April Grocery Challenge

JCL

ceegee wrote:

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 don't know if you're disabled but another money saver could be to walk the 2 miles (weather permitting). Get some exercise and save some money. I realise this isn't always possible though and you do mention time being scarce.

ceegee

Thanks, crazyhazy. I think I shall have a challenge within a challenge here. If I do a meal planner and go to the greengrocer, say, twice a week, I'm going to see if I can manage with one trip to Lidl and one trip to Somerfield per week. That will mean just two outings per week for food....Lidl and greengrocer on one day and Somerfield and greengrocer another day. A bit of good organising could save me quite a bit. As a matter of fact, as my financial week starts on a Friday and I didn't spend anything yesterday, I think I'll start this afternoon!

It's nice that I do everything weekly because I haven't got too long to wait to see how much I've saved and I can feel the savings coming on already!

ceegee

JCL......thankfully, I am not disabled. But ashamedly, I am a bit of an old lazybones these days. Oh, dear. But walking would get rid of some of the chocolate related blubber though!!

mrsmab59

ceegee wrote:

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!

Thanks Ceegee...I didn't even realise we had a Health forum until you mentioned it

moggins

ceegee have you got a Poundland in your local town centre? They do bags of the snacksized chocolate bars. and sometimes just one snacksize bar relieves that chocolate craving.

I must admit my chocolate craving died a death when I decided to plant my own fruit and veg this year, working on the garden has not only killed my snacking habits but I've lost a stone in weight

The meal planning is good and if you work it right then you might be able to cut your shopping trip down to once a week.

Fruit keeps well in the fridge or any cold place, I bought apples two weeks ago which are still as good as when I bought them.

Don't try this with banana's though and if you buy bananas keep them well away from any other fruit as they emit a gas which causes other fruit to ripen quickly and go off.

kimmie35

Right i get paid on the 1st too so count me in for the first time... I will put aside £50 a week for 2 adults 3 children and 1 hungry dog....lol
I do most of my shopping at Iceland and get it delivered even though i work at Tesco!!! Went to Lidl today but really wasnt impressed it was small cramped and the smell of stale BO was everywhere!!!!! So put me off a bit.. Will do my internet shopping now and plan meals and get it delivered on friday so here goes!!!!!
Good luck Everyone..
xxx

jaymac_2

I really think I should join this month. I spend far too much and waste so much too - not helped by teenaged daughters who leave what I buy for them until it's gone off then wonder what they can eat! I don't have any idea what I spend each week but if I give myself a budget of £50 a week for food I'm bound to make savings. here's hoping!

Noozan

I've decided to have at go at this and will be starting on the first of the month. I've been keeping a note of what I've been spending on our food shopping and from 13th March to 26th March inclusive, the total is £136.95 - I'm actually quite shocked as it's only two of us and a cat. In fact, in those two weeks, I haven't needed to get cat food and it's mostly food shopping, about £3 was other general grocery items. I have no idea where I'm going wrong and looking at some of your budgets, I'm a bit ashamed. We do eat alot of meat as I feel deprived if I get a "main" meal that has no form of meat in it.

What do you think would be a realistic budget for me to start with? My plan is to try and cut back gradually rather than dive in at the deep end!

Magentasue

Noozan wrote:

We do eat alot of meat as I feel deprived if I get a "main" meal that has no form of meat in it./QUOTE]

We don't eat meat at all and I spend as much as you and more! There are six of us but I know where I'm going wrong. Fruit juice from the chiller instead of cartons of longlife stuff off the shelves, and some of those smoothies too, please! Plenty of fruit because I won't have time to go to the market and some double cream to go with the puddings I'm making again. What else? How about some expensive 70% chocolate to make brownies with instead of the Smartprice one!

You see, I KNOW how to budget and shop frugally but I slip into bad habits sooo easily and the family encourage me. But I want to cut back on spending so the supermarket shop is an obvious place to start. I know how to shop frugally because I had to do it for so long. Wouldn't want to go back there but I know I can save money and still eat well ... if I try!;)

moggins

I can't wait to start the April one, I know where I made all my mistakes in budgeting last month and I've set up extra money from the whole budget to cover those instead of having to take cash out of my grocery money.

It looks like March will be ending with me being £30 over my grocery budget but I know that not all of that has gone on food.

So the budget is still £160 for April until I really know whether I can cut it down any further.