Grocery Challenge - February 2012

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  • elsiepac
    elsiepac Posts: 2,550
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    edited 20 February 2012 at 8:01PM
    OMG LC, how impressive is that!!!:T:T:T:T:T

    Just one little question tho, do you still find it cheaper paying for the delivery charge with ROSSPA even though your shop isn't very much? Find that amazing and goes to show how much the SM's are charging over the odds (scuttles off to look at ROSSPA site again:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:)

    Haha - I think it's a bit sad personally, but at least I'm controlling what I'm spending!

    Yes in answer to the ROSSPA question. I checked this by comparing the Mr T prices with a cart I filled at ROSSPA (based on veg I'll need in my meal plan for March), and even with the £5.50 delivery, extra 2 parsnips, and extra mustard, doing it with ROSSPA meant a saving of £2.90. I was :eek: too!!! However, it is a trial run in March as I've heard good things about their veg, so want to try them out. Will let you know how I find them!

    Ninno820 wrote: »
    Fantastic LC - many thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Was tempted by all your wonderful ys finds to nip into a local C**p tonight. Found a £1.54 pack of pork chops (half price) but was not impressed generally with the offers. Somehow the visit then cost me £13.79 - go figure? I'm like an addict - must stay out tut tut!

    My YS finds are either fantastic or non-existent. All within a 3 mile radius of the house and each other, I have Mr T, Mr S ( both medium ish as small town) and L1dl (which I've only been in once so far but will be again!). Recently Mr T have been good, I think all my YS stuff in Feb has been them so far - oh except the veg I got in Mr S the other day.
    sistercas wrote: »
    i am very impressed with all of you who keep spreadsheets and mark down every single thing you buy :T isnt it very time consuming ? i feel i spend alot of time already searching on mysuperm@rket and doing the actual shopping in various stores , so the thought of then having to input everything into a spreadsheet , i feel would take time i dont have , that said actually i would love to be so organised

    I find it's only time consuming if I let it be. I don't do my research before heading out - only if it's an item I'm not familiar with the general price of (flour for example as I've only started doing a few baking bits this month).

    I literally do my meal plan over the course of the previous month (so through Feb I'll do March, it will still get revisions) - then I work out what I will need and if it fits my budget. If not, revise it etc. Now I've got the prices of the main stuff I buy in the spreadsheet, for me it's not time-consuming. I will say though that with my somewhat obsessive nature, I do spend a lot of time tweaking and checking and researching - entirely of my own volition, I don't really need to be, I'm just terrified of being in debt again! :D

    scotmumof3 wrote: »
    LC- WOW!!!! you must have taken hours on your spreadsheet it's so impressive.

    I'm sure there are far better ones out there, but presently mine works for me! It looks very different to how it started out! And yes, it did take hours BUT not all at once! It's very much a work in progress - a bit here and there when I feel like it!

    LC
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Old Style, Crafting and Techie Stuff boards.If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing [email protected] views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
    GC: May 22 £tbc/£250 Vegan 27-8-13
  • Hello everyone, it looks like so many are keeping to their budgets and making huge savings - I am inspired and very impressed, especially those who have hungry children to feed!

    Those of you who are struggling this month, I know it is hard, but at least you are making huge strides in thinking and continuing to be mindful. It is the lack of thought that is our undoing (well, mine anyway)!

    HellenJelly, I don't mind not being on the front page, my sig will do to remind me and keep me on track (plus my trusty spreadsheet, which isn't as sophisticated as clever Elsie's, but does me). Elsie, I take my hat off to you - you should make this sort of thing to sell - maybe an app next, eh?

    I feel I will be on target and as I have several bills next month, I am going to try and aim for a £60 month and that will start on the 1st.

    I am so excited for pancake day tomorrow - I don't normally do it now I live alone, but it is cheap, I deserve it, my lemon is bought and I shall really enjoy it.

    Handy Tip
    For those of you who struggle to remember what you bought and lose receipts: Keep an envelope in your purse and immediately slip the receipt into it. At the end of the month it is easy to file it and replace with a new envelope.
    31.5/100
  • meg72
    meg72 Posts: 5,164
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    Hi Spiggs

    I think that is probably a very good price for Heinz but i have lost my taste for them,I now much prefer Branstons and they are 4 for £1 in Asda so only £1.50 for 6.
    Slimming World at target
  • Barbeduk
    Barbeduk Posts: 869
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    Hi all, just noticed on one of the other boards that this weekend coming !id! have got their milk chocolate reduced to 17p. Think I might get a couple of trolleys worth! oh, and the mince is half price too.:D
    Make £2020 in 2020 £178.81/£2020
    SPC 13 #51
    Feb Grocery Challenge £4.68/£200
  • O dear well I am £20 over budget :( But for my first month I am not to upset and I am going to keep it at the £200 for next month wish me luck.
    February GC £261.97/24 NSDS 10/12
    march 300/290 NSD 12/6
    ARPIL 300/ 238.23 NSD'S 10/3

  • meg72
    meg72 Posts: 5,164
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    OMG LC, how impressive is that!!!:T:T:T:T:T

    Just one little question tho, do you still find it cheaper paying for the delivery charge with ROSSPA even though your shop isn't very much? Find that amazing and goes to show how much the SM's are charging over the odds (scuttles off to look at ROSSPA site again:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:)

    I found that I easily saved the delivery charge as the prices for veg were so cheap,and am thrilled that two weeks later the veg is still good.I bought the 20p cucumber and the price in Asda today was £1. Also four butternut squash for a £1. Was 1.25 in Asda. The cucumber and squash were much bigger as well. Cabbages were only 20p Onions 4kg 50p. Carrots 10kg for £1,99. My local market does not come anywherenear these prices and I donot have tocarry it home.


    Rosspa CC is great, I had a small problem and phoned in, a lovely lady called Carolkine said leaveit with me I need toaskmy Manager and phoned me back next morning to say she had credited £3.50 to my card. My total order including delivery was only just over £20.
    Slimming World at target
  • Hi Everyone :hello: just popping on to say Helen Jelly I don't need to be on the front page if it is easier for you. I'm happy to put my totals in my siggie. Just being a 'part' of this thread is inspiring and motivating enough.

    I'm coasting on 'vapours' to the end of the month (29th), but I think I bit off a bit more than I could chew. My £140 budget is split between several 'pots' (not just food) and I have found that in my 'non food' spending, several recent price hikes have left me short. So I thought I would try taking £10 off my food budget and put it into the 'non-food' budget. As my food budget was only £60 to begin with (and has a £10 'second purse' element) I have spent out already. We've probably enough to last us, but we are making do with less fruit (and I hope the milk lasts....) for this week.

    Trouble is, the 'non food' has to cover a strange mix of 'stuff' - eg a haircut, TV listing mags, soap, lightbulbs etc etc. and who ever mentioned that lightbulbs have gone up in price, I wholeheartedly agree - and I bought mine at Wilk1nsons!! So I'm not too sure what to do, as my haircut went up 33% in one fell swoop - but to be fair, it was the first price rise in at least 2 years, so I can't really complain. I know food prices are rising - or 'yo yo ing' if we're really honest, but you can very often substitute/bag an offer. It's a bit more tricky with the non-food stuff. Ah well, will give it more thought - it'll keep me out of mischief!!!

    Keep going everyone. And I'm sorry I don't contribute more to the thread - I do try to keep up with reading all the posts though.

    Greying
    Pounds for Panes £2,300/£10,000 - start date Dec 2023

    Coins for Camping (March) -  £7/£15  (Camping TTD - £45/90)

    Grocery spend March £174.96/215  Charity Blankets completed 1/24


  • Herbyme
    Herbyme Posts: 720
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    I agree about whoopsies, I am green when some post their haul. Having said that, did get a pack of 8 drumsticks from the C*-*p tonight for 80p, fed 2 gannets, thought that was quite good. What with that and a main shop for the week at Asd@, I'm up to £484 against a target of £560 (does include wine, cleaning, pet food and toiletries as well as food, she muttered...) so just need to be sensible this week and should be ok. Cleggie and nimmo, I too am tryiing to keep out of the SMs more than I have! Thanks for the ideas re beans, my kids love He1nz but I will try Br@nstons, and others say M%S good but may cost more than He1nz for all I know! Ave He1nz price 50p a can at Asd@ today.

    Just made Cold Weather Hotpot from BBC Good food site, thought it would be dull but it wasn't, and even DH liked it.
    http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/search.do?keywords=cold+weather&filterItem=&filterItem=&filterItem=&filterItem=&filterItem=&filterItem=&filterItem=&filterItem=&filterItem=&filterItem=

    btw, talking of apps, do others use the My Supermarket app when shopping? I haven't seen it mentioned but I find it really handy to be able to check if a 'deal' is actually competitive or not, if I haven't checked absolutely everything before I go. Have to turn the sound off or I get funny looks!
  • sistercas wrote: »
    i am very impressed with all of you who keep spreadsheets and mark down every single thing you buy :T isnt it very time consuming ? i feel i spend alot of time already searching on mysuperm@rket and doing the actual shopping in various stores , so the thought of then having to input everything into a spreadsheet , i feel would take time i dont have , that said actually i would love to be so organised

    It took me a while when I 1st started and until I got the hang of it.

    I update the spreadsheet as soon (literally once anything chilled is put away:o) as I can so I can remember the offers (many things are reduced on the shelf so the savings don't show on the receipts IYKWIM)
    However, I don't (DON'T READ THIS BIT IF YOU'RE EASILY SHOCKED) check comparison sites before shopping :eek::eek: BUT only as there's not any choice of SM where I live.

    Mr A is an 18 mile round trip in one direction, Mr T 18 miles in another, Li*dl 40 miles (yup, 3rd direction) with Home Bar*gains & Mr S a whoppnig 56 miles :eek: (others even further:() - so it's really a case of getting what I can at the "local" ones depending on which town I'm in and doing a "stock up trip" to the further away ones now & then.
    FrugalLina wrote: »
    Handy Tip
    For those of you who struggle to remember what you bought and lose receipts: Keep an envelope in your purse and immediately slip the receipt into it. At the end of the month it is easy to file it and replace with a new envelope.

    I do this .... receipts are logged on the spreadsheet ASAP and then put into an envelope on my kitchen notice board - I mark these with the month so I can easily find one if needed.


    I did warn you I'd become a bit obsessive:o with keeping track of what I spend - but if it stops me getting back into debt again, I guess it's worth it.


    *runs away before anyone actually reads this and things I'm bonkers*
    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!
  • A good recipe for all you with excess BNS:
    Chilli, Tomato, BNS bake
    Remove the seeds from a BNS and peel and cut into inch sized chunks, boil, steam or microwave until just tender. Mix in a tin of chopped tomatoes and a tin of red kidney beans in chilli sauce (obviously you can use plain beans and add the chilli in some other way) Mix well and pour into an ovenproof dish, sprinkle some breadcrumbs and grated cheese over the top, bake at 180C until the topping is brown and its all hot and bubbly.
    You can add some chorizo or cut up cooked sausages for desperate carnivores.:D
    I was off to conquer the world but I got distracted by something sparkly :D

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