March 2023 Grocery Challenge

SausageDogSandwich

Good morning everyone. Another lot of lots of spends here and I can only blame myself for going to the temptation shops  Most of it it was spent yesterday between Tesco, heron, farmfoods and the best before shop. Altogether it came to £64.41  which means I have gone way over budget with still a week left to go. Olio has gone really downhill near us, so we haven’t had anything apart from bread from there for a while, I had to buy a loaf yesterday. Will definitely need some more fruit and veg before Friday, not sure about anything else as I need to do a meal plan. 

£261.82/250 spent. 

[Deleted User]

Good Morning everyone, I have just done a final total for the month and I have £26 left over.  My new month starts tomorrow as that's OHs payday.  II'll hop over to the April thread shortly and sign up.   I am in two minds regarding the left over grocery money but I think I'll use it to top up some basic pantry items later today from Mr L.

Suffolk_lass

[Deleted User] said:

Good Morning everyone, I have just done a final total for the month and I have £26 left over.  My new month starts tomorrow as that's OHs payday.  II'll hop over to the April thread shortly and sign up.   I am in two minds regarding the left over grocery money but I think I'll use it to top up some basic pantry items later today from Mr L.

Ooh, I did not notice @elsiepac announce that April is up - (wanders off to find it and subscribe) found it. Here's a link

April's Grocery Challenge!

mumtoomany

Hello all. Spent again on Wednesday. The men were coming this morning to take down a tree. It was right next to the road and huge. It's an ash, and has ash die back disease! The council had marked as needing to be removed, and sent us a letter. Shopping was to get a big pack of bacon and bread rolls to feed them. They started arriving before eight and were here most of the morning. Traffic had to be stopped as it came down. So shopping, because i couldn't just buy bacon and rolls, came to £28.87. We went to the vegetable shop too and got several of their £1 boxes.

Total spends to date are now at £589.82/£2640. May need more milk before April. Almost one third of the year gone and well within the target. hugs, mumtoomany.xxx

Blackcats

I've reached my budget maximum for March and I'm going to act as though it's a cash budget and my purse is now empty.
I feel a bit jittery but I absolutely know that I've got enough food in.  We only need to get to Thursday as we are out visiting and can start our new month on Saturday.
To reassure myself here are our meals
saturday - pork meatloaf, roast pots, carrots, spring greens
sunday - spicy chicken pilaf with spinach
monday - pasta rustica (our fancy name for veggie pasta)
tuesday - breaded fish, chips and peas (all in the freezer)
wednesday - chili glazed sausages, root veg mash (we made up extra batches of mash using sweet pots, parsnips, carrots and potatoes) sweet corn and peas
We have ice cream, jelly, a frozen crumble and 2 frozen mini roulades.
we have oranges, bananas, grapes and frozen berries.  Plenty of bread, cheese, eggs, tinned fish and corned beef for lunches.  Lots of oats, weetabix type cereals and yoghurts for breakfast.  I'll make a cake for coffee and cake treats.
phew - that makes me feel much better.  I can do it.
without this challenge I would have carried on spending, so thank you to Elsiepac and all who share their journeys.

thriftwizard

I'm cautiously declaring for March, with an overspend of £12.03, after today's expedition to the market & yesterday's to the supermarket; it's possible that a small top-up shop will be needed by about Tuesday, but I'm hoping not. If we do, it'll be sliced bread for OH and more veg. I've reluctantly decided to up my target for next month; things have kept on going up, and our options for eating cheap & cheerful are considerably more limited than they used to be. Off to see what new ideas I can come up with...

Thevalueofless

Week 4 spending £47.03, total so far for month £217.72/£270
Phew, still within budget but stocks are getting low - I think I'm in for a spending shock when they run out! Five more days to go but that does include a proper shop day and a birthday meet up tea (small eat outs like this come from grocery budget). Am confident we will be under budget, just, but a bit disappointed in myself as thought I had planned well to have a bit of a saving this month.

Need to get to grips with it as now not working so one wage household. It was through choice, after 41 years of working full time and massive changes in my workplace I decided no longer for me so have 'awarded' myself an extended break, possibly until the autumn. It is a risk, at 57 it may be difficult to find a new job but health and happiness and all that. I have managed to put aside enough funds to cover the basics during this time but if does mean that every penny spent will have to be considered which I more or less do already really but there was always the security of my monthly salary before. Last pay went in yesterday, only half of normal salary as finished part way through the month so a gentle lead into a more frugal way of living but hopefully a more content way.

Wishing everyone a happy weekend.

TVOL

Suffolk_lass

Well done @mumtoomany! Excellent budgeting and generosity to the workmen!

And to you for taking control @Thevalueofless - Happiness and wellbeing are so important. I am growing more since giving up work - especially premium things I would have paid more for like berry fruits and tomatoes.

Thevalueofless

Thank you @Suffolk_lass. We have an allotment in it's second year and hoping to use my time making it as productive as possible. Just need the worrying to abate and the peace to set in 🙂

Soontobeoap

£5.00 spent today on juice and milk at the co-op.That brings my total to £180.49 so far. I am really hoping thats it for the month but I am not declaring quite yet.