July 2009 Grocery Challenge

mioliere

Hi there, and good luck with your new lifestyle.

Barneydee has great advice - leave the debit card at home, and only take enough cash for what you need. That way, you won't be tempted.

Meal-plan for the week (or month) ahead, and only shop for what you know you will use.

Stardrops is great for just about everything, including cleaning the car - my DH won't use anything else.

All the advice on here so far is great. I would add some stingy things that I do, like cut some pieces of kitchen roll into quarters, and leave them in an open box next to the kitchen roll. They are ideal for when you just want to wipe a knife while making sandwiches, or something like that, and it makes the roll last for ages. My family really laughed when I started doing it - they all do it now!

As Thriftmonster has said, soaking is great for getting rid of heavy laundry stains. It's what we all did, before automatic washing machines came along, anyway.

Use vinegar instead of fabric conditioner - the smell doesn't linger and it's just as effective, but tons cheaper.And, as others have said, vinegar has so many other uses.

Put an elastic band round the neck of a handwash dispenser, just below the bit you press down. It stops the plunger going all the way down - you still get enough for a good wash, without wasting any, and no-one notices what you've done anyway. I find men are so heavy-handed with them.

Freeze all leftovers, no matter how small. It's amazing what sort of meal you can conjure up after a rummage in the freezer.

I'm sure you'll get loads more advice - there are so many on here with great ideas for saving money. I'll be following this thread for more ideas!

ellemm

First spends of my July budget in signature, this was with the last of the £5 Mr M vouchers used and a couple of good buys in Lidl yesterday - 4 lemons for 44p and a head of celery for 29p, half price Herbal Essences shampoo & conditioner @ £1.45 each and more half price Simple stuff.

Meal planning staying on course so far.

greent

Well it's day 1 and I have no spends planned for today. Veggie box arrived yesterday. I had plums sub'd for nectarines - so have a glut, as I'd bought a punnet - think they'll end up in crumble or poached (yum) Also have a pineapple I bought last week and haven't eaten yet - will start on it today and may finish it in sweet & sour tomorrow/ pizza Friday. Have a HUGE bag of chard which was a sub for lettuce - but chard is on my 'do not send - ever' list, so I have a refund for that - will use some in a potato/ chard/ chicken curry, but guionea pigs may end up with some of it. Have got a lot of veg which require cooking at the mo - and it's just too hot for that! However, ?I am determined not to waste any!

My veg box is £17/ week - but I had a code for do that for 4 weeks and they give me £50 to spend with them - so far too good an offer to miss! I shall use it on some yummy meats, methinks!

Theoretically we have loads of food in, so budget should be incredibly easy. However, I know it won't be quite like that!

Re milk: we get through about 28- 32 pints a week for 4 (DD won't have it on/ in anything and DS3 is 6 weeks old) I always buy cravendale/ tesco pure as I prefer the taste. I tried the purple fresh n lo and really disliked it. DS2 has had a pint and a bit already this morning (and he had toastfor breakfast - that was just to drink!!)

I've also given up baking bread - main bread eater won't eat it and I don't really have the time at the mo to be doing it anyway - I'd rather spend any time I do have for the kitchen on cooking stuff that WILL be eaten! Am using my bread flour up on pizza bases - but it may take a while, as we prob only have 2/ mth!

Am feeling quite 'energised' to do this again this month and will look to see if I can improve in Aug (school hols - eek!!) Must start baking again - will save a fortune in snacky things!

greent

fedupandskint

Having struggled for a couple of weeks last month after some emotional issues triggered off spending on ready meals and choccie I am setting a budget of £200 for this month and see how close I get to this

XSpender

Hi All

Popping in to report a small spend last night of £7.09 on 16 bread rolls, a bottle of wine on offer for OH, shoe polish and a box of 10 Mr S choc ices, 2nd box since Friday:eek:. No wonder we are both complaining of expanding middles.

BIL coming for tea again tomorrow but he will be having something out of freezer as I am not going near a shop until Friday when I will do my weekly shop. Won't need too much expect ham for OH packs, F&V and milk.

BIL told me on saturday my cooking is second to none. It isn't anything flash but I wonder what his ex used to feed him on or if it at all:rotfl:

XS

SunnyGirl

I'm going shopping in a few minutes so will be back later to update my siggy with a lowish amount hopefully

With regards to milk we get through 30 - 36 pints a week for 6 of us. It's mostly on cereals but DS2 & DS3 both have fads on making thick chocolate shake with half a pint of milk, a teaspoon of cocoa & a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream in the smoothie maker which uses a lot but at least they're drinking it

My parents get through 6 pints a day for two of them :eek:

WelshWoofer

Morning all!
I've managed to buy absolutely nothing since Saturday so half a week of not spending on groceries!
However, my mum and sister are coming on Friday for the weekend and so I'll have to pick some stuff up for them/entertaining.
We're off to Cornwall a week on Saturday and so last night I did a freezer and cupboard inventory (didn't take long, been running stocks down) to see what we can get away with buying for next week's shopping to use it all up before we go away.
Hopefully, it'll just be fresh bits and pieces and a few things like shampoo.

I'll try to shop at the local shops rather than Mr T as it restricts what I can buy - no impulse shopping as its literally a butcher, greengrocer, bakery and Spar. We'll see!

I'll do a meal plan now we an idea of what's in.

Hope everyone else is doing ok?

xx_Jo_xx

Hi everyone,

I thought I was doing really well and had stocked up for the month on EVERYTHING (cleaning stuff, toilet roll, kitchen roll the lot!) for £45.49.

That should have left me £54.51 for the rest of the month for fresh milk, bread and fruit when needed.

However - its my birthday on Saturday and Im having a BBQ - Im going home tonight to think about what will be on my menu and what I can do with what I already have in, hopefully then, I can keep my spending down to an absolute minimum......

Does anyone have any ideas to help - ie where is the cheapest place for BBQ foods/meat etc.

Thanks

Jo x x

scotsaver

My first post of the Month so Thanks MRSMC, Pink-winged & Rosiben for getting us set up again.:A

Welcome to all the Newbies and congrats on the new Baby arrivals.:D

I've updated my total for the Month so far, decided on a different approach after my huge failure last month, bought in bulk to try and cut down my visits to the shops. Looked back on last month and I think I could count on one hand my NSD's. I think I may be a SHOPAHOLIC in denial.:o Anyway, I now have what I need in to last me until Monday so fingers crossed.

Don't think anyone has posted yet about Aldi's Super 6 but it's brilliant again this month:-

BANANAS 49p a Kilo - fyffes bananas
5 box of Nectarines 49p - really sweet & juicy
500g box of Grapes 49p - sweet and seedless
1.5kg bag of New Potatoes 49p
Bag of 3 mixed peppers -49p
Pack of Vine Tomatoes - 49p had these in a salad last night, delicious

Dinner tonight is a Frittata which I kind of throw together rather than follow a recipe as such, going to put Courgettes from the garden in it, some sliced peppers from Aldi and some sliced mushrooms, shall serve it with Baked potatoes (1.5kg bag from ASDA on special at £1), just counted and there are 9 in the bag so will get another meal out of those, and shall also put together a large bowl of salad leaves from the Garden so a very MSE:money:dinner tonight.:T

Hope you all have a good day.;)

MRSMCAWBER

Morning all

Nice to see so many new folks joining in :T
Well, Im on my 5th NSD in a row .... although I'm going to have to do a fruit top up on friday as "someone" :whistle:has demolished 2kg apples, 2kg oranges and 2kg of nectarines since Friday ...oh and 1 grapefruit -so Im left with a pineapple and 2 grapefruit ..which will be making juices for the next couple of days...nomnomnom... I will have to make do with my organic natural yoghurt with bottled rhubarb stirred in to make up the rest of my fruit intake until then
I will also need more salad stuff -another thing we get through at an alarming rate..mind we have them pretty much every day and hubby takes them for lunch....
Im having some home made cream of tomato soup for lunch and then its a huge salad with feta and steamed potatoes for tea for me, and hubby is't sure what time he will be back (away playing cricket today) -so Im making him a lovely pizza with baguette dough as the base (they are gorgeous if I say so myself )....

Hope everyone is off to a good start....and having a lovely day -its far too hot here :cool: