April 2025 Grocery Challenge

goldfinches

Hello all, hope everyone is feeling good this weekend.

I've been shopping both yesterday and today so have three receipts to add to my total.

The first is from Mr T's where I bought 3 packets of crisps and a punnet of grapes to go on a picnic with friends yesterday afternoon, I spent £5.65 which is a bit mind boggling. I'm so glad my other contributions had already been paid for, next time I'll buy a sharing bag of crisps and split it to keep the cost down.

Then, today, I went to Sains for floor wipes and washing up liquid which came to £4. 

Then I went on to M*rks for gs yoghurt, borlotti beans, frozen veg, radishes, lettuce, aubergine and a roll which came to £9.95.

That makes my new GC total £141.31/£150 which is cutting it a bit fine but I think it's doable if I put some effort into planning meals from stores, fingers crossed.

Wishing everyone else tightening their belts to get to the end of the month the best of luck.

K9sandFelines

K9sandFelines said:

K9sandFelines said:

I've lost where I'm up to. I know I've had a small Aldi spend with the 8p carrots and some other bits. Will have to look for receipt as not sure if I paid cash or on my card.

Also £2 on strawberries. My granddaughter eats them by the punnet and has been staying here with me. Daughter has brought alot of stuff though with her, so not had to buy much.

Another £5 today on two vegan cheese, and a cucumber.

Can't find the Aldi receipt; but will keep reporting spends, even if I lose the total in the end. 

I went in Ald! again last night, but can't find the previous receipt 😔!! I booked a TGTG box and they waited until I was in the store, and I'd asked for it to cancel it. I wouldn't mind but the store was empty due to the Boxing being on, so not like they were rushed off their feet.
Anyways, I spent £7.89 total.
So, will add that and the Waitr@se spend; but will have to disregard the previous spend 

In other news, we are getting a L!dl soon here (so might be able to bag those £1.50 boxes); which honestly will be more beneficial to me than a TGTG, as there will be nothing I can't eat.
Not sure of the opening date; but know it's some time after June.They are taking over B and M and a trade shop, and I know they close in June. I only found out a few weeks ago that their bid had been successful, as it's took three years to go ahead!!

diminua

Went over budget Friday lunchtime - lunch out with someone I used to work with. Very nice tomato and cucumber sandwiches and wodge of Victoria sponge and darjeeling tea, but then as I broke the budget anyway I decided to get fish and chips for dinner Friday night and did a largish food shop today. So £274.83 spent. 

AnotherNewDay

AnotherNewDay said:

AnotherNewDay said:

Have others noticed how the price of chocolate keeps on rising...

First official April spend today. I had a £5 off £40 at Lidl so stocked up on cat food and then did a shop which I hope will see me good for approx 10 days

Cats on £24.97/£50 and have approx 3 weeks worth of food. Human/Household on £6.37 from early April budget spend on end of March Lidl voucher offers + £23.91 = £30.28/£50.

I have slightly fudged the spend figures as in Lidl distribute the £5 off across the whole of the shop, whereas I have kept the cats at full price and taken the £5 of the human part of the shop....but they honestly don't need it as much as I do    

Another update from me and a slight change to the budget......after Lidl's announcement on Easter meat and veg I've added an extra £60 , now it looks like this.....

Easter meat and veg = 2 x legs of lamb + 2 x legs of pork + 3 x green beans + 3 x 2kg potatoes + 3 x 1kg carrots + 3 x 500g parsnips + 3 x swede = £55.21/ £60.

Cats on £41.95/£50 as I've bought 2 x bags of dry food, 2 x pack of 20 of meat stix and a bumper pack of dreamies. 

Human/Household - now slightly over on the budget as I have splurged on Easter treats, so now have £28.89  to add to the budget which is now at £59.17/£50

I'm ok with this as I would have put in the Easter meat/veg budget at the beginning of the month anyway.  As for the splurge on the Human/Household I can afford it, so it's not a problem. The main reason I set my budget so lean each month is because it helps me food plan. The freezer is now fully stocked again, so I won't need to spend so much over the next month or so anyway. I've also been thinking about increasing the Human/Household budget anyway as it is increasingly a challenge to stay within £50 (even without Easter treat temptations) with ongoing rising costs.....so this might increase in the next couple of months anyway. 

This is how April ended for me in the end. £1.12 over budget plus an added in Easter meat + veg budget of £55.21/£60....not too bad I suppose, especially as the freezer is now fully stocked. 
Best of luck for your April budgets and hope to see you over on the May boards!

t14cy_t

no spends weekend! collected some olio bits and was given lots of extras that wernt requested. prepped 6 bags of parsnips for the freezer, sorting 6 bags of spuds this morning.

Pennypincin

£11.32 spent in Aldi Sunday. 
Mainly on tinned items or long life items for the cupboard.
A couple of fresh items.
Friday a did £8.30 on a few odds and sods and have £8.88 left which is going into the bulk fund

goldfinches

Evening all, I hope your weather was as nice as mine today, the whole town is blinking and smiling here.

I did a quick top up at M*rks this morning after spending an enormous amount at the optician's and bought milk and bananas which cost £3.25.

That makes my new GC total £144.56/£150, I have quite a lot of food in the fridge and freezer so hope I'm going to narrowly squeak in, fingers crossed.

Meanwhile, I'm pondering what to bake this week as my vegan, coeliac friend isn't coming on our Wednesday walk so that means I can indulge my liking for butter and flour etc. I've narrowed it down to Baci di Dama or Spiced Meyer Lemon Crinkle Sandwich Cookies, what do you all think? Which would you prefer to eat by the river on Wednesday afternoon?

Best of luck to everyone stretching things out to the end of the month, goldfinches.

C_J

Ooh, I vote for the Meyer lemon cookies, they look fabulous and just the thing for a warm sunny day. Refreshing, I imagine. 😁

weenancyinAmerica

The lemon cookies for sunny days. Sounds really good to me.

JingsMyBucket

Nice choices to have @goldfinches. I’ll take anything that’s soft and buttery, please and thank you. 

After three recent shopping trips, I’ve spent £50.88 in the past few days. That takes us to… £414.94 / £400 spent. £14.94 overspent. 

We’re okay for food and fruit, baked beans, etc but may need some more vegetables. Morrisons sent me a £12 off £60 voucher to use by May 4th. I’m debating whether to use it for a couple reasons instead of just doing Tesco like normal:

CONS

• We’re pretty stocked up already
• I’m trying to avoid grocery delivery for the month. When I/we go to shops on foot, we spend less week to week.
• I’d need to visit Tesco on foot for our usual toilet paper anyway. 

PROS

• It would be an opportunity to try some new products and some favourites we haven’t had in a while. I’m really bored of Tesco’s offerings. And just our routine in general. 
• They have certain items on sale that I would like to stock up. 
• The More Card points boosters are actually for items I would buy this time. Adding them up, I’d be able to cash them out to get a £5 voucher after this particular shop. 

Also, I haven’t had any coupons from Tesco in the last 3–4 months I think. Anyone else not seeing any? 

Anyway, that’s my grocery-based waffling on for this morning! Have a good day everyone!