November 2010 Grocery Challenge

cw18

As I left work I picked up some whoopsied 'Best' sausages - each pack has 12 cumberland chipolatas (so will do me 4 meals a pack) and has a normal price of £2.59 but is currently on offer at £1.94. I got 4 packs for 99p each.... would have liked them cheaper, but the pork and bramley ones that were there at 3pm had all gone and I didn't rate the chances of these making the next round of reductions as there were a couple of other people working their way through everything on the shelves (I was aiming for the sausages specifically and knew where they were - so just reached back, pulled them all out, and left the area to dirty looks from the others who'd been there ahead of me )
(These were on my list of 'allowable Whoopsies' from the £5 set aside on 1st, but as they were bought on a spend day I'm not deducting the money from that fiver)

Also picked up another 3 tins of mushrooms from B'n'M (3 for £1 and they're nice - would have got more but they wouldn't go in my bag with everything else I picked up from around the shops (also got some non-GC items including a pair of slippers), so may go back and see if they've still got some left when my next D/Debit goes out on Monday as I try to keep food spends to days bills get paid (part of my NSD challenge rules).

Nipped into L!dl (don't do the extra walk up there often) and picked up 2 packs of wholemeal spaghetti (running short of supplies of 'normal' stuff, so decided to try wholemeal now I don't have anyone else to please) plus 3 boxes of teabags (28p for 80, instead of £5.99 for 480 from Mr T - they're not quite as strong a brew, but I've been coping with the box I bought to try last month and it's a significant saving given I can use an average of 7/day when I'm at work, and more when I have a week off)

I've also placed another order with App F00ds Loved some of the stuff I ordered last month and regretted not having ordered more, but couldn't justify the postage charge to top-up my supplies. But they've got cheap postage this w/end and still had most of the items in stock, so I decided it was worth it - and I also added in a few other bits I'd debated last time. And at least delivery should be next week while I'm off work so my neighbours won't get stuck with taking it in again But before I update my signature I need to try and estimate how much of it will be carried over into next year, as that will come out of a stockpile budget I've built up by using things during this year that I'd bought pre-1st Jan

Billie-jo

[QUOTE Made about 40 North Staffs Oatcakes, some to give away, some for us. Had some with melted cheese for tea. Delish![/QUOTE]

Not made any for a while. Love them but we also in the Potteries so we bound to love them. Will have to do some soon.


Will update spends tomorrow as not been shopping due to being sick this morning - _pale_ (blaming the lambs hearts last night )

de1amo

jintyb wrote: »

I usually use A$da Smart Price, it's absolutely fine! The SP white icing is also very good:)



If you dont mind me saying - since this is your first month, just keep a note of your spends and what you are buying, then at the end of the month you will have a good picture of your spending pattern and therefore where you can make cuts. Not sure if comparing to UK prices is a useful exercise as surely your budget should be aligned to where you actually shop? If you are keen to compare you could use MS to access current prices.

At the moment i am trying just to get an idea of what we actually spend on things with a view to using some of the techniques you use-ie menus etc. i cant shop obviously where you shop but some food stuffs are international and i like to see some kind of barometer as to whether the cost of living for food is greater here.

A day will dawn when my daughter has left education when we may choose to return to the uk so i like to have an idea of the cost of living because income wont really change. We have a business in Turkey that will still give us steady income and my income in the uk is fixed and goes up with inflation(a pension).

The only thing which seems cheaper about living in Turkey is the cost of homes/rents but with the devaluation of the pound even this is equalising.

sharronej

de1amo I have to say I agree with jintyb, it's easy to get carried away with this challenge and feel that you shouldn't be spending anything but the best and more successful way to do it is to look at the last months spends and then reduce down slowly. If I may also say? You need your wife fully on board with you and need to be careful that she doesn't feel you are critising her when all you're doing at the moment is looking at what may or may not be feasible. Perhaps the way forward is to meal plan together and shop together?

I did another shop on App Foods last night, which I really shouldn't have after having 14 boxes delilvered from BBFL!!!! So I need to add another £15 to my total, I need to be really careful at the moment because it's a bit of a close thing at the bank this week - got loads going out on Monday so I'm trying to convince myself that a day spent catching up and washing alongside some baking is a good idea.

barneydee_2

Hi just popped in to update my spend got a few bargins, 6 packets of youngs frozen cooked prawns for 74p a packeweets that so have popped them in the freezer for christmas, two big tubs of sweets that were for halloween that were rduced to 20p a tube all together i spent £66.08 as i had run low on a lot of basic things so all being well over the rest of the month it should just be milk fruit and veg i have updated my signiture todate i stand at £184.09 out of my £350-00

Barneydee

~moneysavingnovice~

Naughty £11 spend on wine and beer last night. Sailing a bit close to the wind with the target this month, but we have front-loaded buying a lot of toiletries etc so hopefully spending will go down now. Has to really cos next month's gonna be even worse!

XSpender

£5.33 spent yesterday on milk, eggs and crisps at Mr S. They have a new brand of organic 1% milk in at 2 x 4pts for £3 I thought I would try. I normally buy skimmed organic but only Mr M seem to do 4 pinters.

Also had my small veg box delivered, £11.65, but a lot of this has been used this morning to make puree for DS. He doesn't seem to like the broccoli, carrot and potato very much;)

DH has just rung to say a customer has given him 2 phesants. They still have feathers on etc. I am a vegetarian who will cook meat for DH & DS (when he is a bit bigger) but this is a step too far for me:eek: Our neighbour will prepare both of them in return for one of the birds so I will have a look on the tinterweb for a stew recipe I think.

Our total so far this month stands at £280.20 with 13 days or 1 big shop left as I have everything in I need until next week. I am sure we can manage on £70 until the 26th. I might just come under budget for the first time since I started doing the grocery challenge in October 2008:o I hope I haven't jinxed myself writing that:o

I split my spend into categories and they look like this:

£107.31 Food - Adults
£30.00 Food - Dogs
£38.43 Baby formula/nappies etc
£34.24 Toiletries/cleaning and over the counter meds
£10.40 Food away from home
£70.22 Alcohol at home:eek:

I have not bought nappies for a while as I stocked up at C0stco when they were on offer and the toiletries includes 3 for 2 on DH shave stuff and my £8 moisturiser. I also have enough dog food in to last 3 weeks as it was on special offer.

I shocked DH yesterday when I told him how much we had spent on alcohol compared with how much we had spent on food as he drinks the most. We have had people over twice this month, don't go out much because we have a small baby and there are 15 cans still in the garage but this is still far too high.

I would ideally love to spend no more £250 on all the above but I just can't see how it can be done.:(

rosieben

Moniker - your crunchy topped cod now in recipe index

mummygems

Something I have noticed recently about mysupermarket and wondered if anyone else has found the same.

I always use mysupermarket before I shop and even if I buy the EXACT things the price I pay in the store is always higher than mysupermarket say it will be. Gets right on my nerves! I know they cant be 100% on their prices but still if your using it to get the cheapest/best deals then surely it should be more accurate than it is. (Or maybe its just me lol)

Bread and milk needed today so I think £3.40 for those to be added (havent been out yet).

cookie9

Not too bad spend at MS and Mr T - 34.60. Too heavy to carry so need to pick up some more milk later. Italian bean casserole in slow cooker already and looking forward to leek and potato soup later on.