June 2017 Grocery Challenge

Merlin's_Beard · 2 June 2017 at 9:32PM

Right. I thought I spent about £100 a month on my supermarket shop.

So far this year it's been £146, £145, £148, £164 and last month £117 after I'd done the sums.

Aiming for £100 this month. I'm away for 5 days so hopefully that'll help me.

Saver-upper · 3 June 2017 at 1:32AM

I would love to join this thread,if I may.
I was here 12-18 months ago,but drifted away due to different stuff going on in life.
Now I have started back doing Slimming World,and have found that the grocery budget has suddenly balloooned :eek:.Time to really sit down and start planning,and watch what I spend.
I have never been good at meal-planning.What I do,is buy ,say,some mince,and chicken,and pork,and an assortment of vegetables.Then day by day I think "What am I going to cook for tea tonight" or "Ooohh-I loike the look of that-might try that recipe".Then I have to rush out and buy the ingredients that are missing

.So,eg,the other day I did a bit of a "top-up"shop,and it cost me £30!Really need to sort it out.
We are a family of 2 adults,4 children aged 8-15,and I am going to aim for a monthly budget of £250,though I would love to lower this in time.
Off to find my receipts for shopping this month (already been to the supermarket twice in June :eek:).

Saver-upper · 3 June 2017 at 2:12AM

Right,so I have dug out my receipts.

1st June,went into Sainsbury to buy stuff to have burgers for tea.Spent £34.20 :eek:.Went in for Birdseye burgers,and SW-friendly burgers,came out with those,and fruit and veg and.......
(This was after having spent £2 on 2 x 4pint bottles of milk from local corner store because we had run out)

2nd June.I went to Aldi for the first time in about 18 months.I really must start buying more there,especially for the fruit/veg (which I am buying so much more of since starting back at SW.For example,at the moment the family goes through 2 big-ish punnets of strawberries and 2 of raspberries a week.Nearly £10 spent right there usually

.
Today I bought large packet of chicken breasts (£5.00),assorted veg (potaotes,butternut squash,swede,parsnip,frozen peas and corn,carrots,sweet potato),a couple of packets of snack bars ,for a total of £14.48.

June total £50.68/£250.Oops

razra · 3 June 2017 at 9:04AM

Well at the end of week one we have already spent £76.81! That's despite refusing to do any top up shops for snacks like the OH wanted, eating out of the freezer and cupboards and only buying fresh stuff like fruit and milk. So I'm now shocked at how much I think we were spending!

Dread to think how much money is sat in the freezer and cupboards on food that we haven't eaten yet, although it will need replacing once it's all gone so that's going to be costly!

Suffolk_lass · 3 June 2017 at 10:10AM

razra wrote: »

Well at the end of week one we have already spent £76.81! That's despite refusing to do any top up shops for snacks like the OH wanted, eating out of the freezer and cupboards and only buying fresh stuff like fruit and milk. So I'm now shocked at how much I think we were spending!

Dread to think how much money is sat in the freezer and cupboards on food that we haven't eaten yet, although it will need replacing once it's all gone so that's going to be costly!

If you've got cupboards full of stuff, try this thread for encouragement to live on your stores for a while http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=4798135

razra · 3 June 2017 at 10:16AM

Suffolk_lass wrote: »

If you've got cupboards full of stuff, try this thread for encouragement to live on your stores for a while http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=4798135

Hi Suffolk Lass, that's the thread that gave me the inspiration to use up what we have. My OH is very much a "it's on offer we need it" kinda person and seems to panic when he opens the to cupboard and finds only neat organised rows of tins rather than a cupboard bursting at the seams :rotfl: however I've drawn up lists of what's in the freezer and proved we could feed an army so fingers crossed he's on board.

He requested chicken kebabs for tea today and then announced that we would have to go food shopping to get the chicken, pittas and obviously pick up snacks. However I've removed both chicken and pittas from the freezer so that's foiled another snack shop :j:j

Before you all think I'm mean for refusing snack shopping by snacks he means a family size pack or two of crisps that he will then sit and eat all the while complaining that he's putting on weight cos I cook from scratch :rotfl:

Rachiedabbler70 · 3 June 2017 at 11:23AM

Morning all
First spend of the month £19.87 which included all meat for the week. I will need potatoes and milk and my DS will need £3 for his weekly lunch with friends so might get away with about another £10.

Got a rice pudding in the oven, which will last a couple of days. Will cook roast chicken dinner for evening meal today and toad in the hole for tomorrow. Lunches are soup or toasted sandwiches and breakfasts cereal tomorrow and bacon, egg and cheese muffins today (with hash browns for DS). Have a lovely Saturday.

Skintmama · 3 June 2017 at 12:37PM

Please could I register my budget as £200 for June? This will be food groceries only for 3 adults, excluding the milk bill.

I have gone for a bit more this month as I have used up all my freezer meat and fish, bar a single tuna steak. Also, DH has bought a new barbecue so he is bound to want to cook loads of meat on it! If I can keep to the £200 though I will be really pleased.

thriftwizard · 3 June 2017 at 3:19PM

Eeeek! Straight up to £205/£500... lunchbox & breakfast stuff hasn't half gone up since my lads were at school! To be fair, some of what I've stocked up should still be around in July; I've been to the wholesalers for things like crisps. I'd expect my guests to go through half of a 48-pack box of crisps, for example, and the other half will feed a gaggle of starving dancers at a weekend-long event DD2 & I are attending in July. We get breakfasts and dinners, but lunches are S/C and there's never actually time for them to go out & find anything, so the whole troupe raids my van for supplies!

[Deleted User] · 3 June 2017 at 4:10PM

£50.29 / £225 so far this month after 1st week online shop. OH away for the week so it will be easier to avoid unnecessary top-up shops. Got the kids on baking duty tomorrow so tins should be full of nice treats to keep them going. Just need to write meal plans and cupboard/freezer inventory now. Family are really getting on board with the challenge, after having a couple of nights away with the money saved. Good luck everyone and keep going - you know it's worth it!

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June 2017 Grocery Challenge

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