March 2022 Grocery Challenge

_Moving_On_Up_

I'm what they call a food waste hero, so I do the collecting from the stores and listing and can take 10% of what I collect, but then I inevitably have unrequested items that I really try my best to use rather than bin, which is how I end up with what must seem a lot!  There are loads of stores signed up in my area though so every night there's always a lot of food listed on the app, I tend not to request that much from others though as I already feel like I get my fare share from it. @Hoosrice I'm surprised it's not in your area, might be worth signing up as a volunteer as it may be they have stores signed up but no one to collect? Might give that a go next time @MissRikkiC if I have unclaimed double cream again

Another top up shop from Aldi for the bits I need to go with our meals for the next few days and needed some washing gel and kitchen foil

Food £7.27/£120
Cleaning & Household £4.68/£8
Meat & Fish £4.39/£60
Fruit & Veg £6.30/£50
Bulk Buys & Store Cupboard £4.83/£30

Ginmonster

I've been away from here for a couple of years but I'd like get back on the Grocery Challenge wagon. The whole pandemic situation has got me into the habit of buying far too much stuff 'just in case' and I need to take back control of the store cupboard before I get buried under tins of tomatoes!

I'm going to try for £200 for the month please. 

I'm off to look in the fridge and see what I can turn into meals for the week before planning what I need to buy.  

Greying_Pilgrim

Snap!  GinMonster I'm back to MSE after a couple of years hiatus  😔 But what with one thing and another, including the wage earner of the Greying household being struck down with the dratted virus, just recently, our budget has shrunk, and will shrink even more for the next couple of paydays 🙁

elsiepac - grateful thanks from me for keeping this thread on the straight and narrow, I've been around MSE for a good few years, and I know how pivotal several threads are in helping people - and the Grocery Challenge has always been one such thread.  So THANK YOU from little me 😁👍

I like the idea of posting up our meal plans too, so shall try and post up our veggie versions.  

Please could you put me down for £100 

I've done a stock-take of the cupboards and freezer, so i am trying to go 'hardcore' in order to eke out the next couple of months.  Our month will be from 1st - 31st March.  We're a household of 2 adults and a child.

Greying X

Cheapskate

Hello, back again! 

Still totting up this month, but can I go down for £350 again for March, please?

Like most of us, I suspect, things are getting tighter in a way I've not seen for a long time, so getting my house in order now.

Thanks for keeping up this thread.  

A xo

atrixa

Shop done in Mr M for soup and pasta sauce ingredients at £9.87. Total now £57.56/£123. 

Spent £2 on Biscoff for pancakes then remembered that A!di do a knock-off for £1.79. 

nannygladys

Can you my running total down for so far this year at

£126.96/£936

Thanks. I'm hoping not to spend much this month I know I'm on track but could do with skimming it down to bare bones until I know all the bill rises coming up. I know how much the g&e is going up by but not ct and how much fuel money I will be needing. Thank you.
Nannyg

Greying_Pilgrim

Sigh, I realize I'm being dim, but I cannot fathom out how to put my GC spends/total in the space at the bottom of my posts........

Anyhoo, I spent a gasp-worthy £16.23 of my £100 budget today - faints.......  Several of the items were storecupboard stocks, and should will outlast this month, but in trying to work out how they were recorded as bought, I decided that I would remain hardcore, and just take the hit as I spend the money - much the same as we will tuck into food/ingredients this month, that were paid for last month etc.  I think the key thing (for me) will be to "eat all the things" - if I buy it, it gets eaten, if it's not in the plan, should I be buying it........  My £100 is just for food, not other household stuff (stocked up quite well last month, thank goodness).  

You don't get much for £16.23......  Although best win of the day was a 1.2kg BNS from MrT for 75p (cc price).  That should make at least 2 separate dishes, to eat and freeze, so a worthy purchase.

Greying X

nannygladys

Greying_Pilgrim - on my kindle I do the following:
At the bottom of the screen on the bar at the bottom I select Profile, this brings up a box and I select Edit File, scroll down and select Signature Settings, that brings up a box where you can type your Grocery challanged etc in, select Save at the bottoming the box (it's a red bar for me) and then go back to the Forum.
I don't know if it's different on different devices.I hope this helps you.

nannygladys

I haven't spent anything today and want to keep it very low this month, as I have quite a bit in still, I'm undecided about buying more pantry stocks, it seems a over the top as there's only me  but then ..... I will have to have a think about it, I may just keep replacing what I use so the stocks don't go down, but I keep changing my mind.
Nannyg

Greying_Pilgrim

nannygladys - You're a marvel!  It was slightly different on my desktop, but I got there - Thank You so much for taking the time to answer my query 😁 

Greying X