August 2008 Grocery Challenge

lainz

Just caught up with you all after a week away, have just over £2 to last until Thursday, but have all my F&V for week. Cats gone way over budget (but none of her fave food was on offer this month!) and I wanted to make sure there was food in when I was away (actually have a reasonable amount to last into next!) Will update sig later, will have a think about what I include as I only do 'food' at mo - wonder whether to widen it to include other stuff or just seperate budgets? mmm

princess_leia_3

fertyskids wrote: »

Thanks MrsM, i might try the pies tommorow!

At the mo im using disposable nappies and baby wipes. both of these are comming of my grocery budget, i spend at least £25 month. :eek:

i want to find out about reusable nappies. i know nothing and want to put little one into them. i need to get some very very cheaply, preferably free as money is so tight. i dont know what size my little one would be or what type i would need, id use any!!

im sorry to put this on here, but as its part of my grocery budget i need to do something!! id love to be more enviromentally friendly and of course save money!!!:money:

thanks karen

I used http://www.thenappylady.co.uk/ each time I have bought nappies as they are so good and they give you loads of info about council subsidies too They have a live chat available too which I found very helpful.

My faves were bimbles (for young babies) and bumbles (from few months old)as they were so easy to use, lined with fleece, and then I used mother-ease air flow wraps which come in great designs
Although the prefold are cheaper (you have to fold them into pads/shapes kind of like terrys) but I didn't get on with these at all!
You can buy new on eBay but they are just as expensive (maybe more) another great site I used was http://www.kittykins.co.uk/
HTH

Back to GC well I can truly say I think I will be over, got to add the weekends spends on and that will leave me with about £10 til month end, not too bad I guess but I am so useless as resisting :rotfl: Must try harder...

fertyskids

thankyou Princess leia,
ive put those sites into my favorates as im too tired to read them now. i will tomorrow though. ive also put a request on freecycle so we will see if that brings anything.

im off to bed as im tired.

but thanks again. karen

nicki_2

I really fancied a roast dinner today but had nothing in to make one, and since there's only me (DD is away at Ex's until tomorrow) I managed to distract myself from going out shopping (or to the pub) so a NSD for me. Last night I fancied going out to the pub for a drink and some study (don't ask...I seem to work better in pubs when it comes to reading text books :rotfl: ), got to the bus stop and after waiting for 30minutes in the cold & the rain, I came home again so another NSD :rotfl::rotfl: Makes up for the spending on Friday though

GC - 100.28/80
TC - 54.70/40 (includes 2 days out on the train though house hunting & dropping DD off at Ex's on the 2nd day)
X - 157.10 (includes uniform etc for school and I treated DD and I out to a proper cafe lunch and it cost me £5 :eek: Much more expensive that McDonalds!)

KAAT_LADY

time for bed

goodnight all ,,, see you tomorrow

Ann xx

Moniker

Hi peeps- sorry I have not been around - busy few days and away at nephew's wedding yesterday which was lovely - and the sun shone! Had MIL and both DDs to lunch today and did roast beef and yorkshires - some meat left to put in the freezer for another meal. Also made an apple crumble with the apples I picked from my auntie's garden the other week - yum yum! MIL brought a lemon curd swiss roll over that she had made which was very nice of her but she didn't tell me she was bringing anything and I took a luscious lemon cake out of the freezer for tea - too late to put it back and we are away again for a couple of days. Anyway I have put the cake in the fridge and hope it will still be ok when we get back on Weds.


Denise - re the bleach - I have never put it in the washing machine. I usually soak stuff in a washing up bowl. I think I use roughly 1/4pt bleach to a bowl full of cold water but haven't actually measured it. HTH

Still looks like we will come in under budget this month but will declare on Thursday. Well done everyone who has declared so far - you've all done really well.

Moniker

meanmarie

Pink 83...to answer your question about a 'template' shopping list, I don't think you will find one as there are so many variables in peoples' grocery shopping...likes and dislikes, allergies, meat eating or not etc.

Basically the advice usually given is that you save your receipts for a month and see exactly what you spend on what...most people find that they have been spending more than they thought when they do this...then try to reduce your spend to a comfortable amount for you, checking on money saving recipes that you will find here and other places on OS....since starting the grocery challenge I have found that the most moneysaving things to do are: take an inventory of everything you have in fridge, cupboard and freezer, do up a menu for next week using as much as possible from what you have already got, then write your list of only the things you need and when you shop do not buy anything that is not on your list...at first this may mean that you will have to shop again next day, but again do your list of only what you need and buy just that, you will get better as time goes by...

I am by no means the most money saving of people, I try and my intentions are always good, but frequently fall at the first hurdle, and the second...IYKWIM, so take advice from others who are better and you will gradually make it...it can't be done all at once. Best of luck.

I spent €32.73 to-day, will need milk during the week, but not much else I hope, so should make the end of the month safely

Night all,

Marie

Flylady_Flower

Moniker wrote: »

Denise - re the bleach - I have never put it in the washing machine. I usually soak stuff in a washing up bowl. I think I use roughly 1/4pt bleach to a bowl full of cold water but haven't actually measured it. HTH
Moniker

Thanks Moniker, didn't think to put it in the sink... I could do this while another wash is on or while I'm at work, then put it straight in after... doh! :doh:

Put a post on earlier, then after clicking submit, realised my connection had gone down so lost it... :mad: that is sooo annoying... So apologies to anyone I have missed out with comments ect, they were all in my last post...

Anyway, have spent £17.99 on groceries today and £23.86 on extras for school, ect, so my extra's budget is way over this month, although with stuff that will never come up again so I think I am still going to stick to £20 per week for that. I am still about £7 under on this months GC though :j just have to last till Friday, but only need dishwasher powder, and if I run into Lidl's while hubby waits in car tomorrow as we go out, I should just be able to grab that and get out quick, no time for browsing when he's waiting ... think Phil Mitchell in Eastenders and you'll know what I mean... :rotfl:

Off to update siggy and then bed, was going ages ago but not made it yet... Night all x

SJ1

princess_leia wrote: »

HI scheuysgirl, if you read nikkis fab first post you will see loads of recipes that are cheap and some healthy and not so healthy ones
I feed Me, DH, DS (age4) ds (age2) and dd(5mths) on about £250 but that includes nappies etc Your first month is always gonna be a guess so I would start at £200.

Well Mr A has been and its £35 onto my total as they didn't have any bread mix, and they sub it for wholmeal but we will eat mainly white
So hubby is off out to Mr T to get some ice cream :mad: and some bread mix if they have any :rolleyes: Also I forgot Milk/mushrooms....
Which I why I will always now do my shopping with Mr T online so I can add these things til the last minute :rotfl:

How on earth do you manage that. I try to never waste food and actually do a reasonably good job of that but I still manage to spend about £400 a month - tell me the secrets!! I don't think that we are that extravagant we do baked potatoes and tuna sweetcorn pasta most weeks. Oh by the way Tesco special on pampers nappies two large packs for £13.50. I thought that was a great offer!

cammumof3

Hi all

My sig is all up to date and have had nsd today, so pleased about that.
I have put some banana skins on my tomato plants today, so we will see if that helps to ripen them, if not I think I may have to put them into the airing cupboard, I have several tomato plants with loads of small ones and one of my plants has big ones on but they are all green.
I may be going shopping tomorrow, but I should still be under budget.

Can I do 50 pound a week for September again please.

I include my cleaning stuff,toiletries,loo roll etc in to my shopping budget.
Good job realy as I have spent well over 100 pound on school stuff, as both of my older 2 start new schools.

Night for now