Stay at home mums getting organised in 2010

ragz_2

Hi I'd love to join in this thread please. I'm a really organised person but somehow that doesn't seem obvious when you look at my house lol. I seem to spend more time writing lists than actually doing anything. I'm a SAHM to two boys age 2 and 3 and have a baby due in three weeks (hence need for organisation). Life with 2 kids is fairly easy but so many people have told me it gets a LOT harder when the 3rd comes along so I need to start being more organised, even if this means losing some of my evening time (usually kids are in bed by 7pm and then I do NOTHING for the rest of the night (unlike my best mate who is a working mum so this is her housework time!)

Most important things to start doing are
- getting kitchen back to shiny and tidy every evening so it can start afresh the next day
- making OH's lunch the night before rather than rushing around in the morning doind it
- putting the washing away rather than leaving the clean stuff lying around until it gets used!

Oh, I don't iron (no work/school shirts in this house)

Week 1/52 - Theme - Food Shopping

1. Do you do your food shop in-store or online & why?
Used to be online but now I can drive so I do it in store as I find it takes the same amount of time!
2. How often do you do the food shopping?
Weekly
3. What is your food shopping budget (if you have one) and what/who does that cater for?
Roughly £85 a week at the moment, that includes food, drink, nappies and cleaning/toiletry products for 2 adults and 2 toddlers.
4. Do you find your budget is sufficient?
Yes and joined OS grocery challenge again so hoping to reduce it.
5. Do you keep a price book? (if yes please describe it)
No, what's that?
6. Do you regulary use coupons/store 'points' cards?
Tesco clubcard.
7. If you use coupons/cards how do you organise them?
I don't, I keep the coupons and occaisonally remember to use them!
8. Name 3 items of the 'value' range you would recommend to anyone.
Porridge oats, tinned tomatoes, tinned carrots.
9. Name 3 items you must have at brand level
Tea (well actually I buy Tesco finest but same price as brand name) Mayonaisse and Marmite
10. What one thing do you most struggle with/annoys you the most/you would like to do better when it comes to the food shop.
Especially in winter I find it hard to buy/eat veg as it all looks so uninspiring! Want to start buying butcher meat as the supermarket stuff constantly dissapoints me.

tiamai_d

1. Do you do your food shop in-store or online & why?
Online mostly, though occasionally I will go into the store for a look (mainly to look at clothes). With 3 kids it's easier to have it delivered plus I spend less.

2. How often do you do the food shopping?
Weekly,

3. What is your food shopping budget (if you have one) and what/who does that cater for?
No budget and it usually costs £100-£140! :eek: But that is food, treats, cigs for DH, nappies, wipes for 2 children, milk for DD. I WANT to cut this down but Dh insists on branded juice and meat with every meal, and he's fussy.

4. Do you find your budget is sufficient?
Need to cut it down.

5. Do you keep a price book? (if yes please describe it)
A what?

6. Do you regulary use coupons/store 'points' cards?
Tesco card.

7. If you use coupons/cards how do you organise them?

8. Name 3 items of the 'value' range you would recommend to anyone.
Mayonaise - its perfect for dip and doesn't taste weird. Tinned tomatoes. Asda gold blend coffee.

9. Name 3 items you must have at brand level
Charmin loo roll (only one that I'm not alergic too), tetley tea bagsfor DH and persil washing powder.

10. What one thing do you most struggle with/annoys you the most/you would like to do better when it comes to the food shop.
Spend less and waste less!

Please feel free to add any top tips...

I need the tips! :rotfl:

tiamai_d

Thinking about it, does anyone keep a record of what is in your freezer? My freezer is away in the cupbard under the stairs so I buy stuff on special and then forget all about it.

Hmm... should put this in my diary.

weezl74

tia I inventory my freezer about once every 10 days

but that probably doesn't surprise you

I_want_a_baby

weezl74 - "Create list online using mysupermarket, then print and purchase in store" - Such a good idea - will be doing that from now on! "DS2 is currently a fetus, but does still seem to have definate dietary needs!" - :rotfl:
Your budget is SO good - defo need to concentrate on mine!

holliegarson "It's fine but sometimes I think would be lovely to buy some 'goodies'" - Hollie maybe you could try and spend a couple of £'s under each week and hopefully by the end of the month you'll have £10 or so to get some goodies (always good to have them at the end of the month when things are a little tight!)

Ragz - would you be able to store your coupons next to your card/cash in your purse and then you could just flick through them and hand them over before you pay - sorry if this states the obvious!

tiamai_d - I don't keep a list of what is in my freezer - but must start doing this! Do you use the cheaper cuts of meats in stew etc? When I make chilli con carne I use one small pack of meat and then add kidney beans, baked beans and sometimes a little quorn mince, I haven't noticed any difference in the taste and this normally makes it stretch to 4/5 2 person meals.

Enjoying reading everyones comments!!

SugarSpun

Week 1/52 - Theme - Food Shopping

1. Do you do your food shop in-store or online & why?

Husband shops instore - he does the cooking. There's no online option here.

2. How often do you do the food shopping?

He goes every 2-3 days.

3. What is your food shopping budget (if you have one) and what/who does that cater for?

2 adults - we spend about €80/week, but have weeks where we only buy fresh stuff and eat from the freezer. Baby has breastmilk and reusable nappies so doesn't have a grocery budget.

4. Do you find your budget is sufficient?

More than enough

5. Do you keep a price book? (if yes please describe it)

A what?

6. Do you regulary use coupons/store 'points' cards?

They don't have those here :rolleyes:

7. If you use coupons/cards how do you organise them?

8. Name 3 items of the 'value' range you would recommend to anyone.

Flour, sugar, butter

9. Name 3 items you must have at brand level

Persil sensitive washing powder, Tetleys teabags (we get these imported :eek:), Helmans mayo

10. What one thing do you most struggle with/annoys you the most/you would like to do better when it comes to the food shop.

I'd love to be able to meal plan, but I'm not the cook.

Please feel free to add any top tips...

Freezer inventory helps us go whole weeks only buying bread and milk

Edit: see Weezlie and Tia got there first

redmel1621

Hi all

I won't answer the questionnairre as I don't really have any tips...I shop weekly, online and barely use vouchers etc...

I am aiming to get into good habits, but have decided that I need to focus on one thing at a time. For the last few days I have been emtying the dishwasher first thing in the morning. I come down heat baby bottle, sit him in bouncer and hand him bottle, make ds1 & ds2 creal, pass that to them, then empty dishwaher while making cuppa for me and toast for me and baby:) I have found it a godsend as dirty dishes can then just go straight in throughout the day, keeping the kitchen a lot tidier. I will do this for a week longer, or until I know I have made it a habit...then move onto another routine job that I usually 'put off' and then complain I never have time to do!!

Mel x

csh_2

1. Do you do your food shop in-store or online & why?
Asda online, farmfoods, aldi and market in person.

2. How often do you do the food shopping?
Once every fortnight ish but just started to meal plan monthly so hoping to big shop once a month then just little top-ups

3. What is your food shopping budget (if you have one) and what/who does that cater for?
£70 per week for me OH,DD baby DS and doggy. Does not include nappies and formula

4. Do you find your budget is sufficient?
Ample

5. Do you keep a price book? (if yes please describe it)
No, have a good memory for prices

6. Do you regulary use coupons/store 'points' cards?
none

7. If you use coupons/cards how do you organise them?

8. Name 3 items of the 'value' range you would recommend to anyone.
Mayo, tinned toms, SP onions

9. Name 3 items you must have at brand level
Tea, coffee and juice. Only tea bags cos I haven't found any non-branded decaff ones

10. What one thing do you most struggle with/annoys you the most/you would like to do better when it comes to the food shop.
Get bored and a bit samey.

Please feel free to add any top tips...
No top tips really


Now started to meal plan monthly and hopefully that will get me away from doing the same dinners over and over.

Tia- Have you tried Farmfoods for branded juice? Its considerably cheaper

I_want_a_baby

A price book is something i have seen on other 'organising' websites.
You basically list down the core items you buy every week/month anf what they cost (and cost per unit) and the price of the best offer you have seen on an item. That way you know if you are buying the cheapest standard price item or offer (or if the supermarket has hicked a price up the brought it down on offer!)

See organizedhome . com website for more info it also has a print our template you can use!

nuttybabe

I_want_a_baby wrote: »

Ok,

Week 1/52 - Theme - Food Shopping

1. Do you do your food shop in-store or online & why?
in store so i can go round a few places and buy whats on offer/cheap

2. How often do you do the food shopping?
Every few days

3. What is your food shopping budget (if you have one) and what/who does that cater for?
£40 a week for 2 adults and 3 kids (hopefully this will go up shortly!!!) for food.

4. Do you find your budget is sufficient?
yes it is managable but i would like to have more so i dont have to walk miles for the best deals or have to plan my meals around deals/offers!!!

5. Do you keep a price book? (if yes please describe it)
yes, i have a spreadsheet with the meal plan and underneath what i will buy for the week budget and actual.

6. Do you regulary use coupons/store 'points' cards?
i dont shop enough in one place but i do have the store points cards just in case

7. If you use coupons/cards how do you organise them?
if i get any coupons they are in one section of my purse and store cards are in another that i go through when i need it.

8. Name 3 items of the 'value' range you would recommend to anyone.
porriage oats, tesco consentrate squash, asda sweet and sour sauce

9. Name 3 items you must have at brand level
dh's coffee, cadburys hot choc, cadburys chocolate

10. What one thing do you most struggle with/annoys you the most/you would like to do better when it comes to the food shop.
trying to find all the offers and then going to all the different supermarkets when i would much rather stay in the warm not walk to supermarkets!! :P

Please feel free to add any top tips...


...and let me know if you have any ideas for topics/ways to improve this!

Everyone is doing so well. huge lists.

mine for today is cleaning and decluttering the kitchen. it was a thorough clean including windows and kick boards and EVERYTHING and i can now use my breakfast bar - well, half of it!!!!!!!! :P so thats the hall and kitchen clean and de-cluttered. Tomorrow is dinning room and hopefully whatever is on the os flylady thread if i get time.