July 2009 Grocery Challenge

XSpender

We are running £40.49 over budget with 4 days to go. I have included every morsel that passes our lips this month, such as an ice cream when we are out as well as the usual toiletries, dog food and household stuff.

Next month I think I will split this into different categories and we are in the caravan for 2 weeks so will not have the benefit of the freezer.

What is really scary is that I spend £1/day on the 2 small dogs and £8.37/day for everything else for 2 adults only!! :eek: That has definately got to come down.

mooomin

Can I be a pain and increase mine to £250 for August please? I'm going to do some major stocking up as the storecupboard is running low of many essentials (I ran out of canned tomatoes this month, never again!) and I'm going to buy loads of meat/cat stuff at Costco.

Thanks!

highland_fling_2

hi everyone
declaring £203 for July
Please put me down for £180 for August.

Going now to make raspberry pavlova before cream goes off. Bought it in for visitor who cancelled at the last minute. So will use it up today and avoid it being wasted. Fresh raspberries from garden so it should be very nice.

Good luck to everyone in August.

Dancing_Shoes

Looking at when I am paid it will be July that I am in until the middle of August.... Can I put £400 for July?

My "July" budget will run out the middle of August.
Is that all I need to do to join?

elantan

ok this reallyisnt going according to plan ...were having problems sticking to the menu ...yesterday for example went to a friends house so that she could teach me gallo pinto (pronounced guy yo peen to) so made that seems easy enough cheap enough and something i think i will make occasionally ....there was plenty left over and friend didnt want it so i got a doggy bag home .....there was enough for hubby and i for dinner and enough for me for lunch (oh no lentil soup again then surprise surprise) now i had it with brocoli (sp) and potatoes and hubby had it with sausages chopped and mixed in with a baked potato side salad etc ...

but the problem is ...i am not eating what was on the menu therefore i have loads of food that shouldve been eaten by now not eaten ...which is going to be good next week when i need to do a shopping but in the meantime not so good cause we aint sticking to a plan....

hubby has taken another couple of pounds out of the tub of doom so i dont have enough to buy his drink etc ...but have counted the pennies out and will be taing them to the bank later on and cashing them in ...so we should be ok for money this week ...but what about next week and the week after ....

i dont think this menu planning is working for us ...i really feel as if i am being dictated to by food ...i feel like i have enough things in my life i have no control over what so ever (law politics work etc) so food was one of the few things i could say hey you know what i fancy ..... for dinner so i'm gonna have it ... it feels kinda like a loss of freedom

and i think this mught be where the problem lies ...i am not going off on one when hubby declares nope dont fancy that for dinner i want ....not that i like going off on one but i am not even saying to him well you know you agreed to eat .... i am just saying well go and have what you want then


so ...i dont know how i am going to tackle this ...and believe me i want to tackle this i will make this £8 a day work ...it has to work i cant afford for it not to ....did anyone else have issues similar when they started?

lynzpower

We aways feel like this, and really with a bit of planning its not biggie

Last night we were supposed to have chicken curry, but it was so hot we didnt fancy it. The sauce will stay in the cub, the veg will get used, so we had chicken salad- using our new growing leaves- instead. We might have the cury tonight. If the veg looks likeit might go off, then ill probably cook it in the curry sauce and then freeze it for another day. if the weather stays hot I proably wont want it till the weather cools a bit.

We often just have a liston the fridge with the options that Ive bought in, and then we can pick and choose. However if weve got something going off that we cant save then we will have that soon - eg lets have salad to finish that lettuce. But pretty much everything can br frozen. I probably have about 40 combinations at the mo, - eg the mince can be used for about 15 meals. So we jsut choose what we want to do with it. If we want HM burgers- then we need bread to go with. IYSWIM.

elantan

makes it seem much more easier lynz thanks ...went looking for seeds but there wasnt any ...maybe i am at the wrong time of year ...will go looking again next week when i have next weeks money in ...

i wonder if that might work for us ...not as strict (cause that deff aint working) but having a ...well we have this and this and this to use up so what we gonna have ...would i be best to have a few frozen meals as back up plans then? ...i was going to have the frozen meals (from batch cooking) to use when i am on my heavy night shift week (next week)

fallen_angel_shelley

Hi. I'm seem to have lost track this month, I have loads of receipts but am not sure which I have and haven't added to the GC sig. I know that I have gone way over budget for July:rolleyes:.

I poped in to MrT's yesterday and they were clearing all the fridges and freezers of the food and bining it:eek: they had had some problem with the electric, so it all had to go.

Mrs Mc could you put me down for £160 for August please, I really must try harder next month.

Shelley x

beasygirl

Update time again, I sent hubby to Mr T's yesterday with a list of everything we needed including a break down of bogofs and 3 for 2, he totally ignored my list ended up spending a whopping £135.48 nearly double what my list came to.:mad:

We will be eating like Kings this week, BUT overall are still coming within budget I will be lowering the budget considerably for August, even though we will have an extra house guest in the form of FIL.

Was hoping that this would be it for this month, but will now have to go again to get the bits hubby missed!! MEN!!!

patentgirl

Hello everyone been missing for a while but still doing challenge Mrs Mc can you please put me down for £300 from 24 July to 24 August managed to just go over a little bit for July spent £312 for month will definately have to keep to this as tomorrow is OH last pay cheque since being made redundant and as yet no job offers although he has had a few interviews so fingers crossed

good luck everyone for the month