April 2009 Grocery Challenge

laineyc_2

I am going to be over this month. I should have increased my total because if the school holidays and visitors. Still, it is all a learning curve.

inamess200

Well I am sneaking back on to the challenge the last 2 months have been awful :eek:- spending has spiralled out of control (no planning so lots of spending regularly in mr t and mr s with nothing really to show for it ) so i have given myself a good talking to and am back in - including reading regularly on here and meal planning . My budget for April is £300 I have some stuff in freezer and have already spent £45 in mr T for food for my sons 4th party (which was yesterday) plus washing powder etc. As my kids say the cupboards are full of ingrediants but not alot to eat!! Need to do some batch cooking re cakes etc - I have loved baking over the weekend and so intend to get back in the habit. Also am planning to grow some veg in the back garden have got a book about container gardening (we rent and garden in very small ) so have a week off next week and intend to sort all that as well.

Well that is the first step done - she heads off to start planning next weeks meals!!!!

mooomin

Hi everyone!

I have been quite quiet on the Grocery Challenge front - mainly as I haven't needed to buy very much at all

I'm currently on my holidays, enjoying the use of a friends house in the Highlands, so we're doing all our own cooking etc. Since we went away I have bought:

M&S on the way up North

Pizza £2.99
Ciabatta £1.99

Tesco - essentials for first two days

Bacon £3 for two packets
Tiger bread £1
Bread for bacon sarnies £1.29
Milk £3 for eight pints
Margarine £0.84
Ham for sarnies £2.60

Co-op

Emergency muesli £1.55

So, I have spent an additional £18.26 from the groceries budget but there have been other good things too - we went for dinner at my parents last night and got given home-made soup to take back with us, no need to go out for lunch today I am going to buy ingredients for bolognaise so it shouldn't cost too much to feed us over the next three days.

I have only spent £45ish so far from my budget and have until the 22nd - will definitely be in budget this month, woo! :j

Cornishpixie_2

Spent £2.73 in M&S, and £1-68 in greengrocer, on saturday. Bits for our curry. And today I spent £3-09 in MR T. bought pots, carrots, bread and crisps. Going to make pasties for tea today. Loose holiday plans a bit, up in the air .Hubby doing a bank of nights and DS3(4), fell out our tree last night. He hit his back on a branch on the way down. Large gash could see his puppy fat:eek:. Lots of glue and steristrips later, all repaired. No rough and tumble for him for a few days. Shall try being a bit productive in between hence baking. Hope u r hols got of to a better start than mine.:)

sazzledazzle

Sorry really slow this month in signing up for this but its cos I havent spent anything on grocerys yet.

Finished last month at £50.91 out of a £70 budget. Please can you put me down for £60 this month.

Thanks

Money_saving_Diva_2

Hi everyone!

Hope you are all doing well this month.

Ever feel like you are swimming upstream? I have to rely on my OH to shop as I haven't done an online shop this month and he just can't help himself buying 'treats'. Yes he does look for yellow stickers and bargains but even so, all the little £1 here and there 'treats' add up. THIS week he went to Morrisons and came back having spent £8 on their version of Lock n Lock!! His argument is that they were half price and he will use them all. *sighs*

I have a lot more receipts to add on too but they are still in his wallet - will have to mug him when he gets home!

We also had a takeaway on Saturday night though I have to admit I didn't put up much of a fight - Oh well, at least we are back keeping receipts which we haven't for a couple of months so if I fail this month I will just use it as the guidence month to see what we really spend!! :rotfl::rotfl:

Diva.x

tessie_bear

hello...who has hidden the sun? hands up.....we have signed ds up for a week long swimming course so went this morning armed with a bar of dairy milk(to allow us to ignore vending machines) we then headed to home bargains to buy stuff for picnics....spent £12 but that included £4 worth of easter eggs...and enough crisps and biscuits and pop for at least 4 picnic so that seemed reasonable...will only need to add sarnies

we did have fish and chips for lunch as a holiday treat...we are havng spag bol for tea but it might change into a bit of toast or a sarnie if we are still full up

there have been a lot of adverts on for half price joints of meat on tv so anyone needing a joint for easter should find something reasonable...im going to have a look in asda tomorrow to see what they have got....i fancy salmon but might get lamb....will have to see what looks nicest

home bargains has some lovely bits for easter if anone needs it...im doing a hunt on sunday and making eggs with moulds on saturday so that should all be fun...if messy

take care
tess

Baileys_Babe

This month we have placed an order for:
5x 19.50 F&V boxes = 97.50
wholefood warehouse = 153.71
Which takes us over our budget for the month with out any other shopping, we will need milk and some toiletries for sure. I was also hoping to go to the butcher but I think we will have to rule this out.

I guess to many of you our F&V boxes are expensive but we get a hugh amont for our money and it is all eaten so no waste and saves me having to go to the supermarket, which is fantastic also makes us more in touch wih the seasons.

Buying in bulk from the wholefood warehouse saves us a fortune and as its online, theirs no browsing the shelves so less temptation to pick thinks up just because you see it. From them we buy: Tea, coffee, cocoa, fruitjuice, flour, sugar, dried fruit, seeds, oats, olives, olive oil, sunflower oil, spices, cooking chocolate, tomato paste, pesto, washing powder, dishwasher detergent & salt, washing up liquid. So that takes care of many our storecupboard basics.

Rowan9

Will have to have a look at my receipts and count up. I think I've spent about £75 but that included a veggie box and extra salad bag and I still have loads to eat. I also had DS and his girlfriend staying so got some extras - cheese, wine etc. Was pleased at my ability not to go mad and buy a trolley full in case anyone went hungry! Everyone is away now and I shouldn't need anything this week. I'm going to count NSDs for food, although I'm likely to sneak out for a nice cup of coffee!
Good luck this month everyone
w

MrsBartolozzi

Will do a proper post in a bit, but when I was in Sainsbury's Dundee today I got some frozen lamb legs (0.8-1kg) for £1.49 each!!!! They had lots so I took 3! Also, not OS, but Goodfella's pepperoni pizzas for 50p each.

MrsB.