my $25 shopping list + pantry items used

Normally I love shopping for food. But I actually found this trip a little stressful because I was worried about going over my $50 budget ($25 per person).

It really brought home to me the challenges some people face each week, keeping the cash register under a certain number. It’s a stressful time.

Rather than have a pre planned list, I decided to go for the ‘wing it’ method of menu planning and just buy as much fresh produce as I could and figure it out later. For the first time I actually kept a tally on my phone calculator of my ‘spend’ as I added each item to my trolley. A sobering exercise in itself.

And now, just tallying up the ‘pantry’ ingredients I used, I’m quite surprised by how much my pantry contributed to my week of cooking. I’d originally planned to use my pantry as little as possible but on reflection, it actually contributed a great deal from an olive oil and vinegar perspective. Next time I’d have to include these in my actual shopping for the week.

Here’s what I purchased for the week

vegetables
1kg (2lb) frozen peas
1kg (2lb) potatoes
2kg (4lb) onions
whole cauliflower
2 bunches asparagus
3 heads broccoli
1kg (2lb) carrots
1 bunch celery
4 portabello mushrooms
2 avocadoes

pantry items
500g (1lb) french style green lentils
500g (1lb) green split peas
4 cans tomatoes (400g / 14oz each)
500mL (2 cups) rice bran oil

chilled items
300mL milk
350g (12oz) firm tofu
750g (1 1/2lb) minced (ground) beef
250g (9oz) butter
1 doz free range eggs

And the grand total? $49.99, phew.

Here are the pantry / leftover / garden items I used during the week

pantry items
white vinegar: 3 tablespoons
rice wine vinegar: 5 tablespoons
sherry vinegar: 5 tablespoons
cheap balsamic vinegar: 7 tablespoons
soy sauce: 5 tablespoons
olive oil: 25 tablespoons (1 1/2cups)
dijon mustard: 1 tablespoon
4 lemons
garlic: 3 cloves
ground coriander: 1 teaspoon
garam marsala: 1 teaspoon
white beans: 1 can
4 pork sausages (from the freezer)
parmesan cheese: handful grated cheese
goats cheese: small handful
250g (8.5oz) butter
250g (8.5oz) caster sugar
2 eggs
250g (8.5oz) almond meal
ice cream

garden
fresh coriander leaves (cilantro): handful
rosemary: 1 sprig
mint: 2 sprigs
rocket leaves: small handful
kale: handful
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