March Grocery Challenge

jackiegibbo

hello everyone, as a newie to the grocery challenge i would like to know how everyone manages to stop themselves from spending. I got paid today and im just itching to go out and buy something, i find i usually have money for the first 10 days of the month and spend the lot(after bills of course) and after that i manage to survive on very little..........strange or what!!!!

moggins

jackiegibbo wrote:

hello everyone, as a newie to the grocery challenge i would like to know how everyone manages to stop themselves from spending. I got paid today and im just itching to go out and buy something, i find i usually have money for the first 10 days of the month and spend the lot(after bills of course) and after that i manage to survive on very little..........strange or what!!!!

I get that feeling too, what I do is allow myself £10 on payday and go round the charity shops bargain spotting, once that's over I feel better I also arrange the monthly Tesco delivery to arrive as soon as possible after payday. When I've finished loading it into the cupboards and they are looking all fat and healthy again the world feels right and I have no wish to hit the shops.

willow's_mum

hi, i'm new to all this but just though i'd let a few tricks i've aquired recently, having got four chickens and a nice lot of eggs i make up cakes and mini ommlettes with bits of value ham and cheese (which i then freeze) and put them in the kids lunch boxes -they're great eaten cold. i also make up extra stew and dumplings which my 7yr old takes in a flask for lunch, great on these horrible snowy days.
i must say my best money saving ploy lately has been to take an evening job in the local store- i then buy stuff which would have been thrown out just cos its on its sell by date. tonight for example i bought 7 packs of sausages for 10p each- all now in freezer- 9 multi packs packs of kitkat chunkies for 5p a pack (they bb date was lastweek, but the kids won't know that!!) i pack of sausage rolls for tommorrows luch boxes and i bag of salad for the same(both bb 1/3/06)
in total i spend £1.79 cos i even used my discount card! sometimes i bring home foc fresh baked bread and veg which has to be thrown if not sold, if i don't freeze it the chickens & rabbits luv it to supplement their feed
i don't know what my budget it as the moment- i've gone from weekly pay to monthly which is a bit scary. i shop for 2 adults, 4 children, 3 dogs, 2 cats, 4 chickens and 2 rabbits

pavlovs_dog

hey willows mum and welcome to the board!

this thread is actualy from last year.

the current one is here http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=157069&page=1&pp=10 if you'd like to join in

squeaky

willow's_mum wrote:

hi, i'm new to all this but just though i'd let a few tricks i've aquired recently,

Hiya

As has been said, you managed to join one of our earlier challenges so I have moved your post and added it to the current one.

Posts are listed in date order, so you'll need to read from the beginning to catch up.

Good luck

DopeyDora_2

Count me in too.

Came in under budget for Feb which was first month of trying so was pleased with that.

Meals planned until next shopping trip, so will just need bread, milk & possible few bit of veg to see us through until next big shop mid March.

Have saved sooo much money bringing in sandwiches/last nights leftovers for work lunches rather than popping to Tesco for pre-packaged junk. And have much fuller tum too. Can't remember last time I raided the snack machine at work (not bringing money helps that too :T )

Dora

muddled_midget

Hi
I think it's about time i limited my grocery shopping, my problem is I love going to the supermarket, and go just cos I'm bored! So my budget for this month is £60, starting from Saturday just gone for 4 weeks, to buy myself food for weekdays. (I go to my boyfriend's at the w/e so don't often have to spend much there, unless he's not been for a fortnight, in which case I do a full grocery shop!) I'm also going to take my lunch to uni everyday, as the things I make are so much more tastier than the things in the canteen!

bizzy_lizzie

My first grocery challenge, and I am hoping I'll be better with everyone able to see what i have been up to !
I am going to allow £300 to feed two adults & two teenage boys with an infinite capacity for food, two cute cats & 1 bird. (no, i will not economise further by feeding pets to each other)
I plan & shop quite well normally but then i pop into tesco for milk & end up with £30 of bogof fishfingers & other stuff i dont really need. So my plan this month is big shop shortly (maybe tonight) and a trip to the farm to fill up the meaty bit of the freezer & then a weekly shop at lidl for milk & veg (based on the theory of being less likely to get led astray in lidl)

I am also going to learn how to do my signature so that I publicise any overspends (and hopefully I wont do it then)

Good Luck to everyone

Bizzy Lizzie

squeaky

Signatures are explained in the MSE A-Z guide written by sra. It's in the link below.


http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=35717

FrugalAussie

Hi Everyone

As you can see from my signature I have spent quite a lot of my March grocery budget but this was due to some good specials this week. I am aiming to avoid the supermarket until Wednesday next week. We have long weekend this weekend so the shop is shut on Monday so that will help. I want to use up some of the meat in the freezer and all the bread as some of it has been there for a while. So we won't go hungry.

My biggest challenge is not getting cranky and giving in to the oldest child who always complains "there is nothing to eat in the house." What he actually means is there is not junk (even though I do buy him a few supplies he eats them in one afternoon!) So will try to remain calm all long weekend even when he says this 20 times a day and cook the kids a filling lunch so they are less likely to go looking for snacks.

Hope everyone else is doing well with there challenge.

Welcome Willow's Mum it sounds like you have a great job. If you worked out how much you were saving on food and added that to your weekly wages you are probably on a very good hourly rate.