October 2011 Grocery Challenge

angelatgraceland

Flat_Eric wrote: »

I have been trying to decide on a budget for this month and in fact, I have decided I am not going to set a budget - the aim is quite simple - to spend as little as possible.

It will be interesting to see how approaching the grocery challenge with this attitude will fare.

Now I find that this attitude works a treat as long as you question everything you put in the basket! Do I NEED it? If there is one in the cupboard or the freezer the answer is no! Problems though if its an absolute bargain-bogof or really reduced. Ive even been known to turn these down. My best method for avoiding this is to eat a meal then pop out with only a fiver in my pocket!(never shop when hungry)Damage limitation. If you have only got a fiver you won't buy anything you don't absolutly need because what you do need you wouldnt be able to afford-its one or the other. Well-it works for me!:idea:

ChasingButterflies wrote: »

Hi,

.com delivery due tomorrow, but there would have been a milk crisis in the morning so £1.85 spent... just need to figure out how to put it in my sig!

Hope everyone has had a nice evening.

look for user cp near your name. click on it, look for edit signature on the left panel-when you find that its as easy as posting.

[Deleted User]

Well day three of my first week and another NSD today as I have nothing on my list that I need.getting very organised about shopping I went to the local shops with eldest DD but didn't buy anything at all yesterday and came home feeling quite virtuous :) DD said 'Still being 'Frau Frugal' Martha ? 'Her rather disrespectful nick-name for her genteel old Mother .
'Too blooming right' I replied 'I'm keeping my hand on my ha'pennys ':):):) and I did. Long may it last :):)

threemuttleys

threemuttleys wrote: »

OH and I have spent the last month saving all of our receipts (for everything, fuel, bus, groceries) and my grocery bill has come out at a whopping £450 :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:. Even worse...my cupboards are bare...really honestly bare

Im so :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: with myself right now, there is no need for us to be spending that kind of money on food. We are OH, Myself and 11 month old DS (who frankly noms more fruit than a chimp!) 3 dogs,and two cats.


So, I am going to head up to the grocery challenge and set us a target, and spend the weekend baking bread/cakes/pizzas biccies making yoghurt and setting up a realistic budget.

Ooooh...I really could slap myself right now.

Going for a read x

Right..done the shopping over the weekend, and I spent £193. I Will need to buy more fruit veg and milk, so I would like my maximum this month to be £300 maximum

NSD today (for me) and have just made two batches of yoghurt, three loaves of bread, a batch of scones, and a batch of fairy cakes. Dinner tonight is Jacket Spud and Tuna Mayo with salad

suzybloo

Had to pop to Mr T last night for some odds and ends as didnt manage to get monthly shop on Saturday (To be honest was waiting on Sunday papers to get the money off morrisons vouchers - bought three papers!) so will need to go for that today. Have gone through mysupermarket to see roughly how much I will be so I am aiming for £150 all in with only veg and fresh cold meat being needed for the rest of the month. My spend for the month so far is just over £50, and I will have £50 to pay out on friday for the 14lb frozen fillets of fish, and £20 for another commitment of Friday also, so as a mini-target I will set myself by Friday £275.

sproggi

Back from the shops and managed to stick to my small list.
Spent £6.49 in Mr M but had £5 petrol voucher, so £1.49 from my budget, then spent £13 in Mr T making my spends £14.49 so far this month.

Got to take DD1 to hospital today to have an ambulatory eeg fitted and again tomorrow to have it removed, so petrol budget is going to be hit and then 2 x car parking, but as we need to get there very early to try and get parked, she treats us to coffee and snack in the coffee shop there:D
So do not need to worry about lunch for us today and OH may have a gammon sandwich with some of the LO gammon from yesterday, but knowing him, he will not bother with anything.
HM Quiche for tea tonight with the last bits of gammon.

Sproggi

kerrirobberts

I've woken up late this morning, so I'm going to have to buy my lunch today. £10 taken out of the bank but hoping to spend only about £2 on lunch and chuck the change in my various sealed pots when I get home.

XSpender

I think I should remove the 'X' from the front of my user name and replace it with 'Over' as I have almost spent my monthly budget already with 18 days to go:eek:

Alcohol and dog food parts of the budget are fine, it is the £70/week budget on food and everything else that I am struggling with. This is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on 2 adults and a toddler (although he eats more than I do!). I feel ashamed of how much we are spending, I had set a generous budget and I am still going to go over.:(:(:( :o:o

I have just done a list of meals off the top of my head from what I know is in the cupboards and freezer and there is enough to feed us 16 meals easily without having to think too hard about what to make. I must stick to the meal plan! The enchilladas I made last night were too much for the 2 of us so that is tonight's dinner taken care of.

I have costed out Friday's shopping list and it comes to £35, this includes coffee, cheese, shower gel, hairdye, a gammon joint, and a few other bits and bobs like milk and fruit. Alcohol will be low as I am driving to a friends on Saturday and taking DS and DH is at a beer festival so won't be drinking much at home this weekend.

I am in damage limitation mode now

barneydee_2

Hi Done to small shops over the weekend, some of it was stuff I would noy usually by at this time of year(BBQStuff) as my dd2 had a bbq and it was "mum can you get this for me".The total was £33.01,I am includding all food, Cleaning and toiletries but not alchol which is a different badget. will update my signiture


Dee

jadaroo

Hi guys, this is the first time i'm gonna try and join in with a challenge. Ive been admiring from afar for a while and now its time to knuckle down and commit. I'm gonna set my limit at £150 and hopefully stick to it, so watch this space :$

slowandsteady_2

hi everyone,

popping on to report first shop of my month (3rd-31st)

I went to Mr A for a few clothing bits for my hospital bag ready for my induction next week but that doesnt come out of my GC money, needed some bits though and got pretty much only what i needed except honey roast parsnips (hubby adores them) and some isotonic drinks (sugar free mind lol) for the birth too, so i got-

isotonic drinks £2.50
fruit tea £1.08
honey parsnips £1.79
baby soothers £1.04
natural yoghurt £0.98
rice pud tin for dd £0.15p
baby wash £1.47
mints for dh £0.46p
milk £1.26
nappies x 2 £2.00
onions £0.50p

very excited about the nappies, Mr A's Little Angels brand a pack of 44 newborn size only £1 at the moment, great value, i don't honestly need any for a while yet as have a good few packs but at that price i thought i was quite restrained only getting two packs! They will definately get used!

Have checked internet bank and the months bills appear to have come out so that's that until the end of this month so i know exactly where im up to now so feel happier.

Will spend the day waddling around after dd1 lol, tea is turkey curry with a whoopsie pack of diced turkey thigh i pulled out of the freezer last night and lunch when dd is home soon from pre school is whatever i can quickly throw together depending on her mood, but usually consists of egg on toast or a couple of sausage and beans, or some soup. Depends how tired she is lol

Ooh just realised i forgot loo rolls today and we have the last one in use now, hubby will hopefully pick some up later on his travels as i can't walk very far nowadays and certainly don't fancy spending bus fare just to go and get some..what a nuisance. Probably better if hubby does go anyway as he will actually only buy the loo rolls where i'll come back with other random stuff and will have kissed goodbye to ten or fifteen pounds before i can even think 'do i NEED it':o

No plans to go to shops or anywhere tomorrow up to now and don't think we need anything that i know of apart from loo rolls.

Have a good day everyone x