September 2009 Grocery Challenge

JayJay14

I really love Waitrose but restrict myself to offers, though I keep in a few of the essentials on a regular basis - I love their lasagne sheets.

Updating sig - doing much better that expected this month, but I will have to think about next month as we go on holiday at the end of it and have to prepare for the kid running the house for two week (actually they are 25, 21 and 20 but don't live at home but we have to have someone here while we are away cos of the dog so they are taking turns) I will have to stock up on their food but I am also putting some cash on an asda savings card so they can get stuff if they need it.

Hope the op goew well MrsM, and we will look after helenjelly.

Miss-spent_2

Up dating signature. Think I am doing amazingly well on such a low budget but I am finding all the home cooking time consuming. Cooked three separate meals when I got in from work last night, me and DH, Ds and a shepards pie for tonight as I am out all day. Had to retire to the sofa with special offer biscuits to recupperate (not home made I am afraid)

cw18

Miss-spent wrote: »

but I am finding all the home cooking time consuming. Cooked three separate meals when I got in from work last night, me and DH, Ds and a shepards pie for tonight

I've never subscribed to the separate meals (other than when DH and I had liver and onions, or when DS has curry), but I tend to cook several meals worth of most things at a time and freeze portions for the next time we have it.

These days it's only me and DS, so I cook 4 portions of curry at a time - he has one, and I freeze 3 for the next 3 weeks. When he has that I have liver, beef stew, or steak & kidney casserole (none of which he eats given the choice) - all of which I cook at least 4 portions at a time, so I can have as many of 3 of each in the freezer at any one time (I alternate which I have).

When I cook chille or spag bol or mince for cottage pie I normally do at least 6 portions, so that's 3 meals for the pair of us - one for tonight, and 2 for the coming weeks. As we normally only have each of these once every 4 or 5 weeks, that means I only cook each one from scratch every 3 months or so.


Still need to add yesterday's spends to my signature (all of £1.29), but need to go out for milk today!! Stocked up 8 days ago with what I expected to last us to the middle of this week, but my GDs haven't been having cereal after school and DS hasn't been drinking as much, so had 2 full 1 litre containers when I opened the fridge this morning. Went to make a cuppa, and ended up having to get out my dried milk as they'd both gone sour :eek: They were dated bbe yesterday, but it's only the A!di milk I'm finding tends to struggle to make it to the date - other supermarkets I've still been using 2 or 3 days after without any problem at all :mad: (It's not the first time the A!di stuff has been tipped the day after bbe, so will have to be really careful how much I buy in as it's not saving me money if I'm having to throw it away!!!)

CRANKY40

Good morning. I spent £27.74 in Asda this week, so I've updated my signature. I'm quite happy, because I usually spend £30-£40 per week, and so far I've spent that much over 2 weeks.

MRSMCAWBER

Morning all

Did a shop yesterday and ended up with :-

1. 1kg sugar - 85c x 3
2. cornedbeef - €1.39 x 2
3. mayo - 65c
4. salad cream - 99c
5. mozzarella - 55c x 4
6. fresh yeast - 9c x 2
7. 200g ham -€1.39 x 2
8. butter - 65c x 2
9. fresh milk -48c x 4
10. cucumber -39c
11. belly pork -€2.89
12. toothpaste - 65c
13. tuna - 95c x 2
14. tomato puree -15c x 4
15. 5kg potatoes -89c x 2
16. 3kg leeks -€1.79
17. 2kg carrots -49c
18. 4kg apples -€2.49
19. 5kg onions -99c

So a total of €29.32 bringing my total so far this month to €70.76 and 15NSDs out of 18, and quite a bit of what I got is making meals for next month
Hubby is going back to the UK for 4 days this week -so will be taking a list of "must gets" :j-and so this months spends are about to rocket -but Im well under budget so far this year plus we will get a lot more for our money.... 68p for tesco bread flour -here in the naafi its €2.19 SDB sugar 1kg £1 -here 500g is now €1.79 ....
I will report in with the total when he gets back and I have totted up how much it would cost here.
Today Im making a double batch of chilli for the freezer -so that will be another "ready meal" crossed off the list for hubby -I have done the game casseroles and the liver casseroles -so Im getting there
anyway enough jabbering -I will get off and get some x-stitching done..have a great weekend everyone ..and again thanks to everyone who offered to look after the list when Im away

Puddleglum

cw18 wrote: »

Cloth nappies weren't my favourite thing, but I used them when strapped for cash while on maternity leave - then went onto disposables when I was back at work, but still used cloth ones at weekends and overnight if things were getting tight towards the end of a pay month!! But (from what I've heard) they've come a long way since then, as that was 20 years ago

I used cloth nappies 10 years ago and TBH they were pretty good. They have done two babies and I have still got a stack of old nappies (well washed honest) which I am using as cleaning rags. They are virtually indestructable, bring the floor up a treat and I probably still be working through them in my dotage! Buying a few is definitely recommended.

ellemm

Updated signature with this weeks spend of just over £19 - very pleased with restraint which included some good yellow labelled bits - 3 x 4 pork links reduced to 39p each,(put into freezer for future use) 4 pork pies reduced from £1.49 to 75p ( again frozen and can be taken out one at a time for OH's lunches) and piece of mature cheddar down to 59p from £1.16, all Mr M.

Bought another bag of Lidl pears for 49p and 2 packs of cooked beetroot @ 59p. Going to preserve the pears again and pickle the beetroot.

Popped into Mr T to check out their wine offers but resisted buying any as we really don't need any wine at the moment and would have been buying it just for the sake of the saving.

So only 10 days to go until we go on holiday and budget for September looking great:rotfl:Hope October is as good - am really getting the hang of this now!!

Bitsy_Beans

I spent another £10 in Mr S this week (despite going the weekend )
I can justify it though
Galaxy Hot Chocolate - as weather cools I love snuggling up with a mug and since I hardly drink and don't smoke the £1.97 is well spent
Basics peppers - I am not sure how long these will be in season for and the pack had loads of yellow and red ones (I hate the green) so have bought them with a view to chopping and freezing.
Coffee - was completely out and will flatline without my morning coffee
Chilli Powder - last lot I bought from Tesco was awful and smelt horrible so have chucked that (as I couldn't bear to use it again) and have replenished that stock.
Garlic - completely out of it and needed it for rest of weeks cooking
Sandwich fillings - as my H eats stuff like this like it's going out of fashion

Sooooo am I forgiven for shopping again?! am determined not to go near the place until Monday or Tuesday at the earliest.

Botany

I agree with those of you who answered, Waitrose is more expensive than other supermarkets. This said.... (ohhhh I'm trying to justify my addiction!!!) Waitrose is very good for special offers and whoopsies (I've learnt when to go for whoopsies, and I scour the shop for those special labels like an eagle). Also, since I started shopping in Waitrose, the OH eats a lot more fruit (he likes it better, and I have to agree on the quality difference), and he feels less of a need for meat meat meat. That has got to be a good thing on the purse and of course for health and environmental reasons.

My problem is... I just visit Mr W way too often... that is what I should try and keep in check, or at the very very least learn to make a list and stick to it faithfully.

I have lurked in this forum for a long time before signing up, and I read many excellent posts about meal-planning, the importance of making a shopping list etc. I know the 'theory'. What I find brilliant about the grocery challenge is that it is this month, when I finally joined the challenge, that I have been able to "see" the importance of the money-saving theory I have learnt from this site. The last 12 days since joining this have been the wake-up call I needed. I wish I had signed up before and perhaps by now I'd be a very smart shopper. I don't expect to come out of this month able to stick to all the key money-saving rules when it comes to shopping, but I know I'll come out a bit wiser, and the following month a bit wiser still...

It's also very pleasant to take this challenge in a public forum, and share one's experiences with other people. I feel we can keep each other in check and we can learn from each other's mistakes - this really is a most useful thread :beer:

jackie_w

Hello there,


Ive really took my eye off the ball and its only the 12th of September, I feel a total failure:o.

I havent kept all my receipts, and have been really lazy, not making my own bread etc, and so far, have ended up spending £136.87, (and its probably been more but, I cant check what ive paid for in cash) so that gives me £63.13 to last me.

Im determined to stick with this. If I could just get into a routine of making more things from scratch then I know I could stick with the budget, and ive only had one NSD in september :mad:. Well only myself to blame.

Sorry for the rant, and sorry if Im not meant to post this on here.

Jackie