March 2010 Grocery Challenge

lizbob

Hi Guys,

even though i was too late to join this month, i was being buget concious and have just added up my receipts, it comes to £221. with that in mind i think i might have been a bit easy on myself for next month so i would like to re submit my target which will be: £180 _pale_ and if we hit that then next month i'll knock another 20 off!

poppy-glos

visit to mr m today, spent £22 on all sorts, little needed today or this week (only veg and milk) but everything else i bought was stuff i'll use which was on offer - they had 1.5kg potatoes (estima) for 30p, 3 tins tomatoes for a £1, on offer 4 tins tuna, baked beans 8 tins for 2.50.

poppy x

oceanspirit

rosieben, S_Wales_Waver and losingpatience - sorry to hear about your losses. Hugs to you all.

Did my weekly shop yesterday which came to £14.82 which was a bit more than I had planned for, but my favourite toilet roll was 8 rolls for the price of 6 so I had to get them.

So, my total for the month is now £46.64 and I have plenty in so shouldn't need anything before the first shop of April's budget which is next Wednesday.

NJW69

Long_tall_sally wrote: »

NJW69 - Gosh, you have done incredibly well the last 3 months but particularly this month!! Can you give us any tips on how you have manaaged to reduce your spending so much?

I don't go shopping!

Sounds obvious really but before I used to always be popping in for this or that and spending loads of extra.

I've been buying online, starting with stuff on offer and then just adding what we need after.

I've organised the freezer and cupboards so I know whats in there and use it.

I've stopped buying ready prepared veg etc and then throwing it away when I don't use it.

I make my own bread.

If we run out of something (other than real essentials) I use something else.

Instead of keeping leftovers for a few days and then throwing them away I freeze them straight away and they make another meal.

I've also started checking the price of everything and buying some own brands.

Used Farmfoods shop and save vouchers in Tesco when I have been in.

I don't include booze or meals out or takeaways (minimal).

I'm also doing the no buying toiletries as I have cupboards full.
:j

Kornishkat

Just updating spent £1.05 at the petrol station for a loaf yesterday, could have got one cheaper at the supermarket but was at the petrol station anyway and may have been tempted to buy more stuff if I'd gone into the supermarket. Also I bought 2 natural soaps whilst out and about in Fowey on Saturday so another £3.95 spent there. Signature updated accordingly, off to do last online shop of the month from Mr T now wish me luck lol.

S W Saver, sorry to hear your sad news x

coffeeholic_2

I haven't been posting on here but have been keeping receipts and adding up spending, another £44 going onto total from yesterday's Aldi shop. Still slightly under-budget although I am not sure how this has happened. Not that I am complaining of course! £129.48 up to now.

natsing

Hi All, my March has ended as its payday tomorrow, and I slightly overspent this month- £145 spent :mad:
I'd like to pledge £140 for next month please

vodkawitch1

I am £22 over budget and still need to get to end of the month. Not done well at all. Hopefully will do better next month.

Long_tall_sally

NJW69 - Thanks for your tips! I think the first one has really hit it on the head for me. I cant help popping into our local co op & having a look in the reduced section where this is sometimes some good reductions but where I also get sucked into buying things just because they are reduced. For example, I bought some value sausage rolls the other day that were reduced to 52p for 8. Why I bought these I really don't know! I'm not particularly keen on sausage rolls, never buy them normally & these value ones were particularly disgusting! I was even tempted to drop by there tonight on the way to Guides but then looked at how little of my budget I had left & managed to stop myself. The only things that will be reduced will be bread & fridge stuff, neither of which I need so why spend my money on them, I thought! If only I could have thought along those lines the majority of this month then I might have done far better with my budget!

Maisie_M

Hugs to all those who have suffered bereavments recently.

£7.04 spent by me today on cereal that Tesco didn't have for the order that I had delivered in Tuesday, carrots (2 bags for £1.50) which I forgot to order, cream and some fish for a fish pie I am making on Sunday (thought I had some smoked fish in the freezer but it was just normal cod and we like both in the pie). New balance is £107.36 spent this month.

Will definately come in under budget this month but not going to drop it just yet as I have started to run out of a few of the staples I normally have in my cupboards and will need to restock. However I do have a lot of meats still in the freezer so I shouldn't hopefully need to much of that. DS is also at his Dads for a few days for the holidays so I will use the opportunity to eat up some of the stuff he doesn't like that's clogging the freezer and cupboards.