May 2013 Grocery Challenge

Nicki_Sue

sefilby wrote: »

I don't know how many people include cleaning products in their grocery budgets - P*undland are having a spring clean event. Go to their website and get a £2 off £12 spend voucher for various cleaning products including toliet roll and bin bags.

Nicki_Sue - hope you feel better soon, teeth cause nothing but trouble! My gran always bangs on about they're a pain coming, a pain staying and a pain going lol x

Your Gran sounds like a spot on lady x

sefilby

sefilby wrote: »

I don't know how many people include cleaning products in their grocery budgets - P*undland are having a spring clean event. Go to their website and get a £2 off £12 spend voucher for various cleaning products including toliet roll and bin bags.

Having actually read the T&C's it would appear the voucher can be used against any products not just cleaning ones. Valid from 29th Apr to 8th May

moneytree1

Hi there need to get a handle on my finances can I join in for the May Challenge
giving myself a budget of £180 hoping for a lot less but dont want to run before I can walk Thanks

Sligo

Sligo wrote: »

My month starts tomorrow and it's a 5 weeks month for me so please put me down for €750.

I'll be declaring my total on April tomorrow and it's looking good for coming in just under budget!

Hi Folks Please would you update me for €750 this month when you get a wee chance! Ta!

Pearla*Merle

I've been awol for a while, but time to jump back into action! I've done quite well lately batch cooking (love my slow cooker!) & generally being more aware of using up storecupboard stuff, but money's a bit tight over the next few weeks thanks to the OH & I's recent holiday shenanigans, so I'd like to get some more focus back and see how well we can do over the next while making the most of our mountainous supplies! It's just me & him, so I'll aim for £170 for May. I'd rather try lower, but I know what the OH will be like when we hit the shops after pay day(!)

Ideally I'd like to only spend around £50 up to the 17th (pay day) *cross fingers* so lets see how it goes... (would also like this to be a bit of a test few weeks to convince the OH to be far more enthusiastic about low grocery spends, if we were then that'd mean more holidays and day trips :rotfl: here's hoping!)

PS. Sheeppappar, that earl grey & lemon shortbread recipe sounds divine! Can't wait to give it a go

Good luck, everyone! x

lottie3000

OK here goes for the first report of spending, it may seem a little excessive but there is method behind my madness as I have just over a week off of work in May and would like to do as little grocery shopping as possible in this time.

Farmfoods £39.85
Aldi £40.28
Tesco £39.79 and £9.99

Total £129.91, full to the brim freezer and enough baked beans for the year Farmfoods is fab for doing this, I actually thought I could pop in for a lunch time spend but no chance the bargains are way too good to leave.

MrsCautious

Hello

Nicky N asked me what tips I may have yesterday and I said I'd pop back and post some so here you go. I've halved our grocery budget and have never ever been a naturally frugal person, so wish I had been.

I think my biggest saving has been on meat and fish from buying reduced to clear, this has included yellow sticker lamb steaks (£1.49 for 4 down from £6) for example, lean mince , reduced fat fresh burgers, a lamb joint and a pork joint -- both 99p and some plaice and trout at 79p each for two big pieces. I have stopped doing one big shop at the weekend and go to Sainsbury's on a Weds evening instead when touch wood, I find these bargains. I think we have had around 10 YS meals if not more this month. I also bought YS freezable cheesecake which lasts the 3 of us 2 nights with fresh fruit, for 49p. I got 2 turkey fillets for £1.49 each and three packets of best quality sausages @54p each. My best buy may be the 3 chicken and veg pies I bought for 19p for the three.

I remain a loyalish Sains shopper and have reduced costs by boosting my nectar points through Adpoints and Nectar search, among other things, always also buying petrol at Sains. I'm finding I have enough points to take £10 off my shopping once a month at the moment.

But I am buying most fruit and veg at Aldi, have also started going to the 99p Store (disclosure I have a work connection there) and Iceland. I have been using vouchers from Top Cashback and taking that off the total shopping bill as well. I check offers that come in a leaflet with our free weekly paper and if there's something at our local Nisa or Co-Op I will go there but I have stopped nipping there as much as I can as it's very expensive.

I've been buying and freezing YS bread and rolls. I've been using up bath and shower stuff bought as presents and did an inventory of what I had to stop me buying stuff on offer like I always have, regardless of if we needed it. There was loads of very nice soap and shampoo lurking as well.

I have stuck to a meal plan, ate what we had in the freezer/cupboards and once a week we have toast/beans/bacon or omelette as a main meal.

I've stopped buying fizzy drinks, kitchen paper, air freshener and any sauce or soup I can make myself, same for oven chips when hm wedges are nicer.

Before I go shopping in Aldi, before I assume everything is cheaper, I check on Mysupermarket.com and if Sains Basics is cheaper or the same, I stick with that so I can have the points towards money off.

I am buying more than we ever have of the Basics range, I have 500g rice for 41p and from Aldi, a big bag of penne pasta for 29p. Sains basics potatoes are £1.19 I think for 1.5kg. Rice pudding is 15p a tin.

I am offering my daughters less choice but more homemade food. I am having smaller portions than them.

I've done 2 Approved Food orders, for snacks etc, today the saving was according to them £45, but I check out offers in supermarkets first.

I have brought the cost of packed lunches for school down by my daughters having water rather than expensive and often too sugary drinks.


At the sm, I put stuff back before I go thru the checkout -- to cut down on impulse buys. I don't know how sad this sounds! I even get my phone out for a calculator so I can work out the best loo paper to buy - and have my shopping list on my phone.

There's a lot more I could add and I'm hoping to write about this at some point (that's what I do for a living but am off work) so I hope I haven't bored you too much -- I'm well aware that most of what I've said here isn't rocket science for the lovely people on this thread who have inspired and encouraged me x

sugarwalsh

I am avidly looking through this thread, learning more tricks of the penny pinching brigade!
I hadn't realised how many times we 'pop' out to get extras - it is quite hard gaging how much my 4 growing children will eat. However, I think we will come in under the £100 this week. I am slightly in awe of those living on half of my budget! I am though, including most things.
I have 3 cats to feed - 2 about to give birth!- and I wondered whether anyone has any tips re cat food? I noticed IAMs on offer for £11 in Sainsb's, according to that it would feed 1 cat for 45 days. Does it?
I am trying to save Tesco points towards a holiday too, so I try and shop there as much as possible, any tips?
Many thanks in advance.

AimingForBetter

Hello to everyone

Did the first shop of this month yesterday (normally fortnightly shop on a Thursday but have something else on and Tuesday was the only other day this week I could do, it is now confusing me as to what day of the week it is!).

Spend of £121.28 which includes £25.98 of non GC items (but has to be included for now) so actual spend of £95.30 on food/groceries was OK. Used £5 of nectar points within that amount and I've put £5 cash into the points pot to build up reserve for emergencies.

Thanks to all for inspiration, motivation, tips and keeping things going.

AFB

Nicki_Sue

My second Clare Barry online meat order arrive this afternoon and looks as great as the first one. Chicken wrapped in streaky bacon for tea tonight!

I've done another Approved Food order today too which was 33.47 (added to total).
I now have a full freezer (30 days of portioned up meat) and enough packed lunch bits, dried goods and what not to do me quite a while. I'll hit the supermarket tonight or tomorrow and see if I can get bread-wise - with £1.40 loaves down to 25p-ish it's great to put in the freezer and defrost as and when.
All in all a good start to the month, I just hope I can keep it up!