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April 2019 Grocery Challenge
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Not a lot! General markets are up & running, but I usually do best at the specialist "vintage" & textile shows, which are very much summer things. Trouble is, we need to book our pitches now and I'm totally up in the air about when I'll be able to trade again; it'd be daft to spend hundreds booking pitches & then discover I won't be fit to go. I shall offload some stock online and at our local auction room; won't earn us as much, but I need the space back. I will also take some "dead" (i.e. previously unsold) stock to the local car boot sales, but the good ones don't start up again until May, alas!
GC Jan 21 £401.83/£400 - oh bother!
2021 Fashion on the Ration Challenge: 0/48
(Money's just a substitute for time & talent...)
Can I be part of this challenge please? I used to be part of this challenge, but last year I fell off the wagon in a big way!
However, I have a huge bill to pay this month (much bigger than anticipated and I desperately need to make savings elsewhere! I’d also like run down my freezer supplies!
With that in mind, I’d like to set a budget of £150 please, to run to 26/04.
Good luck everyone!
Aims for 2018:
1. Stick to GC targets!
2. No buying of books until I read what I have!
4. Lose weight!
5. Build up some savings!
I’m in again please. I’m still plodding on with my £2000 for the year.
My implementation of more veggie less meat is going well. As is the keeping my cupboards full and not wasting anything.
I’m hoping the price of veg doesn’t go up too much when the dreaded B finally happens but in the meantime I’m keeping the freezer full with frozen veg, and experimenting with new items, raspberries tend to be the only frozen fruit I really prefer to fresh, but I happily eat most frozen veg and by the time it happens we should be getting into the local foods time of year.
It really focuses what I spend by keeping note.
OH was surprised by how little we spend and eat healthily.
Anyway I hope you guys are all well and ready for another month of sqeeeeezing every last penny.
Cuddles
I am keeping to my budget but the truth is my meal planning isn't great and hasn't been for a while. It's like I have run out of steam with it after doing it for so many years. The number of takeaways we are having is increasing as I feel so tired when I get in from work I can't be bothered to cook. I'm feeling stuck in a rut and have been for a while. My weight is a big issue and it's getting worse with the takeaways and junk meals I have been having. Going to have a look around the recipe section for some inspiration.
Save £12k in 2020 - Challenger No 4 - £/£40k
January 2021 Grocery Challange £40/£200
January 2021 NST Jitterbug Challenge
Happy days, my salary came in higher than expected!! So I was able to pay extra to my electric which was worrying me slightly!! Officially declaring my budget at £202.50 for April.
Have bought my toothbrush heads! Found a pack of 4 genuine ones on eBay with good reviews (there seemed to be a lot of dodgy ones on there!) for £8 which is great as usually they'd be about £13, so I'm well happy with that!
That's from my £20 "stock" budget, so I have £12 left in there for my toiletries from 5uperdrug, which should be plenty as I still have some bits.
I have meals made up to Thursday lunchtime this week, but some fresh veg left which I can use with something for tea on Thursday, not sure what Friday lunch will be yet, ideally make double for tea Thursday and take the 2nd portion.
For my Week 1 budget, which was £32.50, I still have £20.38 left. In theory this is to cover up till Saturday, then Sunday my Week 2 budget starts. I need a few basics like stock cubes, garlic, onions, oats, and chickpeas and quinoa, but should comfortably get all this in in the rest of the Week 1 budget. Feeling the most confident I have in months!
...............................£202.50 Budget
Date.......Shop......Amount....Remaining
24 Mar.....A5da......£12.12....£190.38(WEEK 1)
26 Mar.....eBay......£08.00....£182.38(STOCK)
GC: Jan 21 £tbc/£250
Vegan 27-8-13
How frustrating for you, Thriftwizard. I will keep my fingers crossed that you get a date for the operation soon.
- Pip
2021 Fashion on the Ration Challenge 66 coupons plus 6 brought forward unspent from 2020 equals 72 coupons to spend in 2021. 5 coupons spent. 67 remain.
However, I'm deducting that from my "Week 1" budget, so it still works out.
I bought some vegan marshmallows from H&B to last me for a bit, as I like to have them in a hot chocolate! That was £4.98. So I now have £7.39 left in my "Week 1" budget. This is to last me until I do my shop for Week 2 on Sunday. I have lunch for today and tomorrow already made. I have dinner for tonight as well (baked sweet potato topped with t3sco Taco beans, fresh coriander and lime juice, with a homemade red cabbage and sugar snap pea slaw! - sounds extravagant but really a fairly economical meal!).
I haven't planned Friday or Saturday dinner, or Saturday lunch yet, but I have a bit of fresh veg left that should be ok, so it would only be supplementary bits to make it "treat" meals - it really is deeply ingrained in me that weekend dinners should be something special, I think it's from childhood. Whether it just means making myself some chips to bake, or having something more "exciting", it doesn't necessarily mean unhealthy or expensive, just something I wouldn't bother with in the week usually!! Anyone else do this?
...............................£202.50 Budget
Date.......Shop......Amount....Remaining
24 Mar.....A5da......£12.12....£190.38(WEEK 1)
26 Mar.....eBay......£08.00....£182.38(STOCK)
27 Mar.....Sup3rdrug.£20.01....£162.37(STOCK)
27 Mar.....H&B.......£04.98....£157.39(WEEK 1)
GC: Jan 21 £tbc/£250
Vegan 27-8-13
Got one, thank Heavens! I think my enquiry may have moved things along a bit. 23rd April, barring any sudden emergencies meaning I get postponed. Which is cutting it a bit fine for doing the fair on 12th May, but as that's an indoor event & OH could drive me down & help me set up, it should be do-able. And having been an emergency myself a couple of weeks ago, and very grateful to have been treated so fast, one way or another I will just swallow the disappointment (and the pitch fee!) if I can't do it after all.
So I will aim for £420, please; one of the girls is now rather interested in my budgetary efforts & will try to keep spending down & improvise. The other, and their father, think it's all a bit of a faff & a fuss about nothing, really, especially as she currently works in a supermarket & gets a decent discount. So I'll just try to make sure that their favourites are well stocked-up at sensible prices so they don't "just run up the road (W8rose) for a pint of milk & a loaf of bread" which somehow always results in £30 vanishing!
GC Jan 21 £401.83/£400 - oh bother!
2021 Fashion on the Ration Challenge: 0/48
(Money's just a substitute for time & talent...)