April 2021 Grocery Challenge

ancientmum

I spent just over £30 at the butcher this week on mince, sausages, bacon, chicken legs, butter, honey and an enormous scotch egg.  They have a loyalty card with a stamp for every £10 spent, so it makes sense to round up the spend at each visit. .

The rest of the money - £15.71 - went on groceries and fruit from Adli and Sains, 
So that leaves £35.36 in the kitty to last until 30th,  all looking good so far.

PipneyJane

Welcome back @K9sandFelines and @goldfinches.

I have two spends to declare:  £8.66 in Sainsbugs (mainly on 6 Yeo Valley yoghurts at £1/each) and £11.11 in the C0-0p, where I got a haul of YS items (3 lamb steaks for £3.28, a Philly Steak Pizza for £1.98 and half a roast chicken for £1.90), as well as some ice-cream and chocolate to celebrate DH’s new job.  (He’s been unemployed since Easter.)

The above spend takes our total to £77.90/£140, leaving £62.10 for the rest of the month.

- Pip

goldfinches

Fossicking through my accumulated receipts forces me to the conclusion that I have spent a further £20.74 on among other things frozen fruit, milk, yoghurt, parsnips, sweet potatoes, flowers, salad leaves and radishes which gives me a total spend this month of £48.22/£120 which is an average of £2.83 per day.
Clearly noshing from the treat fund is having an effect and won't last but I'll take the win for now.

Suffolk_lass

@PipneyJane congratulations to you both - I know it can be pretty awful supporting a partner with no job, when applications are not working. We had a major set back a few years ago and that was when my DH went for a major career change. It took three years to get properly sorted. No regrets though - happiness in feeling valued.

Nothing more since I shopped on Wednesday - I froze the cod loin as we eat out with our DS on Friday (first time we have eaten together since Christmas Day, first time out since August - just a complete pleasure). Just the milk and eggs coming in as doorstep deliveries.

I did do a quick round up and we are averaging about £30 less per month than the £200 average I allow - but we have already spent more than 50% of the stores budget of £400 for the year so very much swings and roundabouts, against the £3000 per year (not counting my contingency at this point)

Mrs_Cheshire

Evening all, just been totting up the spends and we're currently at £189.98/£350. Will need some more vegetables this week as well as the usual bread and milk but otherwise should be able to manage on what we've got in. Hoping to see a good offer on chicken as we're completely out but we have other meats we can use. 

goldfinches

Just spent £5.30 on milk, yoghurt, iceberg lettuce, cucumber and pitta breads and nothing else which brings my total for this month to £53.52/£120 and a daily average of £2.97.

@PipneyJane congrats on the new job.

PipneyJane

Suffolk_lass said:

@PipneyJane congratulations to you both - I know it can be pretty awful supporting a partner with no job, when applications are not working. We had a major set back a few years ago and that was when my DH went for a major career change. It took three years to get properly sorted. No regrets though - happiness in feeling valued.

Thanks @Suffolk_lass.  I’ve redone the budget 3 times so far this month and am relieved that I don’t have to resort to the bare bones version.  What was really sad about his last job is that the team  really wanted to keep him and really needed him but there was no budget for him.  (What can I say?  It was local government.)

I have another spend to declare:  £33.47 in MrT’s today.  Celebration time - we finally found coffee filters!  £1.20 for a pack of 40. We also spent £3 on lentils, £17.50 on 9-months-to-a-year’s-worth of razor blades for DH, 2 packets of bagels for £2 and 6 marinating pork loin streaks for £2.64.  

The above brings our total spend for April to £112.64/£140, leaving £28.76 for the remainder of the month.

- Pip

Pixiehouse55

Don't know what happened in the last week!! Went to DIY store and then ended up in Aldis £56 spent. Yikes!!! Then farm foods £35!! And then lids for my milk and bottles of squash and spent £35!!! All in all about £279 so far with 2 weeks to go. We did buy what we needed though. With our man still  on soft possible mashed food ive spent loads on soups and yoghurts/mousses and ice cream. VERY very fussy man only likes heinz soups. Can't complain as they do give us so much per 4 weeks for their food/utilities. Plus loads that we have ran out of as in cupboard dry foods etc. Oh well next month should be loads better. Just a bit upset that we've spent so much with 2 weeks to go and we had been keeping under budget every month. 

JingsMyBucket

Hi all. Just a quick check in, my first of the month since work has been a bit insane this month. We’re currently at £248.29 / £350.00 but I know for sure that I’m missing some of OH’s receipts. There’s likely another £25 difference in the real figures. I’ll take another pass with him this week and and catch up on reading as well. 

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the spring weather. 🙂

VickyV

Hi all,

I went completely off the rails mid March and am only just (sheepishly) totting up the damage. Looks like nigh on £300 spent in March and £296.45 so far in April 😱. The annual budget looks unachievable but I will try to rein myself in anyway. 

Apparently new boyfriends make me spendy! 🤦🏼‍♀️🤣

So, if I can slink back in, I’m going to aim to spend no more than £20 for the rest of the month. My daughter ransacked all the cupboards when she went back to university so stocks are a bit on the low side and we might be having interesting meals for a week or so! 

Vicky x