December 2011 - Grocery Challenge

rej-c

Rainy-Days wrote: »

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?

You can organise it however you want - some of us do include it, some of us don't. Aside from the fact that, to me, 'holiday booze' is a bit of a special case anyway, if it were my husband offering to take the outlay out of my budget considerations, I'd bite his hand off!

LittleMai

Hi Guys,

Having gone over my target last month, I'm going to have the same target, and hopefully I'll stick to it this month.

So can you put me down for £100 please.

So far I'm already at £15.82, which is a bit over my £3.33 average spend for each day. I've bought quite a lot of junk food, so I need to go to the supermarket with a list, and religiously stick to it, and not be distracted by junk food on offer. Easier said than done at the beginning of the month when my bank account is looking quite healthy! At the end of the month I'm normally much better, but not though will power, just a lack of money!

rosieben

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] ...

I think that's a great idea H, its really excellent advice and not only useful for the newbies, it's a reminder for those of us who've been around a while and inclined to get complacent.

dannie

Hello everybody,

Can I join for December? I've been trying to use up what I have got (i.e. groceries) but still was surprised how much I spent in November. For December I aim to spend less so my target from 1/12/11 - 31/12/11 is no more than £97.84.

Spiggle

Rainy-Days wrote: »

... 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?

It really is your call Rainy-Days,

I include alcohol in the GC only when it is bought for visitors to drink e.g. for a party, etc. Otherwise we buy our own out of pocket money.

If I was in your place I would let the other half buy it and not count it in the GC.

Hope that helps,
Spigs

nannygladys

Well another NSD for me today thats 3 in a row, but its probably because I went a bit over budget last month and did a cupboard shop, so Im trying not to buy anything, mind you I will have get some milk tomorrow. Made a curry earlier on, its supposed to feed four but I bulked it out with loads of veg and beans and I think I will have enough for today and five portions for the freezer - result!!

Following this challange makes me realise how much money I used to waste at the supermarket, how much I was throwing away each week, I would buy salad stuff every week and throw it away untouched at the end of the week, well thats stopped now and if I fancy a tomato then I will buy just one, my kids say Im getting obsessed but they mean it in a nice way.

HelenPie

Thanks Spiggle. I'm going to suggest the pm idea to OH after dinner....

£57.27 today, which is more than a weeks's worth, and included treats (Mr K mince pies as OH wanted them, and Coke Zero for me I have an addiction....!) but overall still much less than I would ususally waste on less than a week's food. This shopping around stuff is working :j

I'm feeling generally more organised too, which is lovely!

Good evening to you all

Helen x

tigerfeet2006

recovering_spendaholic wrote: »

Spiggle - awesome advice post thanks!! I agree with everything you say and wish I could do what you suggest all the time - at the moment I am only about half way there - still impulse buying and being sucked in with the till spit spend and save vouchers!!

yesterday was going to be a NSD but got scuppered as we all went to the retail park for shoes for DD1's night out last night and it turned into a nightmare of epic proportions! Kids fell out and had a humdinger of a row, DD2 ran off and took an hour to find her, which meant that DD1 was late for the hairdressers and the air was blue with her ranting and raving. I went into Costa and got us all a coffee/chocolate and a mufiin and it cost £14:eek: I was too stressed to care though. The drive home was so awful that by the time I got in I felt absolutely dreadful - all painicky and sick.

Anyway that's £14 I didn't need to spend to add to my budget.

Then DD1 came in from said night out and ate the contents of the fridge - potato gratin, a whole pizza, half a box of mince pies, a load of bread, half a box of cornflakes (she had her mates with her!), nearly a whole 2 litre milk, half a pound of butter and a tube of pringles. Then I asked her this morning if she would let me have £50 for keep this month and she went mental! She works and goes to uni, but her take home pay is over £800 a month and I don't think £50 is excessive, particularly given the amount she eats.

Anyway brunch today was bacon, sausage and egg and dinner tonight is a pork roast dinner. NSD day today:T
Sorry this was a bit of a rant but I am so fed up at the moment as I seem to spend all my money on food and it goes as fast as I get it in!!

Rant away my lovely. For what it's worth I feel £50 is to low a contribution. I think you should sit her down with the bills and food reciepts and petrol reciepts for mothers taxi service and show her how much it all costs and ask her what she feels is a fair amount to pay. We always paid a quarter of our wages and I started on the YTS scheme (now that dates me ) plus I had bus fares on top. But then I am an oppininated cow and you can feel free to ignore me if you want to.

rosieben wrote: »

I think that's a great idea H, its really excellent advice and not only useful for the newbies, it's a reminder for those of us who've been around a while and inclined to get complacent.

Hear! hear! it is excellent advice, thank you Spiggles.

Thank you everyone who also listened to my rant. I have had a long chat with DH and he has spoken to his line manager and the LM thinks from a conversation that as the Head has encouraged him to to apply for Advanced Skills Teacher (AST) next September she wants him to concentrate his energies on gathering evidence for that. But she hasn't actually said it to him. How much would it hurt her to say to him 'look don't apply for anyting and concentrate on the AST blah! blah!' But no she won't as she has her agenda and she will run the school to it. The teacher who got the job hadn't even hit DH's radar. He had to go and look up who she was and what she had acheived. So he is fed up and miserable at the moment. TBH so am I as the extra £300 a month would have been useful.

Just a £2.75 spend today on a box of GF cereal :eek:

LavenderBees

Rainy-Days wrote: »

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?

I expect everyone is doing something slightly different. For me, though, my grocery spend includes all alcohol and things like toilet rolls/torch batteries/DVDs (!) as I don't have a separate budget.

L x

Living_proof

I don't count alcohol (but maybe will in the New Year) as this is in a different budget, namely entertainment. I also have another notional budget for toiletries etc. but I am so adept at getting all these from charity shops and car boots, and stock up well, it wouldn't amount to much anyway.

I think it is up to us to make up our own rules. For instance, I get about £30 per month in vouchers (capital Bonds) which can be used in a lot of retail areas but only Iceland and Farmfoods for foods. These are not my favourite stores as they have a lot of processed stuff, although their loo rolls are brill. I don't count using these mainly because it gets too complicated. This year allegedly I will in addition have around £300 of Love to Shop and I think Iceland is the only food shop on their list. I can change to Asda or M & S but lose 10 or 15% of the value to do so.

I think I can get more value from Asda from my general shop and some goodies from M & S when they have their Dine In offers, so I may well swap at a financial disadvantage. Although they are not a huge part of my income I do appreciate getting them and they may work out at £50 per month, which is better than a kick in the pants as they say.

Sometimes I think the wine spend is more than the food one in this house so I am reviewing that for 2012 because I don't think it is wise, or achievable any more.