July 2012 Grocery Challenge

Welsh_Poppy

JJ

I have been so frugal for about 8 months that we stopped eating out instead taking picnics on days out etc.
BUT what is the point of saving money and being frugal if you cant enjoy a meal out?
My Husband is disabled and I just thought when the time comes(he has a degenerative illness) I know I would sit there regretting all the missed opertunities so as of this week we decided we would eat out.One of closest friends Husband almost died last year and they go out for breakfast and have recommended a few places .
this week we have been out for lunch with family and we went out for breakfast just us two and a long walk followed and do you know what we really had fun those days and did not regret it at all.:D
So sometimes it is best to just enjoy your meal out:)

ikkle87

LMM - Cat's are self regulating hun so will often eat a small amount of food then walk away and leave it, if you leave the food down they will often go back to it a bit later. We had 2 cats who used to be the same, we would put food down they would eat a bit then leave it but if we were eating they would always try to eat our food too, infact one of them used to sit on the arm of the sofa and try to help OH, but they would always go back to their own food later on in the day.

Also regarding travel costs, we have a travel budget for the month which includes bus fares, taxi fares etc and we stick to that. We don't have a car at the minute but we share Day tickets, so OH will go to work and use the Day Ticket then come home and then I will use it to go do what I wanted to do.

jumblejack

£21 exactly on first grocery spend of the week. Will update sig in a mo.
I was under budget last week:j
My spend was at Lidl on
6x mince £6.24
4pt milk £1
Fresh OJ x2 £2.58 (my mate told me to take a bottle with me. I hardly drink so I'm taking fresh OJ instead )
Lemon juice 39p
XXL spaghetti x3 72p
7.5k potatoes £2.69
Cucumber 39p

And a very indulgent purchase which I'm including in my grocery challenge total...
Large red climbing rose £6.99


That means I have £9 left for another 8 pints of milk and fruit n veg later in the week. Nothing else needed so I feel I'm well on target again :j

Soworried

adelight wrote: »

I went to check on OH 10 mins ago and he was in the shower cubicle in the dark, just got up dripping blood and won't bandage it and started wondering around the house looking for something to drink (sadly that is the unusual part). Is it any wonder I try to avoid conflict? He has 1/4 pint of potato spirit (we are not drinkers so all we have is some old novelty gift stuff), I will see how it goes and maybe pour the rest of the bottle away. I don't want to act too soon and wind him up, sometimes it's best to just ride these things out as I can't help the situation and he prefers me to act like nothing's happening.
I know this isn't the place for these sorts of things but it's not something you tell your friends or family, they'd be straight in the car on the way to get me and my stuff. It's become a part of life but I guess I am desperate now and just don't know what to do?

I hope you and your OH are safe and well x

jumblejack

Welsh_Poppy wrote: »

JJ

I have been so frugal for about 8 months that we stopped eating out instead taking picnics on days out etc.
BUT what is the point of saving money and being frugal if you cant enjoy a meal out?
My Husband is disabled and I just thought when the time comes(he has a degenerative illness) I know I would sit there regretting all the missed opertunities so as of this week we decided we would eat out.One of closest friends Husband almost died last year and they go out for breakfast and have recommended a few places .
this week we have been out for lunch with family and we went out for breakfast just us two and a long walk followed and do you know what we really had fun those days and did not regret it at all.:D
So sometimes it is best to just enjoy your meal out:)

Very true.

I'm so sorry to hear about your husbands illness
I agree that life should be lived without regrets.
I'm so glad that you are enjoying every day together and creating lasting memories! I believe we all should aim to do the same as none of us knows the length of our days.

Thanks for the reminder :T

Kitchenbunny

adelight - thinking of you
JJ - thanks for the L!dl offers - I might just have to take a trip into town to get some.

I had a bit of a sit down last night and tried to rework the meal plan to make it a little cheaper. I didn't do much to it but am pleased with the results - next week's shop looks much cheaper than I had planned it to be. I'll go shopping on Monday and get all we need with the exception of fresh stuff which I'll get further on in the week as we need it. We're having lasagne for tea tonight, with 1/2 a garlic bread from the other week - hurrah for pre-home-made ready meals

Hope everyone is OK.

K xx

Possession

Adelight - hope things are a bit better this morning.
Kitchenbunny - you've reminded me I need to sit down and do serious, proper meal planning according to the mountain of food we have in. Trouble is I hate doing it!

KatyReed+5

Morning, i've just been going through my folder adding up my receipts and sorting out my money and i'vr got 20days left in my july and £192.74 left in my budget, that's loads. Today i'm off to a cash and carry with my sister, she's recently got a card for one from her new job, so i'm going to scout it out to see what deals they have and what's cheaper there. Also my chest freezer arrived a couple o days ago so going to stock it up with bred and milk to last to the end of the month, today is going to be a good day, and i'm not going to cry.

Katy, X

rising_from_the_ashes

adelight wrote: »

I went to check on OH 10 mins ago and he was in the shower cubicle in the dark, just got up dripping blood and won't bandage it and started wondering around the house looking for something to drink (sadly that is the unusual part). Is it any wonder I try to avoid conflict?

Ohhhhh hun, sorry to hear things are difficult, hope you & OH are OK this morning

Save_Dosh wrote: »

Just to add to my long boring post, i do feel that people would benefit being taught to budget. I used to earn lots of money (pre kids), but did not have a clue about saving or budgeting, I am now unemployed (unfortunately), single, with 2 children (19 year twins) and i feel more in control with things 'cause i can manage my purse. i can exist well on a shoestring, if needed could probably feed an army for a year on the supplies we have, I think good came out of my lack of money, if you know what i mean. I do think its something that should be taught in schools

little_miss_moneysaver wrote: »

Save dosh I agree with you. I think budgeting, saving etc needs to start as a child by parents and in schools. To be fair I've been looking after myself since I was 17, but some of my friends just have no clue with money.

Couldn't agree more! Honestly, I was never taught to budget and when I got my 1st house that's when it all started to go pear shaped & I ended up with loads of debt as I had no idea how to do it!

It's taken many years to get DF and I finally started my budgeting pots towards the end of last year - trying to get enough saved for when it's been needed this year has been tough (eg paying this years' car insurance by d/debit monthly & trying to save for next years' to pay a lump sum etc) but .... think I'm getting there!

little_miss_moneysaver wrote: »

Cat food now I know I'm soppy, but does anyone make their own cat food? We got our cat from a rescue centre in Jan and she's three. we've not spoiled her with any gourmet cat food, but it seems she doesn't like any. We've friend jelly ones, gravy ones, lots of brands (MrT, MrM, fel!x, k!tekat and whisk*rs), pouches and sachets. She might eat them for a day or two then little. We give her biscuits which she eats. She loves ham, chicken and human food and I'm soft so will give her bits if I'm cooking or eating them so she does/can eat so it's not that she's unwell. This has been going of or months now, my main bugbear is just the amount of food we are wasting. We've started giving her smaller amounts too, but still a lot is being wasted. So I was thinking if I could make cat food. I've seen a few recipes online and that some people say that it does work out cheaper. Obviously I need to make sure it's balanced for nutrition etc. Does anyone else do this or has done it?

Ohhhhhh, she sounds so like my 2! I honestly have the fussiest cats in the UK!

I've tried every brand of wet cat food and wee cat will only eat the hugely expensive small gourmet tins (only gets them a couple of times a week as a treat now) and seems happy enough with dry. Big cat is slightly better in that he will eat Whis*kas (only 2 types tho') so I stock up when it's on offer.

I make the dog's food (buy kibble but do meat & veg to add to it - bulk cook & freeze in individual portions so I can just lift one out the freezer every morning/evening) - it works out hugely cheaper than buying tinned, which I'd not give her due to all the "stuff" that's added (also upsets her tum).

I've not tried making it for the cats tho' so would love to know how it goes - both ease & cost wise, as well as if it's eaten:D

Re delivery charges for groceries (and anything bought online if they're included) - yup, I count them in my budgets.

Possession

Be strong Katy. :T
Remember to add 20% VAT onto the prices at the cash and carry. I often find they're no cheaper than the offers at the supermarket, but perhaps that's just Bookers.

KatyReed+5 wrote: »

Morning, i've just been going through my folder adding up my receipts and sorting out my money and i'vr got 20days left in my july and £192.74 left in my budget, that's loads. Today i'm off to a cash and carry with my sister, she's recently got a card for one from her new job, so i'm going to scout it out to see what deals they have and what's cheaper there. Also my chest freezer arrived a couple o days ago so going to stock it up with bred and milk to last to the end of the month, today is going to be a good day, and i'm not going to cry.

Katy, X