May 2020 Grocery Challenge

PipneyJane

Evening All

I can’t believe it is Wednesday already!  On our walk tonight, DH and I were discussing whether he should go to L!dl tomorrow, since he’s walked down there every Thursday since Lockdown began.  The “urgent” items are cheddar, mushrooms, carrots and onions - we’ll run out of all of them by Sunday BUT we aren’t working next week, so could stretch to Monday if necessary and then walked down there together.

In the meantime, I have one shop to declare.  On Sunday, we walked to a small MrT Express to buy the paper and, while DH was queuing there, I popped into a nearby Indian supermarket to buy ground cinnamon.  I wanted a big 500g bag but, despite all the other spices being in big bags, all I could find were 100g packets of ground cinnnamon.  They were 69p each, so I bought four.  £2.76 spent, which brings our May total to £88.56/£123.60, leaving £35.04 for the remainder of the month.

- Pip

Herbyme

K9sandFelines said:

Gone over budget already by 10.19. Don't know how we are gonna scrape through til the 26th of the month (which is payday). As that's another two weeks yet 😧 and I have a shop booked for Tuesday of things I am struggling to get in the shops or have to go out practically every other day for! Buying bigger sizes of things hasn't helped, but have been necessary like golden syrup and vegan mayo. Still having to do gluten free bread orders also, which aren't cheap. I bring quite alot of leftovers home from work too. We aren't eating extravagantly, but yet its the worst month by far I've had on GC in ages.
Hope everyone else is doing better 🙂

K9&F, I share your pain. I'm in similar territory. One reason for me is that W8rose is the SM that feels to me the safest, ie people actually do social distancing. I just realised a
s I wrote this - what I couldn't do now is go to a totally  new SM I'd never been to before, not even a new branch of a chain I've used before. When I go, I want to get in and out as fast as reasonably possible, and it would do my head in to have to keep going back for things I'd missed. Blimey, 

K9sandFelines

Hi carolinerunner
It is frustrating. Before lockdown I would stock up fortnightly, but now we aren't able to do that its a lot of weight to carry or a lot of visits to the shops, which in turn is no good either way. As its in litre cartons, its doesn't last long.
I guess I have to be thankful for small mercies and that its only on my days off work it becomes annoying, whereas If am able to I can pass Lidl as I walk home from the train station and nip in. All depends on what time I finish work.
We only have Lidl or Tesco locally (apart from a corner shop that charges x3 the price (can't afford that), which are both the same distance to walk. 
I don't mind going in either shop, but prefer Lidl if i am honest, as always seem to be still to many people in Tesco. I was a quick in, self serve, and out girl before the current situation.

supersaver1000

Spent £290 already of a £320 total.  This haphazard shopping style really doesn't help.  I had been running the cupboards down in anticipation of moving, but now they seem to be crammed again.  I'm going to start the process of running them down again and get a grip on this over spending.  

joedenise

Just back from shopping which was mainly fruit & veg and spent £20.57.  This leaves £150.73 of £250.  Looking to be on track with 2 more weeks shopping left to do, might even manage to come in under budget for a change.

Merlin's_Beard

carolinerunner said:

K9sandFelines said:

Gone over budget already by 10.19. Don't know how we are gonna scrape through til the 26th of the month (which is payday). As that's another two weeks yet 😧 and I have a shop booked for Tuesday of things I am struggling to get in the shops or have to go out practically every other day for! Buying bigger sizes of things hasn't helped, but have been necessary like golden syrup and vegan mayo. Still having to do gluten free bread orders also, which aren't cheap. I bring quite alot of leftovers home from work too. We aren't eating extravagantly, but yet its the worst month by far I've had on GC in ages.
Hope everyone else is doing better 🙂

K9&F, I share your pain. I'm in similar territory. One reason for me is that W8rose is the SM that feels to me the safest, ie people actually do social distancing. I just realised a
s I wrote this - what I couldn't do now is go to a totally  new SM I'd never been to before, not even a new branch of a chain I've used before. When I go, I want to get in and out as fast as reasonably possible, and it would do my head in to have to keep going back for things I'd missed. Blimey, 

Know how  you both feel, there.  And I'm definitely feeling unsafe in Tesco - had staff either  side of me this morning and someone  trying to squeeze through going the wrong way as well...

Up to £89.68/£100, in part because  I had a moment earlier this week, ordered take away, and ate my feelings. £10 for the rest of the  month... I  doubt it.

joedenise

I'm finding the same in Tesco so have been going to Morries; definitely less crowded although still some people ignoring the SD including the staff!  I had to change direction about 4 times this morning because there were people coming the wrong way.  I find it really annoying having to avoid others because they can't be bothered to following the guidance.

Greenglockenspiel

joedenise said: 

Would it be worth setting up a separate budget for bulk buys?  I do that with meat as I like to buy my pork and dry cure bacon online and also quite often do a big meat shop at my local butchers for things like steak and joints every couple of months.  This is in addition to my grocery budget.  I find it quite useful to have this separate budget.

Yes, potentially - how do you go about doing it in practice? Put aside some money in an easy access account? I sweep everything that’s in our current account the day before payday into our mortgage OP pot so I don’t usually carry money across from month to month so need to work out how it could work for my technique!

Suffolk_lass

Pixiehouse55 said:

£13 spend in Li6l Monday. So that's £151 out of my £300 for the month june 2nd pay day). NSD Tuesday 
I was getting large comfort £4and 58 wash Ariel £7 from Amazon  now not in stock. Anyone know where else it's cheap please? Thanks in advance. I use a lot as our elderly gent keeps throwing everything in his laundry basket. 
Ok sleep time fingers crossed. Spinal surgeon phoning at 9am as I couldn't go to hospital for my 6 month check up

54 wash Ariel is £7.50 in Morries and Comfort is 3L for £3

Suffolk_lass

Sitting here wondering what you are going to do with all that cinnamon Pip...