April 2007 Grocery Challenge

Mrs_Wossinge

isabelle304 wrote: »

Well done Mrs Wossinge :T - I am intrigued though as to how you manage to feed 2 people on such a small budget. I really struggled to feed just myself on £90 - in fact I have exceeded my budget by about £20 (haven't updated my sig yet) and nothing I bought could be classified as luxury/superfluous items apart from a small bottle of maple syrup - and I don't buy meat, fish, alcohol or coffee . Did you use cupboard/freezer stuff? Did the budget include cleaning products? What am I doing wrong? :embarasse

Don't worry - it's taken me a few months of practice to get it down to this amount! (Yes, it does include cleaning products, but I tend to use vinegar and/or baking soda (in bulk from Macro) for a lot of cleaning - just as good, and LOTS cheaper, as well as keeping your environmental conscience clean.)

Like you, we don't buy alcohol - DH doesn't drink, I'll have an occasional glass when mystery shopping - another grocery budget saving activity! Some of the things I do include baking my own bread, making meals in bulk and freezing portions, and making up milk from powder. (More details on what I do here.) I don't use Lidl or Aldi (nothing wrong with them, they're just not near enough to make it worth the drive) - pretty much all our shopping is Tesco value/Sainsbury's basics, with the occasional Macro visit for loo rolls and big bottles of chilli dipping sauce!

How about I post all my grocery receipts on my blog (link below) for the next month (starting tomorrow) and you can see what I'm doing? Some of it might not suit you but you'll get an idea. Would that be helpful? If anyone else fancies doing likewise on their blog I'd like to see.

isabelle304

Mrs_Wossinge wrote: »

I don't use Lidl or Aldi (nothing wrong with them, they're just not near enough to make it worth the drive) - pretty much all our shopping is Tesco value/Sainsbury's basics, with the occasional Macro visit for loo rolls and big bottles of chilli dipping sauce!

How about I post all my grocery receipts on my blog (link below) for the next month (starting tomorrow) and you can see what I'm doing? Some of it might not suit you but you'll get an idea. Would that be helpful? If anyone else fancies doing likewise on their blog I'd like to see.

(1) Am glad you mentioned you don't use Lidl & Aldi as I did wonder if they might be the reason for your low costs (I don't use them either).

(2) Indeed it would be very useful for me to see your receipts - It's so kind of you to suggest this I'll keep an eye on your blog.

lil_me

Can I get to the end of my month (this Sunday) without spending more than £7.55 ? I hope so :rotfl: talk about pushing it! Cupboards and freezer have enough in, it's just the will power now! I need a few bits but not much, any overspend will roll over to next month!

happyathome_withmyboys

I was SO close! I don't feel too bad, though as Mum & Dad came to visit last weekend and I bought a bottle of white wine (£4 reduced from £8) for her - which means that I would have come in under budget...
Major GOOD news this month was I sold some baby stuff, and at the same event bought DS#2's birthday present: exactly what I'd been looking for, had earmarked £30 from my ironing jar, in the box and £5! So I have avirtual saving of £25 there. The next day at a car boot sale I saw exactly the present I'd been looking for for DS#1's birthday present - again, in the box, again had earmarked £30 from the ironing jar, and this time came in at £11! Just to top it all, I'd sent Dad to barter (down from £15), and he wouldn't take my money - so the virtual saving is £30!!
Kind of BAD news was that our huge (bought when we had lots more money than sense) American fridge freezer broke down again... minimum estimate to repair: £75, so I found a second-hand teeny one that will fit in my kitchen (I've had to trek through 2 rooms to get to the fridge for the last 2 years....), will guzzle far less electricity AND will stop me from overstocking, and it was £40. I had to borrow the money from the ironing jar, but will repay by reducing Fruit & Veg by £10 and Supermarket by £30 next month.
May - bring it on! :T

lil_me

happyathome_withmyboys well done. That £4 I wouldn't even count! Shhhhh don't say that about American !!!!!! I have one getting delivered Sunday, if DP reads that he'll cancel it :rotfl: I'm getting it to save me money, I still waste too much and can't bulk cook much due to lack of space (unless like with the chilli I want to eat it for weeks as can only fit one bulk cook in)

Can't wait until Monday when my new budget starts, I still have my £7.55 and might even get away without buying anything else Bits I needed might not be needed before weekend is over, hopefully!

angelatgraceland

Plan those meals and buy nowt until May! Doing 2 jobs this week has kept me both in the shops and out of the shops! Working only, and little time to spend. Only spent £50 this week and a lot of that was on DIY stuff. So far only £14.65 on food and I used £2.50 of vouchers. I could add £5 I gave dd to go out on an inservice day to that so £19.65 on food only. Cut right back on petrol-stopped doing all those "favours" for the kids and they are getting used to walking so not bought fuel for 2 weeks. Doing a big chilli tomorrow to serve 8. Half will go in the freezer. Made bread tonight-but I think the yeast was past it, and it was a bit of a disaster. Never mind! Had a few freebies given to me-a bag of pears, and some trifles on Tuesday so that was this weeks deserts sorted out. Doing a nice big trifle tomorrow also-they always work out cheap even using sugarfree jelly. Still got a fairly full freezer-loads of tins and storecupboard. Eldest dd is now so used to homecooking that she doesnt like shop bought anymore and somehow or other all of the family seem to have cut down on waste and asking for "stuff" which isnt really necessary. When hubby gets back to work in 3 months(when he is hopefully better) we are going to feel minted! Not sure what I will spend it on anymore though-unless its a holiday of course!

jcr16

well i don't know how much i spent. i lost it around middle of month. my shopping card got used for something else. so hubby then paid for the last 2 food shop's.

i think i was over , but not by much if i was maybe by £50 ish.

my month this month started on the 21st and i still not been shopping. i need to go today but can't face a supermarket on a hot day on a saturday witha 21 month old and 3 yr old. but don't wanna do only as delivery is tomoz at £5.99 and i need some bits today.
maybe i'll go late tonight.

happyathome_withmyboys

lil_me wrote: »

Shhhhh don't say that about American !!!!!! I have one getting delivered Sunday, if DP reads that he'll cancel it :rotfl: I'm getting it to save me money, I still waste too much and can't bulk cook much due to lack of space (unless like with the chilli I want to eat it for weeks as can only fit one bulk cook in)

American !!!!!! are great - unless you also have an enormous 7ft chest freezer! My main problem was with the fridge part - I ended up using it as an extension to the pantry - but never got quite organised as to what went where, so I had several half-open jars of things like olives, mango chutney, etc dotted about the house. I also put every left-over imaginable back in the fridge because there was so much room, and because there was so much room there was never the need to make room - so through my own mismanagement there was a lot of waste. I'm sure you will be MUCH more organised!

WelshWoofer

Just a few days to go until May now and I'm really quite proud of myself!
The running total was £36.88 but spent £2.90 at the Spar on milk and bits and then went to Tesco this afternoon for the fresh stuff needed for the week, few tins and dog food and spent £21.90. Why does fruit and veg cost so much???? Makes you want to eat chips and fried eggs instead !!
Anyway, the running total is now £61.68:j

A grand total of £38.32 under budget so far with 2 days to go and plenty of food, toiletries and cleaning stuff in the house.

Well done to everyone else finishing their month in the next couple of days too!

lil_me

I have resisted the shop and kids moans for icecreams which could have blown it, why should I pay ott prices when there are cones and icecream in the house! When they stopped moaning offered them one but then they chose fruit instead.

Tomorrow I have to wait in for FF arriving so can't go shopping, by heck I think I've cracked it! Tomorrow is the end of my month! I don't NEED anything really it's just a case of resisting the WANTS.

Must admit I'm getting ever so tempted to go shopping but I do a pretend shop online then cancel it after checking what I have in, seems to be dulling the need to shop! Sad aren't I but it worked.