April 2011 Grocery Challenge

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  • 123budget
    123budget Posts: 171 Forumite
    Well last shop of the month for me tomorrow. Second month on challenge and second month Iv;e gone over:( With the kids being off and the weather changing:j my 5 week meal plan didn't really work - think I may try doing a 2 week plan instead. So as it stands I am £60 over but have just gone through freezers and cupboards and have loads of meat in. Decided to have bbq this sunday and found, pork loin steaks, 4 burgers, chicken breasts and loads of mince so I can make more burgers if friends come round. Also have more than enough meat, frozen potato wedges etc to last the rest of the week. Hopefully shopping will be no more than £40 tomorrow to make it a round £100 over :eek:. I am still fairly happy because it is still less than I used to spend before I joined the challenge - next month can only be better!!
    Sealed Pot Challenge 2011 / no. 1205 £110 made]Sealed Pot Challenge 2012/no 1205 target £300
    Jan g/c 355.83/£450
    g/c Feb487.66/£400
    March 411.03/£450
    To feed 5 adults and 2 dogs includes toiletries & cleanining
  • NSD today. Well, I say that, but I did spend in Starbucks. That's under 'entertainment for the holidays' budget, and tbh I can't remember the last time I went to one. Having been today, now I remember why I never go! Took the children to meet a mate, she suggested there (she doesn't have kids!!), and I had a hot chocolate. There was very little choice for the children, so they had an innocent smoothie each - at least it was 2 of their 5 a day!- but it cost me nearly £8!! It was over £2 for each drink, and I was thinking "I could make a 3 course meal for the price of each of these drinks!" Ridiculous!


    PG x

    Just a thought - Starbucks here do a "babyccino" - warm milk and froth - for kids - and it's free! Aso, if you get a Starbucks card and register it, you get all sorts of freebies such as free soy milk, free syrup in your drinks, free cream, etc. You also get a tall filter coffee for £1 instead of £1.50 and a free refill is included. So my tall filter coffee with cream and hazelnut syrup x 2 costs me £1 and I get a free babyccino for my daughter too. Worth asking about!
  • freakyogre
    freakyogre Posts: 1,465 Forumite
    £1.05 spent yesterday on sweets for the cinema.

    £1.54 spent today on a newspaper, baguette and mustard seeds.
    Grocery challenge - Nov: £52/£100
  • pepsi-kins
    pepsi-kins Posts: 95
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    tootoo wrote: »
    I would like to know the answer to this too! He will eat tinned tuna, but then refuse anything for the next few days thinking if he protests he will live on tuna forever!.....I bought felix tins (surely the same as pouches!?) and he is refusing to eat them, just munching his biscuits instead....guess I'll be going shopping tomorrow!

    I've never "quoted" before, so I hope this is right! Back in January I decided to try my cat on fe!ix tins rather than the pouches, as I was probably throwing away more than she ate. For the first week, she wouldn't touch the tinned stuff, just munched her biscuits instead. I was determined, not to give in to her, so it took about another week, of me sitting on the floor next to her bowl coaxing her to eat...finally she started eating it, no problems at all, and it has saved me a fortune. I bought the tins on Ama!!on, not sure how many I got now, it cost me £28 and I still have several left, so I am really chuffed I persivered.
    2024 G/C £657.98. Nectar - £ Morrison’s - £ Boots - £ Asda Rewards - £ Tesco - £
  • Sue14
    Sue14 Posts: 987
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    Went to Mr M's on Monday and spent £44.24, still not doing too bad, but need to go to A1di tomorrow for a few bits.
    Weight loss challenge 2/10lbs


  • quintwins
    quintwins Posts: 5,179
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    edited 20 April 2011 at 9:32PM
    went to spend my dtd vouchers so have a few spends, i muddled myself up so my first one was £28.88 then a £20 voucher, 2nd one was £21.42 with a voucher for £19.44 then i did a sperate shop of £6.18 for toothbrushes and toothpaste on offer and a few woopsies hoping for 2 vouchers back of £30-£35

    in acual cash i spent £15.06 :D
    DEC GC £463.67/£450
    EF- £110/COLOR]/£1000
  • Hippeechiq
    Hippeechiq Posts: 1,103 Forumite
    Spigs :grouphug:
    Sistercas Glad your back is finally showing signs of improvement hun :)

    Am now at £189.37 out of £240 and there are sooo many things I need to buy, and they add up to more than I have. I constantly seem to have a list of things I need but don't have the money for and I owe money to my 2nd Purse. I knew I would find it difficult to pay money back each time I use something, simply because I never have spare money, but I'll stick with it for a while yet to see if I can look at it from another angle, because I can see that it will help me if I can perfect it.

    That said, I still feel I'm doing well considering 5 months ago my budget was £275 :)
    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 £220
  • Mothership
    Mothership Posts: 823 Forumite
    edited 21 April 2011 at 1:35AM
    Hippeechiq wrote: »
    Spigs :grouphug:
    Sistercas Glad your back is finally showing signs of improvement hun :)

    Am now at £189.37 out of £240 and there are sooo many things I need to buy, and they add up to more than I have. I constantly seem to have a list of things I need but don't have the money for and I owe money to my 2nd Purse. I knew I would find it difficult to pay money back each time I use something, simply because I never have spare money, but I'll stick with it for a while yet to see if I can look at it from another angle, because I can see that it will help me if I can perfect it.

    That said, I still feel I'm doing well considering 5 months ago my budget was £275 :)

    Hi Hippieechiq

    I didn't know you were trying the 2nd purse :)
    Just remember the 2nd purse is there to take the pressure off you, not add to it. If you can put aside the £10 per month for stocking up items you use all the time, and buy different items every time over the course of a year, what happens is you gradually reduce your main shopping bill, thus freeing up money to pay back the purse. Why don't you try the £10 per month for 6-12 months just to stock up , then start paying back the purse for the items you use, when you feel you can afford to.
    If you have a wee look at my signature, you will see that I'm not spending much, just fresh fruit & veg /bread/milk ( wee top up shops). I've been experimenting to see just how far I can take this, we have been living from the freezer stock and store cupboards for the last two months, I'm paying the purse £3 per day at the end of the month for re-stocking, ( mainly for freezer stock). The beauty of it is 'you still have the money'. I've been re-stocking with prime meat, we eat a little less, it tastes better, and we are feeling healthier. Canny be bad.

    When I started the 2nd purse, I had so little money and so many to feed. If you can persevere with it, you will benefit in the long run.
    This thread has been a real eye opener for me, I've completely changed my ways, my months spend last April was £600. I think the S/Mkts have us all brainwashed into thinking we 'need ' all this stuff. We can get by on so much less than you think.
    I've started shopping for 'opportunities', what I mean by that is, I see what fresh produce I can find cheap, then meal plan around them. One of my recent bargains was 1.5 kg of mushrooms at 66p. Boy did we have a few feasts with those LOL.
    Love and light to you and your DD hippeechiq :) xx

    Macaroni cheese, roast potatoes, salad & gammon for dinner last night.
    Lost ram (Roast Lamb with rosemary/garlic/ baby potatoes/ brussels sprouts/carrots tonight ).
    1st Purse £114.19 Monthly GB
    2nd Purse ££100
    :rotfl::j:wave::j:rotfl:
    Fridge Freezer £300 3rd Purse /£290.94
  • sistercas
    sistercas Posts: 4,803
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    Hippeechiq wrote: »
    Spigs :grouphug:
    Sistercas Glad your back is finally showing signs of improvement hun :)

    thanks hun x

    my online t3sco shop is coming today , i didnt order any meat as i have some in the freezer but i did order some ice cream and ice lollies for the kids as then weather has been so warm

    the kids are asking for a bbq but im reluctant as we end up using meat that could have been stretched to 3-4 meals in 1 go :eek:
    think i will make up some braised mnce ( a la economy gastronomy) so i can make a lasagne and a cottage pie

    i need to do a meal plan for the next 7 days
  • cookiemum
    cookiemum Posts: 139
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    Not been able to post for a while - work been crazy busy.

    Just added up total and already over :o. Planning a bbq on sunday with family so still have meat to buy - agree that you use so much more meat than usual but it is a treat for mum who is arranging Easter egg hunt for the kids!

    Pay day next tuesday so not long to go luckily.

    Enjoy sunny weekend everyone:)

    February Grocery Challenge £301.46/300
    To feed - Me, DH, DD, DS and 1 dog

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