August 2010 Grocery Challenge

EvieSaver

Just done my main supermarket shop - £45.29!:j This is my first month on the grocery challenge and I can't believe how much my shopping has come down. My budget before was £85 per week which I always roughly spent but then also bought extra from local shops on top of this. Last week I spent £46 and this week £45 and I don't actually know what I have bought less of. My cupboards, fridge and freezer are just as full and we have been eating lovely meals. So, anyway, to get to the point, a big thank you to you all (although I'm not actually sure what's changed):). Fingers crossed I can carry this on for a while. One more supermarket shop for me to do next Tuesday on the August challenge but hopefully I'll beat my budget again.

Good luck to everyone else on their challenges too.

p.s. Mr T value nappy bags now only 4p for 100 (although beware 300 pack 57p so buy 3 x 100 bags instead for 12p)

MindaJ

Another $5.80 spent today, so total is now $17.60 (I think. I'm too lazy to find a calculator). Almost bought some chocolate after a not so great day at work but I didn't. Mostly because I have some at home, not because of any will power on my part.

Milly-Ann-Molly

Thanks Eviesaver I will pop to mr T tomorrow for some 4p bags I am having an NSD today...Tuesday is DS swim lesson so I drive right past mr T (otherwise it is an 18 mile round trip :wall: )

XLucky_PennyX

Hi All
Time for a quick update - haven't posted for quite some time !!!
Well considering this is my first attempt at the grocery challenge it has been a real eye opener to say the least, it really makes me realise how wasteful I have been in the past and what bad shopping habits I have, for instance
Where I work every weekend just so happens to be placed right next door to a large supermarket which in my case has ment popping in after work, when I am tired, hungry and without a shopping list in hand, the result of which has been massive over spending
Good news is I have turned a corner and now only "pop in" when completely necessary.
The sum total of my spends this month so far is £143.02 which means with 8 days to go I have £15.98 ,the cupboards are reasonably well stocked and I am full of positivity so here's hoping I stay on target.

Good Luck to you all xx

Winged_one

I am already over by €7 for the month, and I still have a week to go. But it has been thrown off because of DH accident and not knowing who was coming or what we were doing.

I got a voucher for €10 off a spend of €30 or more in a local Mr T which was reopening, so I went there for the weekly shop and spent €66 overall. I got things like garlic bread and mince beef because I didn't know if I had up to 4 extra coming to me for dinner yesterday, so I was planning a lasagne which could stretch - just in case, I got the mince which could be frozen (there was a good offer on a double pack, but it was a combination of fresh and previously frozen, so no good to me) - and we ended up having no visitors and getting invited to my aunt's house for dinner instead. The bread is good until 31st, so we'll use it before then and I froze the mince last night.

I used up the cooked chick from the freezer, and a load of stock, as well as bacon lardons needing using, and a chunk of stilton, and some old old potatoes - to make a sliced potato dish that we normally have at Christmas-time, for Saturday's dinner. It was easily eaten with just a fork, and there was only a single lunch-sized portion leftover (which I froze). I was soo glad to see DH eating well!!!

I had already made the mushroom soup using the whoopsied mushies for Saturday's lunch, and there were 3 portions leftover (I made a double batch). I choped the rest of the chick into one portion, which DH had for his lunch while I was at the match yesterday (great excuse to get DD out of the house for the afternoon, let him have a rest, I enjoyed the match, and my aunt then invited us for dinner as well - as I had to go back to collect DD anyway!). I have one for my lunch today, and I will freeze the final one unless DH has it tomorrow, as I have a farewell lunch for a colleague.

I got a batch of shepherd's pie mince from freezer as well - I hadn't had room to make the entire pie the last batch day I had - and used the last of the old spuds to make mash. So that is in the oven on the timer for tonight, with a GOOD grating of cheese on the top.

And I had to make the damson jam before they got spoiled as well. All I needed, but there are now 4 extra pots in my "preserves" box.

I have chicken breasts for tomorrow, I need to use up some feta this week so probably do feta chick one night as well (that uses part boned chick, i have some in freezer), and a prawns/rice/sauce night too.

I know I have DH's parents visiting next weekend (although they are staying elsewhere), so that will mean a few plain dinners and an early Sunday roast before they go (I'd probably be back to roast again next week anyway). I have cancelled the neighbourhood BBQ next Sunday until Hallowe'en - no one was surprised. And my sis and her BF may be around over next weekend as well (again, not staying, but probably needing feeding at some point).

Oh well, I had a very low target this month, and I am still reasonably OK for the annual target. It's more that I needed quick and easy dinners last and this week (and somewhat panicking as well, I'll admit) - as I actually have lots in the storecupboard and freezer. So I must work on using up some of those bits.

laisbojar83

greent wrote: »

Sorry to hear the news, laisbojar. I remember not going through insurance for a couple of car break ins when OH & I were young. The only positive that you can gain from this is that you have managed to save that amount of money before it happened - so it won't be going on the CC/ OD. A small positive, but it *is* there.... and you WILL get to that stage again of having some money saved... x

Thanks Greent,

Thats what I thought as well.. Its just really frustrating, isnt it?
But nevermind, what doesnt kill me makes me stronger.
Thanks again for the support.
xxxx
L.

Winged_one

Oh, and I managed to get to the plot for an hour with DD to harvest on Saturday. We got a handful each of raspberries and blackberries, a decent tub each of peas and french beans, a small handful of broad beans, 4 summer squash and a courgette, 2 nice cabbages, a dinnersworth of brocolli, and a bag of turnips, beetroot, parsnips and spring onions.

Some of the peas were gone a bit mealy, so I froze those ones for using in stews in a few weeks, and also the broad beans (so few of them). I will put some french beans away for Christmas dinner this week also. I will use the cabbage, brocolli and squashes in stirfries this week. I plan to roast the roots with some chick some evening. And Dh and I had some peas with dinner Sat, and I have enough for a small helping each for the 3 of us with the shep pie for tonight.

So while I am reasonably seriously contemplating giving it up, I may keep it on next year for certain things and start to intensify the garden first, before I give it up. And grow lots more pumpkins and actually grow the sweetcorn next year!!

kalojac

I am at 245.22/300.00 with one week to go until pay day, I am hopeful however the fridge, freezer and cupboards contents are starting to dissapear before my eyes!

seductivesmile

laisbojar83 wrote: »

Hi everyone,


Got ready, went out.. when we looked at our car I nearly fainted! Someone damaged the windscreen beyond repair and knocked our side mirror (driver`s side - so no way it was another car!). Because we are both quite young, I am 26 and hubby is 24, we WOULD have to pay he insurance excess 280!! Well, it doesnt get any better.. if we claim through insurance the premiums will go sky rocket high.. oh the joys of youth lol. So, we have decided to not go through the insurance which is going to cost us 383!:eek::eek:

Have you reported it to the police? when my car was vandelised i reported it to the police (was 23 at the time) and the crime ref number meant my insurance company didnt charge me the excess?
the excess would have been more than the car was worth. Might be worth checking into
SS

ASC

Hello all. Have been AWOL for some time although I have been trying to read the thread at least!

Not looking good for this month in reality as we have had holidays (DH spending like there's no tomorrow...) and I have had some minor surgery which has put me out of action for a few days (result = DH and children apparently living on chippy and McD :mad:). Finally added up what receipts I have and we currently stand at £216.69 although some of that is holiday budget but doesn't include the aforementioned takeaways . On balance, I think I'll leave the total at that for now unless I can make any more sense of things when I do the bank rec...

DH is away this coming weekend and is expecting it to be financed (:mad: sorry, I'll try not to let this become a rant) upshot is, I could do with spending as little as possible. Only upside is that as it's all his fault, I will not feel any guilt making him stick to a frugal mealplan for the forseeable future. :rotfl:

Apologies, I have totally forgotten who is having a rough time but hugs to those suffering from broken bones and broken cars.


A x