September 2008 Grocery Challenge. Please read first two posts.

Obukit

My shopping list varies each week depending on which vegetables are reduced - however, I tend to have the following staples all the time: -

8 x Basics Chopped Tomatoes    21p ea    £1.68
4 x Basics Tinned Kidney Beans 13p ea    £0.52
4 x Basics Baked Beans         20p ea    £0.80
1 x Basics Mature Cheese       approx    £2.10
2 x Basics Mashed Potato       31p ea    £0.62
1 x Basics Peppers             7 appx    £1.48
1 x English Lettuce            each      £0.38
1 x Basics Tomatoes            6 appx    £0.60
2 x Value W/meal Bread         45p ea    £0.90
1 x Basics onions              pp bag    £0.55
1 x Basics mushrooms           tray      £1.37
2 x Basics potatoes            2.5 kg    £3.58
1 x Basics plain flour         1.5 kg    £0.32 
1 x Basics porridge oats       1   kg    £0.45
                                        ======
TOTAL                                   £15.35

This will normally last two of us almost two weeks, and is supplemented both by reduced items (typically spend about £2 a week and this provides us with plenty of fresh fruit and veg and occasional treats like chicken, pork pies etc if they are reduced to 10p or less) as well as some other items, e.g. oil, cocoa, baking powder etc. that are used less frequently. Overall we budget £45 a month for the two of us - with £100 we could afford fish, meat and more non-RTC fresh fruit and veg.

pink_princess

well done crazy about saving thats an impressive meal plan.
Is there any chance of the recipie for the ham and scallopped potatoes and also the ex mex skillet and what on earth is chicken hurry? I hope you don t mind posting these.
Well just finished my night shift and mr s has reduced nearly every basic in the store over night.(so im really tired lol)
Some only by one or two pence but others by up to 20p (salad cream etc) i feel a basics price war coming yeah.
Good luck every-one and i wish you s a nsd.
TTFN

scotsaver

Morning everyone - just posting quickly before I get the girls up for School. Today will be another NSD and as it's the last day of my Sept GC I can spend something tomorrow but as I have meal planned already for the weekend I should only need to buy some Milk, F&V, so it should be a good start to the Oct GC.;)

Dinner tonight will be my usual Friday night, Battered Fish, HM Chips & Mushy Peas - Friday is my day off from the Kitchen so planning to go power walking after the School run and then come home to get the Housework done. Shall also rustle up an Apple Pie for Pudding - still trying to use up all the Apples from our tree - no room in the Freezer for anything else until after the weekend.:D

Good luck to everyone still to declare and enjoy today - the sun is forecast again so should be a nice day.:D

Miss_Piggy_2

I think this board is fabulous and, after reading it for several months but not doing much, I've decided to set myself a challenge.

We are a family of three (with two extras - stepchildren- every other weekend) and our food bills tend to be quite high. I know this is because I make that fatal mistake of making lots of trips to supermarkets!

Money IS very tight as although OH is working full time I can only work part time due to young sproggie. I'm also on a DMP so any savings come in very handy!

Anyway...my challenge to myself this month. I have done ONE big shop which is being delivered this morning (had a free delivery code otherwise would have trogged round shop myself). I will go to shops once a week for bread, milk and veg only. I will go with limited cash so am not tempted to buy extras. My budget is as follows:

BIG SHOP £90 (laundry, toilettries etc included)
Week One £15
Week Two £15
Week Three £15
Week Four £10 (to encourage me to use up stuff from week before)

Would you all think this budget is realistic? On the big shop I have stocked up on frozen chicken, gammon, mince etc so should have plenty of makings for meals. Are there any obvious things I should be doing to keep myself in budget? Are there any pitfalls / obvious things I havent though of? Actually, adding it up it seems quite a large budget - am I overbudgeting!?!

Thanks!:D

madmittens

Morning all

Haven't managed to post this month, but have come on to declare my total -£48.34 out of £70 budget (MrsM, could you put me back on the monthly list please - I seem to have slipped to 'weekly' on the list ). I was away for three days last week (w*rk) and couldn't be bothered to do a shop when I got back so have been eating from cupboard/freezer this week.

I'm going to go for £80 in October please MrsM (5 week month for me).

Have a good weekend everyone

Penelope_Penguin

Hi there :beer: I'll add you post to the Grocery Challenge thread later. Please read the guidelines in the first two posts

October's challenge will start on Sunday, so feel free to get yourself invloved in that

Penny. x

helenm2008

Crazyaboutsaving - thanks for sharing your meal plan - you've got a real nice variety of meals there. Makes me realise we eat the same thigns over and over in this house!

This has inspired me to pull my finger out and get refilling my empty freezer with soups and meals. Then when I'm about to throw something really boring together, I can fish something tasty out instead

Helen

jackie_w

Right, Im finished for this month too. Had a rummage through the freezer and cupboards, and I have just about enough food in to last us until Monday, same with bread, milk & fruit.
So, Im declaring my total for September at £237.25.

Mrs mac, could you please put me down for £350 for October.

I know this is £100 more than Septembers budget, but, Im planning on spending alot on butcher meat, because, I find it usually lasts me a few months. I know many of you are saying about buying woopsied meat, but, I never find them, and this time Im going to buy in bulk, and have a big cookathon, because I know this will work for me.

Oh, meant to say yesterday, Asda were doing 2 chickens for £10, they were quite big chickens (not large), if thats any help to anyone. I think I might buy this becasue usually out of one chicken, I would get 3, maybe 4 meals (roast chicken, chicken curry, chicken pie, and stock to make soup with the bones).

caledoniaquine

You seem to be doing the same as me this month, I cleared out freezers and cupboards and got a big shop with most of food for month delivered this morning ( think delivery man must have hated me lol), now hoping to just have to buy things like milk loaf etc everyweek.

I got a voucher that gave £9 off If I spent over £90 so I think my shopping came to just over £83 pounds.

That post was for lady who posted in other thread lol and ive no idea why there is a grumpy face in my post. I do have the cold though so am feeling a bit grumpy lol

I dont think I have any more room to put stuff if i did buy it lol

Miss_Piggy_2

caledoniaquine wrote: »

That post was for lady who posted in other thread lol and ive no idea why there is a grumpy face in my post. I do have the cold though so am feeling a bit grumpy lol

Ah that was me! Just finding my way round the board at the moment!

Yes, I tend to only get mine delivered when they offer money off! And I think Asda man will hate me too as theres going to be tons of it when he finally arrives with it!

I'm just hoping it doesn't encourage me to spend more overall. I'm going to ban myself from shops all week and have lots of no spend days.