October 2011 Grocery Challenge

XSpender

Thanks for the info/ideas about leeks Sproggi and Recovering Spendaholic. I pass a farmfoods on the way home from work so will pop in there tomorrow and grab some but will keep an eye on the price as they come in to season and freeze my own.

Only spent 85p today on a cup of tea at college as I go straight from work and no time/facilities to make my own. It wasn't very nice so may make one at work to take with me next week.

Having a cheeky chip butty now for a very late tea.:o

destroyerofdebt2011

Spends so far of £8.68 on lunch time stocks and snacks for at work, some of which will be left over for next week all being well. now off to edit the siggie, have a lovely evening all.


D.O.D

Stourbridge_Saver

Hi - I'm new to the challenge, can you please put us down for £450 . There's me, the better half and our little pumpkin and the budget is to cover all household shopping (food, drink, cleaning, toiletries, and some other bits and bobs). It seems like loads compared to many of the other targets I've seen and I'm looking forward to shaving money off it over the coming months.

many thanks.

Miss_Purple_Hat

I would like to join in for the first time please! Going to have to buy a new laptop as this one's nearly had it, so need to make up for the dent it's going to make in my student loan!

I have a box full of non perishable food left from last year and have been buying meat and fish for the freezer when it's been reduced, so have a fair bit already. Plus bought very reduced cereal bars. (I currently have 36 bars! ) And I have saved up Tesco clubcard vouchers and savings stamps ready for this term (first term is always the most expensive). So should be able to have a very low spend month, assuming I use what I have first - I don't actually have space to store much more food, except a little bit of room in the shared fridge!

Have gone through all of my food and made a inventory on an Excel spreadsheet - just need to remember to add new purchases and remove used items! I'm going to try to roughly meal plan, but there's bound to be a lot of socials near the start of term.

So... Budget for this month is £40, just for groceries. (Cleaning products etc. come out of a house pot.) Should be doable. Will probably be higher next month after I've used up some cupboard and freezer stuff though.

EDIT: It's just for lonely little me.

positivelypurple

Hello all,

Thanks as ever for running this brilliant thread. It's very inspiring to see people managing very well on all kinds of budgets. We've done quite well this month and I'll have one final update today for September.

Can you put me down for £370 for October please? It's going to be a little tight as there's 5 Saturdays in October but we'll see how we get on. There is a little wiggle room, I will try my very best to keep us under budget though.

WillgetOrganised

Hi everyone :wave:

After not doing very well last month :embarasse I am determined to do better this time round - especially with Christmas coming up as every penny counts now.... (as if it didn't already...)

Please can you put me down for £250.00 for October.

Now I know this seems like a big reduction when I haven't even managed to stick to my budget previously. However we are actually away for a week in October so I am hoping to come in a fair bit under... (truth be told I'm hoping for under £200 but I don't feel brave enough to set that as my target as could do with a successful month and not another fail!)

Good luck all!

medsdemon

JulieGeorgiana wrote: »

Totals so far:

Big Monthly Bulk Shop £51.09/£100
Week 1 £3.79/£25
Week 2 £0/£25
Week 3 £0/£25
Week 4 £0/£25

TOTAL £54.88/£200

Hmmm maybe this is how I should split my GC budget up. A big monthly top up and just keep £25 in cash in my purse in the week so I know what I have to stick to instead of sticking it all on my card.

Anyway first day of a shiny new month and starting off well with a NSD today. I am "making do" with what's in the cupboards and it will be L/O Baked beans for lunch, dinner will be a veggie bake using the cauli and other bits of veg out the bottom of the fridge and a jar of almost out of date sauce from the back of the cupboard and do it with some h/m wedges. Even have L/o rice pudding from last night to finish up so no-one will go hungry. Breakfast may be an issue tomorrow as no GF bread, crackers, eggs or GF cereal left in but I think will make up some potato scones to cook up with some tomatoes out the garden and finish up a carton of plain yoghurt with some blackberries. Will have to visit Sainzers tomorrow for milk, cereal and some of their basics range to last the next month and friday will be our "big" shop day.

I have vouchers for T$sco- Does anyone know if I could use the £5 off a £40 shop voucher from Daily Mail and the £7 off a £50 shop I got through post together?? I will try to stick to spending under £50, and then hopefully no spending for quite a few days as I'll be all topped up!!

meg72

ms_night_ryder wrote: »

How have you only managed to spend £15 this month? that's incredible! well done.

No not really its only been possible as I am spending most of the week at my brothers in Birmingham.Our Mum had a fall and broke her hip so I am staying at my Brothers so I can visit her. Otherwise its
£20 a time for me to travel.

katydo12

Everones posts are really inspiring! JUst hope I can stick to my budget! I've been paid today, I get paid monthly and him weekly, I also get £100 a week from my brother which is a debt he owes me. I should be quids in but it appears I'm not.
Other Half has nipped to the shop with a tenner I had in my purse leftover from date night last night, I hadnt even thought that its the start of the challenge! He's buying some cough medicine for himself, carton of ribena for me, hopefully some bacon for butties and the daily papers. This is probably the kind of thing we need to curb because its pretty unnesassary for me to be having a carton of ribena when we have squash in the cupboard!! Not to worry though there will be plenty NDS's, I'm looking at at least ten. We are both going out tonight, I will be out for tea so he will have to have something out the freezer when he gets in. I will probably go for provisions from the local farm shop and from Mr A's I might try online shopping in order to get what I need not what I fancy!

mummygems

Thank you to everyone who makes these posts possible, I enjoy reading them and how much everyone helps out one another :T

Can you please put me down for £450 this month.

Thank you.