November 2012 Grocery Challenge

MrsCD

Just been catching up as I have been MIA for a few days! Coxy - hope everything's going ok with your nephew.

Jacket potatoes - if you push a metal skewer through them before cooking in the oven, they will take a lot less time to cook. Mine take a good half an hour, for slightly bigger than tennis ball size, from putting them in the cold oven and turning it on full - mine goes up to 230C.

minicooper272

:rotfl: I've just spent half an hour trawling through the last few pages trying to find my last post, thinking 'I'm sure I posted something yesterday!'. Well I just found my post in last months forum. I must remember to delete the link from my favourites!

Only stopped by to report that I've lost track of my spending again, I reckon I'm at about £110 of £100 (shocking spends for 1 person!), though pretty well stocked up, I will need to pick up lunch and breakfast foods for next week (estimating £10 at Lid1).

How do you guys make sure you track your spending? I seem to drop my receipts in the bottom of my bag, and then lose them somewhere, and it's making it near impossible to keep track!

fedupandskint

I spent £10 today on the weekly shop, then £3 on cleaning stuff meaning I am yet again over budget by almost £30

Coxy11

Evening everyone,

Small spend today in Sainsbobs - just £3.89 on veggies and a 4 finger k!tkat - because I needed it

Thank you for asking MrsCD - DNephew is doing okay. Very quiet - hardly know he's here apart from his gentle guitar playing. We painted the dining room today, so kept him busy! Small steps.

DS1's parents evening tonight - although I'd been told it's a tricky year, by God I didn't expect to be told he is in the 'rogues gallery' of bottom 5 in the year (enter swear words here....) - lovely boy, popular, and well behaved but doesn't do his homework....... I have told my DSis to expect him coming to stay some time soon. Large rum and coke methinks.

Sorry to staying off the thread subject

Coxy

Coxy

armchairexpert

Despite being excellently organised with meal planning and using everything up (last night we all had a different dinner, since I had about a single portion left of three different meals!), there is no way, absolutely no way, I'm coming in anywhere near budget this month. I didn't allow for the fifth week, for one thing, but I think I was just too ambitious generally. We've been really good with eating HM food all week, which has saved loads in those irritating little spends out and about, but has meant that we've gone through far more food than I realised we would. And the washing machine broke down this week which meant I had to go buy expensive disposable nappies to tide us over. Silly things like that.

Will see what my actual spend was at the end of this week, which will reflect a standard four-week month, and do December accordingly.

Smallish spends yesterday; $16.50 for bread and a few other incidentals. Tomorrow I have to do a week's shop; last week was extravagant ($300) so I should be able to do a small shop this time, but there's no way it's coming in under $100, and I'll be pleased if I make it that low.

poppy-glos

nipped to mr t last night as driving anyway and had a hunch with the weather there may still be yellow stickers on the shelf... i was rewarded! £5 spent on eight packs of chicken, 4 packs green beans, lettuce, finest beef ready meal, milkshake for dd, parsley, and fourpack of dips. Good news on the bargains.... not on the freezer making space mission.... oh well, can't win them all.

[Deleted User]

£11.50 in Bud&ens and Gre&&s today. Last spend of the month. Not done too badly though, think I've improved on last month.

dumpling

Just did a quick tot-up on what I've spent on groceries this month and I am going to go over budget!:mad: I forgot it was a 5 week month for me and also I am trying to cook more from scratch and get everyone in the family to eat more fruit and veg which obviously costs a little more. I haven't been out to our local supermarket to get any reduced bargains either due to the cold dark nights and so I think all of these factors have affected my spending.

Oh well, shall try and spend as little as possible this week and look forward to having my Christmas budget next week. Good luck everyone.:)

1step-at-a-time

We're at £126.45 from receipts, but I think I have lost a couple so may have messed up this month! Still will be under my target ,but annoyed at myself for not keeping track properly.

meg72

poppy-glos wrote: »

nipped to mr t last night as driving anyway and had a hunch with the weather there may still be yellow stickers on the shelf... i was rewarded! £5 spent on eight packs of chicken, 4 packs green beans, lettuce, finest beef ready meal, milkshake for dd, parsley, and fourpack of dips. Good news on the bargains.... not on the freezer making space mission.... oh well, can't win them all.

Great bargains, I also was lucky with whoopsies yesterday, not quite as good as yours but still under half price, I spent 9.00 and got over 20.00s worth of meat, beef, pork chops, steak and chicken. portioned up enough for around 16 meals.

Today at market I got two huge caulis for 1.00, two pineapple 1.00
13 bananna 1.00, one monster watermelon 1.00 and 2 big swede
1.00, so enough fruit and veg for 2 weeks for a fiver. or half for my DD if shes not already been shopping.

Then I went to the tabletop sale in the local church and got an almost new automatic pressure cooker for 5.00, a lovely Timberland fleece jacket 1.00 a waterproof kagool 1.00 , a nice pair of fleece trousers 50p and 4 paperbacks 1.00, 8.50 from different budget.

Sorry for the long post, I dont normally but I am so very pleased
I had to tell someome and DD is at work.