$10/week Grocery Challenge -- for a limited time

[centwise]

Hello Mustachian friends! Is anyone up for a temporary grocery-spending diet, to start off the New Year? It could be a sister-thread to "Eat all the food in the house!"

I stocked up a lot before the holidays, so now I have an abundance of food in the freezer and pantry. I'd like to see how long I can go with spending only $10/week for fresh groceries.

Now, I do realize that $10/wk might constitute the entire grocery budget for some ultra-mustachian households! But I am not them. I'm only medium-frugal, and our usual food budget averages out to $300/month (for 1.5 people). So I'm not suggesting this as a permanent change, but I would like to try a spending diet for a while, and see how long I can sustain it without limiting my enjoyment of food.

I'm starting out in a good place, with a reasonable stash of fresh veggies in the fridge. So let's get started!

Grocery spending so far this week: $0.

[Serendip]

I’ll join for a short period of time—my partner just left town due to a family emergency and he is the one who prefers a continually refreshed fridge full  of food. I haven’t spent anything on groceries yet this year and would like to see how long I could go for (while still eating healthfully). I have lots of things in the pantry, frozen veg from the garden and a bag of tangerines so will try this at least until he returns home..😊

[centwise]

I’ll join for a short period of time—my partner just left town due to a family emergency and he is the one who prefers a continually refreshed fridge full  of food. I haven’t spent anything on groceries yet this year and would like to see how long I could go for (while still eating healthfully). I have lots of things in the pantry, frozen veg from the garden and a bag of tangerines so will try this at least until he returns home..😊

Welcome serendip! Sounds like we have similar goals at the moment, and are both well stocked with tangerines! I think my first challenge will be when I run out of cream for my coffee in a few days. :)

Sorry to hear about the family emergency. I hope everything works out.

[Serendip]

Thanks @centwise —your challenge inspired me so I prepped a bunch of food. Cooked up some vegan skillet Alfredo (to use up some chickpea lasagna sheets which have been loitering too long), soaked black rice for porridge, made hard-boiled eggs  and steamed a few sweet potatoes for chocolate pudding :)

Excited to eat down the pantry/freezer ☺️

[centwise]

I was similarly inspired!

1. I made a big batch of chicken stock (using bags of bones and vegetable scraps from the freezer)
2. I cooked up a batch of beets that were just starting to go soft in the refrigerator
3. I used half the beets + stock to make a big pot of vegetable borscht; cubed and froze the remaining beets
4. I had a bit of leftover cauliflower and yam so I sauteed them with frozen spinach + onions to serve with fried eggs.

Spending so far still $0   

Now, I would love to know how to make chocolate pudding from sweet potatoes...

[Serendip]

Spending so far still $0   

Now, I would love to know how to make chocolate pudding from sweet potatoes...

Here is the recipe—A friend made it for a dinner party once when there were vegan guests and now I tend to make it pretty frequently and just eyeball the ingredients (and use cashew nut butter or any nut butter that I happen to have). I will steam or roast sweet potatoes whenever I’m doing food prep and then it’s pretty easy to whip together anytime after they have cooled.

. Usually don’t use as much sweetener but that’s just personal preference..

https://vancouversun.com/life/food/secret-ingredient-chocolate-pudding/wcm/da62b6ba-103d-4fff-9559-7653039a5a77/amp/

[Upstate NYer]

Hi! I've been looking for a "use up what's in your pantry" challenge for the month of January, saw this topic, and decided it was perfect. So I'm in.

[Dicey]

I'm in. I have so much stuff to use up.

[Serendip]

Welcome @Dicey and @Upstate NYer !

I soaked and cooked the dried black beans that have been sitting in the cupboard for a long while. Will eat them with some rice/salsa/cheese/end-of-bag-tortilla chips and one browning lime (whoops)  for a little Mexi-inspired dinner.

[oneday]

I'm in! I have so many dried beans...

[Dicey]

At the thrift store where I volunteer, we have a table in the break room where free things hang out. It can be fruit from someone's tree, new cosmetics or other things we don't sell, like food items. I picked up a bag of guacamole tortilla chips the other day. The Marshall's price tag was 2.99 from, and they were not expired. I used them tonight to make taco bowls. This challenge is off to a good start! I'm a little worried because I'm really low on fresh stuff, but we'll see how creative I can be.

[Naomi]

I'm going to start this today. I have plenty of chicken, frozen vegetables (broccoli and green beans), rice, beans...I eat the same things over and over again so this should be easy for me.
I need beef and some fresh vegetables though.

[Much Fishing to Do]

Wow, way to go all, I'm pretty sure I spend more than this on just milk and apples, so I'm out....

[SailingOnASmallSailboat]

I'm interpreting this as "spend as little as possible" and "eat all the things you have on hand creatively". I blew the $$ value before I saw the thread (hah) with an order of dried beans from Rancho Gordo.

My version of this is 1) Only buying (immediate) essentials and 2) making a list and STICKING TO IT.

To help with 1, I emptied the pantry the other day and reorganized, inventorying as I went along. There were a couple of items that needed to be pitched; I made a list of possible meals along the way.

We're temporarily in this house until April 1. Let's see how little I need to move back aboard the boat food-wise!

[BikeFanatic]

Why could you not have done this 2 weeks ago?
I would have been in, it is a nice challenge to see what you can eat that you have in stock and taught me a little bit about prepper mentality and all the abundance we have in this country,  USA.  I  ate from my freezer and pantry during the ten day isolation I just did due to Covid illness. I had just cooked a turkey so I had leftovers and such. I ran out of so many things though including peanut butter, snacks, chocolate, bread, frozen berries, even down to 2 eggs.
I could not wait to go shopping.
I think I may do this challenge once a month to clean out.

[centwise]

Welcome, all!

   Serendip: Thanks for the recipe! looks so yummy.

   Oneday: I'm in the "lots of dried beans to use up" category myself. Looking at ideas now... hmm, thinking of making meatless black bean posole.

   Much Fishing: If you come back, feel free to adjust the details of the plan to fit your situation!

   Sailing: That sounds like an excellent approach and great plan.

As for myself, I ran out of cream for my coffee, but fortunately I'm flexible with my morning routine (love coffee, tea, lattes, etc.) so I switched to oatmilk lattes for my morning pick-me-up. Still postponing shopping...

Grocery spending so far: Still zero.

[centwise]

BikeFanatic: I just reread your post and noticed that you were just down with Covid. I hope you are fully recovered and not suffering any lingering effects!

[Dicey]

Alas, I had to get some things for DH's breakfast and lunch tomorrow.  He wanted to go to rehab Costco, but I said, "No, no, no." We went to Sprouts instead. Six items cost $18.96. My only comfort is that a Costo run would have been much more $$$.

[Serendip]

@Dicey —that’s a huge success. There’s no way a Costco run would’ve stayed under 20 bucks!

@BikeFanatic —I can see how being isolated in the house without proper provisions would feel so limiting. I was sequestered into my bedroom for 5-6 days over the holidays and had food brought to my door. It felt ..unusual. Glad you are feeling better.

I managed to satisfy my post-skiing craving for salt with dulse (!!)..normally I would snack on chips but since there aren’t any in the house I started rummaging et voila. Quite tasty and while it was a strange snack it was also perfect since I have a whole bag of it and just that salty taste I wanted.
I also cooked up some wild rice, finished making pudding and baked a batch of granola.

Will likely pick up some fruit and veg soon but pleased to have not gone grocery shopping yet this year!

[Naomi]

I spent exactly $10 last night on ground beef (1 lb), a bag of romaine lettuce (10 oz) and 2 jalapeno peppers. So, now to see if I can make it until next Monday before buying anything else.

[Upstate NYer]

Ok, I went shopping yesterday and spent around $13.85 on groceries...but that included one non-food item. Dried beans, milk, couple cans of chicken and tuna, etc. So for me, close enough.

[Serendip]

Well done on the low spends @Naomi and @Upstate NYer

I went to the store and spent $22..which paid for a bag of organic apples, two leeks, mushrooms, half of a red cabbage, zucchini, mushrooms, parsley, a stalk of lemongrass, two lemons, one yellow pepper, garlic and one Portuguese bun (for lunch..which meant I was able to rescue and eat an old frozen veggie burger).

Let’s see how long I can go with those replenishments :) feels abundant right now—if I make it through the month that would be something else!

[mm1970]

You meant $10 a day, right?

No?

I'm out.

I've got a teenager.

I can't even do $10 per person.

[oneday]

But @mm1970 how low *can* you go? :)


Y'all, I did a Costco run on Saturday before I saw this thread, so I am well-positioned. It's all just a fortuitous coincidence. So far, have had soup with crusty bread, and jambalaya. The last didn't even include anything from this week's Costco run. Spent $? on the  bread plus some frozen veg at an upscale local grocery store, due to miscommunication with my BF. Oh well. I'm estimating $5.

Will switch to canned fruit in a few days. Other than a lack of fresh fruit, I am well-stocked for breakfast and snacks. Lunches and dinners are going to challenge my creativity this week.

[centwise]

Welcome Oneday!

Great job, Naomi and Upstate!

Serendip your recent grocery shop looks sublimely delicious!

The deep freeze outside has made me very happy to stay in and not go grocery shopping lately. However today the temperature soared (all the way up to zero degrees Celsius today -- Oh my, it feels like Spring!) so I'm starting to get the itch. But I have plenty of food and I know I can postpone it for a few more days.

[Serendip]

A rainy day at home (& this challenge) helped me accomplish some unusual but delicious kitchen tasks.

Used previously made wild rice to bake a loaf of spelt, wild rice and pumpkin seed bread—so tasty! (Inspired by Amy Chaplins spelt & brown rice bread and my pantry full of spelt flour from earlier covid-days). Also tested a new (library) cookbook about Palestinian food (titled Falastin) to perfect hummus from scratch, and will make bibimbap tonight to use up leftover rice and veg.

Also brewed up roasted dandelion root tea then blended it with coconut butter and oat milk for a tasty latte-esque bevvie.

[centwise]

I love library cookbooks! I keep an always-rotating collection of 3-4 library cookbooks on my kitchen shelf. My current favourite, "Mowgli Streetfood" is from an Indian restaurant in the UK. I found my new favourite lamb curry recipe in there.

Serendip: I assume you collected the dandelion roots yourself? Sound interesting!

[Serendip]

Was looking in my pantry and spotted half a bag of chickpea & fava bean flour that I always ignore..so I found a recipe online for an omelette style dish (with veggies) and topped it with white cheddar cheese, it was delicious.

@centwise - the roasted dandelion roots actually came from a little apothecary around here.
( My sister is a herbalist so I have lots of interesting herb and plant ingredients and love the different flavours, especially if they are local or foraged)

[centwise]

Made egg fu young today. One of my favourite ways to use up bits and bobs of vegetables: mix chopped (pre-cooked) veggies, cubed tofu and a little leftover cooked chicken with eggs; fry in oil to make egg 'patties'. Serve on rice with a Chinese sauce (stock with soy sauce, sesame, garlic, ginger, a little sugar and corn starch). It's better if you have bean sprouts but I didn't have any.

For tomorrow I'm thawing some leftover home-made aloo gobi (potato cauliflower curry).

@Serendip: I love making a pizza-like meal from chickpea flour. Mix 1 cup besan with one cup water (+ salt) to make a batter;  stir in sauteed onions; pour in a skillet and cook (oven or stovetop)  to make a kind of pancake; then top with cheese, tomato and serrano peppers; finish under the broiler.

@Serendip: How lovely to have an herbalist in the family!

[Dicey]

Rough week. Our sewer line backed up into the house. We had to shut off the water for about 18 hours until a plumber could get here. (Fortunately, it was clear water, not chunky. Not a gross clean-up and we used plenty of bleach.)

We got our first pandemic-era takeout. Dinner for 2 from Chipotle was $22.09. I remembered to order extra tortillas, so we easily stretched it to two more dinners the following night. Not too expensive and, darn, it was good!

In related news, I keep hearing about empty shelves in the grocery stores, so we caved and made a Costco run today. $250 $205 later, I can firmly say I'm the group's first abject failure.

[centwise]

@Dicey: Sorry to hear about the plumbing issues. Silvery lining: now that you're fully stocked, you're perfectly positioned to come back and restart the challenge, starting now!

[Otterwins]

I was eating out of the pantry this month, but the silly Georgia snow frenzy made me worry about supplies (plus Covid shortages). So I spent $75. Southerners don't cope with snow/ice really well!

Still, I love this thread, and I'm getting back to this when the ice melts!

[BikeFanatic]

Found more stuff in the back of my cabinets. Had some rice and vegan taco filling, black beans, no cheese in frig. Used lettuce leaves as a taco no tortillas left. Amazing good maybe I could eat it that way forever.
Due to early pandemic hoarding I may make it next 2 weeks on ten dollars. Let’s hope I don’t have to buy coffee!

[SailingOnASmallSailboat]

Coffee should go in the "does not count" column. Lol.

[SunnyDays]

I’ll join.

I had an enormous amount of food in the house from the start of the pandemic and was keeping it topped up for a long time afterwards.  It got to the point where my freezer was bulging as well as the pantry.  I stopped buying much in the fall because I couldn’t stand the excess.  Plus my freezer needed defrosting.

So I’ve been eating everything down since then and have bought nothing since Christmas, so I’m ahead of the challenge, lol.

I’m now at the point where I’m running out of some things, but with Omicron surging, I’m trying not to go out.  So this will be my chance to really eat things up and restock with fresh supplies in about a month.

I have lots of beans in various forms and lots of meat, potatoes and rice, but other veggies and fruit are in short supply.  Also no eggs, which I might need to buy soon.

I think I can manage on $10/week for a while - we’ll see how long.

[centwise]

Coffee should go in the "does not count" column. Lol.

[.... centwise busily reclassifies coffee as essential household supplies ]

;)

Actually I do want to try postponing coffee-buying too, and plan to drink tea instead for a while, in the spririt of the challenge, but that's only because I love morning tea almost as much as coffee. I do understand that one's morning coffee routine can be sacred, so I wouldn't begrudge anyone's decision to classify coffee as non-grocery. :)

[Serendip]

I agree that coffee should live under household items..

Am cooking up coconut rice pudding with the small amount of Arborio rice I had in a bag (and coconut milk powder, cardomom, nutmeg, orange peel and a few raisins)

Used frost-bitten mango and pineapple that I had forgotten about for a smoothie and also prepared green lentils with Indian spices and coconut milk..super easy and tasty.

@centwise —I will try your chickpea pizza idea. I enjoy the texture and flavour of the flour but never use it as my SO seems suspicious of it :)

[centwise]

Baked bread today for the first time in a while! I had given up my weekly bread-baking habit last year, in an effort to reduce carb consumption but this is a good time to revive the habit (at least, on an occasional basis). Made one large loaf and set aside a ball of dough for pizza. It felt great to be kneading dough again, and now the house is filled with the scent of freshly baked bread.

Pseudo-Mexican food for tonight! I have a large bag of corn tortillas from the local Latin market; they last an exceptionally long time in the refrigerator. I also have cooked chicken in the freezer. I ripened the last avocado (which had been 'in stasis' in the fridge) and will make guacamole. Looking forward to chicken quesadillas with pepper-jack cheese, salsa, onion and guac.

@Serendip: Rice pudding is a great idea, and I have all the necessary ingredients! (I like to add some almonds.) I love it but never think of it. We are still working our way through the last of the Christmas sweets; when they are gone, I will make rice pudding to satisfy our sweet cravings.

The last time I shopped before starting the challenge was Jan 3. So Jan 4 is my starting date, and I've made it 12 days without shopping so far!

[Naomi]

I did not make it a whole week without buying more. Friday, I spent $11.49 on pretzel rolls (4), grapefruit (2), tomato (1), strawberry popsicles (6). Then Saturday I spent $9.33 on ginger ale (6) and candy bars (2). I still have chicken, but no beef so will buy that this week and that should be all.

Week 1 Total: $30.82

[LadyMaWhiskers]

Joining in January week three, but excluding food for my seven year old, who is very picky/limited and thrives on a very specific grocery list which I refresh daily and weekly.

Ok, so $10 for mom only. Coffee doesn’t count. I am not frugal at all really, so this will be challenge enough.

[centwise]

Joining in January week three, but excluding food for my seven year old, who is very picky/limited and thrives on a very specific grocery list which I refresh daily and weekly.

Ok, so $10 for mom only. Coffee doesn’t count. I am not frugal at all really, so this will be challenge enough.

Welcome, LadyMa, sounds like a good plan!

For me, the challenge is mostly a reminder to (1) use what I have and (2) not stock up unnecessarily (because I already have plenty). I'm also hoping to slowly empty the freezer so I can defrost it in a couple of months.

I have the advantage of a small family: just me, plus my teenage daughter half of the time. So people with larger families or picky-child constraints should feel free to adjust the challenge to fit their circumstances. :)

I'm starting to get the itch to go shopping! But we are going to have bad weather and icy streets for the next few days, so that will help keep me at home, foraging in the fridge, pantry and freezer.

[Serendip]

I am finally digging into the pile of grains I tend to buy but then avoid.

Making a warm buckwheat salad with fennel/cashew dressing & an egg for lunch🤞 *ended up being super tasty..better than expected :)

I’m also motivated to start growing/sprouting micro-greens. I already have seeds from last year (broccoli, mustard, sunflower, pea, radish..) just have to set up my system and get them going.

[oneday]

After the Costco stock-up on the 8th, I made three separate "just grab a few things" grocery stops. This added up to about $15. So, very low compared to last year's $41/week average. Didn't quite meet the challenge, but also restrained myself from making purchases that would then languish in the larder for untold eons, or prevent me from eating other things which have housed themselves in my pantry since time immemorial.

Good start to the challenge. I'll try again this week. Need milk & fruit, at least...

[Upstate NYer]

Ok, so week two shop (for me) added up to $16.69. I've been over the $10 limit both weeks but just the fact I'm spending $15 or so a week vs. $50 a week is a win to me.

Been preparing things ahead of time, to have them for the upcoming week.

If I run out of coffee before the challenge is over, I'm going to switch to tea as well, since I have a ton of it and like both.

Thanks to all of you for helping me to remain motivated. :)

[Serendip]

That’s the spirit of it @Upstate NYer and @oneday —I think keeping costs low is the challenge/and it’s personal what that means. Improvements count!

 I made a smoothie using yogurt, some cranberry powder and maca (which I had forgotten that I had), frozen banana and flax meal. Will make a sushi roll for lunch using leftovers and nori.
I have a recipe for a Palestinian pasta dish for tonight which has a yogurt-based sauce (it really needs using up), parsley and breadcrumbs. Experimental!

My partner is coming back home and just suffered a big loss so I’ll be breaking this challenge in order to stock up on comfort items for him. I will keep  myself focused on the challenge and using things up —but I want him to come home & feel taken care of.

[centwise]

Condolences, @Serendip. (Comfort foods for the bereaved should certainly be excludable from the grocery tally)

Best wishes,

C.

[SailingOnASmallSailboat]

Condolences, @Serendip. (Comfort foods for the bereaved should certainly be excludable from the grocery tally)

Best wishes,

C.

Totally agree. How lovely of you to want to comfort your partner in his time of loss.

[Serendip]

Thank you for the support, I did a good shop and included his favourite items. There isn’t much we can do for others’ grief but these small gestures feel meaningful.

I’ve been quite inspired by the stack of cookbooks that I brought home from the library. It’s satisfying to find new recipes that use things that I already have (the pasta/parsley dish I mentioned yesterday turned out really well)

Things that are recently expired but I’d still like to use up or find uses for..

1) almond flour (perhaps a waffle or use it in some dough for pizza?)
2) kimchi ( another bibimbap style meal)

*(Funnily enough I just googled those ingredients together and came up with this kimchi pancake, so there is the dinner plan for tonight as I have all the other ingredients as well!) https://abbyrue.com/how-to-make-low-carb-korean-kimchi-pancakes/

[SailingOnASmallSailboat]

if you still have almond flour left it makes amazing homemade crackers.

[centwise]

Still postponing shopping... but I'm finding this quite fun and not a sacrifice so far.  (When it becomes a sacrifice it will be time to stop.)

I'm super busy with work today and Friday, and I'd rather not shop on the weekend SO my target date for the next shop is: Monday morning!

Eating leftovers today: thawed borscht (from last week) and leftover pizza (from yesterday).

In terms of 'fresh' stuff, I'm down to cabbage, carrots, butternut squash, onions, potatoes. I dug into my freezer and found frozen edamame (shelled), spinach, beets, apples, blueberries (and also a bag of mixed frozen vegetables that are kind of tasteless, so I'm thinking of feeding them to my dog).