June 2013 Grocery Challenge

angelatgraceland

When I have been buying potatoes it seems we always waste them and I hate waste. I bought a little 750g bag of new pots in Iceland today for £1-expensive by my standards but they will get eaten. I used to do big shops but I am trying to use up what I have already got and do some real cooking in between when the mood takes me.
I put some petrol in the two cars today £30 total and did my shopping in Iceland which was about £27. That should last 3 days along with things to add to it which I already have. I ran out of sweetener so have been using sugar in my cup of endless tea and coffee but yesterday I did without to reduce my sugar consumption and my 1 and a half sugars is now ony 3/4. I will space this out with sugarless drinks-I'd love to give it up and sweetener is horrid stuff anyway hence I didn't buy any more today.I had minted lamb chops today-just two and two left for another day. I didn't cook for everyone as I now only cook on request due to our rather upturned lives at present and the kids doing their own thing. I was cooking food and it ended up either wasted-going in the freezer for yonks or me eating the same dish every day. What worked 2 years ago is not working for me at present time so I am adapting to the change.
Ive left a tenner free for topup petrol for later in the month but I am hoping to cut my petrol usage to £30 a month as I normally only ever shop local(as in 1 mile away).I do enjoy food shopping but I have had to stop unless I adopt a couple of families! I don't know what people buy when they fill up massive trollies and spend a couple of hundred quid a week-I just can't imagine! I am growing tomatoes and cucumbers this year-my first year of me growing anything as hubby did it all.

Gorgeestwo

Hi, have been absent from the grocery challenge for a while but after a crazy few months I really need to get back into it.
So am going to aim for £400 for June. Did my first shop today at Mr T's, spent £130.80, did buy a couple of pairs of shorts for DS and a pair for me (the sunshine must have gone to my head!!) so can take £20 off that . Will sort out my sig in a min.
Good luck to everyone

summerlou

7.50 spent today in sainsburys

MrsCautious

I spent £15 in Sainsbury, mainly on cleaning stuff (quite a rare happening I'm afraid, to say I'm not houseproud would be like saying Simon Cowell is a bit of a big head) this was down from £20 as I knocked off a fiver's worth of nectar points. Got a voucher for £1.10 off next shop as would have been cheaper in Asda or Tesco -- surprisingly first time I've had one of these for a good while, bought 2 bottles of Fairy Liquid for £2, I've tried much cheaper and a little cheaper liquid and found it a false economy as Fairy seems to last so much longer, bleach was 29p for a big bottle and thicker stuff was 2 for £1.20.

Feeding an extra mouth with girls' friend coming for tea tomorrow, making pasta bake made with YS sausages, with salad and garlic bread, at 63p for two baguettes ( could be 65??) can't see that I could make it cheaper. As I'm attempting to go back to work again tomorrow (lasted a day last time due to whooping cough) I'm a bit worried about how much time I will have to continue with as much vigour in my new thrifty ways. Still, as I've been on unpaid leave for a couple of months, I don't suppose I'm thinking about that right -- should be thinking about the very positive development of being paid again.

Thank you angelatgraceland for your post, you used the word blessing about working and this has made me think, like you I have lost my husband and I have been getting stressed about certain elements of my work, but you have made me think about it in a more positive way. You sound a very organised lady sorting your household repairs, I have some of these on a list as long as my arm and keep putting them off! I hope the greens you are growing do fantastically and like others have said, I hope you are being kind to yourself and recognising a remarkable inner strength to get through such tough recent times.

Good luck all x

AimingForBetter

Morning everyone

First update for June -

£132.25 main shop in Sains which was around the target for the fortnightly amount but as we went into the town on Sat (I don't get there very often) had the chance to stock up on a few bits in P'land, Savers & Farm Foods so further £22.58 spent.

Total £154.83 so far.

Will hopefully have a chance to catch up with you all later.

Have a lovely day.

AFB

[Deleted User]

Good Morning everyone well I have £60.00 in my food purse for this month and I'm on day 3 of NSD.I checked this morning and at the moment have nothing to buy at all as I have enough milk,bread fruit and veg in store.I have some peeled carrots in the fridge that I am going to turn into carrot and coriander soup for some lunches this week.Tonight I am at DDs for dinner as its one of my DGS birthdays (two of the boys birthdays are only a couple of days apart) So no dinner to make for tonight Lunch today will be said soupe and crackers and breakfast was a couple of slices of wholewheat toast and marmaladeTomorrow I think I'll get a sheps pie from the freezer for dinner so nothing to buy tomorrow eitherI am eating from my stores again this month as having two birthdays in a row has made me pull my horns in a bit :) next month I have DGD Holly's 20th birthday plus one of my son-in-laws.I luckily have Holly's present already so only have to think of something for ashley my son-in-law.No doubt my DD will help there as he is one of those chaps who seems to have everything and is quite hard to buy for.So a new month and its onwards and upwards and hopfully I will have a bit left over in 27 days time at the end of the month fingers crossed
Cheers chums good luck with the month ahead
JackieO xxx

Tenyearstogo

I spent £29.68 in Sainsburys yesterday on packed lunch bits, a stockpile amount of breakfast bars for hubby and a few other things for the month.

I've got £101.90 left, that's £3.77 per day left for June but I'll only need fresh products until the end of the month. I only need a couple of chicken breasts to last me until the end of this week. I will keep looking for YS ones at the little co-op nearby.

lizalloareds

spends to add
£5.96 Mr T
£1 £Stretchers
79p Mr A
sig updated, not doing very well so far

Coxy11

Hi everyone,

Budgets done to here

Hello to:
Ciaerda, kayjay1809, echo_and_narcissus, joanne109 and mumto2monkeys

Spent £15.50 in Ts just now getting a few bits - on foot so limited on how much I could carry

Macaroni cheese with salad tonight, Mozzarella and tomato tart tomorrow. I'm going to try making butternut squash soup today plus possibly bake a cake.

Have a good day all.
Coxy

tessie_bear

hi we spent last week in london and i purchased a wok in china town so i am using it to make a stirfry....i havent been to london for years and found it to be a bit strange...so busy and manic i dont think i could live at that pace and the prices of stuff...blimey

i now have a kitchen but am still in the process of putting all my stuff into it...i have made a cake this morning so it is getting there...not sure what we are having for tea tomorrow will need to look into that

is it me or are prices going up again ? i spent £40 in aldi yesterday and it is normally £30 cant think what i had for the extra tenner

take care tessa