January 2011 Grocery Challenge
Comments
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Not been on here for days now as been working tooo much but have not been spending! Went out fo a meal and a drink last night and spent all of £6! Big big spender eh? So I've avoided shops but the shopping list is growing and I will be working a lot over the next 10 days.I've got £35.67 until the end of the month but as I know I will be working with little time to shop I may just have to dip into Febs budget a little bit-not concerned about this as I actually included a largish December spend in my January one so Ive been a little hard on myself.
Also Feb has less days so more money allocated per day on average if that makes sense.
Lots of cooking today-as usual for me on a Sunday and now have slowcooker on with sausage/beefburger casserole(odd I know)and bread in the BM which will be baked in the oven. Trying out my free halogen cooker today I did some chicken stuffed with sundried toms and wrapped inb bacon-also cooked the sausages and burgers in it as the main oven was full with whole chicken pork ribs roasties yorkies etc. So lots of food ready cooked for tomorrow although DH won't touch the casserole-sausages and burgers are alien to him but they need using up. Also prepared a packet of savoury rice and intend making a sugarfree jelly-needs using up as its out of date! A little space in the freezer for a few loaves of bread now-trying desperately not to buy anything which needs freexing-it does need to be run down. No doubt there will be half a dozen portions of casserole to freeze but this will be dinners to take to work later in the week.
I made friends with a new woman at work this week who is finding money very tight and yet she is going to waitrose each day she works(only part time)for a bowl of soup for lunch costing £2.50! I believe she is now buying a flask and a slowcooker after our chat-she had just not thought of bringing in a flask of soup! As I told her-if you work 5 days that is £12.50-enough to actually feed you for a week if you are very careful. She was really grateful for my ideas and totally sincere-I did tell her where I got a lot of them but she has no internet access unfortunately.Anyway-0ff to bake my bread!Annual Grocery budget 2018 is £1500 pa £125 calendar month £28.84 pw for 3 adults0 -
PennyGrabber So sorry to hear of your troubles, big hugs to you hun. It certainly sounds like it's time you had a break - and I really hope you get it.:grouphug:
Nice to know you have a good group of friends....good friends are the cement in the unstable walls of life and worth their weight in gold. And you seem to have a good, positive attitude, and that can be half the battle
On the GC front my overall weekend spend from A$da & a couple of bits from Te$co brings me to £216.44 out of £250 - so £33.56 left in the kitty, to last up to and including 31st Jan, which is definitely doable. Also another NSD today.Aug11 £193.29/£240
Oct10 £266.72 /£275 Nov10 £276.71/£275 Dec10 £311.33 / £275 Jan11 £242.25/ £250 Feb11 £243.14/ £250 Mar11 £221.99/ £230 Apr11 £237.39 /£240 May11 £237.71/£240 Jun11 £244.03/ £240 July11 £244.89/ £240
Xmas 2011 Fund £2200 -
PennyGrabber - Such a positive look on things. Sounds like you have had a right time of it so heres to onwards and upwards!! Hugs to you hun. x
Hippeechiq - Thats such a lovley phrase , Good friends are the cement in the unstable walls of life and worth their weight in gold.
Had a few little spends over the week, milk and bread mainly. Did buy the food for my daughters Birthday Party on Saturday but havent counted that in our grocery spend for the month. NSD for me today as i havent left the house!! Made the boys of the house a huge packed lunch with the party left overs from yesterday as they were going motor racing for the day. Fridge look fullish so hopefully a cheapish week ahead.
Will sit and add my totals.
Noted this week that they have half price on Finish dishwasher tabs in Mr S. (Finish All in 1 Lemon £4.49 for 45 down from £9.99) Brought a pack and they have a £2 off coupon for the quantum tabs 20 pack in them which are also half price (£3.04 for 20) making them £1.04 for 20 instead of the correct price of £6.76. Might be a spaving deal for some of you out there!
Txx£365 in 365 days Dec10-Dec11 Member #36 £92/365.Member of the Thrifty Gifty - Money making and Organised for Christmas 2011 boardsGrocery Challenge Jan £337.17/£400Feb £374.24/£250:o March £27.04/£3000 -
Darn it! Just doing my online A**a shop to book for the end of the month and their site has the message that they will be back later! Ummm -when I'm in bed I bet so I will lose my trolley and my delivery slot-again! Took a look in Mr Ts website and they didn't have many of my faves-mostly"unavailable" and everything a lot more sexpensive so I'm staying with A**a. agggh- mad!
Trying my bread baking in the halogen cooker-I wonder if it will work! Well-I have to try it sometime!
Edit-Asda back online and all ok-bread din't work in halogen cooker so now put in oven to finish it off.Annual Grocery budget 2018 is £1500 pa £125 calendar month £28.84 pw for 3 adults0 -
Have done a stock up shop @ s@!nsbury$
5 50 wash per$il washing powder (1 for my gran not inc in my stock up budget) £30 (- £6 for my grans) £24
3 comf0rt softener 85 wash (1 for my gran not inc in my stock up budget) £9.30 (-£3.10 for my grans) £6.20
pet!t f!ilous 18 pack £2.00 going to be added to my grocery budget no stocking up budget
(+£3.50 for delivery) minus my grans items total: £35.70
and a stock up shop @ te$cos
colgate 100ml pump x 6 £8.82
domestos original 2l x9 minus one for my gran £8
crunchy nut 750g x 8 £16.00
color catcher x 1 £2.40
fairy liquid x 4 £4.00
palmol!ve shower gel x 10 £10.00
(+£3.50 for delivery) total minus grans bleach is £52.72
I will be adding these to my budget when they come on tuesday, these will last me for the year, good prices have saved £54.22 by buying on offer (spent £88.42 would have been £142.64)SPC Member#1096 Target £150 Feb Count £82.18
Aug Make£5P.DayChal £0/£155
My August £100 Grocery Challenge £49.90/£100
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Noted this week that they have half price on Finish dishwasher tabs in Mr S. (Finish All in 1 Lemon £4.49 for 45 down from £9.99) Brought a pack and they have a £2 off coupon for the quantum tabs 20 pack in them which are also half price (£3.04 for 20) making them £1.04 for 20 instead of the correct price of £6.76. Might be a spaving deal for some of you out there!
Txx
Thanks for this! I used this offer to stock up in October and I still have supply for almost two months!! And I use the dishwasher every day. The price per tablet at the time was less than the basic unbranded stuff, so it is a really good deal usually! Where's the coupon for Quantum? In the Finish box? I really like Quantum but it is usually so expensive that I do not even look at it!Quit smoking *1st January 2010*
13/12/2012, baby girl!!!0 -
Oooh, need to add 99p for milk, which leaves me with 29.97** Total debt: £6950.82 ± May NSDs 1/10 **** Fat Bum Shrinking: -7/56lbs **
**SPC 2012 #1498 -£152 and 1499 ***
I do it all because I'm scared.
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I have to confess I have been RUBBISH this month!!!!!! I am over budget by about £20 and am really cross with myself. We have been eating much better.....m ore fish, lots more fruit and veg, but I think my downfall was not doing a meal plan.
I have got some bits left in the freezer and store cupboard, but must do better next month.
Having new bedroom carpets today, and the house is upside down. Had a take-away last night as we had been lugging furniture all day, so today I am going to make the effort to make some Hm pizza dough so it is ready for later and I will avoid the lovely temptation of another takeaway.Father Ted: Now concentrate this time, Dougal. These
(he points to some plastic cows on the table) are very small; those (pointing at some cows out of the window) are far away...
:D:D0 -
oops
made beef pasties last night with the dough from the cheese and onion braid and left over shredded beef from the short ribs, once cooked it filled the baking sheet and I made 2 one for me and one for OH for lunch at work, will post a pic on my blog later as didnt have time last night or this morning.
My mum said thats how we won the war but I don't know how they moved after eating this monster. OH said it would feed the whole floor of his office! I giggled all night when i tried to get to sleep just thinking about it. I cut mine in half and put the other bit in the fridge for tomorrow. looking forward to having it for lunch though.
going to try and make the floury rolls tonight as I have to cook a joint of ham for tonight for tomorrows dinner. plus make my flapjacks as ran out of time yesterday.0 -
I thought this might be a good time to tell you all about my OTHER Purse. I'd have told you before but I didn't have time to sit down and explain how it works.
About 30 years ago I started putting £10 per month in a separate purse in my handbag , that I keep JUST for special offers and bargains.
Its saved me many a time when funds have been low especially when the children were small (4 of them).
The purse works like a BANK, if you do it like I do and build up a good stock, that stock effectively becomes your own STORE, for eg; if you buy three bags of sugar that are usually £1 each and you get them for 50p each, you've saved £1.50. What I do is when I use one of the bags of sugar £1 goes in the purse along with any other money I owe it.
If anyone would like to know more about the PURSE/BANK and would like to start doing it, and need any help I'm happy to help.
At first I kept a list of all the stock I had and ticked off as I used one, then I knew what was running low. Once a week I would pay the PURSE/BANK what I owed, once a month the £10 was paid to the purse.
So for example if I had used £5 worth of my stock, the following month there was £15 in the PURSE/BANK.
I buy as many as I can of what's on offer, usually in multiples of three.
This month sugar was only 50p a bag so I bought 12 = £6. A years supply (check items will be in date by the time you use them.
Last month it was teabags on B!!!F I use 1 a month, but had 3 in stock , so I bought nine of those, think they were £3 each full price.
The month before that, coffee was on offer I use 1 jar every two months so a years stock is 6 Jars, if it has a LONG date I would buy more maybe another 3, so I would have 1 1/2 years worth of coffee.
The month before that it was the pasta we use all the time it was 3 for 2 normal price £1 per pack. I use about 1 bag per month. I only had one pack in stock so I bought 6. 7 months pasta all dated Aug 2012, so will be well used before then.
When I first started doing this I just bought 3-6 of everything. Up to the value of what I had in the PURSE/BANK.
After about a year of doing this I had a great stock. There was about £150 in the purse. At the time that was about what I spent to feed the whole family for 2-3 months. And the things I needed on a weekly basis became less and less. Until all I had to buy on a weekly basis was meat fresh fruit and veg and perishables.
Occasionally if an unexpected bill came in or one of the kids needed shoes in a hurry, I took the money from the purse, I didn't ever pay this back .
At one time I had around £1000 in the PURSE/BANK I put £900 of that in a safe place, leaving only £100 in the PURSE.
Heres the good bit.
After my shopping lists, I have a wish list, and a never in my wildest dreams list.
It meant if I saw something I would like I could buy it for eg: I LOVE Le Creuset, so I'd maybe buy myself something from the range. That was on my wish list.
My TV ariel got struck by lightning and blew up my TV, I got £500 from my insurance to replace it. I took £500 from The PURSE/BANK. And purchased a TV that I would NEVER have been able to buy so that was classed as being on my Never in my wildest dreams list.
This was my REWARD for being thrifty. And I'm still ENJOYING the TV:D
When I joined MSE I had £900 in the PURSE/BANK. I was able to take advantage of any GRABBITS or GLITCHES I found. I had a grand old time LOL. It took my STOCKPILING to a whole new level, as before I only really used the PURSE/BANK for groceries/ household /supplies etc.
I now have a great stock of toiletries/ makeup/gifts, all things that will be used within a year.
I've never spent so little and got so much. Or had so much fun doing it.
I used to visit the old style threads and read the posts, I LOVE the idea of the grocery challenge. I had been taught all the basic survival skills, all the old school ways, and stopped using them. I had become what the BIG boys had made me, the rebel in me played them at their own game and my family got the benefit of any profits.
But I hated what I'd become, there was a time when you couldn't buy convenience meals, and I would never have dreamt of buying them. But little by little I ended up buying what they wanted to sell me.
I hope you will all forgive me for not telling you all about the PURSE/BANK from the outset, I mentioned in an earlier post that there was a great sadness hanging over my family, I cant talk about it to anyone just yet as we are LIVING it at the moment, and I'm having to be strong for my family, even though I'm just about to bawl my head off.
I found something totally unexpected when I joined this challenge, and it isn't on ANY other thread 'human kindness' and like minded people.
In spite of my PURSE/BANK cushion I was still not doing it right, but I'm getting there, with all your help and support, thank you for that. All of you.1st Purse £114.19 Monthly GB:rotfl::j:wave::j:rotfl:
2nd Purse ££100Fridge Freezer £300 3rd Purse /£290.940
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