April 2011 Grocery Challenge

tigerfeet2006

espresso21 wrote: »

Espresso, how do you get into Costco? When I looked you had to have a business but I see it mentioned on here a few times that people are going to Costco. Would love to be able to shop there.

Tigerfeet, certain professions can get a card and one of those is teaching - which is what I do. Another way to do it is to find someone you know who already has a Costco card. They are allowed to add a certain number of family / friends to their account - the number they can add depends on what sort of membership they have but I think for some kinds of membership it can be 8. They do need to pay for this kind of upgraded membership but you could offer to pay towards it if they would let you have a card. It's really worth it as the membership doesn't cost much and you save a fortune. I have my receipt so could give you some idea of prices if you wanted....
The only problem is that there are not many Costco stores around the country so it would only work if you could find one close to you. But if you do have one near you, it might be worth popping in and seeing if you qualify for a card.

Thanks Espresso. DH is a teacher and we have one about 30 miles away. What sort of paperwork do they need? I have had a look at their site and all it talks about is trade people. Sorry to ask so many questions.
http://www.costco.co.uk/default.html

Mrs_Money_Penny

Hi MrsM Please put me down for £200 for May. Many thanks

sistercas

already spent over £85 of mays budget :eek:
i spent more than i had intended , ended up buying more snacky type stuff as the kids are home more because of the bank holidays

i go to c0stc0 about once a month , i love going and as long as you can store stuff it will probably save you money in the long run

enjoyed the wedding i thought catherine looked lovely :T

espresso21

Sorry but I can't actually remember what paperwork I took - it was a long time ago. I think it was just stuff to identify me - ie something with my name and address on it and I guess something to prove I was a teacher. I would give them a call if I were you and ask. I think you do have to pay for the card....but I have found I have made back that money many times over by the amount I have saved.
The only problem is that everything is in bulk, so at the moment I have 12 tins of chickpeas and another 12 of tomatoes that I have to find a place for somewhere! Still, it's not as bad as when I bought a massive pack of toilet paper and had toilet rolls stuffed everywhere in the house!
If you use your freezer well, you can really save some money.
Their meat isn't that cheap, but it is really good quality so you use less as it is less fatty and more tasty. I buy bulk packs and then divide and freeze. Their fruit and veg also lasts a lot longer than the stuff you buy in the supermarkets as I think it is fresher to start with.
Just one thing - each store is slightly different so you will find very different things in each. The specials I get in mine will not be the same as those in yours.
Go on a Saturday morning - loads of free yummy samples!

Pink.

Hi everyone :wave:

The Grocery challenge for May is finally up and running. Thank you for your patience. :A

You can find the thread here: May 2011 Grocery Challenge

As ever, massive thanks to rosieben and MRSMCAWBER for their continued input to the thread. I'll unstick the April thread in the next couple of days. Good luck to everyone taking part this month!

Pink

Nimeth

Last spend of April yesterday! Spent a total of £29.97 in Lid! and Mr M's yesterday, so declaring my final total for April at £226.32, so under budget for my first GC!:D

Mothership

espresso21 wrote: »

Mothership, don't you find Donald Russell very expensive? I love their meat but can't afford it or have you found some good deals?

When you first look at the website it does look expensive , but they have regular offers and free delivery. I've re - stocked my freezer with their meat . I started off with their braising selections, they have some old fashioned cuts like ox cheeks, beef rib trim etc; ideal for the slow cooker. If you register with them they will send you emails with offers. I've got deliveries coming every month till August. I've not paid for delivery yet. I also go through Quidco, I think it's 7% cash back, Its about the same price as Marks and Spencer but the quality is much better.
Keep your eyes open for my posts If I find a good deal on something I always add it on at the end.

Billie-jo

:j Thursdays shopping only came to £5.02 :j well ok it was slightly more but had a number of coupons for a change and a small DTD voucher.
Just need some fruit & veg tomorrow, a paper and think that will be it. Will declare on Sunday though - just in case.

May GC will be £240 again please. Got a couple of birthdays to include in this as well - so will try anyway.
Good luck everyone.

quintwins

had a few more spends today £1.99 on suncream and £10.50 on chinese, thats shud be me done for the month now

janie-h

Hi all :wave:

Wow! Took some time to catch up with the thread! Hope everyone is ok?

Update of spends and will declare on Sunday night as really need to do a 'big shop'

HBargs - £9.94
A**a - £8.05
A**a - £40.60
A**i - £35.17
T**o - £5.99
A**a - £1.93 TOTAL = £101.68

Will add to sig and hope that leaves enough of this months GC budget for shopping. Must check what I have in and DO A MEAL PLAN before I go shopping.