January 2007 Grocery Challenge

Kimberley

Do you just count food or do you count all shopping like cleaning stuff and toilet roll etc

catznine

Personally I count food and drink, not cleaning stuff although after reading through the cleaning threads a lot of the ingredients for cleaning are bicarb of soda and vinegar!

I buy in bulk from Costco every 3 months toilet tissue and washing powder. Toothpaste and mouthwash etc also comes under another budget (personal hygiene) which I try to buy from Poundland or on bogofs, but everyone does this differently!

hth

Catz x

benjacksmum

earthmother wrote:

Personally I'd go for a split - use some (say an extra £10 a week) to top up non-perishables like tinned food and loo roll (whatever's on offer), then put the balance against the mortgage (or in our case debts).

That way you're getting a head start on next months' shopping, whilst still reducing the debts.

Thanks Earthmother, that is just what I have decided to do. On account of my still very full freezers and cupboards, my new budget for January is now set at £20 per week and with my month running this time from the 1st to the 28th, that's £80 for the month. I will edit my sig and see how we get on.

First job tonight (as per my New Year resolutions) is to set my menu plan in place for this week.

Good luck everybody, especially to all the first timers.

Ang x

shoe1206

Hi I would like to join this challenge - I am new to all this but am hoping for £200 in January. Have just put the kids on school dinners so have to save money elswhere.

beemuzed

Hi everyone!
have been reading the posts on here for ages, but never tried to post before! I'd like to do the January challenge too, please. Guess I'll start by noting all I spend so I'll have a better idea of how much to allow for February. I think this will be scarey!
Beemuzed

thriftykatie

Well I've done it - first shop of my grocery challenge. Just went to the local shops rather than Tesco or Sainsburys as I know I will find it very hard to be restrained in the bigger stores! Took me longer as I went to two greengrocers so I could check prices, popped into Woolies to check bargains (gave in to a pyrex oven to freezer dish with snap on plastic lid, but was only £2.50 and will be useful if I cook double and one lasagne or whatever can then go straight into the freezer) and also got a few reduced bits in Waitrose including a couple of 'treats'.

Feel very pleased with myself as have essentials for week and as I have meat and stuff in the freezer will not need to go into the money allocated for main shop. I decided to allocate £15 a week (put away in envelopes) for fruit, veg etc so that I don't spend everything at the beginning of the challenge and then I have £60 either to spend on one big shop or spread out over the month.That needs to include toilet rolls, cleaning products etc but will be looking out for the famous stardrops! Psychologically I hope that will help, knowing that there is money there for the end of the month.

I am so glad I found this board (and even more so now that I have posted). It really helps knowing that others are going through the same. Feel part of a special club!

pipkin71

I'm going to join january's grocery challenge, and will be aiming for £140 for myself and two kiddies age 8 + 9. This gives me around £35 a week, and I will be shopping weekly rather than do my usual monthly shop to see if it works out better.

The girls take packed lunches to school, and although I could save money there, as they're entitled to free school meals, the quality is not up to standard so I will also budget for their lunches in the £140.

I have menu planned as well, and this should also help keep costs down.

Regards
Pipkin xxx

Kazzajr

Hi everyone

Im hoping to join in this for the first time. Reading others posts makes me realise how much I overspend on groceries.

Currently I have no idea how much im spending I would say roughly about £150 per month (including toiletries etc). This is only for 1adult and 1 child :eek:
My son has packed lunches each day, Im hoping to have these also, as I'm currently buying lunch at uni canteen which works out expensive.

This figure needs to be cut drastically as we waste so much food in this house.

Im not going to drop too much this month but will aim to reduce it little by little, month by month.

For this month I'm aiming for £130.

loumac

Well I clearly still have a lot to learn the more of these posts I read!

I've budgeted £140 for me and two cats and the occasional feeding of my boyfriend!

Perhaps I will be pleasantly surprised now I am planning on utilising my slow cooker and batch cooking and stuff. :j

Mrs_A.

count me in too we need to tighten our belts a hefty bit this year so my targets gonna be £150 to last until payday 25th january
good luck everyone
regards
mrs a