May Grocery Challenge

elona

Squeaky

You are my hero (hubbie is chartered engineer but does not mean he can DIY)

Auntie Margaret

I get milk from milkman too as I feel it is a service that should be supported but have cut down the amount and also get some from supermarket.


I have pizza dough in the breadmaker and home made tomato base in simmer on stove.

I feel so virtuous!!!!:j

squeaky

I really love that feeling of accomplishment that you get when you wander round the place and think "I did that!"...


That picture doesn't look too good in the photo, but in real life it's quite stunning. I think the whole thing cost me just seven quid. Ish.

moggins

Need some help this month. With Friday being payday and my birthday I ended up with a bit of a problem and got myself in a right mess.

I intended to try and do the grocery shopping too so I withdrew all my £200 monthly grocery money like I usually do (I normally take out what I need for the week and put the rest into a separate purse) Only I didn't get to spend much on actual food shopping and then dh borrowed £25 on Friday night to take me out for a drink.

So without even getting the basics in for the week I am now down to £150 so do I take out more money to replace what was borrowed from me or do I just try and struggle on for the month with just £150.

I really am going to have to sit dh down and go over the budget again, he keeps messing me up completely doing things like this, April was an expensive month for us with 3 birthdays and having to reclothe 2 rapidly growing kids, I really wanted to start afresh this month but it's already off to a bad start

pink_fairy_7

Hi
I'm nearly half way through my May grocery challenge as I started on payday. I get paid 4 weekly so it's easier to do it weekly. I posted on an earlier challenge. I have set myself a target of £210 for the 4 weeks. 2 adults, 2 teenagers (like adults) 1 eleven year old. So far it's going well. Sticking to budget by using all vouchers I can get my hands on, doing a menu planner, using cash instead of debit card and ensuring that all the family are involved. This stops them wanting so many treats.
I know this ammount is more than some of you but I used to spend £350+ so this is a big difference.
Thank you Queenie and Squeaky and everyone on this board for all the advice and help and for making it fun not a chore!!
Pink Fairy

VickyA_2

moggins wrote:

So without even getting the basics in for the week I am now down to £150 so do I take out more money to replace what was borrowed from me or do I just try and struggle on for the month with just £150.

No need to struggle moggins. Why don't you just "see" how far your £150 gets you. If it lasts you until the end of the month then so be it. Don't beat yourself up about it.

However, have a stern word with the other half and point out that you're doing this for the good of the family etc etc, not for fun - except it's a good excuse to come on MSE!

squeaky

moggins wrote:

I really am going to have to sit dh down and go over the budget again, he keeps messing me up completely doing things like this, April was an expensive month for us with 3 birthdays and having to reclothe 2 rapidly growing kids, I really wanted to start afresh this month but it's already off to a bad start

It's tough but sometimes you cannot take everything that might happen into account when you try to keep to a budget.

No budget should be cast-iron rigid. I aim at about fifty quid for the monthly shop in my local Asda and then I draw fifty quid to cover absolutely everything else exept utilities bills and expect it to last me about a month.

If I'm over one month I try harder and be meaner (a bit) than I was the next month. If it was something right out of the blue that put me over budget then I just write it off.

The point is - if you've been keeping to budget recently you'll have built up a reserve that can cover these little mishaps - so learn the lesson by all means, then put it behind you and move on

An accountant might have to be right to the penny - but you don't,

Queenie

moggins wrote:

so do I take out more money to replace what was borrowed from me or do I just try and struggle on for the month with just £150.

View it as a positive Instead of "oh !!!!!! " See it as your personal challenge to stick to the £150. PLAN to make it with £150. If you should find that the challenge has proved too much towards the end of the month, then you can draw on the reserves as a last resort rather than as the first option. I believe you'll rise to the challenge and do very well

Partners/Families and their Attitudes:
This is the toughest of challenges when it comes to thrifty/frugal spending.
One way to tackle/confront/convince, is to make certain that you are all speaking the same language! You must all feel the same need/desire to be disciplined in your spending.
For some, that's the overall goal of paying off their debts; for others, that may be because they are saving for a specific goal.
My experience of men (based on a houseful of brothers and bringing up 4 sons plus a converted spendthrift dh!) is, that they need something "tangible" to focus on. If it's debt reduction, keep a visible tally of how it's going down on your noticeboard. Then, if they/you become demoralised and feel the urge to splurge, or throw caution to the wind, they have a visible reminder of how being disciplined is succeeding in reaching the overall goal.
If you are paring down because you are saving for a specific goal - keep pix on your noticeboard!
Some people give each other a set spending limit that is personal to them. I had to adopt this method with my dh when I had to take over the household budgeting. He gets "paid" each pay month with a DD straight into his own bank account. He can spend that on what he likes, he doesn't have to account for it. However, he does have to use it to buy any personal gifts for anyone else (ie: ME! ) I also have a smaller amount which is my money. I can spend that as I like and I'm not accountable. I also use that to buy personal gifts for dh at times such as birthday. This helps to prevent either of us feeling "deprived" or the frustration of having to account for every single penny - hey, we're grown ups, right!
We have clear goals, mutually discussed and agreed upon, about what we are striving for in terms of debt management and savings. This keeps us focused.
Birthdays and Christmas no longer creep up on us. At one point we had 4 birthdays immediately after Christmas (2 on the same day!) It's simply another discipline that we've had to come to terms with and save x amount into the Gift a/c. Just as with any other item on the budget, we have to be really strong and only spend what we have.
Finally, we always, always "pay ourselves first". If I waited until the end of each month to see how much was left over for saving, well, we simply never had any LOL Once the budget was drawn up, we knew we ought to have X amount left over ... so, we did it about face and have that amount taken out via DD each month after the wages go in.
Naturally, like everyone, we also get unexpected expenses ... but, because we remain focused most of the time, we always get by and just cut back a bit that month.

Good luck, moggins - I have every faith in you

squeaky!! LURVE your artwork!!!!! I'm no artist, the best I came up with was to decorate a key holder with acrylic and rub-ons LOL

margaretclare

Hi all

B does the shopping, because I can't walk round the supermarket now. He learned shopping as an art form I think!!! - in his youth, going to East End markets with his 'Bubba' (grandmother). Who used to make strudel and noodles herself, wafer-thin.

He goes to the 24-hour Tesco near us. I am always on at him to shop more at the local fruiterer/greengrocer and the butcher, or the farmers' market. Sometimes he does, but he looks for bargains all the time in the supermarket and if they have a two-for-one offer e.g. breaded fish fillets then he brings them home. We very rarely drink wine but we do have balsamic vinegar, olive oil, those kind of things. We never have pre-made dishes e.g. cottage pie etc - he likes my cottage pie!! Sometimes he says 'the fruit in Tesco is cr*p' and he goes to the local shop. I'd like to reduce 'food miles' i.e. buy more locally. He never buys frozen meat, chicken etc, and he likes to know where it came from, so I'm educating him a bit, slowly! He really does have an eye out for a bargain, all the time, so I really don't think we can do any better or cheaper.

The one thing I suppose we really needn't buy, is dog food - for the foxes, you see!! But we're daft that way. The foxes prefer the firm kind that they can pick up and run away with - they don't lap from a bowl like a dog or cat would.

Aunty Margaret

squeaky

Queenie wrote:

Good luck, moggins - I have every faith in you

squeaky!! LURVE your artwork!!!!! I'm no artist, the best I came up with was to decorate a key holder with acrylic and rub-ons LOL

Yeah, moggins. Don't beat yourself up - it ain't worth it. In any event you haven't really failed. Compare what you've just spent to what you used to spend before joining MoneySaving.

I'd bet you're wa-a-a-a-ay in front!

Queenie - I didn't paint anything. I just picked up a nice jigsaw at my local oxfam and a picture (afwul) the right size for the jigsaw. A lick of paint and a spot of glue and there ya go.

Queenie

I know you didn't paint!!! LOL that's why I said "artwork" and that's exactly why I liked it too ... creativity is a wonderful thing.