December 2011 - Grocery Challenge

PennyGrabber

When I was living with mum as an NQT, I was taking home £996, and I gave £150 a month for keep. I think it's perfectly reasonable, as otherwise how will she learn about the real world? I know I found it really hard when i first set up on my own, but the discipline of paying keep as soon as I'd been paid helped.

Spent a grand total of 50p today - was queuing up to pay for my fuel, and they had mini choc muffins reduced to 50p, and as I had friends coming round later, I thought I'd get them. As it turns out we didn't eat them, as they'd just come from a party and were stuffed! So they'll go in the freezer and be used for packups.

This is the first month I've withdrawn the cash and put it into a gc purse, and wow what a difference it makes! Even if I don't remember/know what I've spent on one particular day to update, I can see from the contents of my purse what i've spent. Also, I'm trying to trick myself a bit, by using the twenties even for little things, so i feel like I have less money left than i do!!

I've lost 3lbs this week, so I'm really proud of myself - don't really know how I did it (I am trying), but I had a new electricity meter fitted so I had to empty my cupboard under the stairs. That's where my stockpiles go, and to be fair, it was a really useful thing to have to do, but I found loads of carp, and loads of things i'd forgotten about! So this week, I will be having couscous pots for lunch, and that will be one pile gone... (I also found 8kg of pasta!!)

PG x

mooomin

I'm up to £118.30/£200.

Two weeks till payday...

Kaloloke

Hello,

Can I be included for a budget of £200 to include all groceries, toiletries, household stuff for me, OH and our beautiful baby who has just started weaning.

December is probably going to be fairly cheap as we will have food cooked for us quite a lot. Therefore hoping to be well under target.

Wish me luck

Thanks
K

needtosavE_2

Not so good, got another £40.04 to add to my spend, thats us at nearly £50 in the first weekend! Another 3 to go till the start of Jan. We have got a good stock though so shoudl just be fruit and veg (although i did say that last week too). Why is it so hard not to spend money. My new tactic will be 'do not go into shops!' Easy to say, not so easy to do. £20 of that spend was on beer for Christmas, still got wine to get too. Probably £12-16 in Lidl. Only £85ish left for food then for the rest of the month. Ill aim for £20 per week and we should be ok.

I dont know about anyone else but i find myself addicted to checking the reduced areas. I sometimes make up a reason or something i 'need' just so i can go and have a look. I am always hoping for a nice joint of meat, when there isnt any i end up picking up things i do not need or want. I then get home and regret it. I really shoudl just stick to Lidl. It dosent have the same temptations as the big 4!

debbiedeejay

Just a quick declare of Mr M's shop on Friday - blimey it was busy in there over tea time you'd think it was nearly Christmas:o.

Anyway spent £52 and something pence - can't find receipt at moment- defo not a happy bunny -forgot my packup ham and the extra loaf of bread and the milk and that was with my shopping list in hand - I just couldn't get near to them taht was all!:mad:

But saving grace was I spent £8.98 on stuff for Christmas which included presents so I am going to declare £44.02 for time being.

DD1 noticed that they are staying open till 11pm now till Xmas - might do shopping at ten and miss the crowds next time.

And why is it that if one thing runs out at home the whole lot runs out? To me this week all the sauces(tom,brown & mayonaise) were used up and I ran out of all cleaning stuff the other day too. Unbelivable as we sure don't use them at the same time (if you get my drift)

recovering_spendaholic

Didn't achieve a NSD today as we had to babysit a friend's little girl unexpectedly and she wanted to make cakes so I had to run to Tesco and get some icing sugar. While I was there I also got milk and some of the B1G2F chocolate puddings, which they had some of after tea. They looked okay but they were only tiny and had 400 calories in them so I gave them a miss.

Did the roast pork for tea and had planned to have enough left over to do a meal tomorrow night - wrong! There is barely enough left for sandwiches for tomorrow's lunches. I will have to sort something else for tea tomorrow - maybe spaghetti and meatballs.

tink1981_2

Have managed a no spend weekend, thanks to my lovely mummy she came over for an unexpected visit and when we popped over the Mr A to pick up some bits for lunch she paid for my shopping for me. Tried to go and get her the money out the machine on the way out but she wouldn't let me. Will be making them an extra posh tea next time they visit to say thank you. :A

prepareathome

http://news.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_9652000/9652944.stm

Panorama: The Truth About Supermarket Price Wars, BBC One, Monday, 5 December at 20:30 GMT and then available in the UK on the BBC iPlayer.

Should be interesting

Spiggle

prepareathome wrote: »

http://news.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_9652000/9652944.stm

Panorama: The Truth About Supermarket Price Wars, BBC One, Monday, 5 December at 20:30 GMT and then available in the UK on the BBC iPlayer.

Should be interesting

Hi prepareathome and all,

You beat me to it!!! :rotfl: Have to get to work but just saw the story on line and thought I must post this up. Thank you.

See you all later,
Spigs

tessie_bear

hi...got to do a little shop today as out of milk and not much veg left.....also going to make some mince pies and try and tidy up the kitchen a bit....its cold here today so that will warm me up and spare the heating

got a curry for tea....or we will have when i have made it

have a nice day tess