February 2007 Grocery Challenge

Lelc

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.

earthmother

I'm in again

My month runs from 29th Jan to 25th Feb, and the budget is £340.

So far we're not overbudget (spent around £50-£55), but it's not been planned too well either - hubby and I have been ill most of the week, so not exactly thinking straight - spent about 2 (broken) hours Tuesday night booking a Tesco delivery that usually takes about 20 minutes, only to realise within minutes of it having been delivered on Wednesday morning that I'd left about 5 essentials off, and spent about a tenner on things that were simply 'comfort food' and not really needed :doh:


But, we're getting there, so hopefully we'll be able to get back on track soon.

funnyflip_2

First Month for the challenge for me too, I think £300 I know that is a lot compared to some but I would rather cut down slowly than really quick and have DH running out to collect Extras !

Boatie_Bird

I managed to come in £10 under budget on both food and wine last month so I've dropped both bugdets by £10 this month.

That gives me £170 for food and £30 for wine.

Our month runs from 25th - 25th and I've currently got £106.19 left for groceries and only £15.23 left for wine (we had some friends round for Sunday dinner and cracked a couple of bottles), so it looks like I'm having a sober rest of the month!

Justamum

cjalynch wrote:

Okay, I'm in. This is my first challenge and comes at a time when I am trying to deal with my overspending habits after falling off the wagon with my credit card through December and January. I will therefore be keeping a spending diary to try to rein in my trips to Tescos (two-minutes walk away, unfortunately!)

My budget is 28 pounds a week for everything except essentials (eg medicines, razor blades etc.). It includes nappies and wipes for two and food etc for four (two adults, a two-year old and a ten-month old). We are vegetarians which helps to keep costs down.
Total for February is 112 pounds and I really want to try to come in on target this time!

How do you manage it on so little? We are vegans (2 adults, children age 10, 7 and 2) but I honestly don't think I could feed everybody on that, although I would love to. For food, etc I try and manage on the benefit cheque which is £70 a week. Can you give me any tips or meal ideas?

magicsponge

hi

this will be my first time but I'd like to join in... i'll be keeping all my receipts and then see if i can reduce it or at least stick to it! I think we eat fairly cheaply anyway, lots of home cooked meals.

To justamum - I don't know how cjalynch manages either! Something for me to aim for! But this may help - do you have a slow cooker? I've had one since the summer but I've only started using in in the last couple of months as I didn't know what to do with it at first. I love it! We use it for casseroles and stews mainly - just put in some root veg and an onion, some stock and a handful of split lentils or tinned pulses, or a tin of value baked beans and some dried herbs (I think you still have to soak dried pulses overnight first). You can put it all the veg raw, just make sure the stock just covers the veg. It took me 5 mins the other day to make tea, just chucking in the veg at breakfast time. I leave on a low setting while I go to work, then when I get in teas made and it always lovely. Mr Sponge really likes it as I'm vegetarian and he isn't, but this always tastes really full of favour. It also means you can use the cheapest veg (clearance section - our tea cost 35p each last week!!!) and the slow cooker uses the same amount of energy as a light bulb! I got mine for £12 in a sale in argos last year - I'm sure there are similar deals around now. I know I sound like an advert for one, so I'll stop now, but it's made a real difference. Apparently you can also use it for sauces, rice, cakes and pates, but I stick to casseroles for now. Chilli and curry is also really good.

If we save up enough I'd like a breadmaker as well...

BusyGirl

Count me in again!
Last month was the first time I managed to stay inside my budget of £200 for me, DH and 2 DD (10 and 6). That includes all food, toiletries and cleaning items.
My top tips are:
1. Write a list of all the food you already have
2. Write a meal plan
3. Write a shopping list (and try to stick to it)
4. Only use cash!
and I shop in HB, Aldi, Asda and Tescos once a week.

This week I spent £60 so aiming for around £40 next week,
Good luck everyone!

Anwen_2

Haven't spent any extra on groceries yet, though I've spent about £5 or so on snacks on the way to/from work and school, it's only that much because today we overslept (I'm not very well) so missed breakfast and had to grab something on the run, argh! I need to cook up both the mutton and the stewing steak today, I'm thinking of making a stew with both together and plenty of veg...

lil_me

I really need to stop walking into a shop, £28 gone already, admittedly all of it was either bogof or reduced apart from the tin of pineapple I went in for.

mikeD

I tell you what people, this thread really concentrates the mind when it comes to efficient shopping and housekeeping. Being a bloke :embarasse I never really had to bother much until the good lady became somewhat disabled. Now I am in charge of the houshold budget and do most of the shopping and cooking.

Last year we spent around £280 pm on groceries for 3 adults, and I hope to reduce this by around £20 pm. I use a spreadsheet to input my spend data which although does not actually save me money, does give an ongoing picture of how I am doing. I order online from various supermarkets (mainly Tesco) on a fortnightly basis and then get short term perishables from the local convenience store, which are more expensive :eek:.

I am open to advice from anyone who may care to give it, and as a 75 year old unreconstructed male, will be grateful for it.