July 2009 Grocery Challenge

Coxy11

Hi - hope everyone is well.

So as I thought, I'll be flying by the seat of my pants this month as I've got £8.35 left to last us until 20th!! Should should be possible as I've meal planned and have a little of list of things I absolutely need to get for those meals. Nothing too fancy, but just hoping I don't get distracted and buy other goodies when I go shopping!

It hasn't helped that I worked 4 days instead of 2 this week, which meant that I spent out on extras just to make it through the week as the meal plan went out the window. Just my usual 2 working days this week, so will be able to get to MrT, by myself, and hopefully stick to my list.

Helen - many congrats on your wedding :happylove

Coxy
xx

SunnyGirl

Hi The thread about feeding a family for £20 for a month was an unusual case of someone having to make do for a month due to exceptional circumstances. I think you're both doing very well to have your shopping down to £25 a week :T - I can't get anywhere near that as my signature shows :rolleyes: although I do have four children and the teenage boys take some filling up The Grocery Challenge thread is good there's lots of recipes on the first page and lots of hints & tips on where to find good bargains & what to do with them.

Hardup_Hester

Hi
Don't get too despondent, everyone's circumstances vary, some people on here grow their own veg, some people live in cheaper areas than others.
I spend £20 to £25 a week, but there is only 2 of us & this week I spent over £30, but then I live in the south east & the only big supermarket within walking distance is Waitrose!
I don't do an exact meal plan, but I do keep my freezer stocked with 'building blocks' the things I use on a regular basis. Cook from scratch & use up all your leftovers, this will cut down your food bill a bit. As for lunch boxes, make your own stuff to put in them, muffins, cookies, cheese straws etc.
Hester

Ada_Doom

Don't be hard on yourself, you sound like you are doing a briliant job with your budgeting.
We are a family of four and on really skint weeks we try to budget £40 and this is hard!

As other have said everyones situations are different, and so as with every thing in life it is probably best not to compare yourself with others and just go your own sweet way!!

highland_fling_2

hi everyone
sorry I have not been posting but just don't seem to have much time this weather. I did comein slightly under budget last month and I would like to set a target of £180 for July .

This is a bit more than I usually spend but I am on holiday and I like to treat myself to lunch or morning coffee with friends.

Have been really lucky lately and have been given lots of fruit and veg from a local allotment. Off now to make rhubarb and gooseberry crumble with free fruit.
Good to have contact with allotment growers as they often grow more than they can use and are very generous with the fruits of their labour.;)

clutterydrawer

Your OH ONLY likes prawns??? He should probably see a doctor : /

Personally I think £25 is fine for three humans and a dog. I spend £10-15 a week for one human and a rabbit.

Some people do manage to spend less but as has been mentioned, some of the very low spends are due to exceptional circumstance and involved people using up stocks they already had in, and wouldnt be practical or healthy as a permanent measure. good luck anyway

thriftlady_2

Please don't assume we all feed our families for as little as £20. I think these cases are exceptional. I certainly don't manage it and feel I'm doing well if I manage not to go over £100 for 5 of us. We all have different priorities-mine is quality ingredients.

Kadeeae

I certainly applaud those who can, but I could never feed just the two of us on £20 a month!

There are absolutely tons of tips and tricks all through this forum, the best bet is to spend a little (a lot!) of time going through posts and ask questions if you're unsure about something. Also be sure to subscribe to threads you're interested in!

karenccs67

highland_fling wrote: »

hi everyone
sorry I have not been posting but just don't seem to have much time this weather. I did comein slightly under budget last month and I would like to set a target of £180 for July .

This is a bit more than I usually spend but I am on holiday and I like to treat myself to lunch or morning coffee with friends.

Have been really lucky lately and have been given lots of fruit and veg from a local allotment. Off now to make rhubarb and gooseberry crumble with free fruit.
Good to have contact with allotment growers as they often grow more than they can use and are very generous with the fruits of their labour.;)

rhubarb and gooseberry crumble... yummy. lucky you to be friends with allotment users, i couldn't tell you where our nearest allotments are!!

searching_me

ok ive blown it although on something i really need i got lots of nappies 3 for 2 at boots so got enough to last awhile but my august starts next saturday going for the same budget one of these day i'll get it right but to be fair this is my 9th NSD ... then next month im going for 15 NSD's at least x