August 2012 Grocery Challenge

TheThriftyScrumpers

PennyGrabber wrote: »

Sounds like you guys will have a good time. Thinking of you with meeting your ex, and hope it goes well.

I just met up with mine to sort stuff for ds christening, and that was strained. Enough said, but could be a long story!!



Amen, sister!!

We have just started geocaching, which the children have decided they love, even though we've only found one so far!! Gets them out in the fresh air, with a purpose rather than just for a wander. Lovin' it!!

NSD today, and yest, in fact, can't remember when I last went to the sm! Maybe Sunday, or even Friday!

Will be shopping over the weekend to get some stuff for our camping trip (Next Thurs to Sun). Don't know what yet, as my friend is coming over to plan that this evening with me. Their family is coming too, sharing my tent!

PG x

We LOVE geocaching too! Such good free family fun. We have done 5 now and even found a travel bug! We take a pack up, drinks and flasks and go out for hours.

I need to have a tot up of all expenses. The summer holidays are distracting me from the Gc. I think we are doing fine. We have done lots of park and picnic days and craft at home using sets given to dd for her birthday.

I hope everyone is doing well xx

Soworried

Morning,
I really need banned from the supermarkets.:o
With the kids being away me and my husband decided to get a bottle of wine last night. We went to the local MrT to get it.
I came out with 1 bottle of wine. £5.19
1 ham sandwich, 19p
2 carbonara sauces, 34p
2x 2pk of tesco finest salmon and lemon fish cakes, 62p.
I am not shopping today, not even for chocolate. Just 17p a bar at Lidl this weekend. :eek:

Breakfast will be cereal from the 11 boxes I have in. Lunch will be the ham sandwich for me and I will make my husband salami and cheese bun. Dinner will be home made kfc style chicken. Very bad for you but it is a weekend.:D

I hope everyone has a low or no spend day.

I am going to have a look in to that geocaching, I have never heard of it before. Thankyou.x

Suffolk_lass

jumblejack wrote: »

Wow. Seems like there is always a geocache within half a mile if your location. Love it. Will have lots of opportunities to go searching with friends on walks. Yay :j

One of my colleagues that I travel away with is really into geocaching and I've been with him in Rotterdam and Antwerp where we have also located them. In Rotterdam it was just a magnetic device attached to a bridge metal-work with a tiny tube filled with paper to register your presence, and in Antwerp it was an old film conister that was cable-clipped to the back of a railing. The top had dropped off so the paper was all wet. In both cases, he registered the finds on a web-site and it lets the owner know. Good fun but no goodies.

They are all over the world!

cowboymum

Right - decide to try a new system for my grocery shopping! Me and DH have been to the SMs so many times this week, it is unbelievable, and we have had two veg box deliveries! I buy most of my shopping from Mr Ts, and like internet shopping. I always need to go shopping on a sat or sunday to get fresh fruit, milk for childminded children, so delivery is always £5. Last night I decided to sign up for Mr Ts delivery saver, and somehow managed to get quidco cashback too for it (not sure how, clever computer!).

Even though this seems a lot, I think its going to save me time and money in the long run. You have to spend over £40 per delivery, so rather than doing one massive shop per month, I will do a weekly smaller shop for cupboard things, plus my fresh stuff. I will then try to stay out of the SMs - I've decided that I'm rubbish at the coupon, price guarentee things so I'm not going to do them for the moment.

I'm going to cancel the riverford order for the moment and go with the other veg box (one of my friends is doing it and I want to support him). This comes on Thursday, so I can get top up fruit and veg in my tesco delivery on Sundays.

I have worked out what I use throughout the month, and separted it into 4 shopping lists, so I get what is on the list for that week (someone said that their mum years ago used to do this to save time - thanks for the tip!).

I'm still going to do second pursing as I find that v helpful (nothing in third purse yet though) and get meat, Quorn and frozen stuff on that (plus the other offers as normal).

Phew - sorry for long post but got to get this under control!

Possession

TheThriftyScrumpers wrote: »

We LOVE geocaching too! Such good free family fun. We have done 5 now and even found a travel bug! We take a pack up, drinks and flasks and go out for hours.

I need to have a tot up of all expenses. The summer holidays are distracting me from the Gc. I think we are doing fine. We have done lots of park and picnic days and craft at home using sets given to dd for her birthday.

I hope everyone is doing well xx

We are hopefully going to start geocaching, have found there are at least 20 within walking distance from our house!

savesummore

Hi all!!

Not many posts from me this week but I have been lurking

Why is it that when you write your shopping list and think- oh great I dont need alot you spend tons?!:eek:

£27.56 Aldi-this included unplanned spends of- 750g Chicken breasts for £4.99 (think this is just a 1 week offer) and 500g Angus steak mince £3.59- I cant stand cheap mince

£22- Local Market on 2lb shin beef, 4 pork chops, 1lb back bacon, 8 chicken thighs (skinned and boned), strawberries and veg

£9- £land- only went in for cat food :eek:

£11.40- paid to second purse

A very spendy day

Have approx £50 left for August GC and im not too hopeful but will continue to try my best

Bluegreen143

Small spend last night - nipped into Mr M on way home to pick up some beer and also got N*polina chopped toms, £1.50 for four! Which is not quite as cheap as Mr A Smartprice ones I usually get, but OH moans about hose ones so it's worth buying the expensive ones when they're on a really good offer. If it's still on when I got back on Sunday I'll get another four. Can't stock up more than that as my flat is the size of a postage stamp :rotfl:

OH's expensive razors were still on offer (2 for £4), so picked up another two packs. Now have enough to last around 2 months. I'm happy with this as he won't use a cheaper brand.

Had chicken kebabs from The Takeaway Secret, so good! Amazed at how easy it is to make pitta breads and the sauces tasted just like a real takeaway! As well as salad leaves, I served with saut!ed peppers and onion tossed in a little soy sauce, as I don't approve of meals with less than one portion of veggies even if it is like an authentic takeaway!! :rotfl:

Very tiny shop hopefully needed this week as it's the week between stock up shops anyway, but also it's my birthday on Saturday and OH made me take a few days holiday from work, so I thought we might be going away, and last night his best friend accidentally told me its a trip to London. So annoyed my surprise has been spoilt :mad: but OH took it well and said at least now I can help planning the itinerary but OH will be paying for it and any spends I do have will be a separate budget, so only need some milk, fruit and veg for a few days next week rather than a full shop.

fozziebeartoo

Bluegreen143 wrote: »

I made this apple cake recipe last week and it was AMAZING: http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/607041 - no sultanas but very good and moist. Only change I made was chopping the apples into small chunks rather than slices, so they distributed more evenly in the cake.

.

Thank you!

helen_jelly wrote: »

Evening everyone

Been very busy in real life with a chest infection lol but I've caught up with the thread now, apologies for missing birthdays etc and not welcoming new joiners as and when they joined - hello and hi :]]

Updating front page with budgets now :]]

Helen x

Hope you are feeling much better now!

sistercas wrote: »

hope you are feeling better x i too have been laid low with a chest infection - not nice


does anyone know if you can use 2 asda guarantee vouchers at the same time? i have 2 both for over £4 :j

Get well soon!

Possession

£15.36 spend this morning, definitely not doing so well on the challenge this month, perhaps needed a higher target to compensate for the children not being at school all month.

russetred

Thanks for all the suggestions. We tend to go for savoury over sweet so palmiers it is!