September 2008 Grocery Challenge. Please read first two posts.

egon

Our spent so far stands at £115.74 out of £195.

I was thinking of doing another MrT delivery next week, but I don't think I will need to spend more than £25 for the rest of the month. (famous last words!) :rotfl: :rotfl:

Just had serious talk with hubby, as he is out the Army in 18 month. Looks like we are moving to NZ then.... (Have been talking about it for a while now, but we got more info now and met someone we know, who went there etc..)

So, I will be trying to reduce our GC spending by £5 each month, until we are at around £150. And we are trying to save the money.

Over the next 2 month, we are going to sit down and do a budget update and find out all the info we can regards moving etc.

Mrs_Money_Penny

Many thanks angelatgraceland for that.

philsmum

Hi everyone.
Not posted for while, been a bit down since my brothers funeral but am back on track now with GC. In fact I feel a bit like Scrooge I have had so many NSDs.:D
SuperStottie, I think they have the low energy bulbs in Poundland. They are also in Home Bargains if you have a store near you.
I have been told by a friend that the Meal deal is on again this week at M&S.
Hopefully Mr M will have 50p deals from Monday, it is usually every 2 weeks.
Mr A sometimes has 50p deals just for the weekend.
I noticed that in Mr Ts Christmas items are creeping in. and we have not had Halloween or bonfire night yet. :eek:

Its so nice reading all your stories and adventures. I would just love to visit Mrs Mac to have a look at her freezer and storecupboard, !!! I would be like that if I had room in my 1 bed flat:rotfl:
Keep up the good work

Pat

wishus

Right, as I'm new to this, I thought I'd see how long I can stand it before I need to go shopping for food again (last popped to Asda on Monday for a couple of bits)... and I thought I'd run a costing exercise for the food I ate today using old till receipts, prices on packets, a pair of scales, a calculator, eyes and a brain.

The results were interesting... breakfast: porridge (Lidls) with a splash of organic milk (Lidls) and a spoon of syrup (Asda) - hey, only 5.35p!! (I'm including the decimals so you can tell I really did work it out).

Wow - I thought. I'm going to have a cheapo day here.

snack - took a fairtrade banana to work - 14.3p.

lunch - the oh-my-life-needs-eating-now leftovers from Monday night, after I made too much pasta for me. Asda value spaghetti, bargain olives in herbes de provence (50p for a whole packet in Asda), tomatoes, garlic, tuna, hot paprika and parsley. 41.55p for a portion. Cool.

Then it starts unravelling: I had a Birds Eye veggie quarter pounder for tea with potatoes, carrots, sprouts, mustard and gravy. The mustard may have been a gift my parents brought me from France (no, they did get me more than that) and the sprouts another freebie given to me by someone who decided they didn't like them. Nonetheless, that meal came to £1.19. The burger by itself was 50p of that, mind.

So that's about £3 for me for the day being good. I don't really know what my expectations were, but I think they may have been unrealistic. I'm on my own at home, and when I go and see my boyfriend at the weekend, we'll be travelling to see his parents and then go to a wedding reception, so it's going to be difficult keeping the spending down without appearing mean.

I'm going to have to see how I go with this, I think.

Mrs_Money_Penny

Hi Everyone

Brought some milk in tesco express today. £1.06 for 2 litres it was freshlo healthy option pasteurised homogenised semi-skimmed milk. the label says once opened use within 3 days. I brought one the other day and it was fine. I have froze some. Had a couple of coupons so it only cost 31p so a bargin. Taking my mum to Asda tomorrow as she poorly. I don't need alot so will report back tomorrow evening.
Thank you angelatgraceland and money saving Diva with the advise on the tomatoes.

BigMummaF

Has anyone else noticed the subtle price increases happening around us--particularly in MrT? Some more noticable ones include:-
packs of rolls WERE 3 for £1, NOW 2 for £1
fresh chickens WERE 2 for £5:50, NOW 3 for £10
fruit squash WAS in a litre bottle, NOW 750ml

I wanted some of their value strawberry ice cream sauce, but not even a label on the shelf today, let alone the product Quite frankly, I'm getting cheesed off with supermarkets treating me like an imbecile, but where are you supposed to get food when you live in a town miles from decent independant outlets

jackiegibbo

just popped in to update my signature.Hope everyone is well and good luck with your challenges:beer: :beer:

ifonlyitwaseasier

evening all,

well i spent 19.33 in lidl this evening, but that include two lots of charmin, a 2l parazone bleach,lemonade, juice, passata, bread, and some chocs for OH (lidl twix for 25p!!)

got much kudos for custard cookies today (i only passed the recipe on someone else made them) but everyone loved them and it's been passed on to about 10 more people now! so i wanted to say THANK YOU for the recipe!

with some famous last words, i actually don't need anything tomorrow or on the weekend but OH and i might treat ourselves as we are going out sat nite to a friends house, i think if i make custard cookies tho i'll be let off with paying for anything

hugs to all

ioiwe x

Penny-Pincher!!

OH just popped back to the same Sainsburys and got:

2 packets of TTD sausages (50p each packet)
Hake Fillets-30p
Pork Ribs...huge box for £1.50
Large Chicken Pie-30p
Tiramsi (sp)-50p
Bread Rolls-10p

He's really pleased.

PP
xx

Julimk

Hi

Thanks to angelatgraceland, again. Have spoken to DD & she is absolutely up for the challenge, especially if she gets a chef's outfit or cook's apron. She doesn't seem to be bothered which so will go with the cheaper option!

I am lucky inasmuch as even though she is only 9 she enjoys cooking & thinks people who don't eat fruit & veg & only eat processed food are 'weird'!

But thanks to everyone. There are loads of great ideas on here & everyone is really supportive; there is a real sense that we are all in in together!

Second NSD in a row, I will be getting withdrawal symptoms soon! LOL

DD had a chum around this evening & they had penne, tomato sauce & grated cheese - all from current stocks. Cooked extra pasta for a pasta salad for my lunch tomorrow but am now out of penne completely. Also made some flapjacks but am now out of butter too.

I am still munching my way through the umpteen individual portions I have frozen following previous batch cooks. But as have now run out of penne, butter, washing powder, nearly out of DD's mouth wash (there's only 1 I have found she will use), also no yoghurt & nearly out of fruit, I will have to shop sooner rather than later.

I will definitely write a list & also do this while DD is with her Dad (although I want to teach her how to shop & take her sometimes, it is about half the cost if I don't take her!)

Although we don't have a really cheap supermarket here I have researched online & found that there is a Netto only 6 miles away, so I will have to investigate further.

Juli