February 2013 Grocery Challenge

xxlouisexx56

Spent 3.75 yesterday and first spend of the month.
Stir fry mix, bananas, bin bags, YS crumpets in the freezer.

Going to tesco after school for a few bits. Don't want to do a massive shop as DP is coming to asda with me on Sunday to do a BIG shops so just want to get by until then.

Last week I was really poorly and we just lived off cupboard stuff

meg72

Gailcm wrote: »

This sounds like a challenge for me. I live alone but still get through roughly £100 weekly on food, eek. I am a big eater but also buy a lot of extras as treats. On the positive don't eat many takeaways. This month am going to try and reduce it to £50 weekly and keep a record of everything.
Gail.

Not judging at all but curious to know what you eat, I would find it impossible to buy and eat 100.00 worth of food every week.

quintwins

Gailcm wrote: »

This sounds like a challenge for me. I live alone but still get through roughly £100 weekly on food, eek. I am a big eater but also buy a lot of extras as treats. On the positive don't eat many takeaways. This month am going to try and reduce it to £50 weekly and keep a record of everything.
Gail.

It's all about what you can afford and are happy with, plenty of people spend over that and plenty of people under, personally we are a family of 5 and we do have takeaways and regular treats and spend £200 a month. I would suggest you do a spending dairy for your first month and keep all you receits then you'll be able to see where your money goes and if you want to cut specifi things out, we don't drink if we did that would bump it up a good bit, but one thing i don't want to cut out is fancy yogurts.


Nsd today

Dinner is 2 packets of chicken breasts in a tom and cheese marninade i got for 10p a pack on xmas eve, will serve with mash and brocolli.

maximus_leeds

pinkypig wrote: »

Hiya Maximus

I use it all the time and it is great. The only down side is that it is not as lean as some of the more expensive stuff but i just brown it in a dry pan and drain the fat off with a spoon which takes less than a minute and what is left is as good as the premium stuff. Give it a go! PPxx

You know PinkyPig, I think I will! Thanks for the recommendation - I see lots of mince dishes over the coming weeks xx

Just popping in to report a spend yesterday - HBargains for dishwasher tablets (Finish Quantam 40 for £3.49) and treats (crisps, sweets, chocolate) at £10.34, then an Al*i shop for fresh fruit, veg, yoghurts and fruit juice, at £11.13. Will update signature accordingly - hoping for no more grocery spends until weekend-there's enough in!

sheeppappar

Lolkat wrote: »

I want to try to make HM cakes and biscuits. Any suggestions where to start?

Sorry haven't had a chance to read right through the thread so you may have had this reply... i recommend the Be-Ro book... generations of my family have used it! I am a terrible baker but can manage their cookies/biscuits/scones
http://www.be-ro.co.uk/index.asp
They also have recipes on their website (same link) but my kitchen wouldn't be complete without the little book
(obv you don't have to use Be-Ro flour, you can just look for it cheaper elsewhere...)

Updated my total... 4 weeks to go and i have already spent half of what I am aiming for.. oops! That includes a meal out on Sat though, and lots of freezer stuff to use up .. hope I will still stay on track x

O and I forgot .. just got £14.50 of tsco vouchers through hurrah! (from 0% credit card which i got last month to solve a short-term cashflow problem, now paid off, but it was a big chunky spend and I forgot you got vouchers)
so that should pay for a week's stuff I think yipee!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend x

Coxy11

Hi everyone,

Budgets done to here

Welcome to:
ladywigz, fourtoeight, Themorrisfamilyof4 and Gailcm

Chellie1964 and aussiemum - do you want to set a budget for this month?

Small spend of £1.26 last night in T's on baby wipes and rtc custard doughnuts NSD today as I've just got back from work and need a sit down

Going to Co$tco tomorrow for scout camp food and will get some bits from 2nd purse money.

Lovely and sunny day here in Kent. Hope you all have a good day

Coxy

raphanius

so far this month....four trips to lidl, one beer festival selling cheese, chocolate and crisps (don't shop while inebriated is the lesson there) and one online shop with sainsbobs later and £87.87 spent. and its only the 5th oops.

sheeppappar

aussiemum wrote: »

I cant decide if a weekly shop is best or buy when I need... thoughts?? Thanks in advance

Hm depends how much time you have! I meal plan for the week and tend to go each day just to buy the things I need for that day. However I don't have kids to see to and I have an hour-long lunch break when I can go to local shops to get bargains from the greengrocer and butcher.
I find that a good way as then I have no option of straying from the meal plan that day (as there's nothing else to eat) but it does mean that I need to be really strict with myself at the shops.
I've tried the idea of drawing out in cash how much I want to spend that month and am definitely finding that handing over real-life pounds and pence in the shop makes me stick to my budget better than if I was just handing over my debit card...

Mumof2_2

Just had to nip to our local shop to get some bread and eggs - begrudge the eggs as we have chooks, they're just not laying at the moment!

mummyyof5

£6 in £land yesterday..all pack up stuff..should last the week hopefully

£12 in MrTs...cereal,ham,mushy peas (back to 8p a tin ),choc spread,mince,bananas and juice

£18 to add...NSDs Sat and Sun..hopefully today too but may need to pick up LOs new scooter so will probs grab milk while out,hopefully OH will pay xxx