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March 2023 Grocery Challenge
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2Scratters said:Save £12k in 2025 #2 I am at £4863.32 out of £6000 after May (81.05%)
OS Grocery Challenge in 2025 I am at £1286.68/£3000 or 42.89% of my annual spend so far
I also Reverse Meal Plan on that thread and grow much of our own premium price fruit and veg, joining in on the Grow your own thread
My new diary is here5 -
@2Scratters and @Suffolk_lass I’ve never met a dog with an off-switch when it comes to food. In fact, last night, I sent my DH a photo of the YS chicken I’d just roasted, with the caption “I’m glad there isn’t a dog in the house. This wouldn’t survive if we had a labrador.”
(DH is still overseas with work.)
I walked down to the C0-0p last night, because we had a £1-off-your-shop voucher to use and I thought there might be bargains. (Our C0-0p is a petrol station and Friday is when they clear the shelves of fresh stuff for their big delivery on a Saturday.). Since I’m bored with eating the two stews I cooked last Sunday, I thought there might be a YS pizza or something that I could just shove in the oven for dinner. Instead I found quite a lot of fresh veg and fresh meat marked down and ended up buying a 1.5kg YS roast-in-the-bag chicken marked down to £3.08 and a 1L YS bottle of milk for 39p.
With the £1-off voucher and a 50p-off-C0-0p milk voucher, the shop came to £1.97!
The milk has gone into the freezer door, but there was a small problem: there was absolutely no room in the freezer for the chicken. Since it was dated 17th March, I decided to roast it last night. I’m out today, but tomorrow, I’ll turn it into a chicken risotto, macaroni chicken, and I’ll probably roast some veg and have two “roast dinners” during the week with the legs.
I mentioned that I got bored with the meals I cooked last Sunday in preparation for this week. Although I usually give him 1.5 to 2 times the portions that I eat, I hadn’t realised exactly how much DH eats! It’s a very long time since I just cooked for one. I think I must have cooked 16 portions last weekend. I’ve managed to shoehorn 6 portions into the freezer as lunchboxes but it’s tight. (There’s still a goose in there, standing on it’s end, so we’re out one shelf and everything is balanced around it.)
On Thursday, I decided to go to L!dl on my way home from the office. £16.97 spent. I bought a YS quiche (had half for dinner and half for Friday’s lunch), a chicken pie, 2 bottles of shampoo and 2 of conditioner (on offer), 2 packs of cashew nuts, a packet of mixed seeds, a chocolate treat for DH (for when he gets home on Thursday) and 2 packets of chocolate coated Oaties.
With £2.09 of change going to the Running Away Fund and the Shrapnel money-box, the above brings our March spend to:£66.50/£156.50 with £90 left.
I’ve lost track of what has/hasn’t been declared, so apologies if I’ve missed out some spends, but the above is where we are now.
- Pip"Be the type of woman that when you get out of bed in the morning, the devil says 'Oh crap. She's up.'
It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it - that’s what gets results!
2025 Fashion on the Ration Challenge 66 coupons - 25.5 spent.
4 - Thermal Socks from L!dl
4 - 1 pair "combinations" (Merino wool thermal top & leggings)
6 - Ukraine Forever Tartan Ruana wrap
8 - 4 x 100g/450m skeins 3-ply dark green Wool Local yarn
1.5 - sports bra
2 - 100g/220m DK Toft yarn9 -
£16.55 Spent in Sainsburys today but in my defence it wasnt all bad. 2x pizzas half price, Richmond sausages on offer 12 for £2.00 Dh treated himself to a 6pk of doritos and a cornish pasty and he also panicked that he might run out of sugar 🤣. Oh and I bought some sainsburys free from cheddar. I prefer Cathedral city but it was not on offer sadly! So we are over budget already this month. Hopefully only have to pick up a few more bits before end of month.
I love this thread. Thanks again @elsiepac. Although I am already over I would have spent so much more without putting a budget in place and being accountable on here.craft stash 2023 =161, 2024 = 119 2025 = £25.96 spent, 128 made and 5 mended,
GC 2022 = £3154.96
2023 = £3334. 84
2024 = £.3221.81
2025 = £2254.03/£3300
Jan 413.77 Feb £361.32, March £192. April £438.06 May £261.66 June £204.54 July £211.81/ £250
Decluttering campaign. 2024= 77 and half/52 bin bags full. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🏅💐DH ⭐7 -
Hello everyone,
I am all caught up and have enjoyed reading what everyone has been up to. Thank you for sharing.
I ve been to L!dl and S@in0s again today and spent faaaarrrrr more than I anticipated. MIL, FIL, SIL and our niece and nephew are joining us for Afternoon tea tomorrow afternoon and today's shop therefore included the supplies for afternoon tea for 9. Niece, nephew and our own two children eat as much as an adult, if not more so its for 9 adults really.
I have vowed that next time I put on an afternoon tea I will be making it all from scratch! Four scones = £1.50... note to self to learn how to bake, in particular scones!
Anyway I am justifying it as its Mother's Day and I can't remember the last time we all got together like this. So although my budget will be well and truly blown by the end of the month, I am hoping everyone will have a nice time and memories will be made!
Today I ve spent around £150! 😱 however this included two large blocks of cheese (which has increased yet again, to £4.80!) A huge bag of tea bags (440 for £5.59, these added to the half the remaining bag I bought last year will last us the whole year now, unless we have a major catastrophe and need to double or triple up on cups of tea!) Smoked salmon, and posh thick ham, as well as everything else for Afternoon tea tomorrow.
I had set myself a Budget of £400 for this month, although we actually allocate £460 in our joint account for food. The extra £60 then gets saved as a buffer in the account.
Anyway, scores on the doors!
£351.84/£400 for March... so far!
Next week I have my 10% off shop so need to be smart!
Loving this challenge thank you @elsiepac for running it 😊💗Grocery Challenge 🍇🍈🍉🍊🍋🍌🍍
January 2023 £347.16/ £250 ♥
Feb 2023 £423.01 /£420 💚
March £351.84 /£400 💚
April £320.23 /£400 💚
May £142.90 /£380 (plus £80 roll over from April = £460)
Christmas 2023 Saver #42 £305/£730🎄🎁🎄🎁8 -
I like this challenge for changing my shopping habits. I passed Morrisons, Aldi, and the turnings to Asda and Sainsbury’s on the way home from Smallholders, and did not stop.
There is nothing we need, no need to shop until next week.
I must explore the freezer for something to cook for dinner tomorrow, and put fruit to soak in tea next time there is a pot, for a tea loaf.
Found a small pork joint bought when they were on offer at 2 for £8.7 -
Needed some more fruit and eggs so another spend of just over £16 taking me to £111.87/£200 leaving £91.13.
7 -
Gettingmyshiztogether said:Hello everyone,
I ve been to L!dl and S@in0s again today and spent faaaarrrrr more than I anticipated. MIL, FIL, SIL and our niece and nephew are joining us for Afternoon tea tomorrow afternoon and today's shop therefore included the supplies for afternoon tea for 9. Niece, nephew and our own two children eat as much as an adult, if not more so its for 9 adults really.
I have vowed that next time I put on an afternoon tea I will be making it all from scratch! Four scones = £1.50... note to self to learn how to bake, in particular scones!
KKAs at 15.07.25:
- When bought house £315,995 mortgage debt and end date at start = October 2039 - now £233,521
- OPs to mortgage = £11,338 Interest saved £5225 to date
Fixed rate 3.85% ends January 2030
Read 38 books of target 52 in 2025, as @ 27th July
Produce tracker: £227 of £300 in 2025
Watch your thoughts, they become your words.
Watch your words, they become your actions.Watch your actions, they become your reality.8 -
KajiKita said:Gettingmyshiztogether said:Hello everyone,
I ve been to L!dl and S@in0s again today and spent faaaarrrrr more than I anticipated. MIL, FIL, SIL and our niece and nephew are joining us for Afternoon tea tomorrow afternoon and today's shop therefore included the supplies for afternoon tea for 9. Niece, nephew and our own two children eat as much as an adult, if not more so its for 9 adults really.
I have vowed that next time I put on an afternoon tea I will be making it all from scratch! Four scones = £1.50... note to self to learn how to bake, in particular scones!
KKGrocery Challenge 🍇🍈🍉🍊🍋🍌🍍
January 2023 £347.16/ £250 ♥
Feb 2023 £423.01 /£420 💚
March £351.84 /£400 💚
April £320.23 /£400 💚
May £142.90 /£380 (plus £80 roll over from April = £460)
Christmas 2023 Saver #42 £305/£730🎄🎁🎄🎁8 -
I've been dogsitting again so not sure how I've managed to spend quite as much as I have given that there was food left for me. I did buy some fancy coffee that was too mild and fruity for my taste - when that fruitiness is strong it smells like sour milk to me and puts me off - so I've cut it with a very strong after-dinner style coffee, which has worked and stopped it going to waste, but that's £13 this week just on coffee.
That said I have £36.74 left after todays grocery shop, and the only thing I wasn't able to get was veg sausages, so it should be manageable.
Fashion on the Ration 2025 - 1.5 coupons remaining
July Grocery Challenge £115.57 of £250 spent
Declutter 7 things (net) in 2025. Done, now trying to keep it even (5 over at present).8 -
Gettingmyshiztogether said:Hello everyone,
I am all caught up and have enjoyed reading what everyone has been up to. Thank you for sharing.
I spent faaaarrrrr more than I anticipated...Angie - GC Jul 25: £225.85/£500 : 2025 Fashion on the Ration Challenge: 26/68: (Money's just a substitute for time & talent...)9
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