September 2012 Grocery Challenge

Suffolk_lass

liz-paul wrote: »

I have a question for you all: from this month (sept 1st) we have a pre set budget of £450 per month (we are budgeting everything as an experiment/trial). I am hoping to bring my spending in under budget at least some months but I dont know what to do with the excess. I had thought I would put it into our holiday savings but now I am wondering if I should roll it over to the next month in order to build up a bit of spare 'kitty' in case of more expensive months etc. And then maybe just take the excess out for something else every few months? Does that make sense? What do you guys do?

liz-paul - I'm trying about my fifth system so far this year with this very issue and I might have cracked it this time! We have similar budgets. I have tried keeping money in purses and using multiple purses and cash, and the famous Mothership's 2nd purse system but my problem with all of these is remembering to pay myself back or keep my purses up to date.

So now I use my spreadsheet and I have inserted a "running total stock-up" month - which is a virtual month - it just keeps that money separate in my spreadsheet. I took it off my December budget so that my overall budget remained the same for the year. I need to underspend this month by about ten pounds to get back in budget - otherwise Christmas will be a frugal affair!

I should mention that I have consciously decided to buy some stock (bread flour, yeast, pasta and rice) over and above everything else as I think the poor harvests in E Europe and USA mean anything with flour in will rise in price this winter. Having read it back this sounds a bit bonkers but it works for me (so far!)

Good luck
SL

[Deleted User]

Hi everyone, just over from August thread and finished reading post, god you lot have been busy. Can i be put down for £120 for September, which will run from now till end of september, this will include everything, including alcohol, so will really need to watch the pennies, as i want to start saving for xmas (!!!!) - think i offered to host it at mine this year, better check that out

notgotenough£ - sorry to hear about your situation, hope it improves. I think £60 per week is really doable if you check out some of the info on these forums - good luck - p.s. whats the app youve downloaded, im Android.
Helen Jelly - are you leaving, must have missed that and am reading through posts religiously - if yes, thanks for all your hard work and encouragement and am sure you will be popping in to say hello
linksyellowbelly, Belselmo & Sampipoli- welcome to the thread and good luck
LizPaul - its really up to you, what i find with the GC is it really does get cheaper as you go along, as you build up a stock of foods plus learn money saving tips - you could do both, have a float and add the rest to a holiday fund if not spent. Starting this month, i am hoping to start saving, even though i owe monies, so i will transfer any monies left over to that.
Soworried - not sure what store you are talking about, but looked up asda earlier for my daughters friend and they close 10pm (london Edmonton), an hour earlier than usual

Edit - reporting spend of £9, which is carried over from August GC on goods that are untouched in the freezer

CupOfChai

Can I be put down for £170 for September please? Even though I didn't come in under budget for August, September looks like a shorter month for us so I'd like to try and shave a bit off anyway. And I'll buy less unnecessary whoopsies just because I fancy the look of them!

Mind you, I didn't do too badly the other night. Despite committing the terrible, TERRIBLE sin of going in a supermarket whilst not only hungry but also drunk (le gasp), I accidentally got 4 packets of Iberican Chorizo and a bunch of flowers for a grand total of 9p. It had ended up paying me 40p for the chorizo which I'd never had before but was very nice in our risotto, and the flowers were RTC to only 49p with a bit of life still in them. And they just looked pretty

rosieben

Cupof Chai if you're finding those sort of bargains I think you should shop drunk more often!

[Deleted User]

rosieben wrote: »

Cupof Chai if you're finding those sort of bargains I think you should shop drunk more often!

i agree - great bargains there

CupOfChai

Cheers, but I don't think it would be a great idea really haha!

gettingready

I am getting a bit worried - pay day tomorow and I have no idea what to get shopping wise.

MInd gone completely blank.....

Normally order home delivery from Asda (no car, 1 floor flat, no shop near by, no time really to go to a supermarket) but put so very few things in the "basket" and already showing £30 so... Jesusssssssssssssssssss, why is everything so expensive?

lizzie_b

Well we seem to be emerging from the bank holiday weekend not too worse for wear, we've eaten our main meal from the freezer and the breadmaker on both saturday and sunday, today we havent really eaten much at all in honesty.
Tomorrow is back to work for us both but I do need to call in Mr T's tomorrow after work for a few bits I cant get from Ald!, but that is for our post gym shakes so will cover Tues-Thurs.
I'm yet to tot up what the actual spend is this weekend but I know I still have £65 in notes in my purse so we havent done too badly as stocked up a little too.
Hope everyone is doing ok, and I hope I can come in on budget for my first GC
xxxx

gettingready

Do not know how to split my £80.

It works out at £2.58 per day :eek::eek::eek:

So say £25.80 for 10 days.

Should I go to the shop with exactly that and try to get enough for 10 days?

No way I have the time/energy to go to a shop every day, really once every 10 days is probably the most I can force myself to....

(scratching head)

quintwins

no if you only have £80 i'd first do a shop online and add 30 days worth (31 or whatever) and see if it's doable, then i'd take out what you already have in, then i'd write a list of things you need fresh like milk and fruit, leaving enough for this week then you have your shopping list, get as much in your freezer as you can to save going back and spending more than you mean to.

When yo go to top up only bring enough money with you for your top ups and nothing else.

Ofcourse thats just how i'd do it