September 2008 Grocery Challenge. Please read first two posts.

Julimk

Galaxy863 – I think £150 is a reasonable starting point for 2, though I am sure with the help & advice on here you will soon get it down! Jan – Aug you have averaged £163.56 (by my calculations) so it isn’t much less.

I started at £200 (this is my first month) based on typical main shop of £50-£60 plus bits in between. And with a week to go am at £125 & probably will only need milk, f&v and maybe some OJ, so could come in at less than £150. This is for 2 (1 adult & DD(9)) plus hamster! I don’t feel I have scrimped at all; this month I have bought chicken breasts & eggs from ‘happy’ chickens!

Haven’t worried too much about processed food as I do cook a lot from scratch anyway, so probably minimal.

A lot of the advice is based on making the most of what you do buy rather than necessarily going for cheaper produce. I used to buy a small chicken & make two meals (roast & a leftovers one such as curry) but now will be 3 or even 4 meals from the same sized chicken plus chicken stock from the bones.

Everyone seems to have a slightly different approach; I like to have a well stocked store cupboard so that I can cook up anything at a moments notice. But probably the main thing I have learned (so far, am learning more every day!) is to check what I have in before I go shopping (with a list!) Turns out I have 10 cans of tomatoes in! OK they are cheap & useful but I don’t think I need to buy any more for a while!

Made some more of the pea & broccoli soup today & some HM quiche with last scrap of gruyere, leftover gammon etc. DD is keen to try making broccoli & cheese soup (broccoli is her favourite veg – is this odd in a 9 year old? Not complaining!)

Thanks to everyone for their support & advice.

Juli

Blairweech

Hello :wave:

I am sorry I am not keeping up with the thread - I just can't, I'm too busy

Sept GC is completely out of the window, Ihave not kept track of a single spend. I know I didn't declare August either, but I was definantly under.

I promise I will do better in future :embarrased:

savingfortravel

Spent a little bit in Mr T today.. hope to not spend much more before Friday...

annelouise_2

Had a very productive evening.

Walked 1.5 miles to Teso at 7pm.

Hung around bread aisle,smiling sweetly and got a cheese baguette and long french baguette for 9p each.

6 pints omega 3 milk 45p.

4 choc covered donuts 25p - supper and packed lunch tomorrow.:T

Paid £1.69 for a large family steak and onion pie for OH special request for tomorrows tea.Have all veg in and have made dauphinoise potatoes.

Have pizza,sausage rolls,buffet scotch eggs,bread rolls,carrot cakes,fruit for packed lunches all week.

I'll be taking turkey soup again tomorrow.

annelouise :rotfl:

philsmum

Hi everyone

Just popped in to update my signature. Not very good this month, £2.25 left:eek: Hopefully can last out until weekend.

Mrs McCawber, will you put me down for £160.00 next month Thanks.

dazzle21

Need to locate where on earth i have tidied the receipts up to, but i believe so far we've spent £170ish still alot but a big improvement on 3months ago! Quite alot of food in the freezer and stock cupboards. Did a top up shop yesterday to buy things like sr flour and milk, inevitably ended up with reduced tea cakes (but they were 14p!). Hope to only have to shop for nappies in the next week! But may have to come up with some interesting menu ideas involving kidney beans and sweetcorn which i seem to suddenly have alot of!! Can i be put down for £200 for October please!

Penelope_Penguin

Good evening everyone :beer: Well done to you all for meeting the challenge of rising food prices

Can I ask that anyone who's unhappy with the way the Grocery Challenge is working to post on this thread, please - GC options. This means that Pink and I will easily be able to see people's opinions.

Pink-winged and I came up with guidelines for the GC (see posts 1 and 2 of this thread) after consultation with all users of the thread. From my point of view, I'm only following suggestions of posters, as I don't participate in the GC myself. Board Guides don't delete posts lightly - we're doing it here because that's what posters have asked us to do. If you'd like to have your say on this, please do so on the GC options thread.

Thanks, Penny. x

[Deleted User]

Hi all,
Very successful first month of the grocery challenge, looks like i will do it easily.
Can you please put me down for the October challenge at NZD $100 for the month
Thanks Jennie

scotsaver

Morning everyone - had a good day in the Kitchen yesterday so all stocked up again on Hobnobs, Cherry Bakewells and mini Sausage Rolls for Lunchboxes. Today I'm planning a day in the Garden, if it stays dry, want to dig up a large Flower Bed at the bottom of the Garden and grow some more Veg in there next year. Will move the plants from there around other places in the Garden or pot them up and give them to Friends.:D

As the potatoes were such a success this year and it was my first time I decided to grow some more next year but will need to grow them in a different place and so need more room, so need to move everything around - at least all the digging will be good exercise.:rolleyes:

Galaxy863 - you should meet your Target no probs. I'm on £250 for myself, OH, DD1 who is 12 and DD2 who is 10. We always buy Free Range Chickens and Free Range eggs, Free range Chicken is £3.49 a KG in Lidl at the moment and Sainsburys have 15 Free Range eggs for £2 at the moment. Sometimes I buy them in Asda when they do them for £2 - just have to shop around to find who is doing the best deal at the time. Sadly I don't have a decent Butcher or Farm Shop close by. Good Luck.;)

kalojac

Hi Can you put me down for £320 please for OCTOBER, this is for 2 adults, 3 boys (6,5 and 3) and a dog.

Thank you xx