December 2011 - Grocery Challenge

helen_jelly

Spiggle - excellent post - maybe Pink or Zippy could include it at the start of the thread as its so full of info!! I'll ask nearer the end of Dec [thats if you don't mind]

Budgets - made a note to here and will update list soon

Helen

Mrs_Sparrow_3

Well...we're only a few days in and my planned £200.00 for the month is looking like it was a tad optimistic

However...

My second purse is now up and running and there is a fair few things I now wont have to buy for months

I've planned my meals for the entire month and got most of my batch cooking done and dusted.

So you never know...I might pleasantly surprise myself

Spiggle

helen_jelly wrote: »

Spiggle - excellent post - maybe Pink or Zippy could include it at the start of the thread as its so full of info!! I'll ask nearer the end of Dec [thats if you don't mind]

Budgets - made a note to here and will update list soon

Helen

I'd be honoured helen jelly,

Thank you and glad that it's useful.

All the best,
Spigs

cattysmum

1st spend of the month on groceries is £34.70 and £6.17, both at Tescos but am going to deduct £15 off the total cos that is what I spent on wine so my total grocery shop is £25.87 now off to price check it!!! PS got a free range chicken but was overcharged so Ts gave me 3p to take it away!!!!!

Brassic_Park

Up to £61.93 now, and determined not to spend again on food until Thursday when we do our weekly shop.

Can anyone recommend some super cheapy meals that are quick to prepare? Beans on toast x7 sounds a bit grim, and that's all I can come up with!

recovering_spendaholic

Pixie fairydust - I haven't had the four bird roast but my friend got it to try and wasn't terribly impressed with it, however she said that it probably would feed five, but for one meal only. You probably would get more out of a turkey crown IMO.

Brassic Park - what have you got in? really cheap meals for me are pasta with a squirt of tomato ketchup, bit of butter and grated cheese on top bubbled under the grill (lovely!), rice boiled in a couple of dissolved chicken cubes mixed with chopped carrot, onion and anything else I have in!, egg noodles cooked in chicken stock and a bit of curry powder with a blob of mango chutney on, omelette (plain or filled) with chips, tuna pasta bake - boiled pasta with cheese sauce and a tin of drained tuna mixed in, put in oven proof dish and top with a bit more cheese and baked, tuna and cheese toasties, cheese toasties with beans, baked potato and beans and cheese, curried beans with rice. I have to say though that my kids moan at most of them except for the pasta with tomato ketchup and egg noodles!

Spiggle

Brassic_Park wrote: »

Up to £61.93 now, and determined not to spend again on food until Thursday when we do our weekly shop.

Can anyone recommend some super cheapy meals that are quick to prepare? Beans on toast x7 sounds a bit grim, and that's all I can come up with!

Cheese & potato pie, macaroni cheese, corned beef hash, egg and chips, omelettes, others will have far better ideas than me though!

All the best,
Spigs

rej-c

An NSD for us yesterday, and £16.43 spent today [bread, various reduced meats for Him Indoors, veggie stuff for the freezer, mushrooms]. Hopefully that will be it until about Thursday, when bread is likely to need a top-up.

Now, I had a bit of a revelation about my shopping habits this morning that may help others here.

I was on the other side of town for a charity fayre, which happens to be close to a big foodie shop I really enjoy visiting - the kind of place you can lose yourself in for a good while given half a chance. Today, I wanted to check on the price of a particular product, and maybe get a few if it was reasonable. However, the time I arrived was Sunday Trading 'browsing time', about half an hour before customers were allowed to buy anything.

I went in, checked the price of the product, then realised: that was all I needed or wanted to do. I simply could not make myself kill time in there, or just mooch around and 'recreationally shop'. So I put the product back on the shelf and left. :rotfl:

So there you go, my fellow recreational shop-wanderers; if I can get past the urge, anyone can. Hope for us all

Rainy-Days

Declared £200.00 for this month. Nipped into Asda this morning and bought their Christmas pudding (the one that is best in the press) and a pack of mince pies that came to £9.00.

So I am £191.00 left to go - will do the next shop on Tuesday. Al I pretty much need to get for Christmas now is the fresh stuff, fruit, veg cream etc but I am determined to bring in all in for £200.00.

Can I ask for things like alcohol are any of you declaring this in your grocery budget at all. DH said he will buy it in - whereas I buy the groceries so does this alcohol shop count as well despite who buys it?

silaren

NSD. Was thinking of popping to Lidl to see if they had any of the 17p chocolate left and get some of the half-price potatoes, but realised that they're "wants" rather than "needs". Have already done my grocery shopping for the week so will hold back until I'm due for another shop next weekend.