October 2024 Grocery Challenge

diminua

Back in the UK and I've spent another £24.80. Some on coffee and a pastry (holiday brain still engaged this morning) and the rest on bread, porter, gorgonzola, big box of tomatoes, ground coffee and milk.
£16.38 left until the 31st. 

Blackcats

@Nelliegrace - that menu looks delicious and excellent value for money

PipneyJane

@MessyMare don’t beat yourself up.  You’ve got the energy and focus now to deal with the housekeeping, when you didn’t before, and you’re doing well as a consequence.  Good on you!

I have one spend to declare, from Saturday.  £8.73 in Sainsbugs on fresh veg:  Peppers £1.20, mushrooms 2x89p, broccoli £1.10, bananas 70p, carrots 67p, salad £1.02, humous 75p, and apples £1.20.  Also received 7p of coppers in change, which went to the moneybox.

The above brings our October GC spend to £176.30/£180, leaving £3.70 for the rest of the month.

The one thing we will need to purchase is yoghurt.  We don’t have enough for Wednesday or Thursday.  I buy Yeo Valley whole-milk yoghurt because there are no fillers or thickeners and they don’t add colouring to make things look more appealing*.  Since I’m heading to C0stc0 at lunchtime to buy something for work, I’ll pop to the MrT’s opposite and see what they’re charging for Yeo Valley this week.  If it’s less than £2.25 a 450g tub Sainsbugs were charging on Saturday, then I’ll buy a tub there.  If more, then I’ll go to Sainsbugs (which is on the way home).  That’ll get us through to the weekend and November’s budget.

- Pip



*Years ago, I was horrified to discover that Rachel Organics added beetroot juice to its strawberry yoghurt to beef up the colour. Don’t know if they still do this.

WickedLady4

@carboot_karaoke Joint adult or joint senior is even cheaper!

Pennypincin

I've £19.67 left after a Tesco and Lidl shop from last weeks food budget.
The new food budget week starts today 

LotsOfTea

I had a delivery today which came to £48.32 and there wasn't a huge amount for the money. I did have to restock some baking bits and spices and there were a couple of half term treats for DS but not a big shop by any means. 

I'm up to £291.89/£300 now so hopefully nothing else will be needed before the end of the week!

Nelliegrace

It is amazing @Blackcats, silver service and lots of fancy touches which I can’t do, and even the tasty bread rolls have been made that morning. They did a blood orange posset last term which was delicious. 

LadyWithAPlan

Grocery £169.88 spent plus £55.77 abroad food spend  so £225.65 (over my £200)   
plus junk food (sweets/biscuits)   £19.40

I have now been on the slow carb for 7 weeks or so now - beans instead of GF bread, pasta, and rice /potatoes 6 days each week + meat, loads veggies - I have lost weight however my grocery bill has gone up.
I have been following @PipneyJane freezing soaked uncooked bean suggestion but I do need to go buy dried beans in bulk.

I was abroad last week on a work 4 day trip, I got an airbnb so I could get some supermarket food and cook omelettes etc  £55.77 was spent on travel (nuts to travel with etc) and abroad food (have GF allergies so hard to eat cheap and well whilst travelling)  I will get some of this back but that is how much I spent. I am not sure how my HM omelettes are so much better in Europe but they are, used pancetta cooked slowly first to get the oil out as I was not prepared to buy cooking oil/butter for 4 days. This £55.77 included a coffee /sweets on way back (I did take my aeropress with me and great coffee as the Nespresso machine coffee tasted bad(it needs regular clearing out which most airbnb hosts dont do so after a year or so the coffee tastes bad)

Popped into Morries on way home after gym this am - they are doing a spend £60 before Oct 31 and  get a £5 fiver  on top of normal points - you have to acrtivate the offer by Nov 3rdf (but spend by Oct 31) 
I note some people are saving the fivers at Morries for Xmas but think some have a 3m expiry date
Bought YS Beef cubes, chicken legs, some beans (tinned - no dried in this morries), YS green veg  £26.92 spent

I  am fine for food til EOM but I do need to spend an extra £14 to get the Morries £5   by Thursd but I will see what offers they have or stock up on frozen veg, beans and meat. Like many on here I need to eat down and defrost the freezer so working on that. Just pulled out some lamb mince so may try a shepherds pie but with a cannelloni bean topping (!) 

Had a family bday dinner over the weekend I paid a portion of - we get 20% off the bill as I am a shareholder but it did seem more expensive than 6 months ago for some reason.

Nelliegrace said:

It is amazing @Blackcats, silver service and lots of fancy touches which I can’t do, and even the tasty bread rolls have been made that morning. They did a blood orange posset last term which was delicious. 

That menu look delicious!

Totals spent this year (love YNAB for the detailed easily seen data) so nearly 10 months on food £2019.41 so £201 pm avg 
Groceries £1367.05
BULK £92.07
snacks out £62.71
meals out (not bdays) £40.90
takeaway meals boxes £118
Junk £122.93
Abroad subs £144.54
Abroad meals £112.11

Suffolk_lass

@LadyWithAPlan I think the Morries &More points last longer than 3 months, but when you convert them to vouchers there is only 3 months within which to use them - happy to be told I've got that wrong. I've just converted mine, and I'm pretty sure some were more than 3 months old

LadyWithAPlan

Suffolk_lass said:

@LadyWithAPlan I think the Morries &More points last longer than 3 months, but when you convert them to vouchers there is only 3 months within which to use them - happy to be told I've got that wrong. I've just converted mine, and I'm pretty sure some were more than 3 months old

Tx I wasnt sure, they are new to me. Only had 2 x £5 so far and I exchanged and spent them on the same day. However I like the idea of hanging on to them for Xmas spends