February 2021 Grocery Challenge

elsiepac

Budgets updated to here

£250 for me.  I've been losing track over the last few months so haven't been setting budgets and then been spending wildly with funny timings of shop visits etc, so no more! I've let a fair few things that I usually keep in stock run down which is irritating me and I want to get my stock levels back to normal - this isn't anything wild, for example, tins of beans I always have 2 of each in the cupboard and 2 in my stocks.  So when I go shopping I'm replacing the stocks.  In theory. Anyway, some of my budget is going towards that.
Like you @Florenceem I was hoping to go out and do my shop today, however I live in a cul de sac that doesn't get gritted and is in the shadow of a hill, so we still have all the snow from yesterday plus the bit that fell overnight and froze so I'm not at all sure whether I'll be able to take my little car out or not.  It's so funny because you get to the end of my road and everything is clear, it's a proper little microclimate where I live!

snowbird20

charlies_tribe said:

Our Feb budget won't start until the first but I'd like to drop it a little, just £10 a month to start with all 4 children snacking all day (how on earth do they make it to break and lunch at school!) So £490 for Feb please.

i have given this a lot of thought because my grandchildren used to want a snack allll the time.  WE all survived on just breakfast and lunch at school.  Tbh, I don't believe they are hungry between the two...they've just been trained to snack.   Heaven knows *I* snack out of boredom quite frequently.   I wonder if they'd snack as much if their only snacks were fresh fruit and veg.  I'll take a bag of crisps over an apple any day. 

joedenise

I agree with @snowbird20charlies_tribe.  They don't snack at school so I wouldn't be offering anything "nice" like crisps & biscuits if they say they're hungry - I suspect they may just be thirsty or bored.  Just offer water and say carrot/cucumber sticks/fresh fruit - you'll probably find they don't really want anything healthy, they just want "junk" for want of a better word.

Florenceem

Sunshine to go shopping here in Kent - spent £13.15.
Total so far - £36.95

snowbird20

joedenise said:

I agree with @snowbird20charlies_tribe.  They don't snack at school 

actually, here in the US the younger chlidren DO snacks at school...when very young TWO snacks PLUS lunch plus breakfast and dinner at home.  That puts them eating all the time.   I believe the reasoning in part is because of the hunger issue--they say many families are 'food insecure' and just don't have the food to feed three meals (or ANY meals).  It's very sad.  But my grands rarely asked for snacks on weekends or holidays so they were being overfed at school and developing a bad habit.

zafiro1984

Suffolk_lass said:

When my Mum called last night she had been talking to our DS and had checked the Best Before dates on some sachets she has in the cupboard. Cue a game of Best-Before-Bingo - she beat me with a sachet of Coleman's Pepper sauce mix BBE1995 - yes the 20th century. It even beat the box of blancmange powder I had (BBE 1998!) - good job they are just powders

We have all been there - Made me smile 

Florenceem

Spent £1.65 today so running total - spent £38.60/£100.

Jellybaby

February's budget will start on the 1st and I'm going for £250 this month.

Mrs_Cheshire

Suffolk_lass said:

When my Mum called last night she had been talking to our DS and had checked the Best Before dates on some sachets she has in the cupboard. Cue a game of Best-Before-Bingo - she beat me with a sachet of Coleman's Pepper sauce mix BBE1995 - yes the 20th century. It even beat the box of blancmange powder I had (BBE 1998!) - good job they are just powders

I'd be tempted to say you're not ever likely to eat the blamange powder if you've had it 22 years and haven't eaten it yet.  
I'm stiil in January's budget for a few more days, so I'll see you all on the 1st. 

K9sandFelines

My February starts now, as Payday was yesterday. I am dropping my total by £20 this month; due to a shorter month and being under budget last week. Howeever, DD1 and GD are still here, so i cannot drop it too dramatically. 

£360 please for me, thanks elsiepac