March 2007 Grocery Challenge

catznine

End of the month for me (payday 21st) and the total is £186.48 - allowance was £200 so £13.52 left in purse! :j This was while on the "shopping without the supermarket challenge" (thanks CTC, Compititionscafe, Rach, Lil'me and everyone else on thread for the info and support) it was sooo much easier than I thought it would be. Must be that I am avoiding all the extra temptations (brainwashing;) ) that goes hand in hand with the larger supermarkets these days.

Lots left in larder and freezers so going to strive for even better next month!

Catz x

patentgirl

I am going to be over this month was going ok till all family came to me on Mother day and we ended up having a chinese takeaway and guess who ended up paying the majority of the bill and brought all my easter eggs at the weekend that I needed to buy which were all BOGOF so a good bargain after getting caught out last year waiting till last minute hoping to grab a few bargains didnt work, only the expensive ones were left on shelves.!
About £35 over budget not too bad considering waht I was spending a couple of months ago.

Boatie_Bird

Well today is the last day of the month for me (payday tomorrow). and I'm happy to say that I'm well within budget!

I set a budget of £170 and I've still got £25 or so left.
I've got to pick up some milk on the way home tonight but that should be it.

I must say that I'm really pleased with myself as I've managed to stock up on lots of organic stuff this month (thanks Aldi!), and got loads of reduced meat and chicken which I've put in the freezer at my Mum's house (thanks Mum!).

I'm going to bite the bullet and reduce the budget to £150 for next month. I've ordered a small veg box fortnightly and I'll get the first one tomorrow. I've been wanting one for ages but couldn't find anyone to deliver it to the boat for me but a company has started to deliver to my place of work. It's a very local farm and they pledge to pick the veg on Friday mornings and deliver it at lunchtime. Can't get fresher than that eh?!

poohbear59

Well done Boatie Bird!!

It's my last day of the month too. I have finished with £63.60 left of my budget of £280. I also have well stocked freezer and cupboards too. Yesterday I started sowing seeds so that we can have home grown veggies - hopefully. Chickens dug them up last year!

belfastgirl23

Well I'm not quite at final reckoning (my month runs roughly 28th to 28th) but I'm pleased so far with £175. I think at the end I will come in somewhere around £185. This is down from £280 in Jan and £208 in Feb. And down a whopping £170 on March last year.

Thanks for whoever had in their signature aiming for between 2 different amounts. It means that you can be ambitious and go for the lower amount but feel okay so long as you come in under the higher one! Very good for learners like me who are still making some mistakes!

Just trying to figure out now if it's worth the time and petrol to go round different shops and get what's cheapest in each And thinking of a use-up month for April tho DH will never be persuaded on that one

Thanks everyone for all the inspiration!

kiwi88_2

Well done to all those who's challenge finishes this week :T :T

Great success' even those who may have gone overbudget just remember what you used to spend and congratulate yourself on the difference you've made already :beer:

The next monthly grocery challenge thread is usually started around the first of the month so if you're doing another month keep you're total for you're first week just add it when you first post

I bought milk today not DH and guess what I only bought milk :rotfl:

overlykeensaver

Hi, I have been watching this thread for ages and finally decided to join. I will set an actual budget for April but just wanted to say that my last two supermarket shops came in at £65 each week (for 2 adults and a 10 month old baby!). :eek:

Using all the tips on this thread and the rest of the OS board, ?I have planned a complete storecupbaord menu for next week and my weekly shop came in at £19.69 :j

So I am feeling pleased with myself and wanted to say thank you to every one on the board as their advice is so helpful and it works :A !

Penny2myName

Think I would like to join this challenge starting on 1st of April. A couple of years back I was able to do a weekly shop for £8ish, unfortunatly inflation and then a few years reckless shopping seems to have removed my abilities.

dreams_R_free

Congratulations to all who've taken part:beer: . Some have made huge savings and it's spurred me on to join soon. I hav'nt kept a tally this month so it's hard to assess my starting budget. I could just make a 'guestimate' but may be suicidal after 4 weeks when I've overshot it by an obscene amount:eek: So might carry on watching you all for the next month, cheering madly from the sidelines of course, as I keep my receipts and new spending diary and wait for May to start properly. I'll be watching the pennies even though I'm not declaring my spends to you lot yet:o

One question though. I see towards the end of the month some of you are having a 'use up what's already in the freezer and storecupboard week'. I applaud this and do it myself when money's tight. But what happens when all your stocks of storecupboard etc foods are gone? Surely then your next food bills will go up having to replace just about everything. Please forgive me if I've missed the point somewhere. My excuse....I'm new to being sensible with money and stuff! That's why my finances are in such a mess and why, thank God, I've joined you all on these ab fab boards.

Mrs_Wossinge

This is my first month of sticking avidly to a grocery budget since I was a student. I allowed £100 for the two of us, not including petrol. (Petrol budget was £65.) I'm really enjoying it, though I've had a couple of minor complaints from DH, mainly when he wanted to go and buy chips and I said he could pay for them out of his own money, not the joint account (we have £50 a month each in our own accounts for which we don't have to be accountable to each other).

I have a question: does anyone have money-saving secrets from their spouses? For example, my husband refuses to use disposable razors more than once because he claims they go blunt and cut him. Funny how he hasn't cut himself for ages, when I secretly fish them out of the bin, clean them with an old toothbrush and return them to the packet? Is that wrong? Opinions welcome...