March 2007 Grocery Challenge

Plum_Pie

I'm joining too. I've never done a challenge on this board before but I would like to reduce my food bill. About six months ago I relaxed on my grocery spending, but I've recently decided it's time for some serious saving!

I'm going to include all toiletries and cleaning stuff as well as food.
I currently spend about j20/week for just me :eek:

Really I think should be able to get it down to £40 per month (maybe less when I get my store cupboard/freezer together.) I will aim for £50 though as am moving house and will have to restock store cupboard with things I've been eating up.

Plan:
Carbs
-Discover best local supplier for brown rice (Fequently so expensive - why? Nothing's been done to it!)

Protein
-Go to asian shop for tofu and substitute for chicken in asian dishes.
-Investigate local butcher. (Currently buy unprocessed meat from M & S /Waitrose for ethical (ish!) reasons.)
-Discover best local supplier for bulk-buying lentils

Fruit/Veg
-Go to market, so much cheaper than shops.

Sugar
-Investigate sweet making threads on OS as am currently chomping my way through 3 Bounty bars a week at an annual cost of... £54.60 Lor', I had not realised it was that much! :eek:

Storage
-About to move to flat with freezer so can make better use of yellow stickered items/ BOGOFs/batch cooking.
-Do price comparison of all local shops for regularly bought tinned items.
-Buy some more lock-and-lock boxes!

Meal Planning
-Just started this in Feb and love it! Will continue.

Sorry - quel essay!

NHSslave_2

Hi! My first post on this site but have been loitering for last few weeks getting tips. Definitely joining this challenge as used to spend £450+ each month on food (2 adults, fussy 3 yo and cat). Using suggestions from the site think I can get this down to nearer £250 per month.

So budget for this month is £250 to include food, toiletries etc and I will see how I get on.

Thanks for all the great advice
Katie

poohbear59

Hi, Count me in again. Jan we managed on £280, Feb more like £380, so going back to original target of £280. That is for 4 adults, one 16yr old boy plus ds1 who is home from uni in 3 weeks. I am determined to do it this month!

newlywed

Failed in February. Have discovered that weekly budget is easier for me to deal with (even though I'm paid monthly).

So budget will be upped slightly for March (from £35 to £40 a week) but with no "extras" this time so should work out an overall reduction.

Already have 2 month supply of d/w tablets and month's supply of washing powder so that should help

Boatie_Bird

I've got a budget of £170 this month, this is for 2 adults, a 3 year old and a dog.
I went over by just under £5 last month. I think this was mostly due to DS being quite poorly and having no appetite (definitely not himself!) so I bought a few things I wouldn't normally buy just to tempt him to eat.
One of those things was a pack of strawberries at £3:eek: although he did eat them so not too bad I suppose.
I also stocked up on pulses and rice and have got enough to last for ages so I'm hoping I come in under budget this month.

patentgirl

Can I join in please I tried last month to keep receipts and kept a total of months food budget and spent about £350 I know it is alot but Jan was worse so I am setting myself a target off £70 pw although we get paid monthly I am finding it easier to manage a weekly figure. This for 3 adults and DD3 who is 14, but DD1 and her BF eat regularly as does DS GF who stops with us 3 days a week

I have already made huge changes from all the tips I have picked up here just doing one weekly shop getting fruit and veg from local grocer this week i am going to try and buy a stall that has been set up on the side of a road selling farm produce, getting meat, eggs from the local butcher and using acombination of Aldis and Nettos for everything else I have give up Tescos too much choice, I am eaasily tempted but the main tip has beento plan a weeks menus before I go shopping.
Here it goes.

the_optimist

After a brilliant January failed in February - must try harder, must try harder, must try harder - - - and will stay below budget of £200!:cheesy:

Janeryan

Like newlywed I find it easier to budget weekly as well

My weekly budget for March will look like this

Food £49.66(I know it's a strange amount but overspent last months budget by £1.69 so am taking it this months)

Petrol £20.00

Personal spending £20.00 (£10.00 each for me & DH)

I am in week 2 of March as last Friday was payday so did a shop then for this week & have already shooped this week for next week(there's logic in there somewhere)

Week 1 spent

£71.17 food(big shop to fill freezer & cupboard as they were a bit like Mother Hubbard's-bare!)

£20.00 Petrol (hope fully this will last at least a week and a half)

£20.00 Personal spending

Week 2 spent so far

£17.00 Food

Have got £11.15 left of this week's food budget if I want to stay on track and have a quarter of a tank of petrol left which I hope will last untill next Tuesday.

Good luck to everyone & welcome to any newcomers-you will find loads of hints & tips on here as well as encouragement!

Lelc

I've tried this before and then forget to keep a tally of how much I've spent. 3rd time lucky. I'll try again for £50 per week. I'm hoping that now I'm avoiding the big supermarkets I'll spend a lot less than I was (I was really bad for going in for one thing and coming out with a basketfull of "bargains". And I also only shop once per week.

There are 4 adults, 2 dogs and 1 cat in the house but I'm not counting dog food because that's bought in bulk and delivered once every 6 months (and dh pays for that anyway - his dogs!!).

mikeD

Hi all. Well I'm up for it again having just scraped home in February.

I notice throughout the boards that people are saying they are becoming more "Ethical" and buying "Fairtrade" or "Organic" goods etc. I find these are more expensive that shopping at supermarkets. Also some people say that farm shops and farmers markets are cheaper. In my experience in this area they are definitely not. We are OAP's on a State pension that only goes up by the RIP and an industrial pension who's increases are frozen because the company is in receivership. So sorry, but supermarkets with their cheap prices are the best that we can afford.