January 2012 Grocery Challenge

1282283285287288330

Comments

  • Barbeduk
    Barbeduk Posts: 869
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Post Debt-free and Proud!
    Forumite
    Have been totally inspired by following this thread over the past couple of weeks. It has helped me to cut my weekly shop to £65 pw (all food, toiletries, cleaning products) for our family of 2 adults and 2 children. I am menu planning for the first time and what a difference that makes! Feel kind of ashamed at how much money we have wasted over the years. We hope to be (unsecured) debt free by xmas 2012 so must join that thread too.
    So if I could join Feb's challenge and put down a budget of £260, cheers!
    Make £2020 in 2020 £178.81/£2020
    SPC 13 #51
    Feb Grocery Challenge £4.68/£200
  • Hey

    Can I join for Feb please? Think I run at about £50 per week atm, but will be interesting to see if this is right and see if I can get it down. Would like to do £200 for the month. This includes everything needed for the weekly running, toiletries, cleaning bits, nappies and food/litter for the 4 furry's. Does this sound reasonable? I am hoping that any extras left over (optimism??) can go towards the 'I need a freezer fund'!
    Not a newbie, just in need of a new face :)

    February Grocery Challenge 0/£200
    Every woman is a Goddess and is honour bound to walk like one x
  • ragz_2
    ragz_2 Posts: 3,254
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    edited 25 January 2012 at 2:44PM
    Made lovely pork koftas last night from 69p whoopsied pork mince. Loving my Monday night trips to waitrose (best whoopsies!)...

    Recipe makes 4 big koftas but could make burgers, mini koftas etc...

    500g pork mince (use other meat and vary spices to taste)
    Spices ( I used tsp curry powder, tsp ground ginger, tsp cumin seeds, 2 tsp paprika and a sprinkle of chili flakes)
    Finely chopped/minced garlic clove
    Finely chopped spring onion
    Handful dried breadcrumbs/processed cream cracker crumbs
    2 tbsp soy sauce
    Ground pepper.

    Combine all, squish it up with your hands. Mould around soaked skewers, brush with a little oil and grill/BBQ until cooked (time depends on how big you make them, don't cook to quickly or the outside will burn before the middle cooks). We had them with salad and yogurt dressing in a wrap.


    Throw me off the Old Style Forum, I have run out of baked beans AND tea bags (I usually stock pile!). Any good offers on anywhere?
    June Grocery Challenge £493.33/£500 July £/£500
    2 adults, 3 teens
    Progress is easier to acheive than perfection.
  • baroley
    baroley Posts: 40 Forumite
    ragz, have just been to As@a, they have Branston baked beans 4 for £1. Couldn't find the toilet paper offer mentioned in todays MSE email though....

    Just stocked up. please put me down for £260 for Feb.

    Thank you!
    Grocery challenge month runs from 25th to 24th
    January £100. £96.20
    February £100. £1.64
  • Herbyme
    Herbyme Posts: 720
    Photogenic Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    Forumite
    Rags, Co-*p for beans - 2 of the 4 packs for £3. Tesc* I think for Tetley T bags or again Co-*p for BOGOF on Twinings Everyday, the yellow packs
    To all those beating themselves up - don't! At least you've had a LBM (I think it's called that - light bulb moment?) and are making changes. What works for one person won't necessarily work for you but someone on this forum will have a system that will help you so keep trying and asking.
    NB I'm in a fine position to talk as my target is relatively very high but I keep telling myself we are all different and it's about me, my family, my budget etc.
    hth, nearly into Feb, hurrah!
  • quintwins
    quintwins Posts: 5,179
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    edited 25 January 2012 at 4:07PM
    had an appointment at the hospital for ds1, well he had a wee hissy fir when we came out because i said we weren't going to tesco because i had taken his brother then we went to the hospital before, so i took him and bought him a punnet of reduced blueberries so he was happy enough, lots of whoopsies but no bread which is odd for that store, i got

    10 apples 31p
    blueberries 54p
    block of stilton 59p
    6 kiwi 21p
    2kg carrots 24p
    36 dennys sausages x2 £1.52

    i bought a full price brocolli to make pasta sauce and a block of value cupa soup for 15p and paid with a giftard from xmas so was free, i love that tesco that reduce stuff by less than 50% from lunchtime, i have another appointment tomorrow so will pop in and hopefully get some bread

    mil sent us home an apple crumble and a tin of custard so thats pudding sorted aswell :)
    DEC GC £463.67/£450
    EF- £110/COLOR]/£1000
  • I've been closing my eyes to what we are spending this month so decided to do the banking today - to say I feel sick is an understatement. I can't even type the figure down its so gross! I chose to do this GC to make DH and I aware of what we are spending. I upped the budget to include other things - big mistake - HUGE MISTAKE. I kidded myself that the new budget was just for food - gone over that and some.

    So for Feb I am going back to the food only budget, I'm doing the banking on a daily basis and DH is fully onboard with buying only what we absolutely have to - we'll be bankrupt within a few months if this continues. Kids are suffering too - they need new uniform etc and I haven't got the money [could feed them for a month of Sundays if needed] and I'm baking more

    Awwww Helen ((((hugs)))) we've all done it and honestly I'm still hugely in awe at how little some people manage to spend.

    Dust yourself off and prepare to start afresh in Feb .... we're all with you.
    XSpender wrote: »
    Not only that he added up the prices of the items we put in to the basket until they added up to £9.98. Do you think he might be converted to our GC/:money:ways?:rotfl:

    Wow!:D That's great Spender!
    For me to have £40 left on a Wednesday is a total first as like so many here we live just above benefits limit so after paying bills not that much left

    PAH huge congratulations and on the grocery spend for the month too:D. I know where you're coming from with being just over the benefits limit - mine is £96 / year .... wow :(

    If the internet does have to go :( then as someone else suggested (sorry, forgotten who:o really tired as didn't sleep at all last night) please do try your library. You can book sessions of an hour a time at ours ....


    NSD for me ..... No 4 in a row which is really good going for me. :D

    Really need petrol but can't face going out (18 mile round trip) as too tired so will have to hope there's enough to get to work & back tomorrow.

    Also getting really low on milk so will have to make another spend before the month end.
    Grocery Challenge £211/£455 (01/01-31/03)
    2016 Sell: £125/£250
    £1,000 Emergency Fund Challenge #78 £3.96 / £1,000
    Vet Fund: £410.93 / £1,000
    Debt free & determined to stay that way!
  • kerri_dfw
    kerri_dfw Posts: 4,556
    Combo Breaker First Post Debt-free and Proud!
    Forumite
    £3.50 spend on a yummy hallumi(sp?), spinach, and red pepper sarnie from prat. I know I shouldn't but it's my last day of Jan grocery budget and I felt I needed to treat myself for being under budget :) Although at 570 calories was more fattening than an iced bun
    Diary: Getting back on track for 2013 and beyond
    DEBT FREE 13-10-13 :dance::dance::dance::dance::dance:
    Beautiful daughter born 11.1.14
    Mortgage: [STRIKE]£399,435.91[/STRIKE] £377218.83
    Deposit loan from Dad: £9000[STRIKE]£10000[/STRIKE]
  • cw18
    cw18 Posts: 8,613
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post Photogenic
    Forumite
    Did a shop at Mr M last night and have used a few more bits from my pre-2012 stocks.

    Getting rather to close to my budget now :( Not planning on getting anything today unless I pop out for milk (which is the one thing I know without a shadow of doubt I'll need), but just £9.12 left for the rest of this month :eek:

    I guess I'm going to have to resist pulling any more 'treats' out of my stocks ;)
    Cheryl
  • Ninno820
    Ninno820 Posts: 765 Forumite
    Just popping in to report another NSD today. Tea is hm mushroom risotto (risotto is great for using up bits and bobs) followed by hm banana muffin. mmmm
    44 day challenge


    1. Pay £650 off overdraft (£ 288/ £650)
    2. Lose 12 lbs (4.5/ 12)
    3. Use YNAB everyday (6/44)
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 342.2K Banking & Borrowing
  • 249.8K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.3K Spending & Discounts
  • 234.4K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 606.7K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 172.7K Life & Family
  • 247.2K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.8K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards