February 2007 Grocery Challenge

jcr16

added up all i sepnt. can't rememebr excat total. but it around £175, so very pleased with that.

this month again will be £200

newlywed

Went over budget (again).

Have nearly 2 full month's worth of dishwasher tabs and a month's worth of washing powder so hoping for a better month next month.

I have discovered that working it out per week is easier for me though. I think I'll have to up my budget to £40 a week and try and stick to that (2 adults and 2 kids at weekends).

Have been trying new recipes and decided we don't like spinach and feta cannelloni very much and discovered OH thinks corned beef hash is "very nice actually"!! It's pretty cheap too so that's a bonus. Will be planning that one a couple of times a month then

the_optimist

Can't wait for March to begin, didn't do well in February, but am convinced that with the 'Giving up money for Lent' and the 'no supermarket' challenge I WILL STAY IN BUDGET next month.
So, there, I said it, and now it will happen :rotfl:

melldyson

Havent posted much this month, but have done really well - budget was £240 for 4 weeks and have spent £207.97. Have also started shopping in butchers and farm shop rather than Tescos - although am finding it hard to believe that I will have enough food for the week despite buying everything on my list! How sad is that?

newlywed

melldyson wrote:

although am finding it hard to believe that I will have enough food for the week despite buying everything on my list! How sad is that?

I was the same when I started meal planning. Didn't believe that if the cupboards and fridge weren't full there'd be enough!! Don't worry, it gets better - and now there's more room in the cupboards (freezer is still full though )

debtworrier

lil_me wrote:

Suppose it's something for members to also consider when they are looking at the budgets of others, we don't all live in the same area, have the same value as others locally etc hence I wouldn't consider judging anyone on what they spend.

One of the things I like about this group is that nobody seems to judge anyone, lecture anyone or tell them what they "should" be doing. Wish Our Beloved Government had the same attitude!

debtworrier

Lelc wrote:

I'm in again. I don't think I stuck to £200 last month but I still spent far less than I was doing. I need to work on sticking to my shopping list but I am getting better.

I have slipped a bit this week and have been to T's and bought more than I went in for and last night I actually bought stuff for tonights tea because I hadn't given enough thought to my meals for this week.

I have bought a breadmaker and that should be here next week.

I'm pretty certain that the only thing I need to buy for next week is fruit and milk. I'll need to do some cooking at the weekend though.

So aiming again for £200 for February and this time I will keep a record of how much I actually spend.

I've found that making myself keep an EXACT running total of what's in my shopping basket slows me down enough that I don't just bung stuff into my basket. Probably the fact that I'm wandering around glaze-eyed muttering "£8.27p" and similar under my breath helps too!

meerkatgirl

Had to go away for work for a week, so my budget was entirely shot - I'm ready for March though and I'm going to give it a proper go!

mustafa_say_ving

This is the first month I've come in under budget....it seems that pigs do indeed fly!!

I'm quite looking forward to March's challenge now......bring it on

Well done to everyone......don't worry if you've gone over, I think the most important thing is that we're all trying.

indebted

My first month and the final Figure is £279.87...over budget by £19.87....but I'm looking forward to March as I think I'll be more successful this time.

Feb Ebay Sales:£100.60
Pigsback: £12.10