April 2007 Grocery Challenge

Pink.

Hello everyone,

Welcome to the fourth Grocery Challenge of 2007.

Another new month is about to start for most of us, while some of you are already well into things.

As always this challenge is to reduce your own grocery budget to levels that you will be pleased with, not forgetting that we always recommend that you stay inside your own comfort levels and take things gently one step at a time.

If you are new to the challenge I have quoted the advice from Galtizz below which will help you get started.

Please post into this thread for help and advice and support at any time. Good luck to everyone taking part!

Galtizz wrote:

I have said this before, but for all the newbies to the challenge;

For the first month I took a guess at the budget but I really had no idea how much I was spending.

I found the best thing is to have a guess the first month but SAVE ALL OF YOUR RECEIPTS (and yes, that does include the ones from the local shop when you run out of milk ), then at the end of the month add them all up and have a look if you were on budget, if not, it doesn't matter because your budget was a guess. For the next month you can use the total of your receipts and take a bit off to get a realistic budget, just shave off as much as you think you can, it could be £1 a week or £20 a week.

If you are currently spending £200 a month don't suddenly drop it to £100 - you'll never do it but if you cut £20 a month off for a few months you'll get there eventually without feeling you're missing out on anything.

You might think you've done everything you can in the first month but someone always comes up with a new idea and, if you try it you often find you save a bit more (unless you are SarahSaver who is an expert at this and could only save more if she turned her back garden into a paddy field and lived on rice ) In the first month I thought, I'm planning meals, I couldn't possibly save any more, but then I started double cooking and freezing, and making soup instead of buying it in tins.

I've been doing this since Feb but only saved ALL of my receipts last month, it has given me a much better idea of where it is all going. Budget for next month is £80 for 2 of us, I'll start on 30/4. I could probably save more, by eating different foods but I can afford to live on £80, I have saved a lot of money since Feb. and I don't waste food or money any more. So I'm happy with my budget.

I hope it's a good month for all of you!

Pink

daysieblue

I'm in this month £200 for me, DH, DS-9 & DD-5. Seems a bit of a stretch to be honest, but it has to be done as DH has been a nightmare! (See here!)

Cheapskate

I'm starting to moneysave properly again, so count me in as well. Lost the plot a bit the last few months, but getting stuck in again now, so will start this month with a budget of £75 a week. This covers me, DH, DS, petrol for my car & things towards arrival of new small person in early June

Maisie_M

Hi

Okay am joining this for the first time. Have worked out that I have £160 for the month to spend on groceries for me DH and the little one. Really need to do this so will be taking the cash out of my account tomorrow and that will be it. 5 shopping days this month (as I shop on Fridays and am starting tomorrow) so thats roughly £30 a week.

My cupboards are stocked as is my freezer so hopefully it will be just fresh milk, veg and fruit to buy until May. Hoping a Storcupboard and freezer challenge will be around this month so that it will motivate me to stay on track and so that I can make total use of what I have.

Am planning to menu plan so if you dont see me posting there every week give me a nudge!!

lambanana

I'm going for £120 for me and bf only started meal planning and a proper food budget 2 weeks ago so decided this was reasonable for the first go but I'd like to see how it is and possibly go lower next month.
:T

that's only for groceries and household stuff (which I don't need much of as we get kind donations from my mother who buys bulk and shares!) my petrol budget is seperate.

For that we get our breakfast, packed lunch and dinner! I sometimes worry that £27 (my max per week...works out roughly £120 a month) is a lot until I remember that it's 3 meals a day, 7 days a week! So 21 meals a week for £1.29 a meal approximately! Of course some things are bought one week and last 3 but still...I think we're not spending too much to feed us!

NHSslave_2

Hi! again. I'm in this month, my second grocery challenge. I am sticking with the same amount as I am happy with it. Went a little over last month so going to try harder this time. My mantra for the month will be STICK TO THE LIST, as the week I didn't was the week I went over

£250 for the month-food and household stuff

Katie

WrenBoy

Hi everybody
I've been lurking and watching previous challenges and it's time for me to join in. My spending diary for the past 6 weeks has been a great eye-opener. Groceries/household stuff has been approx £100 a week for 2 of us (believe me this is a big improvement it used to be £600-£700 a month, excluding meals out). I'm going to aim for £350 maximum but try very hard to get it down further.

I'll start Sunday 1st - which is my main shopping day when I get meat, fruit and veg from our local market. As well as keeping a spending diary I've been following tips on Old Style; batch cooking, vinegar, soda crystals, etc. So now I’m rarin’ to go.

Really looking forward to the challenge. Good luck everybody!

happyathome_withmyboys

Hello everyone!
I'm in for the first time this month. I have a freezer full (DH decided we 'needed' a huge one) and to be fair we do get the odd lamb in liue of DH payment, but we have also filled it with cow and pig - plus I can get given rabbits, fish and pigeon. I also have a pantry full of tins and dried peas & pulses, and I really want to get that cleared so I can keep a real store of things I know I will be using in the next month. So the upshot is there is absolutely no reason why DH, DS1 (3), DS2 (18m) and I can't manage this month on no more than £200. Out of this I'll allow £50 for the veg man and I need to reserve about £10 p/w for dairy for the boys (DS2 is goats milk/yoghurt as cows makes him scabby). So that means no more than £100 really to Mr Lidl or Asda (I am NOT going into Tesco: this is the month to break the habit!)
And I guess now is the time to sort my signature out!
Good luck everyone....

JillD_2

Thank goodness, and thanks for starting the thread pink_winged, I've been waiting, payday for us is 24th so thats when our new month starts.
Like cheapskate, I have lost the plot recently. I got pregnant in december and Jan, Feb and March have been a haze of bad bad morning sickness - when I have wanted to eat I have eaten whatever it is that I fancy and the shopping budget and planning has gone to pot.

But its lifting now so I want to get back on track in April.

We are 4 - me, OH, ds(3) and dd(2-in nappies) Our budget is £250 for food, cleaning stuff, toiletries and nappies.

Did a weekly shop last week, £83 or something in Tesco, stocked up on loo roll, cleaning stuff and some toiletries. Hubby did a couple of shops in March and went a bit mad with freezer stuff so this week we have hardly anything to buy :j Just bread, milk etc

MummyD

Hi, I've been lurking for a while but not posted before. I'm going to be receipt collecting this month to see how much we spend on food etc. I'm aiming for £250 for me, dh and ds who's 1 but I have a horrid feeling it'll be more than that. Wish me luck...

loumac

WooHoo! I am in again as not surprisingly I am saving so much money by just monitoring what I am spending on food and other bits that seem to fall into the trolley when I'm in Asda! I have also discovered the virtues of Lidl. Genius! :rotfl: