December 2008 Grocery Challenge

rosieben

gailey wrote: »

.... spend money on good quality basics like herbs/spices,oil,passata,tinned tomatoes,pureepizza basesflour,baking stuff. ....

you could stock up gradually on baking etc, otherwise if can be expensive - work out your meal plan and just buy the extras you need for that week, after a few weeks you'll find you have built up your base storecupboard, especially if you vary the meals/recipes a little through the month

I've seen other posters who've had problems getting their OH on side with the budgeting; they've found it helps to point out that money saved might be used for something that the OH might enjoy - football tickets, video, pc game? Depends on your finances really and its technically bribery but might be worth a try

angelatgraceland

Gailey-I don't know if you have a breadmaker but I always make my own pizza bases- they are so much cheaper and so much nicer. I have made the doughn split it into 3 portions and put it in the freezer for another day. One third of the mix nicely lines a victoria sponge tin I find and this is what I cook my pizzas in! I can then make 3 different pizzas if I like, from one mix-so even if you did it by hand it would be worth it.
I don't use many readymade sauces-they are also expensive unless you get the value ones. They can double the price of a meal!
Glad you h ave your priorities-as we all do-better to make sacrifices in other areas than on the meat and eggs that you want to buy.
Ive not allowed any extra for December as we don't entertain-its only us and we wont really eat much more than normal. We eat well anyhow so Christmas doesnt make a lot of difference for just one or two days. Ive just bought a few extras over the past couple of months and that is enough.
No spend day today and Ive altered my Asda delievery from tomorrow night now to Sunday. Hardly spent anything this week-about £26 though I may buy a few bits tomorrow as I need milk and cheese.

Blairweech

Gailey - Have you thought about getting a veg box delivered? I don't have one, as they don't deliver to my area, but lots of people on here do. Apparently it's organic, fresh every week and because it is seasonal, it encourages you to use veg you would not normally buy (and hopefully use it all). Or do you have a farmers market/farm shop near you, which sells its own produce? Do you have a garden - you could always grow a little of your own veg - it does not take up much space.

Try Abel and Cole for veg boxes, or Riverford

That is perfectly understandable about not wanting to compromise on meat -I think that is the whole idea of the GC, choosing not to buy something so that you can afford something you REALLY want (for me, I will not compromise on Yorkshire Tea) I think the people who do the veg box do a meat box as well. Have you tried going to the butcher and aking where his meat comes from?

Sorry, I am probably overwhelming you with information!

Kiwisaver_2

Well I've done my usual weekly Friday shop and can't afford too many more days like today on this month's budget $111.28 and there's not much there - oops! Should have been less than $100, BUT you know got tempted by a box of After Eight mints for Xmas $7.40 even though I'm not going to be home and a magazine $5.50.

Still I can procrastinate and console myself, the magazine was 'Healthy Food' and wasn't just a throwaway trashy celeb read, it always has some good recipes that 'might' just save me some money in the future.

I fear it will be another case of too much month and not enough money.

gailey_2

Thanks everyone think I will have to be gradual with store cupboard basics particuarly baking as nwas working out a possible dec monthly meal plan by cokking soething diffrent every night over 28-30 days as opposed to having same meal every week as realised we stuck in a rut food wise and my new diet book french women dont get fat says i need to exercise better portion control and make food more intresting by eating a more varied diet.
Meat still adds up im quite happy to forgo meat but hubby is not but it sure does bump up things.
We do like 1 bottle of wine a week too.
I make my own bread from breadmixes but hubby not keen says they too heavy so put me off getting bredamaker as our kitchen tiny and wanted to buy a slow cooker too. Does bread in bread maker taste like shop .
Anyoen know how to make pizza bases from scratch by hand as will give that a go as will save me buying readymade bases.
As for sauces aldis do nice pasta sauces for 59p and im big fan of sainsbury ow brand which are under £1 for big jar. Other than that we just buy whatever curry/pasta sauce thats on offer at the time usually dolmio Lloyd grossman also liek 3 for 2 m&s sauces.
Veg fruit a tough one as hubbys says sometime we buy too much and waste it.
I always make habit of ensuring we got chillis,lemonsgarlic and ginger to help flavour things more.
Also hubby seems to maon about price of fruit but si first to stack up on cake and biscuit ailse which drives me mad!
Finding dairy a struggle as daughter eats lots of yougurts4pints of milk a day and we seems to get through silly amounts of chese each week too.
Mainly because hubby likes lots of chese on pasta and takes sadwiches daily and reduses to take things like soup but sometimes takes leftovers.
I guess its about prioriterising I would love to cut back on grocery/frozen items if it allowed me to buy nicer meat and veg or odd extra bottle of wine its trying to strike a budget between tight bugdget and lifestyle.
The farmers market and local farm shop is lovley buy hubby considers it financially unattainable.
Im gona go local butcher and greengrocer tommorow and compare and may try farm shop tuesday.
Tuesday we were planning to go to aldis and morrosions however hubby wants to go to iceland which is dangerous territory for hubby in dec as he buys so much rubbish on offer.
I guess the trick is to shop them all I admit
I love tesco finest range and tesco juice!
I adore everything in sainsburys
not keen on adsa
see iceland has purpose but not keen
morrisions been happy meduim between asda and tesco in cutting back but unimpressed with their meat and how long their fruit and veg lasts
Not keen on lidls but dont mind aldis.
Its finding time to do them all as hubby works long hours and shopping with toddler a nightmare as we end up spending more.
Going get parmasan as last us ages and useful to gret on cheese to save chedder monster eating all cheese.
Also will make sure I got more spreadable cheese and try freezing cheese.
Think I need more tupperware to try batchcook and freeze.
need more stuff for baking.

Last but not least claning stuff and toilitries guys

where you buy yours?

Should I opt for superamrket or try

boots
superdrug
poundstrecher
or wilkos whod starngly do food as well?

Im confused as always try to buy supermarket own brand but think pounstrecher had better deal on washing powder.
I like meon or apple antibacterial spray and prefr natural range with small toddler how do I make these? Is there a cleaning thread?
We use cloth nappies since burth so big saving there as disposables so pricey

mommyof4

Well been to Mr T and spent £28! Only really needed some campbells condensed mushroon soup for Christmas vol au vents. Didn't see any campbells soups, have they stopped doing them? Anyway ended up with Tesco version for 69p. Grandson11 was with me and 'tried' to persuade me to buy him some phone credit. Didn't give in, felt a bit mean, but trying to make him realise about budgets etc. He had his pocket money with him, so he could have bought it.

Also nipped into Woollies and spent £4.50 on some new (pink) dinner plates and side plates. They were all 50p each. We needed some so it wasn't a frivolous purchase.

Tea is going to be veggie shepherds pie, sprouts, suede and yorkshire pud to keep the kids happy.
:j

PurpleSkies

I've already declared my November total but I only had an estimate of £39/£40 because of lost receipts. Well I found them while i was having a bit of a clear out and it turns out my end total was £36.75 so I was even more underbudget than I thought! I know it's only a few pounds but because my budget is so low in the first place it makes quite a difference for me. So quite please with that now.

Although don't think December is going to be very "money saving". The GC should be fine as i don't intend on buying many groceries but I've already had a few meals out/take aways already and I've been buying snacks and mulled wine at the Christmas market! Thank goodness Christmas only comes once a year!

the_cat

mommyof4 wrote: »

Only really needed some campbells condensed mushroon soup for Christmas vol au vents.

Morrisons have these at half price offer at moment if you have one close

rosieben

gailey wrote: »

.... Is there a cleaning thread? ...

gailey, my BM bread doesn't taste like shop bought but I do prefer it to the shop bread which is laced full of chemicals so that it keeps fresh right until the moment it goes green!! :rolleyes:

I think you need to give your oh a wake up call about economy - could you tot up over a week or two and compare what you spend on fruit and also what you spend on cakes/biscs/other less healthy treats? I think it might provide OH with a bit of a shock!

For Cleaning, Laundry etc its definitely worth a look through the OS Indexed Collection - scroll down to post #4 for Cleaning and also see the Save Zillions on Cleaning

gailey_2

I just want us to heat healthy with tasty hoem cooked natural foods.
Hubbys in unhealthy as hes fussy he hardly eats any vegeats huge prtions and loves his meat too much. He also has no restraint when it comes to bread,cheese,chocolate,crisps,biscuits and cakes hence me hiding some stuff as nice surprise!

I love cambelled condesnsed soup as pasta sauce!
Wil checkout cleaning thread but I need to shop around more as want to collect boots points for next xmas and think wilkos and poundstrecher are better value than supermarkets on some household things

For all those who have kids in nappies do consider cloth even if just part time round house wills have you fortune as I cant imagine having expense of nappies each month on top could think of better ways to spend money.

Me an dhubby started an enrich our lives list silly things like
we need new wine glasses as alll ours broke
more tea spoons and knives where they all gone
new mugs as some bit chipped
pasta bowls to stop stuff sloshing off side of plates
new chopping board ours seen better days
new tupperware to batch cook and freeze
new baking tins(hopefully money saving)
new biscuit barrel to store bsicuits air tight
slow cooker
new tin opener as our difficult

Lets hope santa listens!