April 2011 Grocery Challenge

freakyogre

Oops. Gone slightly over with a few days left.

I stayed at my dad's last night so didn't prepare anything for lunch today like I usually do, so popped to Tesco this morning and got 2 bags of salad and some dressing.

Went to Lidl at lunchtime and got some eggs, a lime, crisps and some sweets (obviously salad leaves aren't that filling :P)

I'm going to jig my meal plan around a bit to fit the salad in as it won't keep for very long.

I shouldn't need much else, but we'll see what happens...

CherryPie

I cannot quite believe my eyes! I'm under budget?? I even added a tenner on as I think I lost a receipt somewhere.

So I will declare @ £80.36 for April.

I've learned this month that I could actually survive on my store cupboard / fridge freezer contents for a good couple of months. I've had to survive on my limited budget this months as things are really tight. But you know what, I did it. So I can do it again this month!

I'm away on hols from Mon-Fri next week, going "up North!" It'll have to be a frugal holiday though.

I'll try for £90 for May

CherryPie x

WelshWoofer

Hi,
Just a quick one to ask to be put down for £45 a week please Mrs M?

That's for all food, cleaning products, toiletries and dog food for 2 adults and a greedy little pooch.

Thank you!

TheThriftyScrumpers

Hi
Well I have gone over my budget. Not by much but still annoying none the less. I won't declare yet in case I need to get some milk Or anything else before Sunday. I learnt my lesson last month when I declared a few days early and then DH tempted me with a cheeky take away and I had to bring the cost into April's budget.

The kids made their own dinner today. Pitta bread pizza and fruit kebabs. Both were a big hit. I did a chicken in the SC which DH and I had with veg and pots. Leftovers will be used tomorrow with puff pastry, tomatoes, pesto and mozarella.

cutiepie
You probably already know this but you can freeze wine. I don't drink White wine so I always do this and it works really well. Red wine on the otherhand would not last long enough to be frozen :0)

Night

Hippeechiq

Well done to those of you who had no spend weekends :T

And very well done to GroinSexyPavement CherryPie Tigerfeet and allie for coming in under budget, and with style at that! :T

Glad you enjoyed your break tigerfeet, shame it wasn't quite what you wanted, but it probably did you all good to get away.

cutiepie I don't think the wine would do you any harm as such, but I would imagine it would be very "vinegary" by now, as too much air in the bottle turns wine in something you'd only want to put on your fish n chips :rotfl: Mine never gets the chance mind but l also freeze a little pot of wine every now and then when I have some. I try to have 3 reds and 3 whites in the freezer at any given time - it freezes very well.

mummygems Welcome back, and congratulations on your new baby :j and a boy too, to compliment your 2 girls - how lovely

I'm hanging in there by the skin of my teeth this month. Paid what I owed to my 2nd Purse today, plus bought a couple of bits, so now I'm at £231.49 leaving me with just £8.51.....£1.69 of that is in the bank (left over from my online shop allowance) leaving me just £6.82 in my purse :eek:

Random piece of useless information for you - I've just put away the 4 tins of Nap0lina Tomatoes I bought today on offer, and I now have 16 tins in the cupboard, so I'm a happy bunny.....a girl can never have too many tins of tomatoes imo

MumOf2Beasties

hi all hope you all had a lovely easter, mine was fairly cheap as the sm's had great offers on easter eggs £1 each on cadbury eggs:D

i've gone £14 odd over budget this month and will probably need milk before i start may's budget. hoping the milk will last untill i go shopping on saturday as i have nothing in for sunday lunch, this shop will be may's 1st shop and i plan on coming in under budget for may.....about time i managed it

not feeling too bad about going over though as kids been home for 2weeks of easter and both had chicken pox before that so been home alot!!

i did have a few days without them while they were with their dad, but i save separately for my 'weekend off' and i stay with my oh

also made roughly £50 on ebay clearing out my wardrobe, actual amount is £74.74 inc item price and p&p, but am posting tomorrow so will see if i've charged enough to cover p&p, and then there are paypal and ebay fees, but around £50 left after that sounds about right:j

anyway enough rambling, take care everyone and keep up your thriftyness :T

Brassic

[Deleted User] wrote:

Hi All

The 'envelope' idea has worked quite well this month so I will do it again next month. Had £40 left at end of month :j but it was a funny month as we were away on holiday for a week. Please can you put me down for £200 again for May. Many thanks.
Allie

What is the envelope idea?

Well done on coming in under budget

[Deleted User]

Hi Brassic, thanks for your interest.
The envelope idea is simply that instead of having my food money in a bank acount, I withdrew my total budget at the start of the month and had it in cash. Any time I spent any money out of the envelope I wrote the amount spent and new total on the front. I also put receipts in there.

It sounds really simple and I know other MSers do similar things but it has been a big change for me this month. It also means both me and DH have access to the money so he can do his fair share of the shopping and I can still keep an eye on the spends.

Candy_Belle

Morning All

Just a quick update another £16.94 spent in sainsbugs:eek: can't believe how much my May spends are already, really need to rein it in and try and save some pennies!

Have a good day every1 x

looie

Reporting a spend of £1.87 yesterday in a's. I am on a week off from work this week and had a really lazy day yesterday. Dropped into a's and got some reduced cheese and onion rolls and a loaf of bread and went and fed the ducks at the local park.

The grocery budget is doing well this month just don't seemed to have spent much - not that I'm complaining

Have a good day x