May 2023 Grocery Challenge

thriftwizard

I've started May with a massive spend of £183.78, between the supermarket, the market, the butcher, baker, oriental supermarket, L!dls & M4cro - and I didn't even manage to get everything on my copious lists! Events just kind of fell out that after doing the normal weekend shop - about £90, yesterday & today - I suddenly had the opportunity to run down to the city & do the monthly non-perishables shop. Since I had no idea when the next opportunity might be - could in fact be two weeks hence - I just went ahead & did it. I might be haring back to Wales next week, and wouldn't be able to do the normal weekly shop, so wanted to make sure that stocks were all in order as far as possible, so I can just leave OH & DD1 with some cash for fresh stuff. Now to work out who's going to look after my seedlings!

gill5blue

Hi @elsiepac

Can you put me down for

£240 for the month please

2 adults and 2 labradors and 1 tortoise

thank you for running this thread, it really does help

gill5blue

Gettingmyshiztogether

Hello! 

After much reflection, (how sad that this is true 🤣) I decided to call it for April as have enough food for the next two days and to then roll over the £80 remaining into May's Budget. Therefore May's Budget increased from £380 to £460.

Today I have been food shopping with my 10% of voucher and have done a big monthly shop for May already. Total was £142.90 reduced from £167.

This leaves me with £80 ish a week to spend for the next month.

Now I am considering whether to do this at L!dl and to get another 10% voucher for week 4 OR whether to shop around more for YS items 🤔🤔

I am not sure if spending roughly £417 a month prudently to get £17 "off"/ "back" is the best way of stretching the pennies 🤔

I would love to have your opinions on this. Many thanks 😊

£142.90 / £460

Hoosrice

1st 2 days of month, and I've already spent 32.58/ 150 . Did get quite a few YS bargains though so hopefully can spread them through month, so not spending as much every week. Also managed to get some chocs reduced from £9 to £2.30 that don't expire until January 24, will cover a few birthdays throughout the year.. also due money back via shopmium and checkoutsmart. Does anyone else use these shopping apps?

joedenise

Just back from holiday so a small shop done today which will see us until we go up to Scotland to see my sister for a week.  I still had just over £13 left of April's budget and spent £19.49 so have used £6.43 from May's budget.  This will leave £143.57/£150 as have allowed less with being away for a week.  Some of the shopping done today will last until later in the month too so should be doable but we'll see!

K9sandFelines

£120 as usual for me please.

13th of May to the 12th of June

Good luck everyone 

diminua

Hi Elsiepac,

£190 again for May please,

thank you,

Diminua

KajiKita

Gettingmyshiztogether said:

Hello! 

After much reflection, (how sad that this is true 🤣) I decided to call it for April as have enough food for the next two days and to then roll over the £80 remaining into May's Budget. Therefore May's Budget increased from £380 to £460.

Today I have been food shopping with my 10% of voucher and have done a big monthly shop for May already. Total was £142.90 reduced from £167.

This leaves me with £80 ish a week to spend for the next month.

Now I am considering whether to do this at L!dl and to get another 10% voucher for week 4 OR whether to shop around more for YS items 🤔🤔

I am not sure if spending roughly £417 a month prudently to get £17 "off"/ "back" is the best way of stretching the pennies 🤔

I would love to have your opinions on this. Many thanks 😊

£142.90 / £460

The rule of thumb with all these discounts and deals is, and I am sure I am not expressing this quite correctly but let me try ….

If the spend you would make is the same with ‘the deal’ then go for it.

if the spend you would normally make is changed by the deal, then be cautious - car insurance cashback doesn’t always track for example, 2 for 1 deals might mean you end up with excess perishable items that you can’t consume before they go off (do you have the time to process them into something else? Cream to butter, chop down veggies and freeze, etc etc, some, like cucumber I have no idea how you could usefully / edibly process?! 🤔😂) 

I don’t have an exact answer for your question but this is my thinking process for this kind of question. Hope this helps a little? 😊

KK

PipneyJane

PipneyJane said:

Count me in, please, @elsiepac. Thank you again for running this thread.

We'll go with the usual £140 for the month

but it may increase depending on what is left over from April.  It is for two adults and covers all groceries purchased in supermarkets (food, toiletries and cleaning products).  Exclusions are meat purchased at the butcher (paid from the Meat Fund), C0stc0 bulk spends (paid from the Bulk Fund) and wine/beer/spirits (purchased with the Booze Fund).  Our month will run from the 1st to the 31st May.

- Pip

Further to the above, we had £17.80 left at the end of April.  Please change my May budget to £157.80.  Thank you @elsiepac

No big spends planned this week, although we’ve got a friend staying for a couple of nights.  I need to work out a meal plan to get us through to Saturday, if only to reduce my stress levels.

- Pip

Gettingmyshiztogether

KajiKita said:

Gettingmyshiztogether said:

Hello! 

After much reflection, (how sad that this is true 🤣) I decided to call it for April as have enough food for the next two days and to then roll over the £80 remaining into May's Budget. Therefore May's Budget increased from £380 to £460.

Today I have been food shopping with my 10% of voucher and have done a big monthly shop for May already. Total was £142.90 reduced from £167.

This leaves me with £80 ish a week to spend for the next month.

Now I am considering whether to do this at L!dl and to get another 10% voucher for week 4 OR whether to shop around more for YS items 🤔🤔

I am not sure if spending roughly £417 a month prudently to get £17 "off"/ "back" is the best way of stretching the pennies 🤔

I would love to have your opinions on this. Many thanks 😊

£142.90 / £460

The rule of thumb with all these discounts and deals is, and I am sure I am not expressing this quite correctly but let me try ….

If the spend you would make is the same with ‘the deal’ then go for it.

if the spend you would normally make is changed by the deal, then be cautious - car insurance cashback doesn’t always track for example, 2 for 1 deals might mean you end up with excess perishable items that you can’t consume before they go off (do you have the time to process them into something else? Cream to butter, chop down veggies and freeze, etc etc, some, like cucumber I have no idea how you could usefully / edibly process?! 🤔😂) 

I don’t have an exact answer for your question but this is my thinking process for this kind of question. Hope this helps a little? 😊

KK

Thank you, that does help x

£6.50 spent on a tray of 30 eggs today. 

£149.40 / £460 spent so far