January 2013 Grocery Challenge

WelshWoofer

Just back from Mr T. Managed to spend £34.40 but that did include 2x 8packs of diet coke on offer for £1.87 each. I don't normally include my drinks for work in the GC but will this week as they were bought with the shopping. Would have been a total of £30.66 without them.

I also picked up a big bag of dog food and some reduced bits for the freezer - just in case there's snow. No panic buying here just a little bit of extra stock that was on offer/reduced.

So I'm 3 shops of 5 into the challenge and have £47.37 left in the budget. Just under £25 a week left. Fingers crossed.

Waywardbird

£18.60 spent today. Spent just over half of my monthly budget.

kobrakai

up to £67.79 now, £12.24 in Morrisons and £3 in Poundworld on some foodie bits today. Also spent £20 in Leeds Market on meat - 2lb each of chicken breast, pork steaks, braising steak and stewing steak. Should keep us going for a while!

WantToBeSE

Hi everyone.

I am really struggling with a £55 a week food budget this month
I only reduced it by £5 a week (used to be £60), in the hopes that such a small cut would be barely noticeable..but for some reason i am having a really hard time with it.
Have updated my sig (see Wk 2 in my sig) which looks good, but that's mainly because we are having a rubber chicken week. I have to buy extra things to make cookies etc, and i am generally feeling a bit bleugh about it
Sorry to moan, but nobody in RL 'gets it' and i know that you guys will.

pavlovs_dog

WantToBeSE wrote: »

Hi everyone.

I am really struggling with a £55 a week food budget this month
I only reduced it by £5 a week (used to be £60), in the hopes that such a small cut would be barely noticeable..but for some reason i am having a really hard time with it.
Have updated my sig (see Wk 2 in my sig) which looks good, but that's mainly because we are having a rubber chicken week. I have to buy extra things to make cookies etc, and i am generally feeling a bit bleugh about it
Sorry to moan, but nobody in RL 'gets it' and i know that you guys will.

what do you have in the cupboards that you could turn into meals next week? I'm sure we'll be able to give you some ideas.

what's on the menu this week?

WantToBeSE

Awww, bless you Pavlovs_ dog.
Its not that i dont have enough stuff for meals, as such, its just that i dont have enough 'treats', as the kids both eat so so much!
Next week is (starting tomorrow):

Sun-Roast chicken
Mon-Chicken curry, rice, nann bread
Tuesday-Soup & Rolls/Cheesy pasta for my younger son.
Wed-Chicken stirfry, prawn crackers and chilli sauce
Thurs-Kedgeree
Fri-cheats pizza, tomato and cucumber salad
Sat-not sure yet.

i have enough food in the cupboards for breakfasts,lunches and dinners, its just the snacks that are the pain. I do cook most from scratch (biscuits, cakes, sausage rolls etc)...i just am not feeling so positive about this budgeting as i was. I think its because it used to be choice, and now its necessity

gien

Another 30 to asd so up to 300 euros.

pavlovs_dog

WantToBeSE wrote: »

Awww, bless you Pavlovs_ dog.
Its not that i dont have enough stuff for meals, as such, its just that i dont have enough 'treats', as the kids both eat so so much!
Next week is (starting tomorrow):
.....

i have enough food in the cupboards for breakfasts,lunches and dinners, its just the snacks that are the pain. I do cook most from scratch (biscuits, cakes, sausage rolls etc)...i just am not feeling so positive about this budgeting as i was. I think its because it used to be choice, and now its necessity

so do you need snack inspiration? or cheap ideas to fill up little tummies?

Simple things like bread and butter for mopping up with their tea, and pudding for afters (banana and instant whip, jelly and fruit, fruit crumbles, rice pudding etc) can be an easy way of getting extra fruit and calcium into them and helping to fill them up.

WantToBeSE

pavlovs_dog wrote: »

so do you need snack inspiration? or cheap ideas to fill up little tummies?

Simple things like bread and butter for mopping up with their tea, and pudding for afters (banana and instant whip, jelly and fruit, fruit crumbles, rice pudding etc) can be an easy way of getting extra fruit and calcium into them and helping to fill them up.

A bit of both really. Sorry, i am not being very clear am i
The boys are 13 and 8 (almost 9), and do nothing but eat!
They are quite active, so i dont have any worries about weight,and they eat plenty of fruit, but fruit can be expensive. I got a big box of clementines from Lidl for £2.49 on Friday,so that might help a little this wee, but i normally make about 20 biscuits, 40 mini sausage rolls, and 1 cake, every week.
I dont mind making it, s i enjoy it, but they just eat so much that its costing me so much!

Thanks for the pudding ideas though, i think i might do a monthly shop at asda for those puddings, as they can be quite cheap from there i think

Nicki_Sue

Shopping done today including new toothbrushes and toiletries, nappies, wipes etc. My total has been updated and I am now at £90.55 / £400. I'm really happy with this and shouldn't (other than 1 x loaf of bread) have to do any shopping now until Thursday night.

*We moved house in October and ran down all of our stores, then Christmas came etc so until now I haven't really started to build the store cupboard up so I am still buying whole packets of things for recipes rather than using bits of stuff that I have in. Part of my shopping this month is incorporating extra items to build the pantry back up.