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Soontobeoap - I've been budgeting on a state pension for a few years now, I have no debt or mortgage and determined to get this new canopy over the front door and bay window done this year, before it collapses!
My grocery budget includes everything including toiletries and household cleaning stuff, but I do have a good stock of those as I have bought too much in the past, I also have a good stock of tinned and dried stuff and at the moment use a food hub and a community pantry when needed to try to keep the costs down, oh and Im a veggie, and theres only me, so sometimes I have some strange meals to use stuff up I must admit I'm getting worried about all the rising costs but I will deal with them as they come along. I'll manage somehow though, because there isn't any other option.
We all find our own way on the grocery challange, it's not just about living on as little as possible it's about living within our 'own' means whatever they are, we all have different available budgets, needs and requirements, mine are just very low this year to enable me to get that canopy done!!!
But thanks for the kind comments, it helps me keep on the straight and narrow
Sorry it's a bit long winded
Nannyg
2024 is going to be a positive year for me, and it's starting now!!
Buys: All budgeted and paid by cash!
Jan - fridge/freezer
Hoover
Feb - milk frother, curtain pole x2, roller blind - bathroom, toilet seat, bath sink taps, kitchen sink waste unit and an extra double electric socket.
March - raised bed for garden, bathroom cabinet, roller blind - kitchen
April - nothing
May -9 -
£21.58 on this week's food shop on 1 litre of juice, 6 pints of milk, ketchup, 20 bin bags, 2 frozen ready meals, 500g pasta, Thai meal kit, pack of Spanish meats, 6 sourdough crumpets, veggie sausages, broccoli, noodle cup shot, dried noodles, mozzarella, tortilla wraps, bread (YS), yum yums (YS), dairlylea dunker style snacks and 6 bags of crisps.
Meal plan:
1. Pasta (plain tomato for me, with meatballs for OH)
2. Thai red curry with noodles
3. Chips, beans and cheese
4. Make your own pizza using wraps
5. Takeaway
6. HM pumpkin soup with bread
7. Veggie sausage casserole with mash
We actually ended up having McDonald's last night so one of those meals will carry over to next week.
We're currently on £196.91/£200 and that was our last shop before payday. I won't declare yet in case anything comes up.
We're also now on £11.77/£50 on the takeaway spends.5 -
Small spends of £12 off for 8 pints of milk, block of cheese, bananas, toddler snacks, mummy snacks (all 69p of them), bread and maybe a few other items that I can’t remember off top of my head. This plus a Texco shop at the weekend, for this week has left us with £5.33 to last until Tuesday.Jacket potato with tuna Mayo for lunch tomorrow- hub is having left over stir fry
Dinner will be sausage and mash with mushroom cream (sour cream) sauce and veg
Jacket potatoes again for lunch Friday however not sure how my toddler will do with tuna!Fajitas for dinner with all the extras
Mushrooms on toast Saturday for brunch and fish and chips for dinner.Sunday we’re at a friends for lunch so will need to supply dessert. Might use up more sour cream to make another cake (thanks to @Suffolk_lass for the suggestions)
Monday will be whatever can be salvaged from the fridge if anything suitable for lunch or a soup bag rescued from the freezer and the same for dinner!I’m actually pretty happy, providing we can get to Monday, as this is the first month since probably Oct last year that I’ve been under budget or even close! Appreciate I’ve increased it to £300 but seems that was necessary and realistic🙃Here i am again.... Older but not any wiser!
My Debt Free Diary - https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6275380/pay-for-the-future-and-not-the-past#latest6 -
Hi all, just posting before i catch up on reading. More milk, £1.63. Also a big shop yesterday, first of the year. Total across six shops was £98.56. Lots is veg and fruit, including some Seville oranges, running out of marmalade, huge box of breaded cod, lots of bread. Included things like catering roll of bin liners and cocktail sticks. Still need butter, they had sold out at farm foods and will need milk again this month. Pretty pleased so far this year, still have full freezers and cupboards. Total to date, £114.94/£2650. Of to read now, mumtoomany.xxFrugal Living Challenge 2023.
Trying to live on only £2640 for the year for most meals for seven people. Now only feeding, mostly, two. New total £1860.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6414174/im-back-trying-to-spend-less-on-food#latest
Spent in 2023: £1846.53/£1860. Now on £96.08 for 20245 -
Soontobeoap said:
At the beginning of the month I did a Sainsburys online shop but I don't need another £40 worth of food. I always throwing in extra cleaning stuff when it's on offer but I've a lot of that in my cupboards now.
However, the cheese i buy has gone down from £4.20 a block to £2.75...I usually buy 3 blocks at a time.
So, do I take a trip to Sainsburys? That takes 2 buses, or throw in some washing liquid and find space for that? That's on offer too.
Its not as though I need to find bargains as my budget is healthy, £200 a month. I stocked up on diffuser refills this month. I realised they were half the price of new bottles, so I bought enough to get free postage.
Last year, although I allocated £200 a month, I rarely used it all and I had a healthy balance at the end of the year.
Last year I had a no spend December...I had a small amount of co-op points and splashed out on one lactose free milk, a Radio Times and a can of ginger beer! I managed on stocks I had in the house plus some excess carrots and a few potatoes my daughter gave me and a half carton of milk she wasn't going to use.
I only panicked on Christmas day as my son in law tested positive for Covid and we were all going to my granddaughter's house for Christmas. However, my granddaughter picked me up and there was so much food there as it was meant to be for 4 of us.
Son in law quarantined and was not bad with Covid, my daughter didn't catch it from him and despite being with him in the previous week, neither did I.
That was a long first post for me...hope to continue to contribute more if you'll have me!Not Rachmaninov
But Nyman
The heart asks for pleasure first
SPC 8 £1567.31 SPC 9 £1014.64 SPC 10 # £1164.13 SPC 11 £1598.15 SPC 12 # £994.67 SPC 13 £962.54 SPC 14 £1154.79 SPC15 £715.38 SPC16 £1071.81⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Declutter thread - ⭐⭐🏅9 -
I'd freeze the milk so that it's not wasted. Just defrost in the fridge which will probably take a couple of days if it's anything like semi skimmed milk.
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I don’t think I’ve declared a £5.08 at mr t’s and a £30.12 at Aldee. I’ve also spent £4.60 out of the bulk fund for dishwasher tabs. I get paid on 31st so tomorrow’s shop will have to stretch over 2 weekends but there is stuff in the freezer from batch cooking over this month. I got some really good news this week; after 4 years on a waiting list I have an allotment! I’m hoping this will help out a bit come summer time with some veggies. I have also negotiated more flexible working to be able to do the school run so I can cancel 3 days of childcare. The only downside to this is the increase in budget I’ll need for snacks!Grocery challenge SPC #023 SPC 12: £125.86[/COLOUR]:SPC 13: £214.98: SPC 14: £297.41 SPC 15: £237.27 SPC 16 £335.39; SPC 17 ? MFW #21 Mortgage start Dec 2015 £79,950; January 2024 £26,105 2024 OP £150/COLOR]/£1,500 MFiT T6 #3 £13,159/£25,500 (51.60%)5
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Fantastic news @Hettyhound! I'd love an allotment but definitely don't have the time to commit right now. Welcome @Frogletina 👏 I tried a really strict budget this month and now only have £14 left until 31st! Am eeking it out as long as I can.6
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I spent £6 on bunches of tulips to cheer up my kitchen. Don't usually spend money on myself or flowers, but it's been a difficult past year, so why not?! Anyway, it has to come from the grocery budget, so am declaring it here.Total spend £455.06 / £5752024 decluttering: 9,440 ⭐️🥉⭐️🏅🏅🥈⭐️🏅🥇🏅⭐️🏅🏅⭐️
May mini kitchen declutter challenge: 24/25
May/June mini clothes declutter challenge: 118/200
2024 decluttering goals: 🥉3,000 🥈4,000 🥇5,000 💎12,000 🏆 20,0007 -
Spent £5·50 up at the community pantry and had loads of food that will keep me going for a while - will need some milk probably next week but I will try to eek it out for a bit. There wasn't any fruit and veg there but I still have lots left from the food hub so I won't be short for a while. There was a table where you could take 5 free items and they had some gf bread, biscuits and chocolate Santa's on it so had some for sil, I was tempted to have some Santa's as they were choc truffles, but I left them for some body who is gf, not sure how I managed that one
Nannyg2024 is going to be a positive year for me, and it's starting now!!
Buys: All budgeted and paid by cash!
Jan - fridge/freezer
Hoover
Feb - milk frother, curtain pole x2, roller blind - bathroom, toilet seat, bath sink taps, kitchen sink waste unit and an extra double electric socket.
March - raised bed for garden, bathroom cabinet, roller blind - kitchen
April - nothing
May -6
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