April 2012 Grocery Challenge

franby64

Morning

Well I didn't even make it to the weekend .

As I was starting to make the curry on Weds night I went to get the Naan bread out of the cupboard and sadly it was not long-life as I had assumed...it was green. So I had to nip to the shop and get some more - £1.09:mad:. And yes, I will read the label more carefully from now on - what a waste!

Yesterday I spent £8.45 on fruit, bread, skimmed milk, chips and potatoes so my total is now £401.26/£400. This is OK and I'll try to spend as little as possible until my first May delivery on Mon afternoon. Should be just eggs today - £1.95.

Have a good weekend.

Lovethenight

Hey folks,

Been awol practically all month due to new job - been working some 12 hour days each week and sometimes not finishing work until gone 8pm. That, coupled with a 1.5hr commute home means I've not got much time to get things done!!

I've lost track of April completely but I'm pretty sure I've blown it!!Apart from the inevitable takeaways that come with working really late, DH and I had a bit of a 'staycation' where we treated ourselves to eating out and the cinema etc. as if we were on holiday, and it was my birthday and we visited family etc....


Nevermind! It's another month soon and another chance to give it ago again. I've found a slowcooker I'm going to buy that will help with the takeaways issue even if I'm working late and I'm sure that if I keep trying and keep aiming to get the spending down that it will happen. I'm very optimistic!

Well done to everyone who managed to keep in budget this month and stay positive to all those who didn't quite come in budget - you will get there! Just never give up, because even if you don't reach the number that you've set yourself, you are still being mindful of what you are spending and thinking about what you buy - something I never did before reading this website!

Will try again in May and will keep reading the thread as I pick up so many tips and recipies that help with being frugaltastic!

Have a great day everyone!:)
LTN

Suffolk_lass

tigerfeet2006 wrote: »

Sorry to be MIA. It has been a really strange time the last week or so. But after much to-ing and fro-ing and several interviews and discussions my DH has been offered a job... in Abu Dhabi. So sometime in August we will be emigrating :j. So As from next month I will be trying to rein my spending in as much as possible to save for passports and such.

Wow! You weren't kidding when you said it would be life-changing if he got it.:T:T:T

Many congratulations and I hope it really works for you

Plenty of time to offer your sage and wise views on GC before then though - and I hope you can pop in still (occasionally?) once you're settled a bit.
All the best
SL

fozziebeartoo

tigerfeet2006 wrote: »

Sorry to be MIA. It has been a really strange time the last week or so. But after much to-ing and fro-ing and several interviews and discussions my DH has been offered a job... in Abu Dhabi. So sometime in August we will be emigrating :j. So As from next month I will be trying to rein my spending in as much as possible to save for passports and such.

I have busted the budget this month so I am going for damage limitation and spend as little as I possibly can for the next 3 days. There is a couple of things I will need before the end of the weekend but I am hoping to keep it under a tenner.

Congratulations to MrTF2006 on the new job! :T

And how exciting for your whole family, a wonderful opportunity, hope you enjoy it very much

jumblejack

Hi all,

It seems we are all on Mays thread. It is pages long already

I havent declared yet so I guess I have to stay here til the month is up
I wish I could start afresh as I hate that I have gone over

Im off to my folks this morning whilst the kids are on another field trip.

Don't know what they are having (as mum wants me to use stuff from her pantry) but it will definitely be something with a 2 min cake of some variation for afters

We are having the soup I made yesterday with some herby cheesy scone type quick bread for tea. It is hard to describe, but it is lush. I will post pics tonight if I remember (along with the recipe if you wish. They are great to use as tasty dumplings too if you put em uncooked into a bubbling stew )

Have a great day all

fozziebeartoo

Will it ever stop raining???? What happened to the water shortage???......I feel like I have webbed feet :rotfl:

I am planning another NSD today - I need foil and a few bits and pieces but know I will get tempted to spend more if I venture out

I had enough stuffed tukey breast left from yesterdays roast dinner for DD and BF to make a roast meal for me, so have frozen it instead of using it in sarnies.

Probably granola and greek yog for breakie.

I have a teeny bit of HM bread left over, and a few slices of seedy bread in the freezer, still have M&S tinned ham left....it slices easily so it's gone a very long way, despite being a little tin - so sarnies for lunch.

I have a HM lasagne in the fridge, all assembled and just waiting to be baked for tea - it has loads of veggies in it as well as DR minced steak. DGS and I will have that for tea and there will be some left for me tomorrow for a quick lunch or tea. I also made another lasagne which I froze which will probably do me 2 meals next week.

Being active on this thread is REALLY helping me think about my spending, much more so than when I just used to read other peoples posts

So a big thank you to the lovely people who run the thread and sort everything out for the rest of us :T

abitofhelp

tigerfeet2006 wrote: »

Sorry to be MIA. It has been a really strange time the last week or so. But after much to-ing and fro-ing and several interviews and discussions my DH has been offered a job... in Abu Dhabi. So sometime in August we will be emigrating :j. So As from next month I will be trying to rein my spending in as much as possible to save for passports and such.

I have busted the budget this month so I am going for damage limitation and spend as little as I possibly can for the next 3 days. There is a couple of things I will need before the end of the weekend but I am hoping to keep it under a tenner.

Thats great news for you and your oh, congratulations.

jumblejack

Well. I've been thinking.
I think I will do a £30 a week target from now on running from Saturday to Friday every week instead of a monthly limit.
I notice that a few on Mays thread are doing this.
It means I can start afresh tomorrow :T
I will be nipping in sainsburys later for some hand soap but will declare my spend tonight with a final total declaration for April.

Here's hoping to a more disciplined spend:beer:

ModestyB

tigerfeet2006 wrote: »

Sorry to be MIA. It has been a really strange time the last week or so. But after much to-ing and fro-ing and several interviews and discussions my DH has been offered a job... in Abu Dhabi. So sometime in August we will be emigrating :j. So As from next month I will be trying to rein my spending in as much as possible to save for passports and such.

I have busted the budget this month so I am going for damage limitation and spend as little as I possibly can for the next 3 days. There is a couple of things I will need before the end of the weekend but I am hoping to keep it under a tenner.

Congratulations to Mr TF. I hope you and your family enjoy living over there. Don't forget all your friends on here and let us know how you're doing when you're settled.

NickJW

tigerfeet2006 wrote: »

Sorry to be MIA. It has been a really strange time the last week or so. But after much to-ing and fro-ing and several interviews and discussions my DH has been offered a job... in Abu Dhabi. So sometime in August we will be emigrating :j. So As from next month I will be trying to rein my spending in as much as possible to save for passports and such.

I have busted the budget this month so I am going for damage limitation and spend as little as I possibly can for the next 3 days. There is a couple of things I will need before the end of the weekend but I am hoping to keep it under a tenner.

Congratulations and how exciting! The sun and heat will be a welcome change from what we've got here!

Annoyingly I ran out of deodorant today so had to buy some more at my overpriced Mr S local. I decided used some of my Nectar points though so just 30p to add to my signature.