November 2024 Grocery Challenge

Blackcats

I think I've finished my grocery shopping for this month.  

I peaked too soon with my Lidl plus and got 10% of this week's shop whereas I usually try to time it so it starts the next month's spends.  So it was a big stock up shop this week to clobber November's budget .  

I was taken aback at how many sweets, cakes, crisps, biscuits etc etc are in the aisles for Christmas.  I do like a festive treat but this really seemed over the top.

I also spotted a lady in the fruit section who had torn a little hole in the meshing over the crate style box of easy peelers and was poking more easy peelers into the box.  She managed to squeeze in 4 more before I realised I was staring and made myself walk away 🙃

£4.87 underspend for November

carboot_karaoke

Evening all,

Yet more spends to declare,  but I'm hoping it will balance out over December.
£8.02 at Asda - bread, FR eggs, bananas and salad.
£15.77 Home bargains - shower gel, toothpaste, mouthwash, bleach, deodorant and razors.
£54.48 To fill up my car with fuel.
Total £78.27.

Declaring at £726.03 +£126.03  to target .

Food £520.55 / £420
Petrol £205.48/£180

See you on the December page.  

MissRikkiC

Blackcats said:

I think I've finished my grocery shopping for this month.  

I peaked too soon with my Lidl plus and got 10% of this week's shop whereas I usually try to time it so it starts the next month's spends.  So it was a big stock up shop this week to clobber November's budget .  

I was taken aback at how many sweets, cakes, crisps, biscuits etc etc are in the aisles for Christmas.  I do like a festive treat but this really seemed over the top.

I also spotted a lady in the fruit section who had torn a little hole in the meshing over the crate style box of easy peelers and was poking more easy peelers into the box.  She managed to squeeze in 4 more before I realised I was staring and made myself walk away 🙃

£4.87 underspend for November

Things must have been really bad for that said Individual @bla@Blackcats what a shame. 

I have to assume these are the crates you can get as your free fruit item. I think they often already have 20+ satsumas in them as is 

LotsOfTea

Well I'm well and truly over budget this month due to not really taking into account extras we'd buy for a party we hosted and lots of non-food stuff like dishwasher tabs running out at the same time near the end of the month. 

So I'm declaring at £408.45/£300

Onwards to December! 

zafiro1984

£11.33 left for shopping today, just potatoes, bread and firelighters needed. I must close my eyes to all offers/bargains until Monday

PipneyJane

@MissRikkiC how about adding a spoonful of sunflower seeds to your porridge, to add both fibre and protein?  That’s what I’ve done in the past when I was having porridge regularly for breakfast, and it delayed me getting hungry for several hours longer.  (At the time, I’d have breakfast around 6am and not get hungry until 11am.  Pre-seeds, I’d be starving before 10am.  In both cases, I’d stave off the hunger with a 110g tub of fruit flavoured, whole-milk-based yoghurt.)

Since yesterday was payday, I’m declaring at £160.40/£160.40 !

First time ever that we’ve been bang on budget.  

There are four shops to declare that I’m including in that total:  £1.35 spent at Sainsbugs on the 20th (more on that later); £2.83 in L!dl on the 24th for Delux mince pies and seeded flatbread; £8.76 in L!dl on the 25th (Lactose free skimmed milk 2x99p, mature cheddar £4.79, cooking bacon £1.99); and £2.98 in L!dl yesterday on more Delux mince pies £1.99, onions 99p, and our “free” sweet potato fries (was £2.45 for 500g).  With £2.18 going to the Money Boxes as shrapnel, November’s Grocery Challenge budget is all gone.

I did do a shop yesterday, at Sainsbug's but, since that was after I withdrew the December GC Money, while L!dl was beforehand, I’ll count that Sainsbug’s shop in December’s Budget.

Also purchased in L!dl yesterday was a back-up, 4kg, frozen, Christmas goose for £26.99, but the Meat Fund paid for that.  The last two Christmases, we’ve ordered geese from the local butcher but, due to bird flu, they’ve been unable to deliver.  While I’ve ordered another goose from him this year, I am determined not to be disappointed.  This is the only time of year you can get them.  What will I do with two geese?  Well, the backup can stay in the freezer until May or June, when I’ll get around to cooking it.

Now, about that Sainsbug's spend.  A couple of weeks back, I mentioned to a colleague that we were planning on going to Warwick Castle last weekend.  She told me about a deal that Kelloggs have with the Merlin Entertainment Group, who own the castle.  On certain boxes of Kelloggs’ product, you get a code for 25% off the regular cost of admission to a Merlin site, for at least 2 adult tickets.  In our case, that worked out as a £12.50 saving; well worth the £1.35 we spent on a box of Krispy Bars.

- Pip

JingsMyBucket

Finally closing out this month with our final spends. Mr. Jings really did insist on cooking me a Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday evening so we spent a bit more. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. A form of sweet determination… ☺️

£5.50 by Mr. Jings on Tuesday for ramen at Morrisons 

£6.50 by me at M & S on Thursday morning for a whole chicken for Thanksgiving evening. 

£6.65 by Mr. Jings at M & S Thursday afternoon for gravy, and ice cream. 

£531.00 / £375.00 spent. We’re £156.00 overspent. 

Our freezer is full and we’re stocked up overall. We only may need coffee for Mr. Jings and fresh berries for me in the first week of December. We have milk, yoghurt, etc. Have a good weekend everyone and see you on the December thread!

diminua

Closing at £11.53 over. See you in December 

Doom_and_Gloom

We finished at £302.94 for November.

£302.94/£240
£62.94 over budget.

Not great however the freezer is basically full and we have most bulk items in now. Hoping we stay within the budget for December.

MissRikkiC

@PipneyJane I have pumpkin seeds most days as well as flax and chai but I do often still get very hungry really quickly. I’m used to it now, it just always surprises people.