Saturday 4 January 2014

January No-Low Spend: Update

I've actually been doing really well! I've cleared two of my January goals already, and am halfway to my third.

I've been tracking my spending and the month thus far looks like this:

Jan 1: NO SPEND
Jan 2: £5.95 - fish and chips for dinner
Jan 3: NO SPEND
Jan 4: £56.50 - groceries

I also put $852.82 towards my debt, $102.82 more than I had budgeted for. The transfer ended up being more than I anticipated (it all depends on the exchange rate, of course), which helped a bit, but I actually added an extra month's payment onto my LOC. Of course, the bank doesn't see it that way, but I figured I'd try to get a little ahead, after being behind. A $75 MC payment went through today as well.

I put $50 into my RRSP from the transfer as well, so that's taken care of.

I'm just over halfway into my monthly grocery budget, but did buy a few items that will last me a long time, as well as some food to use as snacks at work, so I'm not starving when I get home. Looking at the amount of food I bought (along with my cousin), I'm certain I would have paid at least three times the amount at home. So many items are just £1, veggies are cheap and we actually stuck quite close to the (my) list.

If you're interested, I bought:

£8.34 - 6 x 1L containers of coconut milk (I'm trying to go dairy-free this month)
£3.00 - 3 x hummous
£1.99 - 1 bag of chips (sorry, crisps. Not a necessity, but I was really craving the crunch...)
£2.87 - 1 x 2kg bag oatmeal
£1.54 - currants
£6.00 - 2 x 12pkg of Actimel yogurts (the live bacteria ones. My cousin owes me £3 for one pkg)
£1.50 - 3 small pkgs of nuts: walnuts, almonds, cashews. Couldn't find big ones, so settled on these for now
£1.02 - 3 x red grapefruit (these are about $1 each at home!)
£3.00 - 3 pkgs pineapple
£1.00 - 2 parsnips
£0.50 - small bag dried cranberries
£2.00 - bag of oranges
£3.50 - 2 bags dates
£1.50 - large bag spinach
£0.81 - container of cinnamon
£0.47 - red onions, I believe there are 4
£5.00 - 6 tins tuna
£0.32 - fresh ginger
£4.00 - 8 apples (I can likely find cheaper if I look harder)
£1.78 - pkg brown rice
£1.00 - string beans (green)
£1.25 - pkg broccoli/cauliflower

This was at ASDA, which is on the more expensive side. There are other groceries - Lidl & Aldi - that are cheaper, but we were in Southampton to drop off my sister at the train station, and I can't get the coconut milk closer to home. Only the big stores carry it, which is also why I stocked up. Markets are also an option for fresh produce and larger quantities, so that's what we're going to try next weekend (veggies and some straight-from-the-farm meats).

So far, so good, I'd say! :) Hope you're all doing just as well.

6 comments:

Nd.chic said...

Great job! I've been doing very poorly on the challenge myself. Even though I'm not that familiar with the exchange rate, it seems like those are really good prices on the produce. What do you do with the parsnips? I'm going to try to grow them again in my garden.

Since you moved, you seem to be happier, more content. I'm happy for you that you're loving it there. It seems like it is definitely a good fit.

Canadian Saver said...

I love hearing about what things cost all the way over there! It's funny that you spend less in England than you did in Canada!!! Of course you lived in a very expensive part of the country.....

its me, sam said...

Roasted parsnips... yummy! Sounds like you did really well on groceries.

Jane said...

Hah - I'm drinking coconut water right now as part of my juice fast! I never realized how sweet it is!

Gill - That British Woman said...

yes the other stores are cheaper, but you did very well for what you got.

A belated Happy New Year to you.

Northern Living Allowance said...

ND Chic: roast the parsnips with potatoes, garlic, carrot, and sweet potatoes/yams. Toss in a bit of olive oil first. Delish! And thank you - I've missed England and it just shows what following your heart leads to! x

CS: I MISS YOU!!! Come back to us! So good to hear from you. XO Food is much cheaper, but everything is packaged and sealed and wrapped in plastic. And I can't get wild salmon here - it's all Norwegian or Scottish farmed. :(

Sam: yes, delish!! I'm very pleased, and I'm hoping this will last a couple of weeks, along with what's already in the freezer. Hope you're staying warm! x

Jane: I was reading the link you provided. It seems I'm going to have to get some coconut water! :) Hope it's going well for you. x

Gill: Thank you, Happy New Year to you, too! There's a Lidl close by, but we were in Southampton, so ASDA was the best bet. I can't get the coconut milk in the smaller stores anyway (!), so that's why I stocked up a bit. The nearest Aldi is a bit of a trek, although it's worth it.