Grocery Challenge Thread Options 1 September 2008 at 11:28PM edited 30 November -1 at 1:00AM in Old Style MoneySaving 130 replies 11.7K views

belfastgirl23

Hi everyone

Recently it seems that a lot of people have been noticing the speed at which the grocery challenge thread is moving. Its popularity is great and it would be fantastic if at some time we were able to show how much money we've collectively saved - I know in my first year I saved £1800 off my previous year's shopping :eek:

But some of us are finding it tough to keep up with the speed of the thread now. As an example, in September last year there were 437 posts in total. We've already gone over that this September and it's only the first day of the month And as a very longstanding grocery challenger, with regret I've had to give up reading the thread and I hate posting and running. But different site users have different needs and I think it would be great to have a debate about this.

So I thought I'd try a quick poll to see if other people have similar issues. Please feel free to post comments too.

This is a genuine question directed at seeing whether there might be a way to make the GC thread work for everyone. All opinions welcome.

Jacks_xxx

:wave: Hiya honey!

I don't know what I think yet....:o

On the one hand I think it is the sheer volume of posts that has stopped me from being so involved in the GC as I used to be the past few months - but I also think the friendly chat and advice is part of what makes it such a great thread.

But I do confess that I find myself not replying to people because I'm only on Page 7 and the thread is on Page 25 so I tend to assume that someone else will have done so already - which makes me feel a bit left out of the conversation. And could make someone feel ignored if we all thought that way. (And not to mention that I've always forgotten what I wanted to say by the time I actually get as far as page 25 anyway!)

I don't know what the solution is , but I really hope we can put our heads together and think of one because I'm managing to keep up so far by checking in four or five times a day but I'm not sure how I'll get on when I have to go back to work in a few days!

Love Jacks xxx

angelnikki

LOL, I had said this would be a good idea but I've changed my mind :doh: I don't think there should be a GC chat thread because anything that is relevant to the GC should go on the GC thread, any other chat should go on OS daily chat thread (if it's OS chat) or the other chat threads on the other boards.

If there was a GC chat thread it would just end up being a chat thread because anything to do with the GC will be posted on the non chat thread if that makes sense

How would a GC chat thread differ from the OS daily chat thread?

Is there a reason why people dont feel they can post their questions on the quick questions thread or their chat on the daily chat thread instead of on GC? Maybe that is the issue that needs to be addressed rather than making another thread.

I think that me posting the Recipe Index has probably added to all the chat as people are posting recipe requests & queries which really arent anything to do with the GC. Sorry.

Nikki x

Pink.

I have been thinking for a few months now that the grocery challenge is getting very difficult to keep up with because of the sheer volume of posts and to be honest, recently I've stopped trying.

I know that one of the reasons is that we now have many more people taking part in the challenge than we did a year ago, partly due to the rising cost of living and partly due to the increasing volume of posters on both MSE and the Old Style board.

There are a number of threads on this board that regularly veer off topic and have become chatty rather than moneysaving threads. While the more chatty posts help to create a sense of community they can put new posters off from getting the help that they need simply because they feel that they would be intruding.

Penny and I have discussed this but we have been unable to come up with a solution that will please everyone. The Grocery Challenge is largely moneysaving with a great deal of chat thrown in, but my fear is that the chat will prevent people who really need help from joining. On the other hand I can see that the regulars who have come to know each other well enjoy the support they get from other members in the more chatty posts.

Older members will remember that we fought long and hard to be allowed the daily thread. As Old Style is first and foremost a moneysaving board the daily is the place to chat on the this board. I'm afraid if you do all decide that you want a separate thread for Grocery Challenge chat and don't wish to join the daily then it will need to be posted in the Arms. A similar thing happened before with the 'good enough club' and it worked.

Anyway, I'm not long in from work and need to get some sleep but I'll have a think and see if I can come up with any ideas but I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on this.

Pink

ZoeGirl_3

Hi,

I agree that the grocery challenge is out of control lol. :rotfl:

I dont think a chat thread and a totals thread would help much personally, because there are still heaps of posters and even if the thread grew at half the rate it is still HUGE lol.

Could we maybe have three seperate challenges? Sort of like a beginners, intermediate and advanced?? I am just thinking of weezls challenge in contrast to the grocery challenge, :rotfl: ...

Or maybe limit the posting of totals to the signiture?

troo

Why not make it a weekly challenge?

I shop weekly but I'm happy to use the monthly challenge (though I don't post on it anymore because it's soooo huge ), I just worked out my weekly spend by x52/12 to make it monthly. If you have a weekly challenge, the monthly spenders could work out their weekly spend by doing x12/52.

MRSMCAWBER

Hi there

The problem with doing it weekly will mean that the list will have to be done 4 times :eek: :rotfl:

troo

MRSMCAWBER wrote: »

Hi there

The problem with doing it weekly will mean that the list will have to be done 4 times :eek: :rotfl:

Ah yes but it can be copied and pasted, and most of the amounts won't change because the monthly people will have already worked their's out for the next few weeks

LearningToSave.

i think thats a fantastic idea from tru.....a weekly one would stop it getting so long.
surely the recipies can be done with a link back to an older post?? rather than do it each time?? and as tru said totals list either copied and pasted or left purely to signatures?

MRSMCAWBER

troo wrote: »

Ah yes but it can be copied and pasted, and most of the amounts won't change because the monthly people will have already worked their's out for the next few weeks

Yep thats true ..but what about when folks declare their weekly spends -it will have to be done 4 times... not being difficult.. just thinking out loud

greent

troo wrote: »

Why not make it a weekly challenge?

I shop weekly but I'm happy to use the monthly challenge (though I don't post on it anymore because it's soooo huge ), I just worked out my weekly spend by x52/12 to make it monthly. If you have a weekly challenge, the monthly spenders could work out their weekly spend by doing x12/52.

I'm a monthly spender and couldn't do it weekly - my weeks vary too much - one week I could have a spend of £150, the next £100, the next £50 and the next £150, for example - whilst I could average it out I would then be wildly over/ under often - and I wouldn't then bother with the GC, as it wouldn't *fit* with my lifestyle

jm2p :-)

Gt