September 2023 Grocery Challenge

Suffolk_lass

Me? I've spent £2101.03 year to date out of £3000. We are away for half of September so I might be able to reel it in a bit.

Blackcats

Happy September everyone.
I finished August with some money left over in the grocery pot, however, I don't think my accounting would withstand a financial audit as I wasn't completely diligent with transferring money to cover all my spends.  Anyway, I've taken August's alleged underspend and moved it across to my Christmas pot.

PLEASE PUT ME DOWN FOR £300 FOR SEPTEMBER 

goldfinches

I spent yet more money in the supermarket today because I needed more yoghurt and some cider vinegar for a recipe and while I was there I spotted gluten free puff pastry on the shelf. I used to buy this from Mr T's but they stopped stocking it so I was really pleased to see it in Sains and bought 2 boxes only to find, when I read the small print at home, that it isn't suitable for freezing so I shall have to use it quickly. 

Anyway, that makes my new figures £42.77/£120 and my average daily spend £14.25. Ugh!
The Baking Budget spent £4.70/£20.

europe2014

Done my 1st weekly shop for September yesterday ready for back to work and school - felt expensive but I normally shop on a tuesday so this was for 2 weekends as I want to go back to having my shop delivered on a tuesday morning.   So we spent 23.97 in Marks on weekend treats (half we didnt use so got some for next weekend) and 133.28 in Mr As - this is only food and non alcoholic drinks.   I have therefore spent 157.25/600 as there is still 3 more shopping week for me this month if I spend at this rate I will not make my target of 600 a month.  Fingers crossed for no more food spends this week however I know i need potatoes already for next weekend plus I always need milk   

kayannie

goldfinches said:

I spent yet more money in the supermarket today because I needed more yoghurt and some cider vinegar for a recipe and while I was there I spotted gluten free puff pastry on the shelf. I used to buy this from Mr T's but they stopped stocking it so I was really pleased to see it in Sains and bought 2 boxes only to find, when I read the small print at home, that it isn't suitable for freezing so I shall have to use it quickly. 

Anyway, that makes my new figures £42.77/£120 and my average daily spend £14.25. Ugh!
The Baking Budget spent £4.70/£20.

Could you make & cook the food that the puff pastry was bought for, & then freeze after cooking. More economical than using it up sooner than intended!
KA

elsiepac

Budgets updated to here

@thriftwizard I totally missed your message, I do apologise - I miss the old forum where it used to pop up so you couldn't miss it!!

Blackcats

I spent sometime yesterday drawing up a meal plan and associated shopping list.  We are trying to eat a bit more intentionally so including more fruit and veg and fish. I don't usually plan lunches but we are both at home for lunches and we're getting stuck in a sandwich rut.  I made mackerel pate today which we had with a baguette and green salad - very tasty and plenty left for tomorrow.  My hands still smell very fishy though 🤦‍♀️

So armed with our list went to lidls this morning - I did the shopping whilst OH perused the middle aisle tasked with reporting back on the most unlikely items in a supermarket.  if anyone needs an electric water pistol or a plasma cutter (whatever that is) they had plenty in stock 🙃

£78 spent.  £222 remaining

Cocobeans

Popped into @sda on the weekend to try and find the last of the uniform we needed and spent £20 on food. Honestly apart from some lunches and Gym food for OH we didn't really buy anything! Have managed to spend a week's worth of budget without actually doing a proper shop yet this month! 

£52.50 / £250 spent. 

Leaves us with £197.50 which is approximately £9 a day! Need to get packed lunch stuff tomorrow so will see how that goes! 

diminua

£27.38 spent. I will need more milk this week and a large dark chocolate bar for lunches - if I don't take some kind of snack in I end up buying it, so I normally take four squares of chocolate and some nuts and raisins and fruit. If there are any blackberries ripened (there were loads of red ones last week) I'll make some 'coulis' (basically a punnet's worth of blackberries and a few spoons of sugar cooked long enough to dissolve the sugar and soften the blackberries to breaking up but not nearly long enough for jam). Nice with plain yogurt or on pancakes. I stir it into fizzed up water as a soft drink too. 

goldfinches

@kayannie - thankyou for the brilliant suggestion, I will have a trawl through my cookbooks for something suitable.

I have managed a NSD so am feeling quietly proud of myself especially as that immediately brings my average daily spend down to 'only' £10.69! 

I'm planning to go foraging for some apples early tomorrow morning so, hopefully, that will satisfy my acquisitive tendencies without going anywhere near a food shop.