October 2020 Grocery Challenge

PipneyJane

Hi @berries, welcome to the Grocery Challenge. Sorry to hear about your dog and horse. Pets are a big part of our lives. Their deaths must have hurt a lot.

@Pixiehouse55 said:

Hello... Sorry I've not been a out this month. Our elderly man that lives with us has been in and out of hospital since beginning of the month. I've gone way over my budget this month. Will try and find time in next couple of days to add it up and put on here. I don't know if I'm on my head or my toes!! 😁

I’m sorry to hear that, @Pixiehouse55.  Hope things settle down a bit now.

I’ve got two small shops to declare, both in Lidl.  £14.06 on Saturday, most of which was on ciders (£6.36) and 2 pizzas DH bought for dinner (£3.28 each).  On Sunday, we bought 2 jars of honey (85p each), 1kg of soft, dark sugar (£1.55), a very green banana (13p) and 2 pesto focaccia for breakfast.  (The banana is now sitting in a paper bag attempting to ripen some very green tomatoes from the garden.)

Those two shops bring my total spend for October to £118.86/£140, leaving £28.14 for the rest of the month.  We’re away on holiday for a few days,  No cooking facilities and all meals will come out of the holiday budget, so we should end up under budget this month (unless I go mad next weekend, after we get home).  

- Pip

peb

peb said:

On the 1st October I spent £25, I did need to stock up on more bread as envisaged and got lucky with rtc bread rolls at 10p then again at 32p.  

On the 8th October I shopped at Morrisons, I haven't been there for over six months (it's opposite where I swim and I only reinstated the membership on the 1st October).  I prefer Lidl! I spent £5.77, then £2.50 at ASDA.  I'll try not to shop again other than bread and milk until my usual Thursday shop. Just just be doable.

I have included crisps and chocolate twix but not a chocolate orange (which has lasted a week do far) as this was instead of an overpriced pudding at a restaurant! Different budget.

Running total of £33.69.

Not impressed with myself.

Shopped last Wednesday instead of Thursday, made sense as I had two swimming sessions organised for Thursday and I'd run out of bread.

Spent £16.59 across four shops! I started in Morrisons before deciding to do all the shopping (I shop for three households) and picked up some reduced to half price meat, I then forgot coleslaw in Lidl and again in Sainsbury so got it in Tesco, not too bad as I was there for fish for dad and I didn't get anything else.

However called in Aldi when out and about and spent £4.66, bread was necessary, the stock pots were cheaper than anywhere else and would be needed next week, the lamb meatballs whilst not necessary will be eaten but why on earth did I buy smoothie and pain aux raisins!

Total for the week £21.25, running total £54.94.  actually better than expected but I was away for three nights and I have a full freezer😬

Doom_and_Gloom

It's the 20th and after adding up all the receipts we are £6.32 over budget already 😔. 
We've been putting our efforts into decluttering and cleaning our flat this whole month and to be honest we took our eyes off the budget. Can't be too annoyed at blowing the budget though as the more we declutter and clean the happier we are and the better the flat looks in general. 

We have an A&C delivery next Monday which are all essential items that comes to £12.27.
We'll put the new budget at £215, hope to not go over, but in brakets so we know what happened this month. 

£186.32/£180 (£215). 
£6.23 over budget. 

thriftwizard

I'm going to go over this month, unashamedly. Stopped off at the supermarket on my way home to pick up bread & rolls for OH, but with the words "circuit-breaker lockdown" echoing through my head for some reason, stocked up on frozen veg, sausages & chicken too, so have managed to spend £42.19 on a whim! Luckily I had my trolley in the back of the van. It will all go into the new freezer, now up & running, and I'll probably do another trip with the trolley, too, concentrating on flavourings as we already have lots of rice & pasta in store, just to be prepared without panic if push does come to shove. Then I'll run the contents of the old freezer down gradually so I can switch it off & use it as a feed & grain store.

killielila

 this week  ill add 43   same as someone else said above i kinda  panic stocked up in FF  i was trying to  run down my freezer as I'm hoping to move soon but  the uncertainty with this situation  is awful 

goldfinches

I spent £15.05 at M*rks this pm and had a catastrophe at the checkout, I dropped a 2 litre container of milk.     Of course it split right open and went everywhere. The woman in the queue behind me was really kind and helpful as were the staff but I couldn't wait to get out of there, I was so embarrassed and upset. 
So I'm just sloping off to bed and tomorrow's another day, night all, goldfinches.

mumtoomany

We went shopping yesterday, as Wales is going into lockdown again at the weekend. Spent a lot! £133.27! Lots of bargains, eg. four large haggis for £2.50,  24large (6-8oz) beef burgers £7.50, and lots of fruit and veg, as well as the normal milk, bread etc. Total now stands at £364.55/£200! Ahhh! But £150 of this was the pigs, so the rest £214.55, doesn't look too bad. Will try harder next month, especially as i notice mince pies are in the shops. haul from veg shop. Two photos above came to £13. Ten grapefruit, watermelon, nine huge pomegranates, four Savoy cabbage, four lettuce, four punnets of grapes, eight large cooking apples, around 120 granny Smith apples, and eighteen peppers. Also bought two sacks of potatoes and smallish sack onions. Now off to find recipes to use up pomegranates! Mumtoomany.

joedenise

Another week's shopping done today and I'm left with £75.74 for next week's shop plus I need to get a couple of bits tomorrow or Saturday that I couldn't buy today including some smoked haddock and dried chickpeas, although the chickpeas can wait until next week's shop as I have enough for what I need for Sunday's meal.

peb

Today was £32.26.  expected as was low on lots of things and as the cooker is a disgrace got some strong cleaner.
Also treated myself to a chocolate cheesecake, bizarrely I have an interview next week (they have my CV) and have subsequently asked me to complete an application form. The idea was that I would treat myself to the cheesecake only after I completed the form however it's a one page document asking basic contact details and right to work information.  I don't deserve the cheesecake but I can't take it back 🤣

Running total £87.20. 

Suffolk_lass

mumtoomany I bought a couple of pomegranates but they went in the fruit-bowl - one lasted me three evenings while watching tv and kept me happy for hours! Best of all, no naughty snacks those evenings. Interested in what else you do with yours. I do have a lovely middle-eastern veg cook book that has recipes in but rather convoluted for our average snatched supper.

@peb I wondered if you know about using biological washing powder in water to clean combi-ovens? - I put an unwrapped tab in a pyrex jug with water and nuke it and the steam lifts the gunk off the oven. It just wipes most off with paper towels. It is likely to boil over but on a tray it is fine. Any remnants can be repeat treated or scrubbed off fairly easily