June 2011 Grocery Challenge

Flat_Eric

My budget for June is going to be £350

I thought I was being good last month avoiding home delivery and just doing odd shops as and when needed and I did visit the local co$tcutter on a few occasions when I might otherwise have gone to the supermarket (1) because I didn't have transport and (2) I thought if I went to the supermarket I would spend over and above what I wanted but since my overspend for May was over £200, my little and often approach hasn't worked. When I think back, I would be visiting the Mr T Metro several times a week on my way to work and in some instances I would spend £15 odd several times a week - this soon adds up.

Also, I know that I relaxed too much in the last 10 days or so of the month - buying fresh fruit when I had fruit I could use up, buying expensive lunch pot meals (when I had soup in the office I could have instead) and despite on many occasions saying I must meal plan - I never seem to do so.

SO - I am going to try a different approach this month. My freezer is in desperate need of defrosting so this will limit freezer purchases until I have done this. I have already started to write down some ideas for meals this week (in part because I am following slimming world so if I don't plan, my sw efforts go pear shaped)

Rather than do one big home delivery shop for the month, I have decided that I am going to have weekly deliveries instead. The main reason for this is that when I shop for the month, I overspend so if I meal plan and shop for the week accordingly and then avoid the shops the rest of the week then I should hopefully be able to stick a bit better to my budget.

I have decided that I am not going to count the cost of the delivery charges in my budget.

Finally, I want to make some onion bhajis but the recipe calls from gram flour - is there an alternative flour I can use because I don't have any gram flour ?

cheerfulness4

Massive spend of £102.49 so far this month. The fault of Banks hols treats and takeaways and stocking up on soap powder while on offer.
I shudder to think that I've spent in one week as much as I could afford to spend on one month last year. :eek:

Anyhow, now that the freezer is nicely stocked with reductions from Morri's I can sit back and menu plan them away and save a bit the rest of the month.

Really need to find a great coffee offer for this month. Used up my stock pile and only have the jar we're on. Am panicking!

toddles*

Flat_Eric wrote: »

Finally, I want to make some onion bhajis but the recipe calls from gram flour - is there an alternative flour I can use because I don't have any gram flour ?

I was thinking this only yesterday, dont fancy buying a whole bag of gram flour, found this recipe on the BBC website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/onionbhaji_85976

It calls for plain four, Im sure other recipes could also be adapted too.

zpr1c3

Hi,

Thanks to everyone who runs this thread it has really helped me to lower my spending

Can I be put down for £200 this month please. It has to be lowered as I don't have a job currently and OH taking a paycut so going to need to spend as little as possible!

Zoe

JAMIEDODGER

Back from tesco, rubbish as usual, didnt have my usual milk or a few other bits I needed. Spent £23.33, off to update signature.

knittingnelly

Flat_Eric wrote: »

Finally, I want to make some onion bhajis but the recipe calls from gram flour - is there an alternative flour I can use because I don't have any gram flour ?

I regularly make onion bhajis and I have to say if I'm out of gram flour I don't bother as they just don't taste like "proper" bhajis

I do a big bowl of onions and a couple of handfuls of flour so I don't think it works out too bad - and my theory is I've given up takeaways so a bag of gram flour is a HUUUUGE saving! :rotfl: :rotfl:

quintwins

morning all

my thoughts are with you pat, today will be hard but it's good that your doing something it's all upwards from here

today is a nsd altho it had to put desil in £30 on 1/4 filled our car i have spent a huge amount of my budget but i'm confident i will come in under this month, i have enought food to feed us for the whole month, except for another bag of spuds later in the month and my weekly milk and fruit and veg, i'm gonna start making my own bread again aswell

kahunababy

Morning All,

Well just added up my recipts from yesterday, I spent:

Mr A Delivery £23.98
Tea & Milk (work) £ 2.95
Iceland £ 1.00
SemiChem £ 0.79
Boots £ 2.56
Cafe (hangs head in shame) £ 8.00
So in Total £38.49

This is not too bad as I am working of a weekly budget of £60 (£300 for the month of June as it has 5 weeks) that runs from Sat to Sat. I have everything in and I have meal planned so I don't need to go to the shops at all. If I can stay out of the shops between now and sat I will have £21.51 left over which will go towards my second purse thing if I can ever find the post on how it works. If not, it will go in my savings account ready to make an overpayment on something! I'm feeling much more optimistic doing things weekly and I am finding I am spending less as I am only buying what I need for the week instead of picking things up I 'might' need later in month.

Well, best shoot. Take care all

KB

espresso21

Philsmum, so sorry to hear about your bankruptcy. I guess it's a sign of the times - so many people who would have been ok a couple of years ago are now really struggling to make ends meet. I know I used to earn a very comfortable salary and now I battle to make it through to the end of the month and every week is a challenge. I just wish I had appreciated my former salary when I had it! I hope all goes well in court today and that it can be the beginning of a financial overhaul for you with a positive outcome. On an encouraging note, a friend of mine filed for bankruptcy a couple of years ago and is now doing very well indeed so it doesn't have to be the end of the road.

69chick

Thinking of you Philsmum, hope this morning went ok :grouphug:

Managed to only spend £1.15 yesterday when we needed a loaf of bread (the second time in a week I have gone into a store for 1 thing and only come out with that one thing!!)..

Have updted sig. I will be doing my food shop on Friday and going to try A!di again....can anyone recommend anything in there? I know about the super 6 so will see what they have there and I know I like their tinned stuff too...I want to make it a really cheap week am aiming to come in at around £40 so will see how I do...

I have found with my grocery shopping that I tend to do a big shop on dh's payday as a 'stock up' but I am thinking now that this isn't always the best way for me....I then end up with lots of stuff in for the kids to scoff early in the month and also I still end up with wasted stuff as I overbuy veg/fruit etc...

So my plan is now to try to start the month off more frugally so that I feel more in control throughout the month...




I made a sausage casserole yesterday (the first one listed on the recipe index) and it went really really well, it wasn't an exact copy and i did it in the oven rather than the sc after all, but everyone loved it, even fussy ds, so got some peas and other vegis into him :j

We do have a problem with overspending in other areas, ie. meals out etc. although I have now set up a plan that we only go out to eat as a family once a month on dh's payday...this could be pizza, harvester or even McDs but its something to look forward to...me and dh usually go out once a month on our own too, but at least I use ccard vouchers to cover most of that one....

Am having Chicken (a crown of chicken I found lurking in the freezer which is part of the 3 for £10 meat you can get at sainsbugs) with stuffing roast pots and veg for dinner today....

Hope everyone is doing ok...