May 2011 Grocery Challenge

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Comments

  • 123budget
    123budget Posts: 171 Forumite
    Right, going to be in for my 1st ever GC, could you put me down for £400 for June please (25th May - 24th June).

    It sounds alot but after reading the thread for a few weeks now people have very wisely said start gradually, I would love it to be much less than this, but will see how I get on. We are 5 adults (3 teenagers, 1 is pregnant) & 2 cats & my lovely garden birds.

    Pixie

    I think £400 is great if you can do it - theres five of us too and am trying really hard to stick to £450. Have been doing the GC for 3 months now and am getting nearer but still haven't managed to come in on or under budget. Thought I had done it this month but had to pop to local shop to get pesto £1.29 and due to a busy weekend didn't bake so had to pop to Aldi for lunchbox snacks and milk. So This month I am declaring at 457.05/£450 still quite pleased as its the nearest I have got.
    I am giving myself a big budget for June as I have lots of family occasions:
    DS 18th - party/barbecue at home for him and 40 friends:eek: and some sleeping over and bacon butties next morning!
    DS 2 16th birthday sleepover and also his school prom - parents coming for drinks and nibbles to see them off.
    DD 10th birthday sleepover!!
    and my wedding anniversary
    So for June can you put me down for £650 to include parties and meals out.
    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
  • katholicos
    katholicos Posts: 2,658 Forumite
    I took advantage of DD being willing to go shopping with me, so while i'm sure i am now over my grocery budget, i needed DD to help me and do a lot of the lifting and carrying, so i got stocked up!

    Having really overdone it, i had to go to lie down when i got in :o

    Here is what i brought...

    From Mr A

    10 x 1.5kgs of Strong white bread flour at 68p a bag = £6.80
    5 x multipack of 4 Branston Baked Beans at £1.00 each = £5
    1 x kg long grain basics rice (never tried it before, thought i'd give it a go) at .49p
    1 x 2kg tub of baking margarine (never tried it before) at £2.89
    2 x 250gram boxes of lasagne sheets @ 23p ea = .46p
    3 x tinned tomatoes @ 33p eac =.99p

    Total: £16.63

    Mr M's

    3 x 4.25kg washing powder @ £5 ea = £15
    4 x tins of Mr M's Value Sweetcorn @ .32p ea = £1.28
    2 x pkts paracetamol @ 19p ea = .38p
    1 x multipack of semi skimmed milk @ £4

    Total: £20.66 - £5 fuel reward voucher = £15.66

    Mr S's

    10 x Basics tea bags @ 27p ea = £2.70
    1 x pkt of whoopsied lean minced steak/beef @ £2.69

    Total £5.39

    Home Bargs

    2 x bleach @ 39p ea =.78p
    1 x sensations lime and chutney poppadums @ .59p
    1 x multipack of Golden Wonder cheese and onion crisps @ .79p
    1 x jar of pesto @ .99 (can't wait for basil to 'take off' in the greenhouse then i can make my own pesto!)
    6 free range eggs @ 89p

    Total £4.04

    Grand total = £41.72p

    And a monthly total thus far, of £91.32..so £11.32 over my budget. Still, i'm hoping not to spend any more money on groceries this month, so hopefully i wont go any further over budget than i already am now :eek:
    Grocery Challenge for October: £135/£200


    NSD Challenge: October 0/14
  • SavingJane
    SavingJane Posts: 2,323 Forumite
    Hi all

    I've got lost for this month, OH crushed his fingers at work (his own silly fault) 2 broken fingers and damaged tendens

    So last weeks menu went out window as was at hospital for near enough 3 days.

    I shall start back for June but will put shopping when I order it for this week onto June to make it fair.

    Not read back but hope everyone is doing ok, hugs to all that need them
    Mummy to Lewis Born Aug 10
  • 123 Budget - I am worried now, hope I can stay under £400! will give it my best shot.

    We had friends/family over when it was my daughters prom, ask your guests to bring the drink and you do the nibbles, much cheaper.

    Try the Mr A Chantemelle Rose, £1.77 for a 75cl bottle, its lush, we had it at Christmas, went down a treat :T

    Or you could do a couple of punches, alcoholic and non alcoholic, that way eeks out the alcohol a bit more especially if mixed with lots of chopped up summer fruits.

    Enjoy your evening whatever you do.

    Should I buy a bread maker? Please advise, having been umming and ahhing for ages now. All advice gratefully received. Any makes and models that are good too, thanks.

    Pixie ;)
    🎄The most wonderful time of the year 🎄
    #14 - PAYDTBX23
    #23 - 1% debt challenge
  • 69chick
    69chick Posts: 544 Forumite
    Have managed a nsd today I think the key for me is to try to avoid little shops that turn into big ones :D made a lovely fish pie for tea for me and the girls, although one of them wasn't so keen on it...does anyone have any kid friendly meals to do with cod fillets? I usually have them in the freezer and i have one baked with veg as a meal but although the girls like fish they won't eat it plain....

    Katholicos, I notice on your shop you bought loads of MrS basics tea bags, I love a cuppa and usually get a branded one on offer, would you recommend them?

    Also to anyone else, I have a Mr S shop due to come on Friday as I do like their basics range and I have a free delivery, can any of you recommend anything in their basics range that they have tried?
    Starting with Avon C6 target sales £150.00
  • quintwins
    quintwins Posts: 5,179
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    my boys love baked fish topped with philly and dried chives

    also if your doing a sainburys shop you should log into quidco (you can still use your code) but if you get 50p cashback and they give you £10 off if your a new customer
    DEC GC £463.67/£450
    EF- £110/COLOR]/£1000
  • katholicos
    katholicos Posts: 2,658 Forumite
    69chick wrote: »
    Have managed a nsd today I think the key for me is to try to avoid little shops that turn into big ones :D made a lovely fish pie for tea for me and the girls, although one of them wasn't so keen on it...does anyone have any kid friendly meals to do with cod fillets? I usually have them in the freezer and i have one baked with veg as a meal but although the girls like fish they won't eat it plain....

    Katholicos, I notice on your shop you bought loads of MrS basics tea bags, I love a cuppa and usually get a branded one on offer, would you recommend them?

    Also to anyone else, I have a Mr S shop due to come on Friday as I do like their basics range and I have a free delivery, can any of you recommend anything in their basics range that they have tried?

    This time last month (or there abouts), I was a tea addict who only drank the 'superior' (read, more expensive) brands of tea...but i was over at my uncles and gasping for a cuppa a few weeks ago, and made myself a cup of tea while there, using these economy tea bags he buys ( he has the money to buy his shopping in Waitrose, but is frugal where groceries are concerned) and i was gobsmacked how good the tea tasted.

    I went to Mr S a few days later and brought some, i even converted my DD19 and my mum to them...we are all tea addicts (we don;t drink coffee at all) so it must taste good for us to like it! It's saving us a small fortune :)

    Try it, it's 27p for a box of 80 tea bags, so you aren't losing much money if you don't like them.
    Grocery Challenge for October: £135/£200


    NSD Challenge: October 0/14
  • 69chick
    69chick Posts: 544 Forumite
    Thanks Kathilicos, have added them to my shop :p like you say not a lot of outlay for a possible massive saving.....

    Also has anyone had the Mr S Cod steaks? I usually get fillets but these look good value and are skinless and boneless to (which I prefer, have a serious problem with fish bones!!)

    quintwins I love philly but the girls don't was thinking maybe a tinned tomato sauce of some sort, like a bake maybe :-)

    Pixie Fairydust love your drinkies ideas, the rose sounds good...
    Starting with Avon C6 target sales £150.00
  • freakyogre
    freakyogre Posts: 1,465 Forumite
    £10.78ish since my last post. I lost a receipt from Thursday, but know I bought a wrap for lunch and got some tortilla wraps for 29p using a voucher.

    Today the rest was spent on bleach, milk, some cartons of juice (I really must take a drink with me when I go out), toilet rolls, apples and bananas (which doing my good deed I got at the greengrocers and they were about twice the price of a supermarket, so I won't be doing that again!)

    All meals are planned for this week, but I may need to buy a few things as i'm having a brace fitted on Friday, so might need to make some soups/liquid meals for the weekend and next week.
    Grocery challenge - Nov: £52/£100
  • 69 Chick - the Mr S basics tomato chutney is lovely in a cheese sarnie, I also like the basics grated cheese. Jaffa cakes too. The only thing I find with Mr S online is that if the product you ordered isn't available, they substitute with another but don't honour the original price! unless they have changed this? whereas Mr T and Mr A do honor the price.

    If you don't like the basics tea bags you could use them up making a malt loaf, one of Black Saturn's recipes;

    3 weetabix
    4oz sugar
    4oz raisins or sultanas
    1 mug of hot black tea
    2 eggs
    4oz SR flour
    2oz porridge oats

    Put weetabix, sugar & raisins in a bowl. Add mug of tea. Leave to soak until cold. Stir in 2 eggs, stir again and add the flour and porridge oats. Mix well and tip into a greased loaf tin. Bake at 180, check after 25 mins, may take longer. Enjoy :T

    Pixie
    🎄The most wonderful time of the year 🎄
    #14 - PAYDTBX23
    #23 - 1% debt challenge
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