February 2006 Grocery Challenge

squeaky

Good morning everybody

Once again it's time to start the new Grocery Challenge.

I hope many more of you will join in and I'd just like to remind you all that the challenge here is to challenge yourself - not everyone else.

If it gets to be hard work, or downright miserable then you are likely to get discouraged and quit. Do it gently, and when you think your budget is right, and you haven't given up things that you personally do not want to give up... then fine, fix it there. This is much more about shopping wisely and thriftily than it is about "spending less money" and many posters have found that as they learn the tricks of the trade, so to speak, they also find that they are actually eating better for less!

You wouldn't expect to pass a GCSA after just a few days in school and you shouldn't expect to be able to "do" Old Style in one easy go either. It's a learning process, and instead of trying to do it all at once it's a good idea to pick one or two things that catch your eye and you think "YES! I can do that!" and do them until they become second nature before picking out another thing (or two) to do. Honest

If you keep it as a nice easy process you'll find things change almost without effort and then one fine morning you'll wake up and think...

Hey! I am Old Style


Good luck !!

Originally Posted by Galtizz
I have said this before, but for all the newbies to the challenge;

For the first month I took a guess at the budget but I really had no idea how much I was spending.

I found the best thing is to have a guess the first month but SAVE ALL OF YOUR RECEIPTS (and yes, that does include the ones from the local shop when you run out of milk ), then at the end of the month add them all up and have a look if you were on budget, if not, it doesn't matter because your budget was a guess. For the next month you can use the total of your receipts and take a bit off to get a realistic budget, just shave off as much as you think you can, it could be £1 a week or £20 a week.

If you are currently spending £200 a month don't suddenly drop it to £100 - you'll never do it but if you cut £20 a month off for a few months you'll get there eventually without feeling you're missing out on anything.

You might think you've done everything you can in the first month but someone always comes up with a new idea and, if you try it you often find you save a bit more (unless you are SarahSaver who is an expert at this and could only save more if she turned her back garden into a paddy field and lived on rice ) In the first month I thought, I'm planning meals, I couldn't possibly save any more, but then I started double cooking and freezing, and making soup instead of buying it in tins.

I've been doing this since Feb but only saved ALL of my receipts last month, it has given me a much better idea of where it is all going. Budget for next month is £80 for 2 of us, I'll start on 30/4. I could probably save more, by eating different foods but I can afford to live on £80, I have saved a lot of money since Feb. and I don't waste food or money any more. So I'm happy with my budget.

frosty

I am going for £200.00 again this month(5 adults,2 dogs& cat),I did really well last month I only spent £143.75 and I still have heaps of food in the cupboards and freezer. :j

nic82

I can't wait until I can join in this. Hopefully only a couple more months before I move into my house and then I'll be meal planning and grocery challenging with a vengence! (Mum buys food at the moment!!)

swizzle_2

My budget was £200 last month for 2 adults and 2 children- but only spent £150, had lots in, so am going to say £175 this month and see how it goes.

Done 1 shop already as my feb started 21st jan- going to try and empty all cupboards/freezer before I stock up again- just nip to local shop from bread and milk etc.

Not having a car is saving me money on shopping as I don`t just nip to the supermarket for a few things and come back having spent £50!

manicdays

Am going for £250. Will keep all my reciepts & see how I go. I did a small shop this morning. Mine starts today till 26th Feb.

Lisa

brummiebabe

Am in again this month!! With my new budget (which I now have sorted, using the 'piggybank' technique!!) I have £270 allocated for shopping! Since starting this challenge last year, I've cut down from £400+ per month, but think I'll struggle a little with £270 - but hey, it'll be a challenge!!!!!

This is for 2 adults & 2 kids, including all cleaning/toiletries/household stuff/food and packed lunches!!

tallulah_beaulah

Hi! I'm new here and registered specially to do this challenge!

Have been skulking around all January, saving receipts and picking up tips. By the end of last year, our grocery bill had crept up to about £70 - £90 a week :eek: Through January I've got it down to average of £51 a week, and eaten so much better!

Starting tomorrow, I'm setting myself £221 for two adults and one LO (that's based on £51 a week) if I can stick to that this month, I'll start trying to shave it down next month.

Want to clarify, for myself, what I'm including in Grocery Budget: all food, toiletries, nappies, formula milk, and all that "just popping out for..." stuff.

Here goes....

skystar

I am sticking at my usual budget of £260.00. This is combined food and diesel from 20th Jan to 19th Feb. Always go shopping on a Friday so this means I have to squeeze five shopping trips as opposed to the normal four this month!!

This is for two adults and a nine year old and covers all food, packed lunches, cleaning products and toiletries.

Good luck to everyone!

Judi101

Hi, never done the grocery challenge before but our spending on it has got a bit out of hand. We budget £150 per month for 2 adults (first baby due tomorrow) and this is for groceries, take outs, packed lunches, cleaning, toiletries and once the baby decides to make an entrance will have to pay for their nappies too until I can get some washable ones. Anyway we spent at least £225 last month. I am now on unpaid maternity leave and as I am usually the major wage earner I need to keep a tight lid on things.

I am rambling but the point I was trying to make was have you any tips? I try to bulk our meals out with veg (always seems to end up being with peppers which arent that cheap), try to cook as much from scratch and use our slow cooker. My DH doesnt like veggie meals and I'll admit we both like our food. We are also both looking to reduce our calorie and fat intakes once the baby comes hoping the waistline reduces along with them and that always seems to increase the grocery budget. I try to get the supermarkets own brand stuff as much as possible and always look at the unit cost of things before buying. I have looked into Aldi, Lidl etc and compared but the cost doesnt seem to be cheaper than Asda's own smart price stuff.

Avogirly

I thought I'd have a go at this challenge as I'm doing quite well with my budget and collecting two pound coins (nearly £50!). So for myself, boyfriend and pooch we're going for £160/month. Starting on 31st January.

chickenlady_3

Never done this 'officially' before, so here goes.

£250 (2 adults, 3 kids, dog, 2 cats, 3 chickens).

I have been managing on about £65 per week, so I reckon I could get it down.