November 2023 Grocery Challenge

Pennypincin

Thank you.
£30 per week still for me.

Suffolk_lass

Still a week to go here. I must not shop, I really must not, except milk

otb666

£600  for November for 3 adults and 2 tortoises please

MissRikkiC

I’m back for this month please. I’ve been lost in life for a few months but feel like I need the routine and rigour of this thread to keep things tight. I’ve not been over spending but enjoy the challenge and I have been increasing the budget by £25 so that’s probably helped too. Hoping to come in at £400 this month please @elsiepac

Ellie79

Hello all, I am absolutely rubbish at managing to reduce my grocery costs but I really have to make a change. So this is me posting for accountability and to help me plan. I am suggesting that we try for £430 this month for 3 of us, 2 adults and 1 constantly grazing teen (and 2 dogs but their food is paid for). Even writing that makes me cringe about how much we spend, but it is what it is at this point! Thank you!

Suffolk_lass

Oh @Ellie79 I do feel for you. It took me ages to realise what my pitfalls are. Mine is going off list and inadvertently stockpiling. I avoid shops by having milk and eggs delivered so that 1 or at most, two shops a month. 

Other people on here include the person who insulated her loft with bogof toilet rolls she could not resist buying (pre-pandemic) I recall 400 packs being mentioned.

Then there was the member with no freezer who kept over-buying YS meat and then having to bin it 

There is plenty of help on here and lots of tips to learn from others. I wish you success. Hopefully you can start to write a meal plan with stuff you already have, then only buy the top up ingredients. Reverse meal planning to substitute ingredients you already have is good to start with, to keep costs down a bit too.

Ellie79

Thank you @Suffolk_lass I really needed that bit of understanding (tough day today!). I know I stockpile, and I know it is from being very skint previously. My first reaction, in times of stress, is to over buy so I know we have food. As a comfort blanket it is very ingrained. I'm going to get better at being less panicked. I'll have a look at the threads, again thank you. I'm a good cook so if I can just train my brain to see this as a good challenge I'll be grand. I do meal plan, but end up exhausted mid week and buy something quicker and easier. I've been better at not doing that and put a number of pre cooked meals in the freezer over the last couple of weeks. Small portions but hopefully will head off my need to buy things!

lilly81

Put me down for £250
I'm hoping to meal plan for the month which I've never managed, I usually go week to week.

otb666

550/600  Bit annoyed with OH as managed to spend 50 by doing a quick top up shop ?? Gravy granules Cheese and coffee which he picked up with Milk and bread only on list.  Honestly i have organised his meat by getting musle food and we go to fruit and veg shop weekly.  I think these twice weekly top up shops that he does are annoying.  I should keep him locked up really but what can you do apart from moan on here 

Suffolk_lass

otb666 said:

550/600  Bit annoyed with OH as managed to spend 50 by doing a quick top up shop ?? Gravy granules Cheese and coffee which he picked up with Milk and bread only on list.  Honestly i have organised his meat by getting musle food and we go to fruit and veg shop weekly.  I think these twice weekly top up shops that he does are annoying.  I should keep him locked up really but what can you do apart from moan on here 

That is exactly why I use a milkman. It costs more but a midweek delivery avoids those top-up shops. Also Gravy granules and coffee I buy from stores only when they are on offer. The good instant I use in the morning is a 15% discounted price big river subscription at the moment, while it undercuts the SM offer price. A six jar pack. It took a while to get there with the stores budget but I almost never buy non perishables not on offer now.