April Grocery Challenge

moggins

Well done HQ, I hope it still leaves you with plenty of time for bargain hunting?

Lidl do very cheap wines usually about £1.99 a bottle, they are usually the old favourites like Liebfraumilch, Hock etc, now very old fashioned I know but very tasty fruity wines all the same.

Curry_Queen

moggins wrote:

Lidl do very cheap wines usually about £1.99 a bottle, they are usually the old favourites like Liebfraumilch, Hock etc, now very old fashioned I know but very tasty fruity wines all the same.

Urghhhhhh

I've yet to find a "cheap" bottle of wine that I can actually drink, although the Co-op's Fair Trade stuff at around £4.99 isn't too bad. Think I must have an expensive taste when it comes to wine ... but I do try and buy it when it's on offer

mrsmab59

moggins wrote:

Lidl do very cheap wines usually about £1.99 a bottle, they are usually the old favourites like Liebfraumilch, Hock etc, now very old fashioned I know but very tasty fruity wines all the same.

I find that the cheap fruity wines go down too easily So I always buy wine that has a bit of a tang which encourages me to stop after a glass or two...hic

tiff

Valpolicella is £2.97 a bottle, I like it for every day drinking. If you leave it to breathe for an hour it certainly makes a difference. If I want a bottle for entertaining I would buy something different which would be more expensive but Valpolicella is easy to drink.

ceegee

I must be a total plonker. I always thought that I was frugal and careful and I do budget for everything (apart from recent roof repairs which have left me a bit overdrawn for the first time ever). Anyway, I digress, as Ronnie Corbett says.

There is me and my two teenage daughters (regrettably we eat far too much chocolate, about which I am going to post in the Health forum). Digressing, again!

Having read what everyone else spends, I am ashamed to have to say that I usually spend nearly £60 per week on food and household stuff. It's appalling. My shopping is split between Lidl and Somerfield. Non perishables from Lidl and perishables from Somerfield. We eat an awful lot of fresh fruit and I know that bumps the bill up. I always buy bogofs if they are what we like.

How can I find out where I am going wrong? And can anyone suggest what the "right" amount should be for us three little pigs?

JCL

ceegee wrote:

And can anyone suggest what the "right" amount should be for us three little pigs?

This may sound a bit unhelpful but it's not meant that way - the only ones who can decide the right amount are you and the other two little pigs.

Everyone is different which is one of the key things to remember about this challenge. That's why it's not one universal amount we are all aiming for. Each of us has their own personal target.

Would you be cheaper sourcing all the fresh fruit from a local greengrocer? That's an example of the questions you could ask yourself and then look and what you're buying and ways of saving. Could you make more home cooked meals?

So many great tips, suggestions and recipes on this site to read. With a bit of planning and research I'm sure you can get your total down. However, just keep in mind that everyone is different and get a target that suits you and your circumstances.

Good luck!

moggins

ceegee do you have a local market? We have a fantastic one that sells about 3lbs of apples for £1 etc. That's one way you could cut down on the price of fruit.

But as JCL so rightly says it's a personal challenge we are all setting, maybe you could try just shaving £5 a week off? That's still £20 saved over the course of a month?

The meal planning certainly helps.

ceegee

Thanks JCL. Sometimes I seem to get things stupidly wrong. Regarding fresh fruit for example....there is a greengrocer about 2 miles from me, but I tend to think that I'll go to the supermarket because it's nearer and I won't use so much petrol. I feel permanently pressed for time too and that makes me go to the supermarket. But if I organised my time a bit better, then perhaps I would have the time to go to the greengrocers and, thinking about it, the extra petrol costs should be well outweighed(!) by the savings on the fruit.

How many times a week do other people visit the greengrocer? I seem to be at the supermarket 5 or 6 times a week. This thread is like a confessional....all of my shameful shopping habits coming out!

If I had only two shopping days per week... what would be the best way to keep my fruit nice and fresh for 3 or 4 days at a time?

I really do feel such a twit asking these sorts of questions...... I'm supposed to be a grown woman!

ceegee

moggins wrote:

3lbs of apples for £1 etc.
.

What????? I pay about £1 for 3 individual apples at the supermarket! No wonder the money goes out faster than it comes in! I'm beginning to see the error of my ways, here! I could probably save £20 per week on fruit!!

I really appreciate all of this help.

crazyhazy

ceegee wrote:

Thanks JCL. Sometimes I seem to get things stupidly wrong. Regarding fresh fruit for example....there is a greengrocer about 2 miles from me, but I tend to think that I'll go to the supermarket because it's nearer and I won't use so much petrol. I feel permanently pressed for time too and that makes me go to the supermarket. But if I organised my time a bit better, then perhaps I would have the time to go to the greengrocers and, thinking about it, the extra petrol costs should be well outweighed(!) by the savings on the fruit.

How many times a week do other people visit the greengrocer? I seem to be at the supermarket 5 or 6 times a week. This thread is like a confessional....all of my shameful shopping habits coming out!

If I had only two shopping days per week... what would be the best way to keep my fruit nice and fresh for 3 or 4 days at a time?

I really do feel such a twit asking these sorts of questions...... I'm supposed to be a grown woman!

Have you tried planning your meals, that way you should be able to get everything you need from the supermarket for the week, even if you get it down to shopping twice a week that would save you time. With regards to eating to much chocolate in your other post, I am exactly the same but since me and my fiance got our own place I'm eating less, why? because I don't buy as much as my mum did! It's much easier to resist if you know you don't have enough to have some tmrw if you have it today, IYSWIM.