April 2023 Grocery Challenge

KajiKita

This month is running away with me already. Spent 53% of budget (£315.08 of £600) after just two weeks of a 5 week month. Can’t see that I will come under budget, so this month will purely be focused on just trying to minimise the overspend. 

KK

KajiKita

AnnabelSaves said:

First time joining. Please put me down for £600. It's a huge amount for 2 people plus a cat, especially when we've got a freezer full and I can cook. We've been pretty well off for a few years and it just hasn't been a focus, but with my husband out of work and spiralling house costs we've sat down and done a budget. 

So far spent £43.98 on cat litter, a feliway diffuser and some gravy granules when we'd run out last night. Had overnight oats in the office today, along with some pitta breads filled with a tinned salmon pesto mix I made last night. Snack was an apple and a chocolate bar I had in the fridge. Tonight is chicken meatballs and cous cous with hummus. 

Thought ahead for once and booked a Tesco delivery slot for Thursday. 

Hi Annabel,

I’m on a similar budget with a similar household, so I will be interested to see how you get on. I’ll be honest and say that I am struggling somewhat!

KK

Cocobeans

A few small spends today and yesterday as DD is off school so have bought lunch when out and about and picked up some 19p veg. Have made 5 portions of Veg Stew all in the freezer. We are meant to be visiting my sister this weekend but she currently had Covid so just waiting to see if she gets a negative test. If not we will need a shop.

£33.91/ £250 spent 

Pennypincin

I know I'm probably late joining and asking to join,but please can I join.
Like many, things are getting more difficult and I need to start watching the pennies as it's getting silly with how much I'm spending on food.
I'm going to do weekly, as I get paid fortnightly at the moment and to help get started.
I've no idea what to budget a week, as a single vegetarian, advice appreciated and I will look at this advice part at the start of the thread.

Pennypincin

I may also do the occasional monthly delivery for the heavy stuff, but factor it into the budget.

otb666

183/600 i have managed to convert hubby away from meat and he mostly has my veg meals so thats good.  Just received our fortnightly shop and I am  amazed at price increases when you spend a tenner on toilet rolls and a tenner on dishwasher tablets Then a tenner on coffee and £7.50 on water (dont ask why but keeps hubby happy) it really is a lot more than it was and i hope the prices stop going up soon.  

joedenise

@Pennypincin - have a look at the first page of the challenge thread.  There is some useful information there.

Think the average for a single female is about £40 a week including eating out.  Maybe start there and see how you go.  It's best to keep all your receipts for the first month and then use that to work out your average weekly spend.

Hope that helps.

Pennypincin

Thanks everyone.

I'm going to try £35 a week to start, to include household cleaning supplies and see how I go.

As I started midweek, I'm going to budget £17.50 for the rest of the week, I should have plenty, but will need a few bits and bobs.

It's shocking the prices everything, I popped into Tesco and was shocked to see that the reductions were only going down to 50% off.

I'm getting wasteful generally and need to start doing something about it.

Nelliegrace

£150 budget, £37.49 spent, £112.51 left

DH did a Too Good To Go for £5. so we are a bit ahead with our spending for the month.
I like the variety, things I don’t buy normally, and then there are our favourite Cumberland sausages.  I think a batch of butternut squash soup will help, soup and cheesy garlic slices and a bit of salad, soup and Indian Starters, ploughman’s salad with beetroot, sausage and steamed vegetables, sausage in a fry up with some hot beetroot, and I have some stored apple I can stew with cranberry juice.

sarahj1986

sarahj1986 said:

sarahj1986 said:

Yes please let me do this again

last 2 weeks of March went a bit iffy because I wasn’t very well



£250 

£9.91 spent

it was a beautiful day yesterday so went to the park with my daughter and whilst I was in town I got a few things in the Tesco express. I have a big shop coming today but we didn’t have enough bread and milk to see us through for breakfast, lunch, hot drinks. Whilst I was in there I got a pizza for dinner seen as we were getting home later and no time to do a pasta bake that I had planned. I also check out the reduced section. I managed to get 2 chicken breasts for £1.29 a packet so I got 3 packets. I’ve got some chicken meals planned this week and that will do nicely. 

I then went into the Sainsbury’s local and found some crispy sliced potatoes reduced for 39p so got them to compliment dinner. 

£240.09 left 

£146.56 spent 

it was a hugeee Tesco shop this week!

the lamb legs and beef joints are on offer so it was almost £25 just for those but the size of them the beef will do 2 meals and the lamb 3 maybe 4.

As money was tight last week I really exhausted down our supplies so I’ve had to stock up on a lot of things. It being Easter week my daughter is not in nursery so I’ve made sure she’s got a few extra things, more fruit mainly to keep her full. 

The veg was on 19p which is great as I needed potatoes, carrots and onions. Diet Coke was £7.50 for 24 cans and I’m determined to see that over a month as I’m trying to cut back my usage. Normally I have a can every day but I’m trying to cut that back to every other day. One, for my health and 2 the cost of them 

next week won’t need to be a big shop as the meat/fish I’ve got will do is 2 weeks. I’ll need fresh items - milk, bread, fruit, veg.

£93.53 left