January 2009 Grocery Challenge

AlwaysHappy

Well, went slightly over this month but still really pleased with the effort and I do have quite a lot in my freezer - woopsies were probably my downfall! I would like to declare at £190.13/£175 and set the budget for February at £200 my month runs from the 20th as thats when I get paid. Good luck to all.

gillst_2

Spent £40 of Febs budget already, but got a lot for my money. Went to Mr T this evening and was in the right place at the right time for whoopsies. Do not normally time it as well as tonight.

Got loads of meat - 16 beef steaks £6.40, 8 pork steaks £3, 8 cumberland sausages 10p, 8 chicken drumsticks £1, 3 bags of sliced ham 10p per bag, 5 bags of sliced roast chicken 10p per bag, 3 large slices of pork pie with egg 10p per slice, cornish pastie 10p, also got large chunk of cheese for 10p. Also got an enormous joint of pork for £8 for the weekend that was on special offer at half price. Freezer now full to bursting.

Got some really cheap energy saving light bulbs, some half price stir fry sauces, dried milk, orange juice, vanilla essence, mustard, ground almonds and finally managed to get some flaked rice. Got 3 bags as use before 2010 and have had trouble getting it recently.

I really do need to keep out of the shops otherwise my Feb budget will not even last me to the end of January. Very pleased with my bargains today though.

Well done to everyone, even if going over budget it is still so much better than if we had not been following this challenge. I want to say thank you for all the support I have received in the first month of joining this challenge, even though I went over budget. Looking forward to my second month.

TheBees

Hi everyone

This weekend I didn't have much on so decided to try to support my local shops. I spent £17 at the butchers (which included a HUGE pack of bacon which has been split into smaller portions and put in the freezer). Then I went to the greengrocers and bought fruit and vegetables totalling £10. Then I went to the co-op for remaining items on my list. I expected the total to be around £30 but was shocked to discover I had spent £48! :eek: £11 of my spend was on things that hadn't originally been on my list but was stuff that I picked up on the way around including some whoopsies and BOGOFS.
The moral of this story is that I should have stuck to my original list! Now we have £21 to last to the end of the month!!
This evening we had a beef stew and dumplings which had been cooking in the slow cooker all day. DS aged 15 picked at it, leaving all the vegetables at the edge of his plate, only to be told to eat them by me and his dad. He announced it wasn't his fault he didn't like stew and that I should cook more exciting meals! :eek: :mad: This is when I errupted in a rage and suggested that next week he sits down and works out a menu plan for the family including things we already have in the freezer and also healthy and tasty meals on a budget! Rant over!

Aeshna

I've been spending time now that everything here is 'back to normal' going through all the threads to get myself on track for a MS year, and had forgotten all about the grocery challenge. I need to make sure I curtail my grocery spending, as when I completed my income/expenditure forms, I truly had absolutely no idea what I was spending.

I'll start of in February as I'll be paid on 28th of this month, I assume there will be a new thread then anyway? in the meantime, good luck to you all on meeting your challenge for January! And *hugs* TheBees, hold on in there! Just a thought, but maybe you could try getting DS to follow through on meal ideas?

Aeshna x

miss_keep_counting

Well this post is keeping me in line for now... Had my first NSD in forever, and tomorrow will try yet again to spend no money on food (but need to pay out for something else so not tech NSD) sticking to my cereal, left over roast dinner, fruit and hopefully I can nick some bread for a sandwich or grab something at my mums haha.

I'm trying to let my new life re-vamp spread to other things, battling against getting a £35 a month phone contract with shiney phone and trying to convince myself that getting a £15 pay as you go type thing with a cheap phone for £50 will be better in the long run as it should save me about £300 in 18 months.... can I have some moral support please?? Any recommendations for threads I can join to discuse the above/ similar things ina general chit chat way??

angelatgraceland

miss_keep_counting wrote: »

Well this post is keeping me in line for now... Had my first NSD in forever, and tomorrow will try yet again to spend no money on food (but need to pay out for something else so not tech NSD) sticking to my cereal, left over roast dinner, fruit and hopefully I can nick some bread for a sandwich or grab something at my mums haha.

I'm trying to let my new life re-vamp spread to other things, battling against getting a £35 a month phone contract with shiney phone and trying to convince myself that getting a £15 pay as you go type thing with a cheap phone for £50 will be better in the long run as it should save me about £300 in 18 months.... can I have some moral support please?? Any recommendations for threads I can join to discuse the above/ similar things ina general chit chat way??

Well just to inspire you I will tell you what I did.
I bought a phone from a place online for approx £25-selling in Argos for £50. I "unlocked" it to any network. all of our phones are on pay as you go.
Today I bought a link from ebay for £1 to a site which provides mobile phone topups at a lower price than the shops. I got bck my £1 with my first phone topup. Codes sent by email. Daughter got her virgin topup last night for £13.99 instad of £20 from ebay. There are some great deals around and o2 have some also. Look on the phone forums. Meanwhile I will send you a link for the phone tops ups by pm! If anyone else wants to know the site I am "giving away" the details! Just pm me.

EDIT-they are now not taking new customers due to attempted fraud but this may well remedy itself so if you want the link I will still send it.

So Im hoping to cut our phone costs this year even if its only by 10%-its better in my pocket. Nospend day today even tho Im low on milk I took some from the freezer and some longlife too. Think I will try to last another day-hopefully another nsd day tomorrow. Must not shop-I must use what I have! Didnt spend any money on topup as I still have money over in my paypal account which I can use up this year!

dreamingofmoney

Hiya
2 NSD days for me, i am making a real break through. Will only need bread and milk for the rest of the week, til my big shop on sat or sun (which will technically be a small shop as i did some batch baking at the weekend) so hopefully i am still on track to put the spare £50ish in my savings woohoo!
Goodluck and congrats to everyone, and thankyou all for your posts they really inspire me
Dreamer

Kiwisaver_2

I hit the F&V shop tonight as that's mostly all I need to get past this weekend and the dinner party, went to see if they had any bargains and came out $20.96 worse off, but laden with:

5 Lemons (hummus & marinade for kebabs)
lettuce
2 Tubs cherry Tomatoes (salad & kebabs)
2 Tubs Strawberries for trifle
Huge cucumber for tzatziki and salad
One red onion for salad
2 Green peppers for kebabs
1.5kg carrots (dippy sticks for hummus)
Bunch of fresh coriander for falafel

So given I now have about $31 left I am hoping it will be enough to get the rest I need for the weekend. Can't think past Sunday breakfast at the moment, next week doesn't exist in my head and I just need to get my guests fed for 24 hours from Saturday lunch to Sunday breakfast. So I'll wing it next week, should be able to find a couple of dinners (eggs and chips or fish and chips), perhaps we will have some leftovers and anything else I need later next week can come out of February's budget. Will have heaps of carrots and coriander for soup (just thought of that one yum) and can always make bread.

So technically one more shop for me on Thursday night, $31 to spend, list is written - will she make it?

I am gonna damn well try!

Need: 4 red peppers, bread for dinner, bread for toast, rolls for Saturday lunch, pitta bread, spring onions, filling for rolls, onions, cornflakes, eggs, milk, bottle of coke and some fruit for lunch. Phew!! Seems almost do-able.

mumzyof2

53p for me today

mrs-moneypenny

got some really good reduced bargians at MrS last night
12 wholemeal rolls, 4 wholemeal subs, a brasied steak ready meal, a strawberry trifle and a chocolate swiss roll all for £3.50:T