April 2022 Grocery Challenge

K9sandFelines

PipneyJane said:

Good morning All

Big hugs to @K9sandFelines, @Greying_Pilgrim and anyone else who is struggling.  I do try to remind myself that I am lucky:  I have a good job, so does DH: my contract has been extended to the end of September (I’m on an FTC); we have savings and we can live within our means.  Having said that, the people who bought the business for whom I work have a tendency to “eat their young” and if the stresses of the last month continue indefinitely, I will be job hunting by Christmas and our budget will be tightening up. (Ironically, my DH’s job is in a similarly stressful organisation.  He’s been there a year and may also end up job hunting.)

@K9sandFelines I feel for you re the mouldy bagels.  Our fridge-freezer has a tendency to draw the moisture out of everything, leaving either a lump of ice on one side or a film of moisture.  The only thing I can recommend is, if you a defrosting bread products, remove them from the bag, turn the bag inside out to air dry it, and then pur the defrosted bread/buns/bagels back in that.  Otherwise, it’s almost instant mould.    (Yes, one of this year’s expenditures will have to be a new fridge-freezer.  Can’t avoid it.)

We have one last spend to declare for April:  £1.05 for milk in MrT’s.

I’m declaring at £135.75/£142.10.

I’ll roll the remaining £6.35 into May’s budget.

- Pip

Thanks @PipneyJane
@PipneyJane
Either that with the bagels or take one out at a time, or put straight into the bread bin. It's the first time I've took them out in one go to defrost. I also find that A1dis lights cause condensation on everything. I've noticed it a few times in the bakery section. I think that's why certain bread turns so quickly. Especially if they are the ones stored on the higher shelf.
My fridge freezer also needs replacing. Ironically it wasn't in that one. It was in a vintage one I have, with bread that was put in at the same time, and been brought out at the same time and been fine. Could have been a pin !!!!!! hole in the bag or anything though!! 

Blackcats

I've been reading, keeping track of spending  (sort of)  but not posting this month.  Will be posting in may.
I'm in awe of the ingenuity and creativity of all our virtual friends on here.  And grateful for the honesty and helpful hints and tips.
overall I've come in under budget for the month when I balance and adjust across all my budget categories - food is £32.92 under budget BUT cats were £20 over their budget.  Naughty creatures.  Enlightening though as I hadn't factored in flea treatments and a hike in the price of their premium cat food brand.  Their unknowing down shift to lidlee's cat treats isn't enough to keep them under budget 🙀They won't eat any other wet food and it's a waste of money trying but they like a dried food brand that I've tried so I think I'll up the dry and down the wet food ratio slightly.
Over to the May challenge now.

diminua

I'm drawing a line under April at £229.66/200 - I clawed back a little of the money from going out in the first fortnight, but not much of it. It doesn't look like I'll be spending much in the next week or two though as I've just had a positive lft and will be isolating. 

Hummingbird0_12

Declaring for April at £177.18/ £150.00  Not done too badly at all as I'm still a newbie here but looking forward to doing better in May 

ragz_2

So April was £532.71/450. Not good, however £30 was on bulk purchase of low carb bread (30% off) and at least £30 on Easter eggs, plus we hosted a big roast dinner for which I spend over £20 on meat alone. So really, my £450 should be entirely do-able and ideally I'd like to cut it down more, but with price rises it's more realistic to stick with that and plan to buy less with it every month! 

pamsdish

Greying_Pilgrim said:

pamsdish said:

£4.68 in A1D1, picking up what I forgot yesterday, none of the mini trolleys available so chucked everything in my empty bag, that`s a ploy I will use again.

I have been lectured to in both MrAl and MrIcey, in the past, for doing just that pamsdish.  The till operative was so rude in MrAl that I wrote an email complaint about them, and got a reply from MrAl to say that the store team were in the wrong, and apologised. But the line (from both staff, in both stores) at the time was that people put stuff into their own bags and then 'forget' to remove all items as they go through the checkout.  The fact that I'm always willing to show that my bag is completely empty cut no ice.......

Greying X

I did chuck my empty bag on top of the shopping, just picked it up as I moved to the check out.

mumtoomany

Right, flying in to declare to end of April. Shopping the other day was £60.92, total now at, £790.19/£2640. Back to the sheep now, in the middle of lambing. Hugs, mumtoomany.xx

K9sandFelines

Annoyed with myself that I've just been in Waitrose, with what I thought was a meticulously planned spend, with vouchers - frozen cherries (none in stock), apple wood grated and naturli butter and forgot the one thing I needed the most, potatoes!
My meal plan is going to have to be rejigged now. As with my meals I had planned in mash and chips. So it's mucked things up a bit, as I've been hanging on a few days to do these meals. I will have to go there later on in the week; as I can't be bothered going back out today. I will also see if they've got the cherries in this time aswell.

It was a £2.83 spend. Would have been about £5 if I'd have remembered the spud and cherries had been in stock.

Total now: 83.81/80 

Greying_Pilgrim

K9aandFelines - is it worth giving your branch of Waitflower a ring to see if they have the cherries in stock later this week?  If they are having supply issues, they may not be coming in anyway.  I'm just thinking out loud really - our local MrL hasn't had the porridge oats I buy in for about 3 weeks now, so I've had to go and get MrAl's equivalent.  If I'd have known they weren't going to be in stock anytime soon in MrL, I would have stocked up in MrAl last week - saving a trip.

Greying X

K9sandFelines

Greying_Pilgrim said:

K9aandFelines - is it worth giving your branch of Waitflower a ring to see if they have the cherries in stock later this week?  If they are having supply issues, they may not be coming in anyway.  I'm just thinking out loud really - our local MrL hasn't had the porridge oats I buy in for about 3 weeks now, so I've had to go and get MrAl's equivalent.  If I'd have known they weren't going to be in stock anytime soon in MrL, I would have stocked up in MrAl last week - saving a trip.

Greying X

I will definitely have to go down there anyway for the potatoes, because they are the cheapest £1.00 for 3kg. A1dis are 91p for 2.5kg; so I will just pop my head in the freezer and see. If they don't have them then I will hang on, because the voucher is valid until the 29/5; and I will get blueberries instead from A1di until they come back into stock. Its not far from mine, I'm just too tired today to go back out.
I do have sweet potatoes, so can do sweet potato mash or a different meal incorporating them. I can also try again with the bread recipe (the airfryer rolls) now I have fresh yeast; so that can be hot dog and soup night. So should be able to eek things out until about Friday, which is when I would normally have gone back out anyway.