November 2009 Grocery Challenge

mark55man

was on a NSD until we went out to watch a free fireworks display (very good it was, but cold and damp) so on the way home had to buy some hot chocolate, got some bread and bananas as well. only £2 but well worth it

franby64

Evening

After spending nearly £30 on Friday I managed to have a NSD on Saturday - I would have been amazed if I hadn't!

Nearly had another one today but DD1 wanted to make biscuits so had to nip and get sugar, icing sugar and eggs - all useful stuff though.

I've planned about 5 days from the storecupboard although I'm already swapping it round and working out how I can do it for less!

Hoping for a nice low week!

LydiaJ

Hi All

Just got my spending diary back up to date, and really pleased to have come in under budget for October. I don't want to drop the budget too far, though - I seem to be more motivated when the budget is generous and I can get a kick out of beating it, whereas setting a low budget and probably failing doesn't work for me.

My main shopping day is Wednesday, so November is another 4 week month for me. My budget is £50pw plus £40 for extras, so please put me down for a total November budget of

£240

Thanks

dazzle21

Have managed to spend a further £40, so we're on track but we do need to buy toddler milk and some extra fruit/veg. Sig already updated!

oligeo

I have spent my months budget, and its only the 9th November.
I think I may have been being a little harsh on myself, I usuallt spend £500-£600 a month. For some reason I was convinced I could do it loads cheaper. Clearly I can't.
Next month I'll have an increased budget. For this month I'll just keep going and see what I end up as.

Sarah

Frugaldom

Spent anpther £4 on 2 x 2kg margarine that friend picked up for me in Mr A because it was on offer, so that's store cupboards and freezer stocking up for 2010. How does everyone count in their stockpile if it's for next year? Should I just run like a rotating budget? It SHOULD average out the same the longer I continue monitoring the spends but to be realistic about things I may need to juggle a few figures of my overall budget to increase the grocery budget for the rest of this year.

dazzle21

oligeo wrote: »

I have spent my months budget, and its only the 9th November.
I think I may have been being a little harsh on myself, I usuallt spend £500-£600 a month. For some reason I was convinced I could do it loads cheaper. Clearly I can't.
Next month I'll have an increased budget. For this month I'll just keep going and see what I end up as.

Sarah

I'm not expert at GC, but I did find keeping my receipts useful, as I could then look back and see where the money went. When i first did GC I was horrified to discover all our money went on crisps, ready meals, meat (lots!), cakes and deserts Just cut back little by little xx

sheba

Happy Monday to you all, hope you all had a lovely (cheap) 'Fireworky' weekend. Got through another weekend with the folks none the wiser to my cost- cutting exercise but then think my purse is none the wiser too, still spending money like water!! Seems like we have ran out of everything all at once :eek:!!
So on Saturday spent another £41.24 of my remaining budget of £91.82 (from an intial 28th -28th budget of £230) leaving me with £50.58 to see us through the rest of the month- oh dear!! Have at first glance the makings of another 12 meals but am in urgent need of some household provisions; toothpaste, clingfilm, foil, and am gonna buy a huge bag of tatties/ veggies and try to sit out the rest of the month putting aside £5 for each weekend of 14th/15th and 21st/22nd treats. Really going to give it a go to keep in budget!! Looks like son will be taking nowt more than a raw potato for his packed lunch on the 20th .

But seriously, although not doing too well at the moment the challenge is re-training my brain little by little and it's oh so easy to see how I got in stum in the first place. Fingers crossed the 'great awakening' continues!!

Good Luck All

Sheba

Keiss_21

elizabunny wrote: »

DH found an old bottle of some sort of liqueur at the back of the cupboard....on sampling it was promptly tipped down the sink...Yuk. The bottle has now been emptied :rolleyes: so that's that.

elizabunny - you could re-fill the bottle to give as a Christmas pressie. Try home made sloe/damson gin, a flavoured oil or vinegar. I am always on the lookout for nice jars, bottles and tins. I have been known to buy a product only for the packaging that I can re-use! Not that I do that much nowadays, well hardly ever!!

Not sure how long I will manage to keep going today as I only had 4 hours of sleep last night. I couldn't get to sleep for ages, then I woke at 5am with an asthma attack..aaargh! :mad:

So I am off to make a trip to the green-grocers this morning. I need to do some baking this afternoon for DS2's lunch box & breaks (he is diabetic). He had just enough for today, but if I had got eggs yesterday, it would have been from a supermarket or local shop where they are sooo much more expensive!

I have even got DH to thinking more about when he spends as well as what he buys. Might ask him to pop into Lidl on his way home for some loo roll as we are running a bit low, if he does it today it will give us more chance of having more NSDs today.

Have a good week everyone.

JillS_2

Aril wrote: »

Have however, had to replace a full packet of spaghetti as have discovered that a certain small person of mine has been regularly dipping in and eating it :eek: and had managed to not leave me a lot. He's now been shown where the snacks are and told to please not do that again little horror:rotfl::rotfl: That rather put a spanner in the works for spaghetti bolognaise this week!
Aril

Is that the dried stuff or fresh pasta? I can't imagine eating dried pasta.