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March 2020 Grocery Challenge
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Apologies for the lack of posting on this thread. The grocery budget has gone to pot with shopping for relatives during this nasty national crisis. We aren't going into debt, the relatives are paying for their share but I've given up on the challenge until we can go back to shopping around for the best prices.
Thank you so much for running this thread and for all the followers who post such useful things.Dedicated Debt Free Wanabee 🤓
Proud member of the Tilly Tidies since 1st Jan 2022
2022 -Jan £26.52, Feb £27.40, Mar £156.27, Apr £TBC4 -
Doom_and_Gloom said:We are very ashamed of the total we ended March on. The last A&C delivery on Monday sneaked into March budget. Still not great. Mostly happened as reductions disappeared and that is how we buy most things from the supermarket. We needed to buy chinchilla food and hay as we were nearly out of that but the only place we could get it was more expensive than usual, as I said before though he's sorted for a good while at least.
£433.15/£224.82.
£208.33 over. (It was tempting to write it off but I couldn't do so).
Instead of taking money off for April as we'd end up with basically no budget we've agreed on £200 but with the hope we don't spend it all.5 -
carolinerunner said:Like some others, my March spend has gone very badly wrong, to the extent that I can't even bear to add it up properly or confess even the roughest estimate here. I know some of the reasons but they don't seem to cover the enormity of it. I think I'm permanently in low level panic mode, buying things 'just in case' - and my stepmum died last weekend so my head's mashed and my foodplan's gone up in smoke. I'm writing off March. Thank goodness it's April tomorrow.
Definitely make sure you are kind to yourself though - you're dealing with two enormous things at the same time and plans will go up in smoke - it's nothing that can't be sorted out later.Start mortgage date: August 2022; Start mortgage amount: £240,999; Original mortgage free date: August 2056
Current mortgage amount: £226,957.97
Start student loan 2012: £29,750; current student loan: CLEARED July 20254 -
Carolinerunner I'm sorry to hear of your loss. Take care of yourself!
We finished the month on $921.76. Like others, there have been a few extra spends in there, and possibly also just us getting used to monitoring spends (DH finds that harder), but I'm still pretty shocked. Oh well. Good to have a starting point, lol.
Pantry is pretty well stocked so hopefully I can get the April spends slightly more under control! See you all there.March 2020 grocery challenge $921.76/$500AU
April 2020 grocery challenge $744/$800
May 2020 GC $724.11/$750
June 2020 GC $370.31/$700
July 2020 GC $316.87/$7003 -
carolinerunner said:D&G, same here. I share your pain. I know we know why but still... it hurts
After all I added up March just so I knew but I have just put a cross next to it on the home copy to signify a write off due to many factors right now.
Just please be kind to yourself. If you need to talk I'm sure many on here will be open to doing so.
D&GI am a vegan woman. My OH is a lovely omni guy3 -
I feel so sorry for people who have lost family and friends at this time and are not able to say goodbye as they would have wished. I hope you are able to take the time to grieve, and be kind to yourselves. Saving money on groceries should be the furthest thing from your minds.
I'm posting my up to date spends for March in my signature. It works out at just over my weekly target but have added some extra items for when DS3 is home next week and we may have to quarantine, as he has been abroad.
Grocery challenge 2025: £650/1500 annual budget5 -
Hi all,
What a horrid month this turned out to be hey!? Condolescences to Caroline on the passing of your stepmum
I've been so busy i havent had chance to report any spends since the beginning of March. I am a key worker in a food production company that delivers to schools, nurseries and residential homes. Next week this will increase dramatically to include those self isolating, children currently off school not receiving a free school meal plus the normal workload.
I have managed to go over budget by £16.23 this month, and that's including upping it last month to include an order online of gf bakery items. It turns out i dont like many of them, so wont be spending as much asi i anticipated in that capacity anymore. The only gf bread i can tolerate is B free pitta breads, and they are like golddust to get hold of at the moment; as are many other items, therefore meaning doing without or buying an expensive alternative.
Stay safe everyoneGC Jan £101.91/£150 Feb £70.96/150 Mar £100.43/150 Apr £108.45 app/150 May £149.70/150 Jun £155.15/150 July £69.15/£150 (includes food, toiletries and cleaning from 13th to 12th of each month. One person vegan household with occasional visitors)Forever learning the art of frugality3 -
carolinerunner said:Like some others, my March spend has gone very badly wrong, to the extent that I can't even bear to add it up properly or confess even the roughest estimate here. I know some of the reasons but they don't seem to cover the enormity of it. I think I'm permanently in low level panic mode, buying things 'just in case' - and my stepmum died last weekend so my head's mashed and my foodplan's gone up in smoke. I'm writing off March. Thank goodness it's April tomorrow.
- Pip"Be the type of woman that when you get out of bed in the morning, the devil says 'Oh crap. She's up.'
It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it - that’s what gets results!
2025 Fashion on the Ration Challenge 66 coupons - 25.5 spent.
4 - Thermal Socks from L!dl
4 - 1 pair "combinations" (Merino wool thermal top & leggings)
6 - Ukraine Forever Tartan Ruana wrap
8 - 4 x 100g/450m skeins 3-ply dark green Wool Local yarn
1.5 - sports bra
2 - 100g/220m DK Toft yarn2
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