May 2021 Grocery Challenge

joedenise

@Sallyp2 - there used to be a website Mysupermarket but it stopped a year or two back unfortunately.  It was really useful to see where the cheapest places to shop are.  I quite often go on to each of the local store's websites and check prices of what I want to buy and then visit 2 or even 3 to do my shopping.  I tend to start off in Lidl to get the basic stuff (and a £1.50 veg box if they've got one, although had one recently); then onto perhaps The Food Warehouse and/or Morrisons.  If I go in the opposite direction I start in Aldi followed by Tesco.

It's a long winded way of seeing where's cheapest so don't do it every week!

Sallyp2

joedenise said:

@Sallyp2 - there used to be a website Mysupermarket but it stopped a year or two back unfortunately.  It was really useful to see where the cheapest places to shop are.  I quite often go on to each of the local store's websites and check prices of what I want to buy and then visit 2 or even 3 to do my shopping.  I tend to start off in Lidl to get the basic stuff (and a £1.50 veg box if they've got one, although had one recently); then onto perhaps The Food Warehouse and/or Morrisons.  If I go in the opposite direction I start in Aldi followed by Tesco.

It's a long winded way of seeing where's cheapest so don't do it every week!

Thanks, I’ve just typed your address in and found this https://mysupermarketcompare.co.uk/
you need to shop by item, but have already found that 30 cans of 330ml Diet Coke are £8.50 in Asda, compared to 8 cans of 330ml Diet Coke at £4.20 in JS...

Sallyp2

Am on a mission now. Have just downloaded ‘latest deals’ supermarket price comparison app. It compares food item prices across Waitrose / Sainsburys / Iceland / Tesco / Asda / Morrison’s / Aldi / Ocado. 
It even says it was launched to replace the function lost when ‘mysupermarket’ closed. I’ve downloaded the app and am having a play 

joedenise

Thank you.  Will have a look at that website.  Not so keen on apps though as my phone screen is quite small so difficult to read on it!

Sallyp2

joedenise said:

Thank you.  Will have a look at that website.  Not so keen on apps though as my phone screen is quite small so difficult to read on it!

Agree, I don’t use apps on my phone. Only view apps on my iPad 

t14cy_t

im lucky to have a morrisons, tesco, co op, iceland and aldi near to me. im not loyal to any of them!! for certain bits i check on there website to see who is cheapest, thats after going to the community larder.

PipneyJane

Afternoon All

Thanks for the information about that new supermarket comparison website, @Sallyp2. I must confess that my Supermarket shopping is mainly driven by convenience (I can walk to L!dl and the C0-0p) and dislikes (our local A$da's layout annoys me, but I used to like the one near my old office), but I'll keep this new site bookmarked for when I'm checking out prices on staples. 

You aren't the only person to notice that food prices have increased. We have, too. After a couple of budget busting months last year, we increased out GC challenge money to £140/month, up from £120.  Admittedly, there's just the two of us, but my DH has hollow legs.

I have a small spend to declare from today.  £3.65 in the C0-0p, spent on a YS pizza (£1.78), YS 2L of milk (87p) and 2 Nutrageous bars for £1 (my weakness).  That brings my total GC spend to £87.60/£142.00, leaving £54.40 for the remainder of the month.

- Pip

thriftwizard

I was reeling after spending £50.50 at the market on Friday, and thinking I couldn't possible stay within my (self-imposed) budget for May, when I suddenly realised that 31st is a bank holiday, therefore Friday 28th is payday and I only have one more Thursday/Friday main shop left to go. With £78 left, I might just manage, but will have to be careful. I'll allow a little extra for June, which is a genuine 5-week month, running from 28/05 to 30/06.

I'm quite sure prices have gone up. I don't take a lot of notice of supermarket prices, because that's not where I do my main shop, and market/independent shop prices are a lot more volatile (even if the market is generally cheaper) so we see price swings earlier. But what I have noticed is that things have not settled back down again as they usually do after the first of the "New Season's" crops come in, therefore these increases are probably permanent. So my tiny greenhouse is stuffed full of seedlings and every pot, bag, bucket & square inch of potential growing space will be pressed into service...

t14cy_t

felt blooming miserable over the weekend, think it was the weather!! so nipped to morrisons for ys therapy. spent £3.45 on £18 worth of goodies, so happy bunny!! 

Lydia42

Inspired by you all and in need of cutting spending I plan to join you all for the June Grocery challenge. This month we are haemorrhaging money so I need to avoid spending as much as possible. Both children's birthdays, unexpected vet bill of £135 and car repair of £335 and we're only halfway through the month. 

So today I have batch cooked:
4 x shepherds pie (individual) - now in freezer

Bolognese approx 6 portions - cooling on the side
Got some chicken out to defrost for tonights dinner as I have veg to use up.
Did a run to shop yesterday so we're ok for packed lunches, bread and milk for now. 
Feeling pleased with myself 😃