I have been avoiding this because I know we spent too much on groceries during the period I tracked but I reckon it’s time I actually finished off my month for on this blog.

But first! Here is the finished quilt top. Now I just have to figure out how to sew the whole thing together. The back is the same as the border here (red, blue and pink pinstripes on white). Someone reminded me after I bought the fabric that that won’t stay white for long if it actually is used as a baby quilt, but oh well. It’s really quite warm, we tested it on our laps!

So on to the painful bit! At least I know the figure to beat. So what am I going to do about it? Well we’re keeping the Abel & Cole – we just really like it and we’re eating loads more fruit and veg. So that is about £100/month. After that I think we just need to plan ahead more and stock up on basics and things like chicken breasts during sales. I’m thinking of starting a price book too. I haven’t been tracking since this ended but I’m going to try to pick it up again properly in October.

Total: £204.69

15th September – £20.72 – Abel & Cole delivery
14th September – nothing!
13th September – nothing!
12th September – £5.50 on stuff for massive curry
11th September – nothing!
10th September – nothing!
9th September – nothing!
8th September – £3.97 – Abel & Cole delivery (you get your fourth box free)
7th September – nothing!
6th September – £3 for three boxes of cereal
4th September – £4.37 for pizza toppings
3rd September – nothing!
2nd September – £3.36 for two boxes of cereal
1st September – £26.25 for Abel & Cole delivery – fruit and veg, milk and eggs, plus pork mince for burgers (plenty will be frozen for another time) and more bread flour
31st August – £6.29 for massive block of parmesan (went on last night’s courgettes and pasta)
30th August – £4.25 for goats cheese (half off! to go on beetroot salad and baguettes) and £.89 for the baguette
29th August – nothing!
28th August – nothing!
27th August – nothing!
26th August – nothing!
25th August – £23.73 for Abel & Cole delivery, which included salmon and mussels (but we had a £10 off voucher)
24th August – £3.20 lunch stuff
23rd August – £28 misc lunch and dinner stuff (E didn’t save his receipts so this is an estimate)
22nd August – £5.20 baking stuff for chocolate chip cookies
21st August – £37.24 (guessing again here, as I also lost my receipt. argh!) mainly on fajitas stuff and also rye flour which we will someday use to make sourdough starter
20th August – nothing!
19th August – nothing!
18th August – £20.13 Abel & Cole order – fruit and veg, milk, eggs and bread
17th August – £5 on 2 x 500g steak mince, £1.50 on 2 x 750g tomato sauce
16th August – £1.80 on stirfry stuff for dinner, £.98 on cereal
15th August – nothing!



19” HD Ready LCD TV each £119.99	Sonic Toothbrush each £16.99	TV Wall Bracket each £24.99
3 Way HDMI Switchboard Box each £11.99	Plug-in TV Signal Booster each £7.99	Sonic Toothbrush Heads per pack £4.99
Blood Pressure Monitor each £11.99	Digital Thermometer each £2.99	Glass Shelved Stand each £12.99
Nose and Ear Hair Trimmer each £1.69	Soft Close Toilet Seat each £15.99	Dettol Disinfectant Spray each £1.99
Mini Spray per pack £1.89	Moist Toilet Tissue per pack £2.29	Kilrock Gel Descaler each £1.99
Microfibre Bath Mat each £7.99	Luxury Bath Sheet each £6.99	Reversible Bath Mat each £6.99

We seem to eat a lot of cereal! Here is the latest:

Running total: £174.50

6th September – £3 for three boxes of cereal
4th September – £4.37 for pizza toppings
3rd September – nothing!
2nd September – £3.36 for two boxes of cereal
1st September – £26.25 for Abel & Cole delivery – fruit and veg, milk and eggs, plus pork mince for burgers (plenty will be frozen for another time) and more bread flour
31st August – £6.29 for massive block of parmesan (went on last night’s courgettes and pasta)
30th August – £4.25 for goats cheese (half off! to go on beetroot salad and baguettes) and £.89 for the baguette
29th August – nothing!
28th August – nothing!
27th August – nothing!
26th August – nothing!
25th August – £23.73 for Abel & Cole delivery, which included salmon and mussels (but we had a £10 off voucher)
24th August – £3.20 lunch stuff
23rd August – £28 misc lunch and dinner stuff (E didn’t save his receipts so this is an estimate)
22nd August – £5.20 baking stuff for chocolate chip cookies
21st August – £37.24 (guessing again here, as I also lost my receipt. argh!) mainly on fajitas stuff and also rye flour which we will someday use to make sourdough starter
20th August – nothing!
19th August – nothing!
18th August – £20.13 Abel & Cole order – fruit and veg, milk, eggs and bread
17th August – £5 on 2 x 500g steak mince, £1.50 on 2 x 750g tomato sauce
16th August – £1.80 on stirfry stuff for dinner, £.98 on cereal
15th August – nothing!

On Monday and Tuesday this week there’s a great “3 for £10” deal on selected British meat and poultry products, as well as a cracking half-price offer on Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.

OWN BRAND

The Co-operative British Fresh Beef Burgers 10’s 855g – £4.00
The Co-operative British Elmwood Hot & Spicy Chicken Thighs and Drumsticks 1.2kg – £4.00
The Co-operative British Elmwood Garlic & Herb Thighs and Drumsticks 1.2kg – £4.00     The Co-operative British Elmwood Chinese Chicken Thighs and Drumsticks 1.2kg – £4.00
The Co-operative British 8 Jumbo Cumberland Sausages 840g – £4.00
The Co-operative British 8 Jumbo Pork Sausages 840g – £4.00
The Co-operative British Hot & Spicy Pork Loin Steaks 420g – £4.00
ANY 3 FOR £10

The Co-operative British Dry Cured/Breaded/Honey Roast Ham 300g – £3.00
HALF PRICE

The Co-operative Kiwi Fruits 6’s – £1.00
ONLY £1

The Co-operative Strawberries 400g – £2.00
The Co-operative Raspberries 170g – £2.00
The Co-operative Blueberries 200 – £2.00
The Co-operative White Grapes 500g – £2.00
BUY ANY 3 FOR £5

The Co-operative Ultra Concentrated Laundry Liquid 730ml – £3.00
BUY ONE GET ONE FREE

The Co-operative British Beef Frying Steak 700g – £5.00
HALF PRICE

The Co-operative Mandarins 700g – £1.60
THIRD OFF

The Co-operative Fairtrade 99 Tea Bags 750g – £3.07
50% EXTRA FREE

The Co-operative Fairtrade Chocolate 100g – £0.90
2 FOR £1.40

The Co-operative Fairtrade Champagne Truffles 115g – £3.00
ONLY £3.00

The Co-operative Sweetcorn Cobettes 4′s – £1.00
ONLY £1.00

The Co-operative Fairtrade Rich Roast Coffee 100g – £1.35
20% OFF

The Co-operative Fairtrade Orange Juice 250ml – £0.56
20% OFF

The Co-operative New Potatoes 2kg – £1.25
SAVE 50p

BRANDED

Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream 500ml – £2.04
HALF PRICE

Kenco Smooth/Rich Coffee Freeze-dried Coffee 100g – £1.75
THIRD OFF

BRANDED

Andrex Toilet Tissue 9’s – £5.06
BUY ONE GET ONE FREE

Clairol Herbal Essences 250ml – £2.64
BUY ONE GET ONE FREE

Danepak Smoked/ Unsmoked Back Bacon 220g - £2.20
BUY ONE GET ONE FREE

Danepak Pork Sausages 454g – £3.00
BUY ONE GET ONE FREE

Duracell Ultra Batteries AA/AAA 4’s – £4.99
BUY ONE GET ONE FREE

Kellogg’s Nutrigrain Elevenses 6 x 45g - £1.29
HALF PRICE

Sharwood’s Naan Breads 2’s – £1.00
ONLY £1.00

Uncle Ben’s Long Grain Rice 500g – £1.00
ONLY £1.00

Sharwood’s Indian Cooking Sauces 420g – £1.00
ONLY £1.00

Heinz Baked Beans 4 x 415g – £2.29
2 FOR £3

Waitrose offers for 26th August – 21st September. Check Waitrose.com for the weekly Delia and Heston special offers.

Nothing crazy yet this week but I’m really quite shocked at just how much we spend on groceries! We’re barely past the halfway mark for my tracking month! This is a real reality check.

Running total: £167.13

2nd September – £3.36 for two boxes of cereal
1st September – £26.25 for Abel & Cole delivery – fruit and veg, milk and eggs, plus pork mince for burgers (plenty will be frozen for another time) and more bread flour
31st August – £6.29 for massive block of parmesan (went on last night’s courgettes and pasta)
30th August – £4.25 for goats cheese (half off! to go on beetroot salad and baguettes) and £.89 for the baguette
29th August – nothing!
28th August – nothing!
27th August – nothing!
26th August – nothing!
25th August – £23.73 for Abel & Cole delivery, which included salmon and mussels (but we had a £10 off voucher)
24th August – £3.20 lunch stuff
23rd August – £28 misc lunch and dinner stuff (E didn’t save his receipts so this is an estimate)
22nd August – £5.20 baking stuff for chocolate chip cookies
21st August – £37.24 (guessing again here, as I also lost my receipt. argh!) mainly on fajitas stuff and also rye flour which we will someday use to make sourdough starter
20th August – nothing!
19th August – nothing!
18th August – £20.13 Abel & Cole order – fruit and veg, milk, eggs and bread
17th August – £5 on 2 x 500g steak mince, £1.50 on 2 x 750g tomato sauce
16th August – £1.80 on stirfry stuff for dinner, £.98 on cereal
15th August – nothing!

Save money and eat well by choosing food that is in season. Here is what to buy in September, according to BBC GoodFood:

Fruit
At its best: apricots, blackberries, broadbeans, damson, figs, gooseberries, peaches, pears, plums, raspberries, redcurrants, strawberries, tomatoes

Coming in: bramley apples, cranberries, quince,

Veg
At its best: aubergines, beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, cavalo nero, celeriac, celery, courgettes, fennel bulbs, garlic, globe artichokes, kale, lamb’s lettuce, leeks, lettuce, parsnips, peas, peppers, potatoes, radishes, sorrel, spinach, sweetcorn, swiss chard, watercress

Coming in: brussels sprouts, pumpkin, salsify, swedes, sweet potatoes, turnips,

Meat
At its best: autumn lamb, goose, grouse, guinea fowl, lamb

Coming in: duck

Fish
At its best: crab, halibut, oysters, salmon, tuna

Coming in: mussels

Other than our Abel & Cole delivery we haven’t spent much…except for a few investments in cheese. I love vegetables with cheese – beetroot with goats cheese or blue cheese, spinach or courgettes with parmesan. Yum! Anyway the increase in veg in our house correlates with an increased spend on cheese.

We were away this weekend visiting family and friends so we didn’t eat in very much but we’re trying to get back on track with the home cooking – even with MORE family in town this week!

Here is where we stand:

Running total: £137.52

31st August – £6.29 for massive block of parmesan (went on last night’s courgettes and pasta)
30th August – £4.25 for goats cheese (half off! to go on beetroot salad and baguettes) and £.89 for the baguette
29th August – nothing!
28th August – nothing!
27th August – nothing!
26th August – nothing!
25th August – £23.73 for Abel & Cole delivery, which included salmon and mussels (but we had a £10 off voucher)
24th August – £3.20 lunch stuff
23rd August – £28 misc lunch and dinner stuff (E didn’t save his receipts so this is an estimate)
22nd August – £5.20 baking stuff for chocolate chip cookies
21st August – £37.24 (guessing again here, as I also lost my receipt. argh!) mainly on fajitas stuff and also rye flour which we will someday use to make sourdough starter
20th August – nothing!
19th August – nothing!
18th August – £20.13 Abel & Cole order – fruit and veg, milk, eggs and bread
17th August – £5 on 2 x 500g steak mince, £1.50 on 2 x 750g tomato sauce
16th August – £1.80 on stirfry stuff for dinner, £.98 on cereal
15th August – nothing!