August 2022 Grocery Challenge

Soontobeoap

@thriftwizard it will be odd not having them all at home but you will be able to save a little extra for a big Christmas get together hopefully. 😊

weenancyinAmerica

Here in California they have secret shoppers who check to see if the shelf price matches what you are charged - and if it doesn't the store can be fined. When the law first went into effect, several stores were fined for this. Now, in most of the stores, if the price is wrong, they give you $4 off if the cost is more than that or the item for free if the price is less. I have complained a couple of times - but most of the stores are better about it now than they were before the law went into effect.

K9sandFelines

Wow,  21 pages in and finally got chance to join August. 
I'm going to go for £120 again please @elsiepac , because I don't think I've got any bulk purchases due.
I'm determined to eat out the cupboards,  as I'm halfway through the budget already and it's only a week in.
23 days to go 🙄

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Afternoon GC'rs

I have spends to own up to again.  We went across to a market town to have a look for some more uniform items for LG.  Didn't get what I wanted for them, but had a pootle around several shops and picked up a few bits and pieces whilst out and about.

Win of the day was 3 YS'd punnets of blueberries (125g - I think) from HB for 30p a piece (down from £1) and a net of lemons YS'd to 30p too.  Total spend in HB £1.20.

I picked up some brown rice in MrT - it was one of the huge stores - as I have been unable to get my preferred Brown Basmati in HB for an age, and so plumped for the easy cook at £1.95.  Was pleased to see that in MrM the same thing retails for £1.99, so 4p saved, but then was dismayed to find that MrAl stocks brown rice and they only charge £1.09 🥲I picked up some seasonings in MrM - old bay and korean red pepper paste, so £5.60 spent there - gulp!  MrM does stock the brown basmati, but it was £2.09 a kilo, which is more expensive than HB.

I ventured into the food waste shop to see what they had.  I had visited this waste shop before, but not seen anything I wanted to buy, but realise that it's worth popping in, as stocks change.  But I was totally underwhelmed today.  I mean, surely the point of selling stuff that is OOD or nearly at best before is to discount it to get it used and diverted away from landfill?  Stuff was exactly the same price as you pay in the shops - an utter nonsense.  I did give into pester power from LG and bought 3 w1spa chocolate bars (a particular flavour we haven't tried).  On getting them home, they are technically well out of date (May 2022), and whilst OK in every aspect, were underwhelming in taste anyway - wish I hadn't bothered.  At 3 for £1, I can't actually see much saving.  I don't know which organisation is running this particular waste divert scheme, but I won't bother visiting this 'shop' again.  

A total of £12.55 spent.  £164.20/200.

Greying X

SausageDogSandwich

I didn’t manage to have all the NSDs I had hoped for but haven’t done to much damage. Wednesday spent £2.51 in sains on two corn on the cobs, giraffe loaf and two bars of cooking chocolate. NSD Thursday, back in the shops again today for 65p cucumber. Pretty sure the kids will lure me to buy cookies/donuts tomorrow  apart from that nothing is needed. 

£74.93/200 spent. Whilst I’m quite pleased with the first half of the month, I know the last week is going to be more expensive as husband is off work for a few days again  so here’s hoping for another cheap week this week. 

Caroby

Spent £4.16 in Aldi on the 15th, today we did the last big shop of August. Started in Lidl £17.83, £1.75 in Morrisons (sun-dried tomatoes to go with our home-grown courgettes), across the road to Aldi £25.63 but couldn't get their oat milk at 85p/litre so had to buy Tesco's own oat milk which they've put up 20p, now it's £1.20/litre so added another £1.40 to the bill ... grr. Spent £23.99 in Tesco inc £1.73 for food bank.
So I've now gone over the £180 budget by £12.36.
Hope you're all having better luck sticking to your budgets.

Saver-upper

I went to Tesco today because my 13yo daughter needed a PE top. While I was there, I did a bit of a top-up shop. The reduced section was full of ready meals, which I knew would come in handy with this going to be a very busy weekend for our family. Also bought fruit, milk, yoghurts, bread, bagels, sliced ham and chicken,and a few other bits. Total for groceries was £43.39, which busts through the £300 budget I had set myself for this month's challenge. Oooopppps!!

£305.14/£300

goldfinches

Waving to all from the sofa and wanting to explain that I've been reading along most days and am feeling well enough to update my totals today. The silver lining is that I can claim 8 NSD's including not having spent any money online despite any number of tempting offers and advertisements so that's a small feather in my cap, just a wisp, but still nice to know I've done something well while languishing and seeing Mount Washmore grow ever larger.

Anyway, enough maundering, I've two spends to declare which are £11.15 in M*rks on 2x 4pts organic milk, 1kg f/f greek style yoghurt, rice vermicelli, cous cous, green lentils and 2x corn on the cob. The second spend is also in M*rks for £5.56 on YS new potatoes, 2x plums, 3x tangerines and mint. 
That makes my new total £49.71/£124 and my average daily spend £2.61.
The Baking Budget hasn't spent anything as I used the lemons I'd already bought to make this sorbet for last Wednesday and I wasn't well enough to join in this week so it still stands at £11/£25.

Suffolk_lass

Just lost my post. Anyway. £5.42 plus the milkman (£9.03) in total this week with everything else from garden, eggs (delivered) and stores. My total for August is £132.92 including storecupboard and the direct debits (milk only, skipping any subscriptions this month). Two weeks to go for us until start of September!

London_1

Good morning chums , another bright day here in north Kent, lots of NSD for me and apart from perhaps  one thing on my list I have nothing to buy (then thats only a cucumber but I can live without one for now ). I am out tonight for dinner and tomorrow apart from breakfast tomorrow morning,which for me is usually a cuppa and a couple of ginger nuts the rest of the day I am out as well.
So abolutely no need to shop just yet .Sticking to my list though and certsinly not going near a food shop as I have more than  enough in my fridge of fresh stuff and my freezer is pretty full as well as my tinned stock. Fingers crossed only 11 more days until the end of the month so hopefully will be able to squirrel away some more cash to my "big shop" stash.  

Its becoming quite exciting seeing how many odds and ends I can use up, I made a quiche yesterday (sound posh ) its just eggs,grated cheese and some sliced tomatoes and a diced p rasher of bacon cooked to a crisp, and a few dried herbs cooked in a pastry case.
The pastry was knocked up in 10 minutes from existing flour stork etc i chuck the dried herbs into the pastry mix so givee the pastry a bit of a lift  costs a lot less than the stuff in the shops and was made in under half an hour, so a nice tthing in the fridge to have with a little salad and some baby potatoes.

I'm just making a brunch -type meal now with the left over little potatoes that i steamed yesterday sliced in half with another rasher or two of bacon and some scrambled egg.I had a surfeit of eggs for some reason as my DD had bought too many and donated  some to me. 

very pleased at how August is going so far though

JackieO xx

                                                     £44.80/£64.00 spent so far in August