How Many Times Do You Shop Each Month?

 26th - Sainsbury's £21.03

Whenever I share my shopping I get comments along the lines of 'I don't know how you manage on so little' or 'I have to spend a lot more' etc, and I've never really explained it well enough really.  So it's totally my fault.

I buy all the food that I need, and yes occasionally some of the food or treats that I just want or that  temptation leads me into buying, to top up what I already have in the house.  Most of you have seen my bulging cupboards and know all about my on/off stockpiling for a rainy day.  This year that has all been done with money that I have made selling things off while decluttering prior to our forthcoming move, and not always from my very limited food budget.  I've done well, and while I have been eating very well I have also built up quite a respectable stash of things that I need and will make good use of.  Every shopping trip has something that gets popped into the bottom cupboard, one day I just know it will all explode outwards with a flurry of assorted packages and tins littering my tiny kitchen floor, it really is that full.

I was definitely seduced by these lovely strawberries this week.  No sooner were they home than they were washed, trimmed and popped into the fridge for random snacking moments.

It's almost the law in the UK to have strawberries at the end of May and into June, then as soon as the lovely homegrown fresh flavour starts to diminish I rarely buy them anymore.

Some people eat the green tops too, while I can't stand to do that nothing gets wasted here, and they get added to the fruit scraps bag in the freezer ready for the next round of compost heap jelly.

Booths £8.35

Yesterday I had to call into Booths for some bread for Alan and while I was there I thought I would get some for myself too.  They had none of the sort I like, indeed the bread shelves were pretty spartan.  I guess everyone is either picnicking, barbequing, or simply living on sandwiches and buns.  I got myself some buns instead and will make do with those.  

I can use the teacakes in the top photo instead of breakfast toast, they are already sliced in half and in the freezer waiting to be called upon.  As you can see I was tempted by a quiche, some of the bought ones tend to be a bit hit and miss, but these Higgidy vegan quiches are full of flavour and delicious hot or cold, we both like them so I will be sharing.

The fridge is looking very healthy going into the weekend, the quiche was still on the worktop when I took this photo.

Anyway, the title of this post is 'How Many Times Do You Shop Each Month?'

 I went back and checked my own total after noting down what I had spent up to now this month, and I have shopped eight times in May. I spent a total of £99.37 all together, which averages out at a very respectable £25 for one person for a week.  Some of the cash from my limited housekeeping and some from a couple of small sales of household stuff. 

 Eight times seems excessive but we tend to stop at the supermarket on the way back from somewhere, or just pop out for a couple of things, and it's been a long time since either of us did a proper 'weekly shop'.  I find it so much easier to manage this way, and looking in a lot of the trollies in the supermarkets during the week, so do a lot of other people.

Sue xx