February 2018 Grocery Challenge

Merlin's_Beard

£12.80 in Aldi brings me to £43.65/£100 for the month so far, though that doesn't include the pack of raspberries that was in with my shopping before it got scanned and then disappeared somewhere... not on my receipt, not in my shopping - I'll call it divine intervention telling me that I don't need out of season fruit!

I'm trying not to get excited about the fact that I've still got over half my money left and theoretically enough for dinners through to the end of the month, but I will admit that eat-through-my-freezer month is going pretty well so far.

private_helen

This is my first month- I'd estimated a calendar month spend on all food, toiletries, cleaning, alcohol, and eating out to be £300. My month started 26th Jan- it's now 16th Feb and I've tipped over the £300, despite trying to use up the freezer supplies. Currently on £316.23. It's disappointing but at least I'll have a better idea for next month.

I still have a few meals worth in the fridge and freezer, but will definitely have to buy more veg (and wine!) before my month is up. Last week I made an effort to use up some of the lentils in the cupboard and made soup and a lentil and sweet potato pate for our lunches. The pate was a surprise and all enjoyed it- it goes really well with carrot and celery sticks.

Knowing I was over budget today I have made two meals with my 500g mince. Taking inspiration from elsiepac's wonderful vegetarian recipe (page 16 of this thread), I've made a layered mince and potato bake- bulked out with lentils for tonight (it looks fab!), and a lasagna bulked out with chopped carrot and celery for the freezer, to be used next week.

I was telling my friend about this thread and the challenge I'd set myself to monitor how much I was spending- she said she doesn't really overspend on food (-yet I know she likes her wine, sometimes buys a lunch when at work and has a few takeaways in a month). I'm hoping she'll join the challenge for next month- I think she'll get a shock at how much it all adds up to.

supersaver1000

Thank you for the encouragement.

Booked my Azda delivery for tomorrow - £85 will wipe out my current account but will be sorted for the week. I'm going to have to dip into the savings next weekend as we have visitors and I don't get paid until 27th :eek:

Picking up tips to get organised from this challenge though, so have high hopes for next month.

Mrs_Cheshire

Hi all, should have been an nsd as I did the main food shop yesterday, but hubby decided not to take his lunch to work and buy a meal deal instead, so adding £2.70 to the total. I wouldn't mind if we'd not got anything in, but we've a fridge full and 2 loaves of bread as well as crisps and a bottle of fizy drink he could of taken.
I've done an annual financial breakdown today to see if there is anywhere we can pull things in, so will be showing it to him tonight to get him to understand that we can't keep spending to odd £3 here and there without accounting for it elsewhere!

JingsMyBucket

Ginmonster wrote: »

I'm doing pretty well this month and that's been helped by me going to stay with my parents for 4 days and getting cooked for! I had to buy a couple of bits today but kept it to what I needed plus a bunch of daffs cos I love them. So £2.86 spent on daffs, bananas and a tin each of chickpeas and baked beans.

21.92/100

How on earth...? What is the cost breakdown for that purchase that only comes to £2.86?! So envious of UK prices sometimes.

NSD today. Too tired to go to Lidl and I left the office late. I’ll go tomorrow. That means I’m up to 9/10 NSDs goal. :j

K9sandFelines

Forgot to add £1.50 ish (i didn't go) to shopping for the Lidl Tofu. Wanted to try Gyros, but there was none in our store.

Ginmonster

JingsMyBucket wrote: »

How on earth...? What is the cost breakdown for that purchase that only comes to £2.86?! So envious of UK prices sometimes:j

It was at M&S believe it or not. The bunch of daffs were £1, the bananas £1.01, I picked up a bunch of loose ones, a tin of baked beans 30p and tin of chickpeas 55p. I agree we're lucky it's possible to get nutritious basics pretty cheaply if you live near enough to some good shops.

lil_me

Picked up random bits in Poundland etc but no main shop since Iceland delivery. Options got chocolate to reduce need for sweet, hi fi bars at slimming world etc. Only eating out work has paid.
Should come in under target this month as I have a lot in.

Suffolk_lass

JingsMyBucket wrote: »

How on earth...? What is the cost breakdown for that purchase that only comes to £2.86?! So envious of UK prices sometimes.

Not sure where you are based but for my friend near Poitiers in France, there is an on-line shopping company - it works like this - my friend orders online from the UK supermarket that delivers her goods to a farm address (in Kent, from memory). There her shopping is sorted into a container coming to that region in Europe and a weekly service drives that container to the depot (at a farm outside Poitiers, in her case) from where she collects it.

There are some limitations on what she can buy and she uses it for grocery store cupboard supplies - so tins, cleaning products, toiletries and pet food but not fresh fruit and veg, meat, fish or frozen goods. I think she said the cost of the reefer (refrigerated transport) made that disproportionately expensive). She uses it about every three months for the non-perishables and they are still cheaper from UK

Mrs_Norris

Hi all
managed a yellow sticker shop to stay within this week's £50. Mixed reception from the household but i'll work on them!

Planning to cook the lentil pate idea and lentil bake recipe :beer: Elsiepac . White lentils were yellow stickered so I'm hoping these will be tasty.

Started reading some of the sneaky ways thread to reduce the grocery spend on cleaning products.
Will also go through the cupboards and freezer to meal plan.
Determined to stay under budget this month.