May 2011 Grocery Challenge

clearandfree

Hi Everyone
Could I join please? I would like to set a budget of £300. this is for 2 adults and 2 teens and a preteen. I seem to spend a fair bit of packed lunches although still works out a lot cheaper than school lunches. I will include all cleaning bits and pets as well. I have a lab and 4 cats.
I have been saving reciepts all year so far and £300 seems about average.
looking forward to the challenge. For me, this month is about appreciating and using up what I have. thanks

Princesslauraliz

Hi Everyone

Sorry I haven’t posted for such a long time, I just haven’t had a moment to myself since I got back from holiday!!

I am absolutely determined to get back on track with my postings and “checking in” online as I always find everyone on these boards really helpful and supportive in our collective efforts to be MSE!!

Could you please put me down for £140 for May? Although I have been away for four days for the bank holiday, (so no spending from our grocery budget! Yeah) it’s going to be a challenge as I am determined to get back to following weight watchers this month and therefore I will be buying more fresh fruit and vegetables – which always costs more and impacts on my budget!! Oh well, must stick to it so I can shift my holiday weight!!

My grocery month runs from the 26th April – 25th May (as I get paid on the 26th each month) and so far I have spent £59.99 and the cupboards are heaving so I am hoping the remainder of my budget will only be used for replenishing the fresh items such as fruit, vegetables, milk and bread.

I must try and meal plan a bit better too as I am sure I could cut my grocery bill even further – my problem is that I love a good “whoopsie” or bargain at the supermarket so the plan sometimes goes out the window or I end up buying more than necessary!!

With the combination of my holiday and work commitments, I totally missed the T***o DTD offer (now RIP’d! :eek:) I am sure this is something I would have taken advantage of and ensured I got my £20 voucher – you win some, you lose some!!

So my goals for this month are:

• Stick to my grocery budget (of course!!)
• start following weight watchers again
• meal plan or at least do a stock take of cupboards and freezer
• use my slow cooker at least twice this month for some batch cooking

Right – I think that’s enough of me being ambitious – time to start the stock take!! :A

Take care

Princess Laura

hex2

cutiepieabf wrote: »

if you have any tips that would be great. i am getting bored of sandwiches/hm soup/hm sausage rolls. OH wont eat salad which is a PITA so i need to make sure he gets a variety so he doesnt buy stuff while hes in work...

ETA - he doesnt like eggs either.... so quiche is out of the question. grrrr

Similar problems with mine who also doesn't like sandwiches. Yesterday we had a beef and lentil salad (river cottage everyday) and today a tin of mixed beans (Lidl- 34pish) with some on offer feta and a balsamic dressing.

Day 4 - and three NSDs :j OH is having chilli and I have made a huge batch so I can freeze some. The only onion had gone a bit mouldy but rather than got ot the co-op I have used lots of floppy spring onions. Hope it is ok or I have wasted a kilo of steak mince. I also managed to use up some floppy mushrooms and peppers rather than feed them to the hens.

This morning we had pancakes for breakfast which made a nice change, and then when we got home we made the cereal bars out of River Cottage to go in lunch boxes this week. Very few seeds or nuts so I subbed some nasty muesli and the dregs of a pack of coconut. Made bread for the boys lunches tomorrow too.

Tomorrow I am going to print a picture of the holiday villa and stick it up in the kitchen. Might keep me focussed on why we are doing this.

The egg, cauli, potato curry sounds lovely - one for Friday when my veg box comes. It would be good to use up some of the egg mountain too.

natlie

Hi add another £10.80 on mine bread, milk, crumpets, scones and pasties - oops off now to make an apple crumble from frozen apples I have in freezer. Free lunch today - quiche, salad, potatoes and cake yum at work meeting and eldest daughter had belated wedding party lunch - which her dad paid for so also a free lunch

Sausages, curly fries and peas for tea - has everyone read the new Sainsurys weekly budget menu?
Nat
xxx

SuziQ

Just marking my place, as I have been posting on the April thread .

XSpender

Hello again:wave:

I used to do the GC every month and post quite often but since starting a new job after mat leave I have lost the plot with all my old style ways and budgeting:( I haven't a clue how much I have been spending

I am determined that this month I will get back into a routine and cut down on the number of visits to the supermarket we have been making. I have decided not to set a budget this month as I am shopping differently and cooking from scratch less due to time restraints. I will add up my spends between now and the 26th May and see what I am spending so I can calculate a budget for next month. I am away on a girly holiday from the 27th so this will include some cash for DH lunches and easy meals as he won't bother to make his own lunch!

I have decided to give Mr T on line another go to save me time and avoid 'pop in for milk' shops which end up costing £20 plus DH works next to a big Mr T and has offered to pick up fresh bits weekly if I do an on line shop fortnightly. He only buys what I ask him to.:T

I will include all spends on food, dog food, alcohol, toiletries and cleaning stuff. I won't include the stuff for DS birthday party this weekend as this will mess up my figures.

Sorry for the essay, I am just getting things straight in my head.

Good luck to everyone with their budgets this month and thanks to the ladies and posters who keep this thread running:)

123budget

Well just looked in my grocery purse (using cash this month for first time) and funds are going down rapidly - 3 more shops yet! So have done my list of evening meals and checked cupboards. Have just been on my supermarket and typed in a Te*** list and it comes to £37.17 - I have never ever done a weeks shop for this small cost - hoping to bring it down a bit more by going to Al** first. Oh just remember I forgot to put cereal on the list:mad:

cat_smith

cutiepieabf your Sausage, leek and apple pie went down a treat tonight. Topped it with cheesy mash instead of pastry. Used Pork and Apple sausages from DR and a homemade wholegrain mustard. Numnumnum.

PennyGrabber

Comes back hanging head in shame.

Didn't even share my total for last month, mainly as I haven't added it up yet. I stopped counting after I went £100 over...

In the true spirit of onwards and upwards, here I go!

I have so far done my main monthly shop of all the heavy stuff/things I know we'll need this month (like sandwich bags and cat food)/the first week's shop. I am totalling £84.14 so far out of £150. As long as I stop going for the sake of it, I will be able to manage this easily. I read a few pages back that someone said they had about 90 meals in their cupboards. I'd be ashamed to even count mine! A lot more than that, though, so WHY do I insist on going to the shops 15 times a month or so?

Resisted a few things today, including a bar of chocolate while I was standing at the checkout. I told myself sternly that I have that at home, I'll have to wait! (Which is lol, as that's what I tell my children!)

Will do better this month...
PG x

CRANKY40

Did my weekly shopping today and Country Life butter and Asda's own butter were both 50p a block. I've put a couple in the freezer as the house elf likes making shortbread shapes.