April 2010 Grocery Challenge 25 March 2010 at 5:38PM edited 28 March 2010 at 3:29PM in Old Style MoneySaving 897 replies 59.3K views

butdoineedit?

Hi newbie here, i'd like to challenge myself to £70 for April please.
I live alone & have a freezer chock full of batch cooked food so i need to start eating it & stop buying takeaways, i'm hoping that joining this challenge will keep me on track.

greent

Morning all!

Having fallen off the wagon in Feb (mainly because I couldn't drive/ carry shopping and left it to DH) and March (because I couldn't be bothered...:o) I'm rejoining with a vengeance. This is partly because the Grocery Challenge is a 'Good Thing' anyway, but also because I've signed up to a diary on MFW board (ideally I'd like to clear our 100k+ mtge in 6.5 years), so grocery savings will be going to my OP pot

So.... can I please be put down for a budget of £475 for April. This is quite high, but we are away for a week in Cornwall - self catering, so I will include the spends there in the budget (and we are 2mins walk from a very yummy farm shop.....) and also include the spends on snacky foods out (although not one planned meal out there, as it's DS1's 10th bday whilst we're away and that's from a different budget) It's also the school hols for 2 and a bit weeks, so spending always seems to go up I'd like to come in at £425, but am being realistic about how much we are likely to spend out and about in Cornwall...

I MUST read and post on here in the month - that keeps me focussed!!

greent x

ragz_2

Attempting to redeem myself with a £350 total for April please... shorter month this time.

guccigoo

hi spent £13 in i**land today and £6 in mr t last night:) off to update sig.

Welsh_Poppy

Well another spend at Mr S 13.73p and managed to get clementine from 2.50 to 10p, kiwi fruit organic down to 10p and stir fry 10p first time ever this has happned so about 8pm they reduce but we werer ;lucky to get anything as a few peeps had 15-20 packs of each so left nothing for everyone else which is unfair I would rather see a max of 3 of everything for everyone seems fair they were not british peeps maybe romanian from .language...one man took all the cakes and left none for anyone so hubby said he was going straight there next time...hehehe he does have sweet tooth.
i am a keen cook and I watch lots of cookery shows come dine with me and masterchef Australia( this is the best cookery programme ever I LOVE It) but no good for budget as I have to try recipes this week chocolate fondants.......hence my trip to mr S.........if only i did not like cooking.....sigh sigh

loulou0327

Can you put me down for 220 for April please.
31st March to 30th April. For 2 adults 2 kids a V big puppy and a whole host of other lil critters.
Should be manageable this month though i have found that our downfall is that we have loads of friends and family over for meals ( 1 extra teenager all weekend every week and at least 2 family of four each week during the week )but never seem to get invited back, so I'm cutting down on entertaining for a while.

Zend

Hi, could you put me down for £200 again this month. The freezer is nearly empty so it could end up being an expensive month.

ragz_2

gin wrote: »

Hello everyone and thanks for sorting it all. I am a lurker who has decided to go for it this month! £300 for two adults and three children, although I am cheating slightly as the first week my oldest two will be on holiday with their dad, so only myself and toddler to feed (baby doesnt count as only 8 weeks old).

Good luck everyone!

My youngest is 8 weeks too, do you count nappies in your total?

DanielleNic87

Just paid a visit to Mr T's and spent £20! that should hopefully keep me going for 2 weeks :-)

hex2

I am trying yet another different approach this month. Loose meal planning has worked well, Sunday is roast, Monday is leftovers,Tuesday is mince based, etc.
Someone said the key is not going shopping so I am going to try that. My problem is that we run out of veg then I buy lots of other junk.

I have therefore placed an order with clarebarry.co.uk for enough meat for the month when combined with the freezer contents - my second order. The meat was lovely from the first box, and there is 10% off at the moment. I have also set up an Able & Cole veg box order at £17 a week for a £50 credit after 4 weeks - the seven boxes will work out at £10 a week which is my average spend in the co-op when I just wanted some veg three times a week. Neither is a bargain but it will keep me out of the shops. I am going to do a storecupboard check against the meal plan and have a home delivery at some point for the same reason. It helps that I hate food shopping with small boys and they are off for a fortnight.

I feel liberated but lazy at the same time .

On a different note I made MrsMs Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup from the index yesterday and it was very nice so thankyou. The first edible chicken soup I have made so thank you very much. Usually even the dogs refuse to eat it :rotfl:.