March 2019 Grocery Challenge

Suffolk_lass

PennyGrabber wrote: »

Well hello everyone! Not been on for a year, and what a year! Engaged 13th April, moved house 30th June, and getting married 13th April!
I was doing well when it was just me and my two children but now with fianc! as well I’m finding it tricky to set a reasonable and realistic budget. Of course, there is more coming in, but a much bigger mortgage so I still need to keep on top of everything.
I have been tracking our spending for a few months and I will start doing the gc again properly after the wedding. Will stay on and chat though to get myself back into the swing of things!
Penny x

Hello Penny, :wave: long time, no "see". I am sure you remember all your techniques from before - you were quite a practised hand and keeping your shopping to around £100 a month if I recall, for three of you. Not sure if you will be quite so dependent on YS timings now you have another income to help but I think it just becomes such a way of life. Here is hoping your wedding is everything you want it to be. Welcome back

elsiepac

Budgets updated to here

I've been a bit absent, sorry guys! My rota has changed at work and I've gone from being on call once every 6 weeks to once every 3... except that at the moment 2 of us are trying to train the 3rd one in the team, so in reality we are shadowing him so are actually doing every other week! And the week we aren't, we are on early shift but often end up with overtime so pretty shattered at the moment!! Should be temporary though, so hopefully in a month or so it will calm down!

Haven't kept track well at all this month again, have about £20 for the last 9 days but have all the store cupboard stuff I need so really only for fresh, so will be more than sufficient.

Welcome back PennyGrabber - hope you're enjoying the new house and looking forward to your lovely wedding! Bet the children are excited!

Also, going to pop the new thread up today. I know it's a bit early, but I'm not about on Sunday to do it and the next 2 weeks are going to be super busy for me so I can see myself forgetting if I don't do it now!

euronorris

£13.70 in Sainsburys this morning. Need to get some bits for parents visit still, that I had forgotten about - sunflower spread and rice milk for mum (lactose intolerant), semi-skimmed milk for Dad (he won't drink whole milk), some crisps and chocolate, cheese strings and ham to put together some lunches for our days out, top up carrots, and milk powder for store cupboard (just in case you know what).


New total: £293.32/£300


I am cutting it fine with another 11 days to go, but I have more than enough in to see us through, including bits for parents visit, still got some sausages and spag bol portions in freezer, as well as some breaded chicken steaks, a 750g pack of beef mince (so will make a batch of cottage pie tomorrow), another pack of diced beef to do a beef stew, a pack of frozen chicken breasts, and enough ingredients to make pizza dough, pizza sauce and put together a pizza. Also enough bits for sandwiches etc, some soups, beans, veg, pasta etc etc, so we definitely won't starve! lol

Suffolk_lass

Pay day for DH is still just over a week away so I will have to cover the last shop from my meagre remaining allowance for this month. I have about £10 left so next week will just be absolute essentials. I have bought a few extra bits for my store and this has had an impact. In total I have spent 20.66% of my annual budget but over a third of my stores allocation. If the impact of the B event is minimal I will use up over the next few months so it is win-win as long as fresh produce is available.

My SM shop was £30.95 this week and comprised veg, fruit, one portion of meat on offer, milk, cheese, hot cross buns and ginger biscuits (on offer). My stores spend was light bulbs £5. I also bought some more Easter Chocolate (and promptly eat some :eek: - no wonder I feel fat!) but that is a different treats pot as it is (supposed to be) for our Easter Hols

elsiepac

As promised, the April GC is now live HERE. Apologies for the early start, but would rather that than it be late!

Doom_and_Gloom

Since last post we have spent £18.55.

Had to buy nutritional yeast; H&B had it buy 1 get 1 half price, have put half the cost in this month and half into next month. Managed to pick up frozen edamame beans in pods at 10p a bag, got 6 bags and just managed to fit them in the freezer . Pizza, some fruits and vegetables etc as well.

I'm having the last of the vegetable stew made the other day for dinner.
OH is having pizza for dinner.

£192.17/£248
£55.83 left.

Note to self, must eat through the freezer! Only fresh food when needed; such as fruit and vegetables for me and milk, cheese, meat* etc for OH. We should be fine.

*though there is quite a lot of beef in the freezer so...

VickyV

Well, I've been even more absent than normal, not for any particular reason, just busy.

I've had a couple of local spends on yellow stickers and today did the weekly shop in Ald1 and h0me bargains and have spent in the region of £55 since last update. Total spend for the month stands at £142.71/260.

I was hoping to have a cheapo 'eat out of the freezer' kinda week but my lovely DS1 decided that he'd like to try being veggie for a week. I'm not going to argue, as it'll hopefully get more good stuff on the plates and I get an excuse to experiment! The last week of March should be quite cheap, though, since the freezer is packed to the gunnels!

Vicky x

ditty1234

NSD yesterday :j:j:j:j:j:j:j
:T

[Deleted User]

£16.25 spent so far this week and off to the shop in a minute to get next weeks groceries!

ma-ri-ella

mid month update = things not going bad/not great either just so so . Have decided to try the envelope system so have decided on 20 quid a week cash for everything . Last year i did a 1 a day challenge which went really well but this year not so much. Think its a mix of prices going up, been less lucky with yellow stickers , lazy with cooking from scratch and trying to eat more healthy . Hopefully having the cash and knowing when its gone its gone will stop me spending .I think its quite a lot really when i know i can meal prep for half that a week x