April 2023 Grocery Challenge

PipneyJane

Suffolk_lass said:

I rummaged out a half shoulder of lamb from the freezer yesterday that I will roast today (and a pack of lambs hearts to have later - although it has not been defrosted) and we will have that with fridge veg (carrots, potatoes and cabbage). Yoghurt and honey for dessert I think. I also made a tray bake of butternut fingers for having with teas and coffees. We had four yesterday - two at lunchtime and two more with tea! - And therein lies the problem. They are just too yummy and available. (I love the word yummy). Nothing spent. 

@Suffolk_lass - apologies if you’ve already posted it, please share the recipe for Butternut Fingers.   Many thanks.

- Pip (only 40 posts behind)

PipneyJane

Nelliegrace said:

@Suffolk_lass I decant the washing up liquid into a smaller bottle because DH gets through a large bottle in about the same time. I have just caught him upending the bottle of Ecover w.u.l. and giving it a long squeeze with both hands, just for a few breakfast things! Suds everywhere, and nothing rinsed. Perhaps a pump action bottle is needed? 

He works on the principle that if he does housework badly enough I will take over, or if he goes out on his hobbies it will all be done when he gets home, or saying, “I’ll do that,” when I am just finishing a task, counts as doing it.

My washing up liquid gets decanted into a pump-action bottle for use, @Nelliegrace.  I mix it half-and-half with vinegar, because we have very hard water.  Works a treat.  2 pumps for the regular wash; 3 pumps if things are greasy.  (If something is very greasy, I’ll do an extra pump onto the sponge and rub it over the greasy item before washing.)

- Pip

PipneyJane

JingsMyBucket said:

…

Question for others: do you include Easter eggs in your regular grocery total? This would be a first time doing it for me because I was never raised on it. My husband specifically said he wants an Easter egg this year  and I figure I should get one for our dinner guests too. Mr. Jings just wants a bog standard salted caramel Cadbury's egg... hopefully those are sold in our local stores. 

Hi @JingsMyBucket - the money for our Easter eggs come out of the “Christmas Fund”, which is separate to the Grocery Challenge budget and pays for the Christmas tree as well as the goose and other treats.  (We contribute £20 a month to separate savings account for Christmas.)

Hope this helps.

@elsiepac - the biggest trick I learned about budgeting was to accept the concept of “quarantine”. I managed to convince myself that if the money isn’t in my main bank account, then it isn’t mine.  That meant having a separate current acount for all bills, too.  As a concept, it works.

- Pip

Gettingmyshiztogether

Hello all,

Here to report a spend of.... £26.55!

FOR.

THE.

WEEK!

*happy dance* 

DISCLAIMER: I spent £123 last week with my 10% off voucher (should have been £140) so I am all stocked up on my monthly staples like chopped tomatoes, spaghetti, stock cubes, oats, flour etc.

The £26.55 was a "top up" if you like, I just needed to grab some fresh items to make complete meals from what I already have in... saying that I ve never had a "top up" so low before. Today, I was very conscious of what I was putting into my trolley, and questioned several items and really thought through what sizes I needed. 

So one very happy person here! I still need to go and buy eggs so that will up my weekly spend by another £6.50 (30 eggs) I'll do that tomorrow now.

I'll add that into my total so far!

£33.05 / £400

JingsMyBucket

@KajiKita @joedenise @Soontobeoap @PipneyJane thanks for responses. I’ll put them into the gifts category. I didn’t buy anything for myself because I didn’t want any. I don’t think I’d have time to order and receive a low sugar/sugar free option in time. 

We’ve just come back from an afternoon on the town and have some spends to report. 

£24.72 at the halal/Middle Eastern store restocking on red lentils, harissa, ground spices (cinnamon, cardamom, curry powder), ramen, 2 big beautiful bulbs of garlic, and a kilo of ground lamb. He was all out of big bags of rice and coconut milk. We’ll have to order those from Tesco because I’m not lugging that myself! We also put in an order for lamb shoulder we’ll collect on Friday afternoon. That’ll likely cost us another £25 or so. We support his shop so he stays open. 

Next was Iceland where we bought the Easter eggs and a pack of Richmond sausages. As I’m claiming only the sausages for GC, then £2.50 spent there. 

Last stop was £9.96 at M & S for bananas, a £1 punnet of kiwi, 85p salad potatoes, 2x YS strawberries, YS shallots, YS thyme, a can of coconut milk, and a tub of Greek yoghurt. The kiwi and potatoes were the M & S deal of the week. 

£37.18 spent so far. £362.82 / £400.00 remaining

Tomorrow is the monthly town farmers market and we’ll stop in to visit some of our favourite purveyors, hopefully keeping that to £25 or less toward the GC. We’ve still got a bit of fresh veg left but I’ll visit Aldi to try for some deals. 

otb666

88/600 quite pleased with that.  Also i made potato and leek soup today which hubby said was best yet I included the tops of the leek as well. I have spent my weekly 40 on fruit veg and salad.  I am planning cabbage soup, turkey stew , beef stew with all the veg. and salad in evenings when i get peckish and snacking on fruit.

Panicked

Newbie here, hope I'm posting in the right place. 

Please put me down for £160 in April

Soontobeoap

Welcome @panicked you are definitely in the right place. Lots of tips and lovely people on here to help you bring shopping bills down. 

Hoosrice

Day 1 £ 5.52 incl bargain razor @ Tsco for 25p. Its a Wilkinson sword razor that is normally £8.50 on offer at half price but if you get a coupon code from latest deals website and scan your clubcard you only pay 25p. Amazing bargain

Saver-upper

Oooohhh- I had never heard of the  Latest Deals site Hoosrice. I have just checked it out-looks very good, thank you.

As usual, my goal for this month is to stay under £300. (Another goal for this month is to have a lot more NSDs, so I have done a rough meal plan, and bought enough that there shouldn't be a need to shop for a long time yet.)

Today I did a big ASDA shop £83.49,then , on way home, dropped into another ASDA to get a few bits that weren't in the first one (£10.68).  Still couldn't get eggs or tomatoes.

Total April spend so far £94.17/£300.00