April 2023 Grocery Challenge

elsiepac

Hi everyone, lovely to see you all here for April challenge ... how is it nearly April already!!!

I'm actually doing pretty well on my spending at the moment but still strugging with that excited big shop aat the beginning of the month and then having to be really quite frugal for the rest... this does apply to all my my budgets in fairness, I really struggle with having money sat there as I panic it'll go if that makes sense? So then I buy lots of things in bulk ready for "when I don't have any money" - but of course it's always a self fulfilling prophecy! I know it's budgeting 101 but I have struggled all my life with this and I genuinely don't know how to hold onto money to make it last the whole month. 

Budgets updated to here

Soontobeoap

I am the same @elsiepac but at least we make ourselves a budget and thanks to you we have this forum where we can keep ourselves accountable. I dread to think where our spending would be without it. 

atrixa

£165 for me please

Hurts a bit to put it up that much, but that's just how things are going. I'll be looking out for more yellow sticker staples and avoiding buying rubbish I don't need.

Suffolk_lass

I have to make myself feel poor @elsiepac. I do it by moving money from current account to savings accounts by rounding up payments to the nearest zero (Tilly Tidying on an industrial scale, sometimes down to the nearest £00.00 on the end) and as soon as I see a tidy balance in savings I move it to another thing that is more difficult to retrieve it from. We did this to clear our debts and mortgage and now add them to PBs (don't tell me how easy they are to cash in, La, La, La, I'm not listening).

Cheapskate

Hello everyone

As part of returning to MSE, I'd like to join this thread again, please.

Can I go down for £350 for April to begin with?

Many thanks  

2Scratters

I'll book in for now but probably won't show up till later.
£250 for April please 
I get paid on the 27th of month but have been working at leaving it till the end of the month before touching it. Also same with this challenge. We have upped to 250 but that is including the dog food and all other non consumables too which has helped keep an easier check on the spending. The LO change is going towards a butcher shop run anytime soon. (I just keep deferring of spending any money) If I don't leave the house its usually cheaper. As April is a 5 week month for some I will be deferring some spends again. 
Good luck all with your budgets

2 Scratters xx

SausageDogSandwich

Thank you for the new thread @elsiepac

I think I’m going to keep the same budget for this month, I feel like I’m going to go over budget already though  we are away for a few days at the start of the month but the kids are off for 2 weeks which always makes things more expensive. Husband wants lamb for Easter which is expensive. I’m not including Easter eggs in the challenge, I said I wasn’t going to buy any this year but here we are. I also need to restock toiletries as they’ve now ran out from last year. So let’s see what happens 

£250 for April please.

leftatthetrafficlights

Still on annual budget so running total is £279.31/£3000 and bulk buy budget is at £0/£600. 

Did really well in March as using as much from the freezers as possible (they need defrosting) and still have quite a bit to go so hoping for a decent month again! 

Have to go to the shop today though as need a fruit and veg top up - hopefully it won't be excessive 🤞

FrugalHedonist

Please can I be put down for £60 

I have a jam packed freezer and cupboards and really need to use up what I have so setting myself a challenge of £60 this month which will mainly be used for fresh produce. I have done a freezer audit and was shocked by how much I have in there so here goes. This weeks meal plan is as follows 

Sunday - Vegetable crumble 
Monday - Peanut butter chicken with naan and rice 
Tuesday- Quorn Nuggets, mash and vegetable 
Wednesday - Cheese and Spinach lattices, mash and vegetables
Thursday - Eating at partners house so his problem  
Friday - chicken pesto pasta 

Lunches will be leftovers for me - (Crumble and curry) packed lunch for child
Breakfasts Porridge or Granola with fruit 

Adorian

Hi, can you put me down for £60 for April please? I know that sounds bonkers but I'm only feeding myself and I have a freezer and cupboards full of meals and ingredients that I need to use up, so I think £15 for bits and pieces to add should be enough if I'm firm with myself. I've not been able to live at home for the last 7 months due to water damage and I'm moving back in on 31 March so I really do need to clear as much food down as I can this coming month - it isn't getting any fresher!

I will mostly be having porridge for breakfast as I have ALL the oats and some cartons of soy milk plus honey and syrup to top it. I also have some meals I bulk cooked and lots of frozen veg, sausages and a sizeable bag of brown rice, plus tins of tomatoes, stock cubes, dried herbs and gravy granules so no reason to buy much at all.