August 2013 Grocery Challenge

Mrs-s_4

NSD today, tomorrow will definitely be spending because I have to go get things for ds1 birthday, already have a cake now thanks to my mum but we need bread and ketchup at least off the top of my head.

Billie-jo

sheeppappar - hope you both have a wonderful wedding day with lots of special memory's to look back on in years to come. Wishing you both a long and happy marriage.

Happy birthday to Bluegreen and Meg

£1.45 spent today in c**p on a loaf of bread, have been out all day and not had time to make one.

Florenceem

NSD here.
I will shop tomorrow. Used up mushrooms/peaches and down to last white onion. Will also need milk. Last day of SS at Ald. tomorrow - may get some of it.
For dinner we had HM Egg/Bacon Pie with HM Jerk wedges + salad - grated carrot, celery, pepper, red onion & tomato - dressed with red wine vinegar.
Cost for dinner - wedges/salad/pie - per person - 56p
I will cost out this meal for anyone who wants me to.
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NickJW

Evening all

Spent £3 on bagels and cholla bread on Sunday, £2.04 in Mr W yesterday and £1.50 in the corner shop yesterday

Got a Mr T delivery come today and the total came to £40.37 + £3 delivery

However, I used a £6 off £40 spend voucher, £12 of call centre vouchers (given to me last time when my £12 off £80 spend didn't apply properly), plus £7.70 of other random money off vouchers when certain items (needed anyway) were bought. A pretty impressive £25.70 free! :T

On top of that there were quite a few extra clubcard points.

£4.99 was on a bottle of wine which I don't include in my grocery budget, so £43.37 was reduced to a total of just £12.68.

For that I got 4 packs of diced turkey breasts, a large pack of chicken thighs, toilet roll, veg oil, crushed chillis, cajun spice, chopped tomatoes, garlic, kitchen foil, shower gel, milk, mangetout and a reduced ready made for one day at work.

Hope everyone has had a good day. Could do with more shops like this!

Puddickle

Just came on to update my signature... feeling good about what we've achieved so far. Still got 2 weeks including a 3 night camping holiday to hit our target. It's not been half as bad as I thought it would be so far!

Peggybabcot

A top up shop of £39.08 to report as Sainsburys change their offers tonight so thought I'd stock up on a few bits before the prices go up. A total spend so far this month of £162.54/£400
Tonight's dinner was diet coke chicken and some home made profiteroles which went down a storm with the kids, they loved it!
On the plus side I have managed to make a few pounds selling unwanted clothes via FB so up £19 this week
Hopefully I shan't need too much on Friday when I go shopping but having watched Nigel Slater the other day, his chicken, leek & bacon pie is calling me so a few ingredients needed for that amongst others. Not sure I'll come in under budget but anything will be better than the £680 we were spending a month when I was working/had the spare money to do so. Feeling positive though. x

chocolatebum

blllllaaaarghhhhhhhh, top up shop yesterday ended up costing me £29.23 as hubby announced as i was getting out the car that he needed new razor blades :mad:.

my youngest baby started school today so hubby and i took her out for lunch after she finished her morning at school . this was accounted for out of our other budgets but we were well fed and stuffed for the rest of the day so we just had soup for dinner and splashed out on a chippy for the other kids :rotfl: this came to £8.40 and comes out shopping budget.

i am hopeful now that my lot are back at school except the eldest who doesn't return to uni until september that food and snacks might last a bit longer in the house.

Downsizing__for_sanity

Annie_99 wrote: »

Im struggling... I had a great food budget and now its all gone pear shaped.. Through a family crisis ive had to hand over £200 of my budget and now have £235 until the 27th of the month.. But ive had a weekend away planned with my friend since last year. Which is £85 for dinner, bed and breakfast and £50 spends for lunches and coffee and petrol..

Shall i make a list of cupboards which are groaning and use a bit of cash or just use cupboards but then have nothing in the fridge.
When im away my DH needs to feed 2 of our children and he has no idea how to cook etc..

So -am I right in thinking that £235- your weekend away expenses leaves you with £100 for grocery spends till the 27th? I would say you can do that no problem if you try. Go through all your cupboards and fridge and freezer to see what you already have in. Then you can make a list of meals to make. It doesn't have to be complex, eg Breakfasts - Cereal and Toast so you know you need to have at least that in. A value box of eg pretend Shreddies, rice crispies is about £1.

Lunches - make lunches rather than buying them out. You can always take leftovers from the night before if you have a microwave at work.

Dinners - really depends on what you have in. The blog "A Girl Called Jack" has lots of ideas.

Snacks - No one will get ill if you don't refill the fruit bowl as soon as it empties, if you have tinned, dried or frozen fruit in. If you have baking ingredients, or packet mixes of jelly, Angel Delight etc, use them up. People tend to feel a bit more spoiled if they have a pudding and it will also fill them up cheaply if you are having to stretch the meat/protein part in a main meal. Flapjacks are filling and versatile, and you could take them to work/school as well.

You will have a much better weekend away if you don't feel like the family are missing out because you're away. But you deserve some time I'm sure and will be all the better for the break. Your husband only has to organise a few meals over a weekend so if you are planning and buying for it he only has to put it together. I'm sure he will cope! Good luck and post us what you have in and we will come up with some suggestions for you.

Ellie

DFS

suzybloo

NSD for me yesterday so really pleased. Definitely keeping on track this month quite well. I will need to pop to the co-op today for bread, but that will be all I buy!

Just about half way through the month and still got a fair bit in the kitty!

Yesterday was the first day we dug potatoes out of the garden so that's something that can come off the shopping list for the next few months, green beans are a plenty and my little tomatoes are turning now, so another few quid saved along the way.

Will do my menu planning and organising tonight to find out what I need to buy on Saturday, if I do it in advance it gives me time to change items around.

joedenise

It's an NSD for me today and I'll be using up a lot of things which need using up and things from freezer & cupboard:

B - LO boiled potatoes fried up, eggs & mushrooms which need using up
L - Jacket potato with baked beans (half tin been in fridge since w/e), a bit of grated cheese
D - Lamb tagine from freezer with couscous, of which I have a mountain in the cupboards:rotfl:.

Denise