March 2012 Grocery Challenge

XSpender

Thanks to PennyGrabber and tigerfeet for your kind words and advice about my probable diagnosis of Coeliacs disease. All booked in for the biopsy so only a couple of months to wait until I know one way or the other.

It's made me a bit down in the dumps which has had a knock on effect on my grocery budget and we have had 2 takeaways in a week as I CBA to cook:eek:

Next week's shopping has been done today and a total of £81.99 spent mainly in ALdi with a couple of bits and toiletries in Mr T and then 2 items I had forgot in Mr S. Three shops and I still forgot to get blooming batteries and I have 3 stopped clocks in the house:mad:

Last weeks total was £140.13 so this has pushed me £42.12 over where I should be. The house is groaning with food and we are well stocked up on toiletries and loo roll.

Off to the Ald1 website to check their returns policy as I chucked incontinence pads in the trolley thinking they were sanitary towels:rotfl: Hope they let me swap them!

rising_from_the_ashes

Suffolk_lass wrote: »

Please do any of you have any suggestions on economical solutions to worming cats? Our two now regularly bring in little living playmates and pounce and play them to death. We have bells on their collars to warn the birds but rodents and worms apparently don't listen. They are so well-fed here they don't feel the need to eat their playmates (yet!) thank goodness but I know I'm going to have to worm them to be on the safe side. I'm OK with flea and tick treatments but no idea on worms after several previous generations of cats that preferred the range or a nice lap to catching things (they were all elderly queens and hunting was clearly beneath their dignity).

Ohhh the joys!:D

The largest "haul" I've come home to is 14 lined up at the back door :eek: and only one of mine can catch anything!:eek:

TBH wormers are one of the few things I really believe it's not worth "scrimping" on - you can get cheaper ones at the sm or pet shops but they either tend to not be very good ... or not "do" all the different types :eek: (sorry if TMI) - esp for profilic hunters!

The ones from the vet are much better quality and more importantly work and are only a couple £s more. HTH

Coxy11

My first AF ordered arrived today. I was good :A and only ordered couscous, popping corn, long grain rice, Eat Natural bars, Tyrells crisps and WW crisps. Also got some Byron Bay strawberry and clotted cream cookies - oh my - they are lush, really big and sweet nomnomnom

Total cost including postage was £21 odd. Will see if any of the family notice the BB dates have passed (got rid of the cookies evidence already ).

Hoping for a NS weekend, MrT shop planned for Monday.

Have a good weekend all.

Spiggle

Suffolk_lass wrote: »

Each month I re-read this splendid post and get more out of it. Your achievement is underplayed though Spigs you ought to put what your current budget is in brackets next to the £600 you were spending just to show off a little tiny bit :T:T:T
Go you!!
SL

Thank you for that Suffolk lass. It's funny you say that as I was thinking today I ought to work out how much we've saved as this is my GC 2nd birthday month! :beer: I started in March 2010 and it's been a fantastic journey of discovery, inspiration and support. :T Everyone here is just so wonderful. :A

Suffolk_lass wrote: »

Please do any of you have any suggestions on economical solutions to worming cats? Our two now regularly bring in little living playmates and pounce and play them to death. We have bells on their collars to warn the birds but rodents and worms apparently don't listen. They are so well-fed here they don't feel the need to eat their playmates (yet!) thank goodness but I know I'm going to have to worm them to be on the safe side. I'm OK with flea and tick treatments but no idea on worms after several previous generations of cats that preferred the range or a nice lap to catching things (they were all elderly queens and hunting was clearly beneath their dignity).

Ooh, wish I could help with that Suffolk lass but I usually get the tablet from the vet every year when my beauties have their booster jabs. I do spend a fortune on flea stuff though. Do you maen you have a MS way of dealing with fleas? Would you mind sharing please?

I'm afraid mine do eat their 'playmates' (ground animals not birds thankfully), well I say eat, half eat is more like it and I had the pleasure of sitting down at my computer with no socks on to discover the remains of one with my bare toes the other day. :eek: I was not amused but OH found it very funny apparently!

Ok, confession time, we didn't go to MrM as I'm not feeling very good and have some sort of cold type thing that's really rocking my head and neck. _pale_ So instead we did an online at MrT. I went through Quidco and got the £5 off code for existing customers spending over £40, used two of the £1 off codes from the price drop online leaflet, the £10 code they gave me for my hassle trying to get Persil in January and the £9 off code that they sent through for a £60+ order plus £1.50 voucher. So £27.50 off the total means it should come in at around a £65 spend but I'll update tomorrow when it arrives.

It means though I'll have to pay full whack for my fuel next week but that's the way the cookie crumbles. As soon as OH suggested I wasn't up to it (especially as its Friday and the world and his wife will be there to get the fuel deal) I caved in and my resolve vanished. I must say I'm ever so grateful to him but I'll probably be fuming when I fill the car up next week. :doh:

Well that's enough of my rambling, keep up the great work everyone.

Take care,
Spigs

Ninno820

Hi all - mia yesterday due to the guests arriving - it was only one night I am proud to say that we survived it without going "guest shopping". So it was another NSD yesterday without the need for more sugar!

This evening I need to pop into the Coop for a couple of staples but am hoping to make the fruity bread later and will aim to use the bread mix to make bread rather than buying a loaf - tomorrow is a sewing day so I need to take a pack up.

Tea is a pasta / philly ham combo with a ham cooked in the sc yesterday but whuch had been in the freezer since chrismas 2010. oops!

Take care everyone - off to check the cupboard for dried fruit.

ETA - Shopping update - saved on the fruit - found 3 packs! Spent £15.31 at Coop but included some whoopsied steak and kidney so its in the freezer.

rising_from_the_ashes

Spiggle wrote: »

I'm afraid mine do eat their 'playmates' (ground animals not birds thankfully), well I say eat, half eat is more like it and I had the pleasure of sitting down at my computer with no socks on to discover the remains of one with my bare toes the other day. :eek: I was not amused but OH found it very funny apparently!

:rotfl:Sorry, I am chuckling away with the total understanding that only a fellow [STRIKE]owner[/STRIKE] slave of a prolific hunter could totally understand:rotfl:

tigerfeet2006

Suffolk_lass wrote: »

zepsgal - Don't forget the OS MS recipes rosieben gathers on the first screen of this thread - there are 6 variations near the bottom of post #3 :T

Was just going to say the same myself

Hugs! to those who aren't feeling to well. Hope you feel better soon.

supersally01

Evening all.

Went to M&S, and got 12 x wines, and LOADS of YS stuff. Put it all in freezer, so can get thro most of the month using freezer goodies, and drinking my wine stash.
Total Spent £70.23

Also 4 x shower gels in superdrug £2.42.
And deodorants and reduced smarties in Boots. £5.30
Will update siggi now.

HM chicken curry and Nann bread for tea, loads left to freeze. Working all weekend, so must stay away from the SM!!!
Have a good weekend all
Sally.

Living_proof

Good evening all you frugal shoppers! I went in to town at 8am and had a quick whizz around A**i and L**l as I find that making the journey on a Saturday now just cuts the day in half somehow. I spent £19.50 and that is enough for a couple of weeks, except for milk, salad and bananas which I will need to get when I am next passing through. What amazing value those discount stores represent for fruit and vegetable and staple items. I am convinced they only make money on the tat in the middle aisles, although to be fair some of that is good value if it's something you need and don't buy on impulse.

I haven't had a chance to read all the posts yet but hope to catch up over the weekend. Hope this springlike weather is making life a little easier for you all in lots of ways. We will all have to walk everywhere soon as the price of petrol is so high!

mummygems

Spiggle wrote: »

Do you maen you have a MS way of dealing with fleas? Would you mind sharing please?

I dont know if this will help you but my mum always gives her cats (all 12 of them!!!!) garlic capsules in their food - the cheapo ones from the supermarket is fine and the garlic repels the fleas! Since she has been doing this for the past 7 or so years she hasnt had any uninvited guests on the cats!

She only tried this because a number of the cats are allergic to the spot on stuff and she has never looked back.

On the subject of them bringing you presents, I always remember one of her cats bringing in a lizard into the kitchen minus its tail which we all thought was dead and when my mum went to pick it up to dispose of it the blimmin thing ran under her cooker! Took us hours to catch it lol.