May 2023 Grocery Challenge

Soontobeoap

I thought that I had read somewhere that milk was coming down in price but I spent £1.75 for a 4 pint bottle today. I would like to think that the extra money is going to the farmers but I doubt it very much 

Cocobeans

Thank you @elsiepac for the thread. 

I have decided to up my budget slightly as DD has recently been having packed lunch a few days a week at school so need to make sure I have stuff in for days she wants it. She has recently decided to be vegetarian so the school dinner choice isn't always something she likes. Think it will also help me with half term/ all these bank holidays she will be home needing lunch this month! 

Budget £275 1st - 31st May

Thevalueofless

Hello @elsiepac

£270 for me for May please. 

TVOL

ancientmum

Thank you for running the thread elsiepac.
I'm still more or less on track for my annual budget of £1200, so will carry on with this.  

I'm going to do more home baking as I seem to have got into the habit of buying cakes and biscuits which is not good for my waistline or my pocket. Started today by making Twinks hobnobs, reducing the amount of sugar, at least I know what goes into them!

gill5blue

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

hi,
I wouldn't chase coupons, it costs you more in the long run-you will be looking to buy things to reach the spend goal.
Only buy what you want to buy.
good luck
gill5blue

number_23

Thanks @elsiepac for continuing the thread.  This is just my second month (first month has been updated just now, not a success but so much better than it would have been if I hadn't joined this thread!). 

This months goal is £600 and the month will run 1st-28th as we are then away on holiday. 

l've done a big shop this morning and spent £124.26 - I am really going to have to find cheaper ways to shop, or change our meals up as that is an incredible amount for two adults and one child.  I did buy kitchen towel, toilet rolls, meat for the week and items for lunches (packed lunches all round for us, though wondering if I can start doing bigger portions and taking leftovers instead). I won't have to buy any other groceries this week other than possibly some fresh milk towards the weekend and burgers from the butchers for tea at the weekend.

I shopped as follows;
Mr Al £79.52 - fruit, veg, lunch items, freezer bits
Mr S £18.49 - meat, crisps (on offer)
Mr Ice £26.25 - mainly pop and a few treats

When I was purchasing the pop I knew that I'd regret it but it's a habit that we have built up over the last few months. DH and I both take a can of diet coke to work for our lunches and then we have a glass of pop with our dinner.  The rest of the time we drink water or diluted cordial. I'm hoping this challenge will highlight how much we are spending on these items but if we are going to drink the pop at dinnertime it is cheaper to buy in bulk than a bottle each time.  

I can see where we are spending unnecessarily, we now need to make the changes. 

All meals bought for this week so no takeaways necessary (another area we spent too much in). 

I'd like to thank you all for your support and all advice and guidance provided over the last 3 / 4 weeks, it's really appreciated. Any further hints and tips would be welcomed. 

CA23   

diminua

First shop of the month - £11.29 not including a bottle of Pimms, which I've bought for bank holiday drinks so will take from the holiday budget. 

2Scratters

£250 for May

Happy BH afternoon Peeps,
I have landed here early this month as am tweeking my start date to 3rd of month start. Budget of £250. We had £25 left over from April bringing total to £275. I will only be withdrawing £200 cash and try to make it last and the balance will sit in the "house keeping account" must try harder this month. DH constantly fails to record the small spends he does. I've said I need to know how we are to manage if I retire early. 
@Soontobeoap you made me laugh re your boobs and trying to get into the chest freezer - not far behind you with that problem 

@Gettingmyshiztogether You can do this reduction. Also re your coupon/reductions/cashback the Lidl one seems very high unless you were feeding a large family. Those with smaller families are generally able to manage with less and not tied to one store for shopping as this would potentially make it a false economy as KK has mentioned too. This is what is all about trying things out and see how it works, if you change your method then it is not a failure either.
 
@thriftwizard I'd be tempted to "forget" to leave any money and see how they manage and what goes from the freezer 

@number_23 Re your pop drinks Buy the large bottles and decant into the smaller bottles as both of you are drinking the same it is unlikely to go flat too soon. Who is to know you are recycling?


2 Scratters xx

Cocobeans

First spend today £32.68 spent on a Morries click and collect. We had run out of dried dog food and it's on offer in Morries and I found a £5 off a £25 click and collect code so just got a few bits to cover the next few days before I sit down and meal plan/ shop properly.  

OH went to collect it which stopped me going in and picking up a few more bits! He said they didn't mention any substitutions and none were mentioned in my email but the cheese was 2 x small blocks of lighter cheese rather than one big block of normal cheese. I don't mind however tend to use cheese for cooking and the lighter cheese doesn't always melt properly so have messaged them so may get a refund.

£32.68 / £275 spent

Nelliegrace

May budget £150, £13.43 spent, £136.57 left. 

We had a walk round the Sainsbury’s superstore for a few own brand essentials. A few items are for the store cupboard.

Loose leaf tea, 250g, red label £1.50 and gold label £1.80. (Our tea ration for May, 2oz each per week.)

Decaf gold instant coffee 200g £2.50 

Dried haricot beans 500g  £1.65 
A litre of long life milk 69p.
Wonky vegetables, carrots 40p/Kg, and a cauliflower 75p.
Red onions 80p/Kg. 
White mushrooms 300g 94p.

Coffee filter papers, 2 x 40 still at £1.20. We use one a day for a pot of coffee, topped up to fill a flask for the day. 

£13.43 spent.