November 2024 Grocery Challenge

JingsMyBucket

thriftwizard said:

Right, this may be an odd sentiment for a budgeting thread, but I'm vastly relieved to see that others are over-budget too! I am not alone... which strengthens my resolve to keep on keeping on! Thanks, all!

I was thinking exactly the same thing the past few days @thriftwizard! So glad it's not just me but also understand we need to keep to our budgets. 

Pennypincin

I'm £5 under budget and transferring it into the bulk fund.

carboot_karaoke

JingsMyBucket said:

thriftwizard said:

Right, this may be an odd sentiment for a budgeting thread, but I'm vastly relieved to see that others are over-budget too! I am not alone... which strengthens my resolve to keep on keeping on! Thanks, all!

I was thinking exactly the same thing the past few days @thriftwizard! So glad it's not just me but also understand we need to keep to our budgets. 

Yep, same  December is a clean slate

JingsMyBucket

Afternoon all. A few more spends to declare today. The giant tub of Maldon salt arrived today thanks to Amazon Prime ordering last night. That will last us until at least spring. 

£23.13 spent on a H & B order last night. There were several Black Friday offers and coupons so I only paid about 50% of the original total. That order is for two large tubs of peanut butter, protein bars, some sugar free chocolate, and a couple other bits. I didn’t count the vitamins in the GC total. I'll collect that order from the local store on Wednesday.

£8.47 at M & S just now for garlic (forgot in the Tesco order), a wedge of Parmesan cheese, another block of butter for baking, and a YS burrata. 

Mr. Jings wants a whole chicken to try out in our new air fryer this weekend as a roundabout / low-key way of celebrating Thanksgiving instead of going all out with a turkey. I’ll try to convince him to just use the chicken thighs and drumsticks we have in the freezer so we can keep out of the shops the rest of the week. Let’s see how that goes… 

£512.35 / £375.00 spent. We’re £137.35 overspent

MissRikkiC

My Lidl spends were justified, we’re still using the items into this week so things like yoghurt, honey, almond milk, dental sticks for the dog, baby wipes and mince pies (we had guests over at the weekend) along with some vegan cheese for my son and some cheese spread for a quick dinner. Costs of £19 entirely justified however other than some pizzas I’ve no idea what my husband spent £50 on in Tesco! 

So totting up for the month as being over spent, however I started here mid month (and had an expensive start before here so closer to £600 than I’d like in total (the full months budget) but allocated £500 for December excusing Christmas. I’d like to spend less than £600 including Christmas dinner (butcher spends, OH beer etc) as it would be a step to reducing overall spends however maybe not the right time to try. Off to December now! 

MissRikkiC

@LotsOfTea I think you’re probably right, I have however generally exercised 6 days a week (intensely) for the last 7/8 years and think my metabolism is wired for it. 

@JingsMyBucket those Oats sound so good! I might pick up some ground cloves next time I’m at the shops but it was the salt which made me go mmm. Sweet and salty is such a good combo! 

Also pinhead oats are definitely different! Going to see if I can order some of those for a change when my current supply of Jumbo oats is done. Thank you! 

Nelliegrace

I was quite pleased when Aldi replaced the plastic bag on the porridge oats with a paper bag until I saw tiny meal mites crawling in the paper folds. You find them on bags of flour on the supermarket shelves occasionally.  I put some of the oats in water and little corpses floated to the surface so they are infested. At least the hens can have the oats with their scatter corn, so they are not wasted.

sarahj1986

sarahj1986 said:

sarahj1986 said:

sarahj1986 said:

£28.44 spent

almost even split across Aldi and Lidl. There’s specific items I get in both. I’ve now gone over £50 so I’ve got my free fruit to get in Lidl now. I’d have spent less but my husband and eldest picked up a few things. I need to get fruit in Tesco tomorrow as I don’t like the fruit in Aldi or Lidl 

£72.33 left
£9 carry over reminder for December 

£13.71 spent

fruit, veg, milk and yogurts from Tesco. I was higher but I’ve used CC points (I’m not counting that spend) 

£58.62 won’t need anything else for the rest of this week apart from bread and milk which will be Thursday/Friday time 

£9 carried over to December 

£13.41 spent 

bread, milk, eggs, reduced meat plus some stuff on clearance at my Tesco Express in town. 

£45.21 left 

£9 carried over reminder 

£21.33 spent 

top up of fruit, veg, eggs, bread. I’ve got loads of meat still left to use, I want to defrost the freezer next week. I’ll go over because I haven’t got enough to get to 10th but I’ll keep it to a minimum. 

£23,88

£9 carried over reminder 

Nelliegrace

£3 spent on milk at the local Co-op.

I shopped at Morrisons today. £23.99 spent. Their basic muesli is £1.68 a kilo. Bisto powder was on offer 2 for £4. With the Morrisons card, the cauliflower was 79p and the salad potatoes 79p. 500g of cooking bacon was £1, lots of thin rashers of streaky bacon, I shall freeze some it in 100g portions. Their loose leaf tea was £1.50 for 250g.


Cheese, butter, meat, and fish from the freezer, and 11 eggs from the hens last week.
Homemade bread and cakes.

There will be another £3 at the Co-op for milk, so this is the total for November.

Budget £150. £135.02 spent, £14.98 left.

diminua

£223.57 spent.

Full disclosure: Saturday's day out turned into a proper meal/drinks/pre Christmas thing with that group of friends so I've decided to take that money from the Christmas budget. That budget is now down to £700, which should be plenty given how few people I have to buy for and where our works lunch is (sorry, off topic).
I may need milk and potatoes before Sunday and I'd like some fruit too.