April 2010 Grocery Challenge

moremoneythansense

HI all,

Well, I went to the budget shops today on my first quest in years to do my shopping cheaper... as I had absolutely no idea what I was spending before I don't know what I have saved but I still bought a few bits I didn't NEED but they will get eaten and may mean I don't buy something next week or the week after so we shall see. But - over the last few days I have spent.

£5 in volcano land
£1.93 in local garage
£18.69 in *etto
£43.48 in *ldi

so total so far for 2nd half of April (only joined halfway through) is £69.10.
That did include a toilet roll holder for my bathroom as we have lived here over 2 years and it's driven me mad not having one and then saw a £4.99 one in *ldi - so just bought it!!

That also included - sausage and beans for lunches at work but realised on a course rest of this week so bought a salad to split between 2 days and some tuna.

Off to bed now - early start tomorrow

meanmarie

Spent €9.50 on fruit and veg to-day...leaving me with the princely sum of €11.64 for next 11 days...have milk, bread, meat, fish, veg so hope it can be done...DD3 is taking us out for dinner at weekend so that will be a help.

Marie

jintyb

vodkawitch1 wrote: »

Spent £3 today on a boots meal deal as I forgot to take my packed lunch! Haven`t forgotten to take lunch with me for ages. Glad I don`t buy lunch from the shops everyday it is certainly not cheap.

I hate when I do that - the best thing I ever did was give up buying lunches. I dread to think how much I've spent over the years! Plus, if I have to buy sandwiches I sit there thinking how much better I could do them myself! Boots sarnies are not that great, but not as bad as Pret a Mortgage which are rubbish and extortionate!

Sunnyday

Morning everyone,

i`ve just updated my siggy and now have just £18.46 left until May 1st :eek:

I`m determined that we will do this! Went to the shops yesterday afternoon with DH and picked up a couple of things. These were mainly bits and pieces for when DH goes off fishing and takes tins of quickly reheated things with him. Not really an option for him to take anything else really but they are not things that i normally buy any other time.

Couple of doggy chewy things included in that spend too so not all spending was for DH.

Fingers crossed, must updated the meal planner too as if i let that lapse then i shall be in trouble

SD

stroppyjock

Hi all, hi sunnyday nice to see a friendly face

Here is a question, I get paid 4 weekly but would like to do the GC, will I just put in dates for my pay days and run with that? It just means I cant do a month beginning to month end GC?

Sunnyday

stroppyjock wrote: »

Hi all, hi sunnyday nice to see a friendly face

Here is a question, I get paid 4 weekly but would like to do the GC, will I just put in dates for my pay days and run with that? It just means I cant do a month beginning to month end GC?

Hi Stroppyjock :wave:

nice to see you over here. I get paid 4 weekly too (in the same industry as you ) What i tend to do is the monthly challenge but sometimes it starts a bit earlier or later depending on payday. Some times i have a 4 week month and sometimes (like this month for me) i have a 5 weeker. I average out the weekly cost IYKWIM

Sometimes it bridges a payday but with what i save by doing the challenge it sees me over to the next one. At the moment i`m a week in front with my money so unless i go mad and overspend there is always some money in the pot to tide me over. I allow between £35 and £40 per week depending on how flush we are and there is £35 in the pot for when paydays don`t match up and then next month is due to start.

I`ve rambled a bit but i know what i mean so i hope you can understand my ramblings

SD

stroppyjock

Thanks sunnyday, I will have a "dry run" up to end of April then start 01 May. I budget for £40 a week so will go for that to begin with.

I had a brief thought about you being in same indusrty when you put down your shift patterns!! I'm on lates but last shift today, yipee!

Sunnyday

stroppyjock wrote: »

Thanks sunnyday, I will have a "dry run" up to end of April then start 01 May. I budget for £40 a week so will go for that to begin with.

I had a brief thought about you being in same indusrty when you put down your shift patterns!! I'm on lates but last shift today, yipee!

My May challenge begins on the first too, it will run for four weeks until the 29th this time

My last late is today then i have two off and then start 7 earlies Hope the weather gets better then the afternoons /evenings can be spent in the garden growing the veggies then the nasty supermarkets can`t have as much of my money every week

SD

stroppyjock

ooooooo spooky, we're on the same shift pattern!!! :D

gin

Popped into Mr A for bread and milk, of course it wasn't just bread and milk. <sigh>

To be fair, it does include a new duvet for my 2 year old, now she has moved to the bottom bunk and not a toddler bed (although she seems to spend most of the night in with me), and a pack of vests for my youngest as she is now leaving 0-3 m clothes and I didn't think I could cram her in the vests much longer.

I think I will be a bit over this month, but we are having building works and I have lost my garden to a mess of bricks and builders' rubble etc, so my youngest two have been in disposables as I cant dry much so the washable nappies are too much at the moment.