November Grocery Challenge

jcr16

my shopping is going quite well i think, considering this is the first time i have taken up the challenge and it is a 5 week month, so if i can make it work this month then 4 week months should be a breeze. my freezer is stocked up to the brim , and my cupboards are bursting, so the money i have left is for milk , babies sma , fresh bread etc , so i got ample.

i am really enjoying the challenge so far.

Burlesque_Babe

car was only 2 tyres for it's MOT, so not too bad, but still £118 including the certificate and VAT!! :eek: I've not counted this as grocery challenge as I had a bit of money sat aside for it, but i was hoping for it to come in under £100

Now have 2 weeks worth of meat in the freezer paid for with my Paypal pot and put 2 weeks worth of petrol in the car yesterday, so hopefully my Saturday shop shouldn't be too much.

Might even try Lidl, I'm a Tesco points tart, but as the statement is due any day now, I might give Lidl a whirl this once as we have two of them in Poole.

Definitely know where I can shave some money off next month - I'm spending too much on the sandwich/goodies trolley which comes round each day! :eek: I have a house full of food and could bring snacks etc in each day - it's just laziness!

going to try the Banana Bread recipe this afternoon, I've got loads of bananas that have gone very ripe, hope it is as good as it sounds!

rchddap1

last time I went shopping I ended up spending £45 after using a £4 coupon in Asdas. It won't be long before I need to top up the freezer, at which point I'll be doing a Tesco online shop.

nabowla

I did well with the shopping this week but fell down on getting packed lunches organised - again I wasted 2.58 on coffee and a crossant one morning because I didn't have breakfast, then 10.50 on a couple of lunches due to sheer lack of organisation. I really do need a slap on the wrist. Still, I'm going to add this amount into the 'total spent on groceries' for the first time. It should give me a much clearer idea of where the money's going (straight into my tummy at the moment........!) and will motivate me to cut back on next week's shopping to compensate.

angelatgraceland

I recently joined http://flylady.net/ and I've been getting the daily emails. The task for November is to plan your daily menus.http://flylady.net/pages/foodforthought1.asp
I've tried this before but I have slacked after a while. I'm flyi
ng again now though. It does save money, as you know exactly what you need to buy and don't end up with stuff sitting in the cupboards forgotten for weeks(months or years).
It also saves times, as while you plan your weekly menu, you can jot down what you need to buy, and work your meals around the stuff which you are longing to use up.
If you can sort out menus for a month, you can rotate them so that you don't get fed up with the same old dishes. This works best in winter I find as summer eating seems to be far more spontaneous.
When this is sorted, flylady suggest a "perpetual pantry". This means you never run out of anything. Your pantry includes your fridge and freezer. When you use an item, simply add it to your shopping list so that you replace it in time for when it is next required on your menu.
It is then possible(so they say) to cut your shopping down to just once a week as you never run out of anything. Emergency shopping is always a money hazard, as you tend to buy extra items every time.
I havent managed this yet-this is my task this month! I ordered my shopping from Asda this week who as soon as I clicked on Groceries on the website-offered me £10 off a £50 shop. I will do the same next week as Ive clicked on it again and yes-£10 off this week also. I think it is until 30 November. This will save me time and fuel. I cut my costs well in October, but I hope to slice another £10 pw off in November and therefter.

Pink.

Hi angelatgraceland,

There is a good thread on menu planning that may help you:

Menu Planning Tips (merged)

Pink

SuiDreams

Think I'm going to come in with in Budget this month have £80+ left and only have 13 more days to go and think I have enough food to last the week (except may have to buy some milk and some bread for Hubby). Had to buy some more stock cubes today but my Gluten Free ones were 74p for 6 need to find a cheaper alternative

brummiebabe

Tesco shop came last night, spent £51.77 (with £5.99 delivery charge)

This month's total is, therefore, £220.93! Freezer is full, cupboards are full so I'm hoping I can make my target by end of November.

frosty

I have spent £140.10 so far,so i am hoping to succeed this month,my budget is £300.00 for november(4 adults) plus animals for some reason I forgot to include my mum in my budget ,she has lunch most days with us and she has her evening meal with us about 6 nights a week and sunday lunch,I have also got our turkey for christmas day so i am doing alot better this month,October was a bit of a disaster for me.

calleyw

Oops looks like an over spend this month total £93 and still need to get milk and fruit until the 27th as that is end of month for us. Budget is normally £100 but did stock on branflakes for the next 7 weeks and a few other bits and pieces I have stocked upon.

Mind you I got today a £6 off a £30 spend for tescos that runs out on the 26th. So will be down tescos with my cheque book on that day. LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Yours

Calley