't think it helps that I'm a newbie veggie so sometimes I try out a new recipe and it's just not what we want to eat. That means we sometimes get something out of the freezer so that's 2 meals used up for one IYSWIM. Also so much veggie food seems to be veg in tomato or curry sauce, we're all a bit bored with that. Had LMcC sausages and mash yesterday but we all agreed they weren't nearly as nice as the ones we had a month or so ago. Hoping to be a bit less busy and get home earlier this week so I can cook things like stir fry which can't be done in advance. We live and learn...

    The red onion and rosemary Linda Mc sausages are lovely, I even eat them instead of meat ones sometimes.
    Grocery Challenge 2020
    Jan £377.98/£380, Feb £417.83/£370 March /£400
  • allie23
    allie23 Posts: 1,858 Forumite
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    edited 13 January 2020 at 2:33PM
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    OH is off today o he will do our food shop today. Based on the food plan we have it should come to no more than £20. I'll update later once I have the receipts.

    Today's dinner will be chilli from the freezer with baked potatoes. My pupils have just returned from their Home Ec lesson and they have made simple raspberry buns which has put me in the mood to make them when I get home. These would do a snacks for the week at wok too.

    I am pleased and amazed at how well the grocery fund its looking this month. After months and months of lost focus with this and having to top up the budget mid-month I am delighted to feel in control of this again.
    Save 12k in 2024 Challenge
    Frugal living Challenge 2024
  • Islandmaid
    Islandmaid Posts: 6,511 Forumite
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    NSD here, in fact I even made some money on a couple of eBay sales :D

    Dinner is stir fry from from veg lounging at the bottom of the fridge and some chicken from freezer stash, served with egg noodles
    Note to self - STOP SPENDING MONEY !!

    £300/£130
  • tessie_bear
    tessie_bear Posts: 4,898 Forumite
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    thankyou for the steak help xx we like sirloin thinish cut but not the minute steaks...seem to go a bit grey

    i have spent 60 quid last week and 20 the week before I have had a right good root through my cupboards and fished out stuff out of date and why the heck did i buy that ??? it is all on the dining table and i am determined to use one thing a day

    any preservers ? i made my yearly marmalade yesterday love it .Its very easy and the seville oranges are out their now if anyone fancies it

    got a roast for tea pork to be exact and will use the scraps for pork fried rice tomorrow
    onwards and upwards
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