January 2013 Grocery Challenge

she_who_can_not_cook

cattysmum wrote: »

Evening all just dropped in to update siggy and let you all know how um getting on. I have spent just £133 forthis month and have 67 quid left in my purse for the rest of the monthand am quite pleased with myself. Iv been to Ts today and got a tin of shortbread reduced to £2 from £6 who on earth would pay the full price ? Iv started practising my crochet and have mastered the single the one and half and the double crochet stitch and am looking forward to starting a few small projects.

i have always wanted to learn crochetting

lbnblbnb

I have dug out a price book I made about ten years ago after reading the Tightwad Gazette. I think I am going to have to make an updated one if I am really going to save on groceries. The Dispatches programme last night made me think too, it was quite clear that the supermarkets are being deliberately unclear about unit pricing for fruit and veg.

It made me very nostalgic for Leicester market. I used to go every week when I lived there and got great fruit and veg so cheap. No market near me now unfortunately.

Karb

Le_Foot wrote: »

Sorry to be 'thick', but is there a list of the meaning of initials posted on here, such a s YS ?? sorry!!

Jackie

YS is Yellow Sticker(ed) i.e. reduced. Sometimes known as whoopsied

katholicos

Haven't spent anything n groceries today.


Made a quick pasta meal for tea. A toying with thought of placing large food order as i can get a discount off my first shop. Not sure though. Wll think about it for a it.

maximus_leeds

Hi all GCers - I've not been recording my spends here, but I read the thread everyday and it's really helping me stay focused on the challenge ahead. Just a note to say I've updated my signature to include spends up to today - this includes the internet shop I've just done coming from Mr A's tomorrow. I'm at £272.38/£450 but that should be the last big shop ahead of month end. I am genuinely stunned at what we've been able to save just by meal planning, checking cupboards and freezer before buying, and writing lists. Fingers crossed we keep going like this for the rest of 2013. Best of luck to everyone else. :T

PS Should just add I love the meal planning posts - they've been giving me real inspiration for my family. So big thanks

Billie-jo

Spent £10.19 today and really had no need for £8 of it.:(
Think the fact that we havent been out for days due to the weather resulted in us having 'cabin fever'

Now there is only £67.74 left with two shops to go - could go either way. Will just have to wait and see.

The chicken and mushroom lasagne was a hit so will be doing that again at some point.

Will still be on here till 31st but will set a target for Feb tomorrow when have thought about it a bit.

WonderfulLife

I feel a bit of a failure this month having already gone over my budget for the month for groceries. I think I was a bit optimistic to think that I could keep to abudget of £60 for the month. I still have loads food in cupboards, fridge and freezer so I could have got by without spending so much. Part of the problem is that I have slipped into some of my old bad habits buying cans of diet coke from the travelling sandwich van that visits my office block. At 70p per can this quickly adds up to an overspend. I need to get back on the straight and narrow and either buy big bottles at the supermarket or stop drinking this rubbish altogether. Just 2 cans each working day would work out to cost £28 per month which is nearly half of my total grocery budget for this month. It can't continue the way it has been, that's a no brainer.

I don't think I reported back on my butter making experiment - I bought 6 large cartons of extra thick cream for the knock down price of 3p per carton at Mr Ts late one night and after some trial and error made 3.25 lbs of butter. I was amazed that I got this much. It was well worth doing - each lb of butter only cost me 6p!!

Lovethenight

lbnblbnb wrote: »

Is anyone else watching Dispatches? It is about supermarket prices and green grocers or markets. Interesting how difficult it can be to compare prices.

Yes!! I was watching this and am glad I'm not the only one that finds the pricing totally confusing! I know my maths skills are terrible, but even they were getting mixed up:rotfl:
I'm sure the lack of scales is one of the reasons I ended up buying 3 carrots for over 60p and being charged 55p for 5 mushrooms in Mr A last week. Had I been able to weigh the carrots (I did look for scales but couldn't find any), then I would have realised how expensive they were.

Wish that we had a market or greengrocer nearby. There's meant to be a good farmers market in Blackheath but I've never been so far.

Perhaps it's a case of creating a price book just for fruit and veg to see when things are actually a good offer? :question:

I also wanted to thank everyone so much for posting their menus - I find it so helpful and inspiring. I will start posting mine when they become a bit less erratic (never quite know if I'm cooking for 2 or 3 at the moment, so it's a case of having a few standbys in the freezer and pulling out whatever has the right portion size in the morning before work!:))

Lolkat

Spent £4 in A!di tonight. I got some rice, milk, parsnips and a few bits. Impressed with 6 crumpets for 37p. Though so must everyone else have been as there was only that packet there. I think that's shopping all done until next week. I'm not quite sure when my month ends. Payday would normally be the Friday nearest the last day of the month, but we got paid 2 weeks early this month as the boss is away.

I have to keep my fingers off it.

Tales17

Blown the budget after shopping today but I've been stocking up a lot this month on all sorts so I'm hoping next month will be better! May be if I can be under budget next few months it will level out for the year, lol!