November 2011 - Grocery Challenge

dreamingofmoney

Evening all

Well Done to all who have kept to budget, and commiserations to those who have not doen as well. I have found it suprisingly easy so far this month, only 3 days left so fingers crossed to a few pounds left in my purse on wed. If so i am gonna go straight out and buy my christmas mucky beer. So that will be one less thing to have to worry about. Am dreading dec GC but will do my best to keep it fairly decent.

Many Thanks to all
Dreamer
P.S will declare on wed

rej-c

tigerfeet2006 wrote: »

Rej-c, try your local women's refuge or the Sally Army, they may be able to use the food.

:wall::wall::wall:

The number of times I've helped Salvo relatives put together winter food parcels over the years, why on earth didn't I think of that? The nearest corp's only a couple of streets over from me here, too. I'll give them a shout tomorrow, thank you for the nudge :T

I've just added three consecutive NSDs. Still feeling grotty, have no interest in leaving the house or eating [managed a bowl of cereals and an apple yesterday, felt nasty all day and was violently ill last night; managed two small slices of toast this morning, and have just made myself eat a couple of biscuits and a few fruit jellies to replenish salt and sugar; now feel full]. This, combined with sleeping loads, could make for a very cheap way to end the month...

Wishing all my fellow 'to-the-end-of-the-calendar-month' GCers good health and low spends. x

freakyogre

£3.00 in Tesco today as planned on 12 x Muller corner yogurts.

LittleMissHappy_2

I spent a couple of pounds in Mr T today on potatoes and eggs I'm cutting it really fine now I am planning on getting my first December grocery shop delivered on Wednesday in preparation for Thursday and I will only count in Novembers budget anything out of it that I actually use on Weds (which hopefully will be nothing!). We are running really low here now, though and I would feel better having food in the house even if I can't actually use it

pipersky

Nothing to declare today and I shouldn't need to buy anything else until Dec as my other half is off on site for a week (it's usually down to him that we run out of stuff because he's a complete pig with hollow logs! *rolls eyes* It p's me off because he's so darn skinny!!!) Anyway, back on topic - I know I'm over but not sure by how much. For 5 of us including nappies etc £150 was a big challenge ... not making that mistake again!

Would love to come in on budget every now and then so have decided starting in Jan that I'm going to allow for 50p per person per meal per day (regardless if only a 5 month baby or a skinny hollow legged man!), so that's £7.50 per day on food then if I factor say £50 for nappies, cleaning things and toiletries for the 5 of us. That works out at £275 per month on 30 day months and £282.50 on 31 day months. Any savings I'll spend on savings stamps at T's for December I'm happy with that

Sorry for the waffle, just wanted to say good luck to everyone else Am going over to Dec's GC now ...

prepareathome

Well more spends on Saturday Cool Trader - £18.92, all tins for store cupboard, BM £14.92 again more tins ( they had Heinz Mushroom soup in at 45p so bought 10 tins, I love that soup but rarely see it less than full price so don't buy it, so now have enough to do me for many months as I will not even have a tin a week). With BM you have to grab things when you see them as they usually only have one lot and when its gone it might be months or years before they have it in again, and as I had the money I bought them, plus other tins of things we use. Did actually spend another £10 in there on storage boxes but not including that. Then Sainsburys I will include chemist items - Orajel £5.92, if I get toothache it always seems to be over the hoidays and this works wonderfully and I noticed one I had was well out of date, but so dear for the tiny tube and Iglu, was going to buy Bonjela but they don't sell it and told me this is brilliant but £6.72 for a small tube eeks, but got rid of mouth ulcer in one go - although I had to go through an inquisition as to why I want it, how often I have mouth ulcers ( first one in maybe 15 years) and what meds I am on etc. etc.

So that was nearly £12 and had not gone into food store where I then spent £18.49 but and here is the big but I walked out with £29 still in my purse, now might not seem much to people but I usually would spend every penny I had on me, instead I bought what I had planned to buy, only extra thing was a second box of cornflakes as they have them reduced just now with 48p off the 750g box. Hubby has them every morning and I have some sometimes as a lunch so we go through quite a lot as he has a big bowl of them. So I will add up my spends and put it in my total.

I have I think enough stock in even to keep me happy. I just have to go through the tins and work out exactly what I have in and how many meals they will do - my aim is to have enough for 2 months then if I do not get ESA and give us breathing space while be apply for WTC and Housing and Council Tax benefits and hopefully make it easier to manage our lowered income as then will only be able to buy what was used not extras.

No spend day on Sunday, as slept from 8pm last night till 8pm Sunday night - I loathe it when like that but was exhausted after the shopping and it just knocked me out, I knew it would so had a meal made for hubby to feed himself Sunday night when he came in. Am hoping though to be able to stay awake now till tonight ( its 3.30am now), sometimes I can, sometimes I cannot, so used to this I work round it best I can.

Will have a few spends today ( Monday) as have to collect the egg replacer from Health Food Shop - we didn''t get out shopping Saturday till 4.30pm when I felt up to it and to late to go there. Also need some bottled water forgot it on Saturday. So my final total will grow even more, but I have learnt a lot this month. I may have spent a fortune but instead of buying things just for sake of it and would go off before us i have bought things for store cupboard and they will keep. I might get some more cornflakes as works out for every 4 boxes I would get a 5th almost free with the reduction and we do buy a box each week so would only take us up to New Year.

So will see what next month is like as we are staying home for Christmas Day this year so will want some goodies for that ( already bought a few) and always have friend and her family on Boxing Day - I always do a buffet of treats ( lots of cakes, different types of fish as none of them eat meat, so smoked salmon, fresh, lemon sole etc.,) for them as friend on a very tight budget as a pensioner and has no money for treats, although she has at long last at age of 69 learnt to bake and makes herself cakes now, and while I can get the flour by the sack so cheap it means so can she, she has already bought 1kg of self raising off me for the grand total of 40p - I suppose really I should take that money off grocery spend and her daughter has said she will buy flour from me as well. Just selling them at the price I paid for it.

We are actually eating out of freezer now, have to make some space for said treats, so far four days and have lamb defrosting in fridge for Monday night so that will be day 5.

Next month as well as grocery budget I plan to have one for non grocery items and see just exactly how much I spend on things like new bowls, knives in fact anything at all.

Right off to do my sums and see what total is now - I dread to think

Sig updated Gulp over double the budget and still to buy things today

Kaloloke

Hi All,

Just a quick update - I spent £32.94 in Asda last week and £30.91 at the butchers (sounds like a lot but I made 4 freezer meals and had moroccan stew plus fabulous fillet steak (a bit of a treat).

Plus I spent £1.65 in the bakers.

This is a whopping £65.50 for last week (well over my £50 budget). Therefore for the last week of this challenge I am mainly going to be eating out of the freezer to bring my budget down. I am planning on using a Tesco voucher I've been given for badly bruised fruit several weeks in a row to also bring the cost down.

Fingers crossed

sproggi

Not been around for a few days, so now updated with 4 NSD's and £26.19
spends.
Have got DS2 off school with tonsillitis and now DD2 is off after spending most of the night being sick. She is gutted at having to take a day off school, she was hoping to repeat last year's 100% attendance and get another trophy.

I still have a couple of days to go until the end of the month, so will not declare yet, but will go and set my budget for December now.

Sproggi

NoMoneyHoney_2

Had a bit of a big spendy week. £64.67 for last week.

£113.93 for the month! Under budget yeah!!!!

CompBunny

Thanks for the update Recovering Spendaholic, its a shame that the coffee shop isn't practical for the future but I'm sure selling on your own terms will be much better

Adding £4.30... Lazy food. Been so much of it this month with my Grandfather being hospitalised (visiting every single evening and sometimes daytime too) then sadly passing away. We had the funeral today which was difficult being around my estranged father, but nice to commemorate Grandad's life and remember how very special he was and how lucky I was to be so close to him. It really is true when they say it is better to have loved and to lose than to never love at all xx