November 2011 - Grocery Challenge

tigerfeet2006

Flat_Eric wrote: »

Have done my usual trick this evening of switching on the computer to do one thing and over two hours later, I'm still faffing so I'm switching off now ! but not before I post to say a small spend on reduced items in Mr S yesterday cost me £4 odd, a shop in the local co$tcutter cost me £15 this evening and I bought lunch and a fruit pot on monday which came to just short of a fiver. Then there were the bits I bought in Mr T also (Monday) milk, breakfast brioche rolls, fry light and a tin of sweets for a party we are going to tomorrow eve.

So November's spends have increased probably by about £25 (at least).

December has to be managed carefully. Have been paid today and already my balance is less than £20 .... and not everything that needs to be paid has gone out yet. If I am good with the housekeeping, I can use some of that money to help see me through the month. For some reason I thought there was another pay day before xmas !!! (but of course there isn't!!)

Can I just say that I think that it is the bought lunches at £5 and the just popping over the road to Costcutter and all the little trips to MrT's that are not helping keep you in budget.

Do a menu plan, I choose 7 meals but don't allocate days to them, I just do what suits for the day. Then write your shopping list to what is needed for those meals. Then work out what you need for breakfast and write those on your shopping list, then work out what you need for lunches and write those on you list. Then either do an online shop for those goods or go to the supermarket with your list and buy the things you need from your list but do not deviate. Check out the weekly meal planning threads for ideas https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3646651

If you run out of something like milk, see if you can make do for one day with out it ie:no milk for breakfast, do I have enough bread for lunch and breakfast? Yes? Then toast for breakfast today.

See if you can make a meal stretch for an extra portion and box and freeze it. Then you have HM ready meals for the 'I have no money at the end of the month' syndrome or the 'I really, really, can't be a$$ed to cook tonight, lets get a take away' syndrome.

Make your own packed lunches and take to work, school etc. Don't buy stuff in the shops. I've just put what a fiver a working day would cost in lunches in a year in the Demotivator and it is £1,250 a year and over a working life time is £56,250 :eek:
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/protect/demotivator/#demovtop

Get yourself a slow cooker and use it for those busy days as well. Also great for those cheap joints of meat, they come out lovely and tender.

Start having a good read of this thread and other threads and you will get there.

Sorry, I hope I haven't offended you, that was not my intention. You will get there. I won't tell you what my monthly spend used to be, it is to embarrassing

franby64

Hi

Declaring at £427.17/£380 for November. It ran away with me at the end because I let it!

I'm not going to carry over my overspend to Decs budget, I'll carry it over on my general spends budget instead but I think next year I'll try going annual again as I never know how to account for overspend. This will work until November 2012 when I will probably have @54p left! That's the challenge though isn't it?

Well done everybody for November - see you in Dec

zorro10

wow, big thread

CompBunny

£114 for November, but sure I must have missed a £5 top-up shop somewhere along the way...so declaring

£120 for November please

which is, somehow, £30 under budget...I thought I had been so naughty too this month, but maybe eating less then just gorging on the wrong things. Making packed lunches for OH (haven't missed a single day yet since his new job, apart from one day he made his own, really pleased!) really helps.

I also wanted to say again thankyou so much for your support everyone on this thread! You are so supportive of each other and your virtual hugs following my Grandad's illness, death and funeral are appreciated beyond belief.

Together, we will beat the supermarkets at their own game, cope with lifes ups and downs and improve the lives of ourselves and our families!

Good luck for December everyone!
Thanks again to all who run and contribute to this thread xxx

SiannieLaz

Evening All,

Total Grocery spend for November - £64.48/£100

Wahey!! Going to lower my budget for December now.

Thanks all

SL

rej-c

tigerfeet2006 wrote: »

I've just put what a fiver a working day would cost in lunches in a year in the Demotivator and it is £1,250 a year and over a working life time is £56,250 :eek:

Sorry for going slightly topic-adjacent, but wow - that's what I call a wake-up call. I've been buying far fewer lunches at work than I used to, but after reading that, I'm dusting off my flask and sandwich bag and refocusing my efforts. I'll buy lunch there no more than once a week - on a Thursday, when the Farmer's market with the amazing-value salad stall is on nearby [such great value that I could never make an energy-packed salad box like I get from there for anything like as little as they charge]. The money saved can go towards me and Him Indoors' SW subs.

Thanks for the sobering numbers, Tigerfeet.

Islandmaid

Declaring £386.38 for November, now December is going to be a real challenge as i,m sticking to my £400 budget, but this will have to cover all the lovely Christmas food:D

Bring it on.............:rotfl:

tigerfeet2006

rej-c wrote: »

Sorry for going slightly topic-adjacent, but wow - that's what I call a wake-up call. I've been buying far fewer lunches at work than I used to, but after reading that, I'm dusting off my flask and sandwich bag and refocusing my efforts. I'll buy lunch there no more than once a week - on a Thursday, when the Farmer's market with the amazing-value salad stall is on nearby [such great value that I could never make an energy-packed salad box like I get from there for anything like as little as they charge]. The money saved can go towards me and Him Indoors' SW subs.

Thanks for the sobering numbers, Tigerfeet.

I love the Demotivator I used to buy a coffee and toast on the way home from taking the kids to school and then the four of us would grab something in the afternoon. No more! Uh! Uh! No way! I have breakfast before I leave or I wait till I get back home, it's only 15 minutes walk from town to home, I can wait. In the afternoon I always carry snacks in my bag and I usually find they haven't finished their drink bottles so they can drink those. So much cheaper.

Doom_and_Gloom

End of the month was yesterday

Budget - £110
Spent - £152.07
Left - £-42.07

prophecy_grrl

I'm declaring £109.36 for November

December aim is £200

Thanks :T