February 2011 Grocery Challenge

SavingJane

I HAD to pop asda as baby event stuff reduced so got LO milk as well as dinner

So I've now spent £30.03 of my £250

Pernicious

Sorry for your loss Helen, I can only imagine how hard that must be x

martafdz

Helen, sorry to hear that. My thoughts are with you and your family.

boo80 wrote: »

I'm amazed by all you money savers who manage to do this in budget every month. I can never seem to do it, especially now everything has shot up. I've told my family they all have to cut down on what they eat as I can't afford to keep buying food the way the prices are!

It's all down to planning and home cooking. I think we are eating more and more healthier now for much less money. I used to buy lots of chocolate, biscuits and snacks, now I make a cake that lasts 3 days for the price of a chocolate bar. I also used to buy loads of ready meals because I thought it was better, quicker and cheaper... well, it turned out it was what the supermarkets wanted me to believe!
A sunday roast will give me leftovers for Monday's meal (soup, wraps, stew...), so I can cook on Monday whilst I have my supper and have it ready for Tuesday plus an extra bit for the freezer for other day. I am still learning and I need to find a good method but sometimes I just put something on the oven whilst I watch some TV series and I check how it goes in the commercial breaks. It does not feel like a task at all.
I buy more ingredients but they give me more meals and they work out cheaper as a whole. A ready meal gives me only one meal and most of the times it is not enough.

Could you post an example of a day or two of your normal days/expenses in food and see if we have ideas on how to make it cheaper without reducing the amount? I truly believe that this is like a diet, it is not about reducing and starve but about making better choices and choose better food.

rosieben

mummyroysof3 wrote: »

I think you should all kick me off the challenge:eek:

i have spent loads already this month(see sig) so have loads in i could make for tea.....but hubby wants takeaway:eek::eek:

don't be downhearted, you're tracking your spends and doing well :T

being in the GC doesn't mean we don't spend money, it means we choose better how we spend it and sometimes we just need a treat! I have a freezer and pantry full of food but I've had a take out from our chinese/chippy today - it was lush and all the more appreciated because I don't have them that often

I bought chocolate today too .... runs off to hide

sorting_myself_out

First shop of Feb budget today, been to Mr A's only needed a few bits as i'm cat sitting for my mum so full use of the freezer!! so just needed few toiletries, fruit and ingrediants for carrot and coriander soup for lunch at work this week! Managed to get a few tins for when i'm back at home Spent £14.47! Held myself back from buying for the sake of it.......this challenge is helping me be much more organised!! :T

mummyroysof3

Rosieben you worse than me:rotfl:at least i didnt buy chocolate, i just ate what was already in the house:cool:

lizziebabe

Hi Helen - so sorry to hear your news. we are all thinking of you and your family at this sad time. :grouphug:

Had to go and do a small shop - spent £18.62 but got a few whoopsies, so should do me for a while.

Just remembered tho' forgot to restock on toilet rolls :eek:

Still making soup daily - roasted butternut squash and sweet potato next

Keep going everyone and cheers :beer:

toddles*

sorry for your loss Helen
take care


spent £13 in Mr A's today. Craving Cheese and onion toasties. (cheese on toast wouldnt do) so I had to buy a sandwich toaster. It was only £5 so not too bad. Lets hope Ill be craving them for some time. Get my monies worth.

freakyogre

Had my hair cut today Not grocery related, but it made me smile!

£11.95 spent today. I'd only planned to buy toilet rolls

Popped into Morrisons and ended up getting some noodles, chicken kievs, risotto rice (have been meaning to get some for ages!) pitta breads, stuffing mix, creme caramels and 2 bags of seed mix that was on offer.

I had to go to Sainsburys for something and noticed the 9 packs of KitKat chunky bars for £1....2 fell in my basket!

And of course, the toilet rolls I needed added another £2.00.

My problem is I can't resist a bargain when I know i'll use it.

Spiggle

martafdz wrote: »

... I truly believe that this is like a diet, it is not about reducing and starve but about making better choices and choose better food.

Great post martafdz and such a great sentiment. :T

Well I succumbed to the evil MrT again last night on the way from work late. I needed milk and again couldn't deal with going somewhere else on the way home at 7 pm. Anyway, I spent a total of £45.25 and I've updated the siggy. At least the NSD are staying at an acceptable rate at the moment.

OH made his first hm pizza a couple of days ago and loved it. We've got a friend coming round to watch the rugby shortly so he's made a humungous one for us to eat either before, during, at half time or after. Tbh, it's so big I reckon it'll be all four! :rotfl: I'm really looking forward to it, smells delish. :drool:

We will need to go to the butchers tomorrow as we've just about used up the things we had in the freezer most of which were left over from December. And I'd like to see a stock of veg back in the house as well.

OH is planning on going back to work on Monday. His mobility is just about back to normal. Took his bicycle around the block to test it out this afternoon and said he thinks the traffic on the main road are definitely going faster! I'm not sure he's going to be able to take the same route to work again. This has knocked his confidence unbelievably.

Right, I'd better go prepare for the match. Keep up the good work everyone. :T

Take care,
Spigs