May 2020 Grocery Challenge

K9sandFelines

K9sandFelines said:
Please put me down for £350 please Elsiepac. Apologies but i cant find the colour button or size format button.

Just seen there isnt either at the moment,never mind 

Anzac_Biscuit

Hi all! Can I please be put down for $750 this month, @elsiepac?

We have a possible (hopeful!) interstate move on the horizon, so I'm keen to clear out the pantry as much as possible before we go. Slowly working through bits and pieces that have been sitting around for ages, and not replacing things. Yesterday's polenta cake was a hit, and used up most of my polenta and all my almond meal.

XSpender

Please can you put me down for £400 for all food, alcohol, odd chippy tea, toiletries, cleaning and dog food to run from 28th April to 31st May.  This will include birthday treat food for DS 10th birthday.

We overspent massively on food in April due to using the expensive local co-op and buying (and eating) much more than usual.  We are also making too many visits to the shops when we should be staying at home.   After DH buys some beers to last him the next 10 days and picking up frozen broccoli tomorrow (if he can find any) I am not planning to enter a shop until 7th May!

elsiepac

Budgets updated to here 

I went to my local (fairly small) Mr T last night - turns out 7.30 on a Saturday means no queues and hardly anyone in there so pleased with myself for that as I do struggle still if I have to stand for too long! 
Did a shop from a list I'd made that incorporated a few recipes I'd like to make this week (getting back on the SW bandwagon whilst I'm still off work to try and get back in the habit!) but I knew I'd need a Sainsbobs visit too, which is on the way home.
As it was Mr T didn't have some of the veggies I wanted so confirmed a Sainsbobs visit needed too - was not up to it after Mr T last night even though I was max half an hour in there, but it really takes it out of me, so today am going to very slowly walk down and hope they have the bits I want as then I can hopefully avoid shops again for the best part of a week!

I spent £41.30 on my food shop and £11.90 on replacing a few tins and soy sauce and nut butter etc which comes out of my household allocation.

Also had some good news for a change - I get private healthcare through work and they reimburse for hospital stays... usually £50 a night so as I was in for 8 nights I assumed my claim would be for £400 which makes up for the lost overtime this month!  However due to the current climate they have raised it to £100 a night, so straight away it doubled.  And I've just had the statement through from them with what my (lol) cheque will be for - and it's actually £1600!! I have no idea why as it doesn't give any detail but I'm so pleased because that'll pay for my car that needs some work doing, so takes the pressure off a bit!

Also a slightly annoying thing - Amazon seems to have double charged me for a big pack of batteries on my Subscribe & Save so that's an extra £6.78 that's come out of Household.  If they don't send me double amounts then I will of course take it up with them, but if they send two lots then I'll leave it as they'll get used at some point!

Food Budget - £41.30 / £225

Household Budget - £95.21 / £100

SJAllicat

Hi, thanks for the thread. I’m a returner to this board ( but reregistered with a new name as had a problem with my email) and would like to join the May challenge and try and keep an eye on my budget. Last month was atrocious and since we both seem to be without jobs atm we need to keep to a budget.
Please pop me down for £200 for the month from 1st to 31st. That’s for everything ( food, cleaning, toiletries, alcohol) for 2 people eating mainly GF diet as OH has ceoliac disease, and also trying to eat Vegetarian as much as possible. Also OH has hollow legs and is an exercise freak so I seem to need to make ridiculous sized portion meals to fill him up so it sometimes feels never ending and expensive. Luckily he isn’t a fussy eater. 
This last month on lockdown I’ve seemed to overspend just feeling the need to fill my cupboards when I have never done so before, so I need to control this and use up what I have bought in, and be inventive, to try and limit shopping days. 

Couldsavemore

Good Morning... 
I think I need the help of this board! I've not had a budget or tracked my spending for nearly a year... much money has been wasted. This month my food shop has been soooo expensive.
Time to sort it out...
Household is 1 adult, 1 child, 1 dog, 2 cats.
Am going for... £300 all in (sorry can't find colour function)
Am desperately missing cash so am going to use preloaded credit card when I get paid!

joedenise

That's a good idea Couldsavemore for anyone who prefers cash.  Although I thought you weren't allowed to preload a credit card.  What card are you using?

SJAllicat

joedenise said:

That's a good idea Couldsavemore for anyone who prefers cash.  Although I thought you weren't allowed to preload a credit card.  What card are you using?

It’ll be something like a revolut card. We use them when travelling as it keeps us on a budget then, so it’s quite a good idea at home too 🙌

joedenise

Thanks SJAllicat.  I suspected as much, a debit card not credit card.

elsiepac

Budgets updated to here 

I did go to Sainsbobs yesterday for my bits I couldn't get in Tesc0 - spent more than intended because some of my fruit had gone manky and also I was running low, so bought some more which will hopefully last me the majority of the week. 

I'm now aiming not to go to the shops again until Friday.

This is such a different way of shopping for me but it's good because as I'm sure a lot of you are finding - you really need to think about what you need, and meal plan at least loosely, to minimise shopping trips. As a result, there is a lot less impulse buying on each little trip to the shops.  I'm a little over where I wanted to be at this point in my budget, but not loads and I have some stuff which is for more than this week - like tofu which I always buy several of when I go into Sainsbobs as they are the only shop round here that does the TofooCo smoked tofu which I ADORE.  If you haven't like tofu in the past, try this one! No pressing required

Food Budget - £60.80 / £225

Household Budget - £95.21 / £100 (also refund due for £6.78 due to Amazon incorrectly charging me twice for something - confirmed with them this morning it is their mistake and they confirmed I will get it back)