March 2018 Grocery Challenge

JingsMyBucket

Evening all. Checking in from the U.K. this time. I have a genuine question for you all to help me ponder, please. Would you count the everyday food bought during this trip as “travel budget” or “grocery budget”? I ask because I’ve bought items like yoghurt, water, fruit, cheese, etc for us to eat for breakfast and snacks where we’re staying. I’m thinking I should count that as travel budget, no?

[Deleted User]

JingsMyBucket wrote: »

Would you count the everyday food bought during this trip as !!!8220;travel budget!!!8221; or !!!8220;grocery budget!!!8221;? I ask because I!!!8217;ve bought items like yoghurt, water, fruit, cheese, etc for us to eat for breakfast and snacks where we!!!8217;re staying. I!!!8217;m thinking I should count that as travel budget, no?

It depends on your financial situation and how much accountability you want to 'yourself'. I force myself to use up stores, as I really detest waste and overconsumption from an eco standpoint, but i've an entertainments 'out' budget that has no limit. Things I do out of 'laziness/convenience/lack of planning', like take-aways, come out of grocery or bulk (which is left over grocery monies). I very rarely 'throw' money at anything without thought, so will be responsible with 'no limit' on certain things. There is nothing wrong with a 'travel budget', if that works for you, maybe put a cap on it, if you think you might run riot with it (or not). Bottled water - don't get me started. It's not healthier, it's an environmental catastrophe and new studies just out, have found 90% of samples contain 'micro plastics'. Please Google bottled water. Sorry, not meaning to lecture or make you feel bad (just tell me to shut up, I won't take offence), but it really is a severe problem with NO benefits. Filtered or tap is better.

purpleybat

K9sandFelines wrote: »

I do this too, but never deduct it from my shopping spend!

you don't or they don't? if they're not deducting it from your bill you should send them a quick email.

thinking of morries I've just done a MASSIVE online shop from them, I didn't realise quite how much food having an extra adult to feed would mean I need. think will need to reconsider next months budget cos way over this month.
I've not totted up spends this month yet but have just received my spicesofindia order, and while I know it'll last months it was still £36.77!!!
whatever I spend tomorrow on my food shop, only need fresh stuff really, I know will be over budget

PipneyJane

YorksLass - what is “Henderson’s Relish”, please?

Jings- I always count travel groceries as part of my holiday budget (unless I am stocking up on wine/groceries from France, in which case the Bulk Fund coughs up).

Apart from onions and 2 carrots, we are completely out of fresh veg so I will be doing a farm shop this weekend. We’re also low on staples like yoghurt, so expect to hit MrT’s as well.

- Pip

kkffoo

We've tried different ways, and what feels right to us is deducting our normal weekly food spend from the total trip spend. Anything over that is 'holiday' money.

cw18

Spends up to and including 11th were £29.44

Since then....

13th
£Stretcher - £4.66 on a box of biscuits, a box of herbal teabags, gravy granules, and a squeezable bottle of sour cream dressing.
A!di - £5.24 on soya milk, apple sauce, vinegar, loaf of bread, bread rolls, soft brown sugar, sultanas, sr flour, bicarb of soda and a jar of marmalade
Her0n - 45p on a baking block

16th
Tesc0 - 60p on tinned fruit (actually 2 for £1.60, but had a manufacturers voucher for £1 off)
Her0n - £1.86 for a pack of nacho wedges, a pack of wraps and reduced to clear pot of yoghurt (75% off)
B'n'M - £2.69 for two packs of biscuits and a large squeezy bottle of mint sauce
A!di - £3.50 on two packs of ham trimmings
Tesco - worked out at -15p !! spent 90p on a pack of bananas that I've been credited with £1.05 cashback for

17th
Lid! - £2.27 on a tube of tomatoe puree, a tin of corned beef, and a reduced seeded loaf (30% off)
A!di - £13.47 on a bag of mixed peppers, 2 bananas, a cucumber, babycorn, a bag of baby potatoes, vine tomatoes, a lettuce, a bag of stri fry veg, a pack of rolls, 4 packs of part-baked rolls, a block of cheese, a bag of frozen mixed veg, a bag of chips, a tub of ice-cream, and two reduced multi-grain loaves (50% off)
Icel@nd - £7 on a large steak pie and a 2kg tray of chicken breasts (would have been £12, but I had a 'free' £5 earned by meeting spend requirements )

18th
Grasmere Gingerbread Shop - £6.70 on a pack of 12 slices

That takes spends for 13th-18th to £48.29, and for the month to date to £77.73


Planning on another pack of gingerbread either tomorrow or Saturday (last chance until the end of May ), possibly a pepper and a pack of babycorn for Saturday (have everything else for a thai stir fry), probably a pack of 6 eggs for Sunday (hopefully have everything else for omelettes), and quite likely at least one jar of marmalade before month end. That should leave me another £10 in case I need anything else, but that's really the money I had ear-marked for a marmalade festival last Sunday that the weather stopped me getting too so I desperately want to not spend that if I can help it.....


(Actually, I may missing a receipt as I know I've not listed one item I bought last week. Not sure whether there was anything else on that receipt, so will have to have a quick hunt when I get home at the weekend. But I thought I bought the item at the same time as one of the shops listed above, so it may be a case of the item didn't scan and I didn't notice!)

YorksLass

supersaver1000 wrote: »

one thing I do miss about having a delivery is finding those YS items.

Yes, that's the downside but I've managed to cut deliveries down to one every 4/5 weeks so I don't miss out too much.

JingsMyBucket wrote: »

Would you count the everyday food bought during this trip as “travel budget” or “grocery budget”?

I think I'd say "grocery" but it's really up to you and what suits your circumstances. When we're on holiday we usually have BB&EM so only need a small snack/tea/coffee at lunchtime. I use my grocery budget for this and very rarely spend all of it. Anything left gets carried over to Xmas spending.

PipneyJane wrote: »

YorksLass - what is “Henderson’s Relish”, please?

Apart from onions and 2 carrots, we are completely out of fresh veg- Pip

Hi Pip - Hendersons Relish (aka 'Endersons or the Black Stuff or Reli) is a spicy, fruity condiment similar to Lee & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce and can be used in exactly the same way. It has the advantage of being gluten free, approved by the Vegetarian Society (doesn't contain anchovies) and it's about half the price. Based in Sheffield and established in 1885, it's still on the go, so can't be all that bad! Widely available throughout Yorkshire but not so much elsewhere, although it can be ordered online direct.

Snap, on the fresh veg situation. We currently have 2 onions, 6 carrots and the middle of a small Savoy cabbage so I'll be on the veg hunt tomorrow. Probably fruit as well as there's only one apple left.

caronc

£34 grocery spend today bringing total for March to £104/£150. This should be my last March GC spend

PipneyJane

MadamMim2013 wrote: »

Great to read the positivity and resolve going on at the moment, really keeps me thinking and challenging myself..:T
£4.75 spend today on meat (for lunches and bread..
Thinking of re investing in a bread machine, my old Panasonic went belly up last year.. Have read that the new funky ones they've brought out aren't all that?
Any recommendations.. Would like a smaller size one if poss..

I love my bread machine. Ours is at least 13 years old, so probably out of manufacture, but based on my experience, I would suggest getting the largest bread machine you can. The paddle of ours leaves a large hole, which runs approximately a quarter of the way through each loaf. That hole is a pain when you’re making sandwiches. It makes the bottom quarter of each loaf virtually unuseable for anything except dunking in soup.

- Pip

PipneyJane

YorksLass wrote: »

Hi Pip - Hendersons Relish (aka 'Endersons or the Black Stuff or Reli) is a spicy, fruity condiment similar to Lee & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce and can be used in exactly the same way. It has the advantage of being gluten free, approved by the Vegetarian Society (doesn't contain anchovies) and it's about half the price. Based in Sheffield and established in 1885, it's still on the go, so can't be all that bad! Widely available throughout Yorkshire but not so much elsewhere, although it can be ordered online direct.

Snap, on the fresh veg situation. We currently have 2 onions, 6 carrots and the middle of a small Savoy cabbage so I'll be on the veg hunt tomorrow. Probably fruit as well as there's only one apple left.

Thanks for the info, YorksLass. I’ll keep an eye out for it next time I am in God’s Own County.

- Pip