September 2010 Grocery Challenge

potz

Thanks Winged One. I have tried downgrading brands on a couple of things before but he says he can taste the difference so I think i'll just have to give in for now on that one. I am definitely going to try freezing more as at present our freezer only really has oven chips, ice cream and a bit of frozen veg in.

BlimusOreilly

I haven't been around for the last couple of months and I'm so excited about getting back into the grocery challenge. Please could you put me down for £230 for September, please?

glitterkitty

Hello! My first grocery challenge!! Could I please be put down for £60 for September please?
That's just for me - I live with my mum but have to buy all my own food/cleaning products etc.
Thankyou!! X

jackieglasgow

Spent £48.31 in Sainsbury's - I probably didn't need to, but I got lots of protein for meals and 2 free range chooks, they have the really nice mozarella BOGOF, and a few other things too. Got my boys some ice cream and now all I should need over the next fortnight is veg and fruit. But not this week. Somebody slap me if I mention spending cash again this week - except for milk that is.

Changingme

Can I join again please I have to stick to the £240 my hubbie gives me for house keeping as I really need to pay some bits of.Hope to be debt free for new year.:)

unhappy_shopper

This month, my first month at GC, was a unmitigated disaster :-(
Final tally in the region of £300 against a £200 budget. Still today and tomorrow to go. Next month I have promised myself to do better.

Please could you put me down for £250 from 1st September. TIA.

franby64

Afternoon all

Many thanks to Pink-winged, Mrs M and Rosieben for running the thread.

So far in August I've spent £401.56/£400 so I'm quite pleased...nearest I've been to my target for months though I'll have to buy some milk tomorrow morning.

Please could you put me down for £400 again in September Mrs M.

I'm having a T*sco order tomorrow which is for Sept (bit of a cheat I know) but I'm going back to A*da for the rest of the month now I've got my extra 1000 points from Mr T. Definitely cheaper.

Good luck to everybody for September.. I shall be much happier now I can go back to doing soups and stews without feeling guilty that I should be attempting something more Summery!

wssla00

£12.76 spend today, divided between: Home bargains, Somerfield and farmfoods. Got some cracking bargains too! £7.50 spend in somerfield gave me a very big gammon joint (they are half price at the mo down to £5) a drink of irn bru for me, some romaine lettuce (all my summer stuff has gone, and I'm still waiting for them to pop up) some french beans (ditto) a small piece of cucumber (to add to my cucumber harvested from the garden for a big salad this evening) and some basil and coriander (whilst the new ones I have sowed pop up)
Going to have italian meatballs and pasta for dinner tonight, with a yummy salad and perhaps some home made garlic bread (my mealplan has already changed! D'oh!) I will update my total in a mo.

Potz- My OH has no idea on what I spend and what products are value or own brand and what are branded. I buy it, I cook it, that's it really. However if I said that X,Y or Z is frozen meat, value etc then most people I know would say it tastes different. However I don't see the need to tell them. Perhaps just start with the staples- Pasta, rice, frozen veg, flour etc are all very good value substitutes and no one will know if they are put in as winged one says in kilner jars. I also like lidl and aldi as their stuff is cheaper than some of the supermarkets but they still look like brands IYSWIM. Also, why not look at doing meals where meat is not the main ingredient. Like tonight for example I am making italian meatballs. The whole of the meat in this meal is two italian sausages bought last month from a fancy butchers in the west end and frozen until I could think of something to do with it. Other than that it will be onion, some basil, some tinned toms, a red chilli and some value spaghetti. It looks the business but costs less than the meat and two veg way of eating. That said, I still like my roast and buy a large gammon to slow cook with either value apple juice or cider (whatever I have in) then slice it thinly and keep it (frozen or in the fridge) either for gammon and veg or for sandwiches or other things that I might use it in e.g carbonara etc.

EllieA_3

Ok month one of being debt free for me, husband still not working so sadly debt free doens't = rich ... sigh.

I've just done an inventory and im amazed at the amount of food i have in the freezer/cuboards. However alot of it is the sort that seemed like a good idea at the time but ive never quite worked out what do do with it.

I think i have enough meat for an entire month and quite a bit of veg and potatos so im going to attempt my first grocery challenge spending £150 I normally spend about £250 so it's a decent cut back but still do-able i think.

Any tips on using the weird and wonderful bizzare selection found in my cuboard welcome.

gunsandbanjos

Totally lost track half way through August! Don't think i'm wildly over though.

I will try for £245 for September please, will try and keep going til the end this time:p