May '06 Grocery Challenge

fizzel81

i have lost my totals for this month as such, had them wrote down on some paper which dh kindly put in bin for me

oh well will try harder next month

Boswell_2

Oh Fizzel that's a shame. Did you pay cash for everything or can you get an idea from cheques etc ... or receipts if you keep them?

Well done Skystar and Pennypincher. I find it's helping me keep on track by reporting back on here. What a great group!

I'm not doing too badly. I've included £39 for an indian takeaway that we had with family. (Not exactly MS but we were just back from an unplanned hospital visit - it was late, someone elses kitchen, one hungry diabetic etc., etc). Anyhow the good thing is that I'm still £65.47 in budget for the month. I have also included the total anticipated spend for the organic boxes and milkman but I have had two weeks with no organic box and a couple of days of reduced milk delivery. Our milkman has just started an organic box delivery at £7.50 rather than the £12.80 from the other company so I had one this week from him to try. Very good except that you cant specify things that you don't like so in the long run the other box is probably better value as I wont be taking stuff into work for my colleagues!

skystar

fizzel81 wrote:

i have lost my totals for this month as such, had them wrote down on some paper which dh kindly put in bin for me

oh well will try harder next month

fizzel, I find it handy to keep a spread sheet with my spending. As I have my computer switched on way too much its easy to update after I have been to the shops.

tw0906blue

Well, having felt very pleased with myself, the wheels have come off a bit this month!
Have started a job and OH has taken over the controls as he works from home. I have had to moan that he used his card when we had already taken the cash out for last week....but I couldn't be too cross as I know how hard it is to be strict with yourself.

I am taking a packed lunch, but spent 45p on a bag of crisps in a weak moment on Thursday

We alaso overspent in the Farmers market, but our eldest is home until Wednesday, and youngest will be home for the w/e on Thursday so we're feeding another seemingly bottomless pit :rotfl:

Am determined though that we will get this blip out of the way...the overspending that is, not the children :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: and get back on track.

I too have lost all my receipts, should have put them away! but know that I have kept to about £65 a week, £15 over, but not as bad as it could have been.

Wish me luck! :rolleyes:

WelshWoofer

My final shop of the month was yesterday and I have manage to come in at 102 quid for the month for 2 people and 1 dog. I have also had 3 visitors all weekend that always seem to be eating!
I budgeted 100 quid so am quite pleased. Used to spend around 75 Pounds a week in Tescos alone !!!
Happy, happy, happy!!
Have paid extra 300 quid off CC !

catznine

Spent £82 so far out of £150 allowance. This weeks organic box will add another £11.50 to the total - so £56.50 left until the end of the month.:j

sarah0404

I really need some help. I set a £200 per 4 weeks budget for my family of 5. That included soap powder/cleaning stuff etc. I'm really struggling with it. Is it too little, or is it just me that can't do it properly?

My 4 weeks start from the middle of the month, my April/May budget was £215. Not too bad a start. I do have a very small amount of money that allows me to go over budget. But it's also for other stuff as well, so I can't count on it being there.

I'm on week 2 of the May/June budget and it's at £165.81. I still have 2 weeks to go, so have £34 for the next two weeks! That's £17 a week!:rotfl: Can that really be done? I need to get it as low as possible, as there has been some unexpected bills over the last week or so. I don't have much of a store cupboard or stock of anything in the freezer. I used it all up recently.

I think things went wrong because I didn't have a strict meal plan. I also ordered a delivery from Asda for the first time and it cost me far than it normally costs me to order from Tesco.

I've got some eggs, some vegetarian sausages, a pack of 2 vege burgers (came from asda, I thought they were a pack of 4 not 2) got enough flour and yeast to make plently bread and rolls. I have enough cake bits and pieces to make some cakes and puddings. I've got plenty pasta, plenty rice, including rissotto rice. In my store cupboard is the usual tinned toms, sweetcorn, tin or two of pineapple. I also have some carrots in the fridge and a few past their best leeks and spring onions. I have no cereal or porridge oats left. No bread in the freezer for toast. So I'm in need of some breakfasts.

What sorts of things should I be looking to buy to last me the next few weeks?

Any advice would be really helpful.

Thanks.

catznine

Firstly go easy on yourself! £200 a month for 5 is incredibly tight IMHO.
I allow £50 a week for 2 of us plus a dd who comes home most weekends at the moment.

It takes quite a while to build up the stocks in the larder and freezer (from bogofs etc) that make it possible to reduce the housekeeping needed.

For breakfasts we often have porridge oats (very cheap for a big bag) and out of that can make muesli (just add some dried fruit, nuts, coconut or whatever you have available) or of course porridge. I also make flapjacks and oat cookies for a fast as you go out of the door breakfast snack. If you have the ingredients for bread then you can also have toast or a breakfast made from soaking the bread in milk with some sugar on top if desired, can't remember the name of this.

Use up that wilting veg now - make a cream of veg soup and freeze it for another meal. Just simmer about 1lb chopped veg (mixed whatever you have and use potatoes to thicken it up) in 1 - 1and a half pints stock. Liquidise and pour back into pan with a knob of butter or marge. Add a splash or two of milk and some seasoning (I like plenty of black pepper in mine) and stir while heating through. Serve with some of your lovely hm bread. Or cool and freeze. If you have fruit that needs using make a crumble with it or better still Black saturns fruit cobbler recipe which is delish. Or just bung the fruit in the freezer for a fruit salad later.

Another tip is never let bread go stale, if it looks like you won't be using it all (though with a family of 5 you probably will) take some out of the bag and wrap and freeze it for another day. I also do this with milk surplus to requirements.

Go to your local market just before it closes to get all the bargains for your fruit and veg. The meat and cheese prices are good there as well.

One large chicken will make a roast dinner if you pad it out with some chipolatas, hm stuffing roast spuds, cheap veg etc., then you can make a curry with the leftovers or a chicken pie and cook up the bones to make a stock for soup. I also make a fried rice meal using up leftover meat and bits and pieces of veg.

Soya mince is a very cheap replacement for minced beef and full of protein. If you make a chilli or a curry you should hardly be able to taste the difference.

Will try to think of more ideas for you!

Catzx

Chell

Sarah, since I have started the grocery challenge I don't waste any food. if I go into the veg tray and find stuff wilting then I make sure it is used up. As the previous poster said, you can make something and freeze it for later.

Try to get some homemade food in your freezer so that if you do come home late or just can't be bothered cooking then you have a meal ready to zap in the microwave or bung in the oven.

You mentioned buying veggie frozen food, do you have Farmfoods near you? I find veggie sausages are cheaper in there than in Asda.

I have split my budget down to £50 per week rather than a monthly total, I find it easier to budget that way. I have two toddlers and include nappies/toiletries/cleaning items.

Boswell_2

I don't waste (as much) food any more. There is some cabbage and half an aubergine in the fridge that are starting to look a little like a science project. I have also cancelled milk and organic box deliveries whereas in the past I would have had a glut and ended up composting the veg or using the milk to make rice pudding or cheese sauce etc.

I have ended the month £2.81 in budget :T which is a total saving on my pre-challenge spending of £111.98. That's now in the mortgage pig.

Thanks everyone for the inspiration and support.