November 2013 Grocery Challenge

cocoloco

she_who_can_not_cook wrote: »

Well done for that I am a cash only gal it makes you focus on what you need not want you want.it help's to keep my brain active working out what I have spent.

;)Same here- since we started our debt reduction journey I only deal with cash- that way I can see exactly how much money I have still left + I find it hard to part with my cash- just a thought of have to give my money over makes me think twice if I really need that item.

2childmum

I spent yesterday driving around to a whole number of different shops as we are seeing DH family on Sunday at short notice so I decided I needed to get all their presents (8 of them) I think I lost the car in almost every car park I went to!

Did some food shopping too - £33.56 in Lidl ( stocked up on meat so that will last past next week which is still November for me), £10.14 on Mr M stuff, and £4.73 in Mr A.

I've realised that my sig total and my total in my budgeting book aren't the same - according to my book I've got around £50 more left than my sig says, so I'm very confused! I did get in a muddle near the beginning of the month and couldn't work out whether my sig was meant to show what I had spent or what I had left so I can only assume I went wrong then.

I was pleased with myself last night - I had meant to make a veggie crumble (which takes a while) but shopping took longer than anticipated. I decided to cook out of the freezer, only to discover at the last minute that everything in the freezer needed defrosting before cooking! In the past we would have had a trip out to a restaurant somewhere, but instead I used the bacon which I was going to make a quiche with, some eggs (ditto) ,found some baked beans and spaghetti hoops in the back of the cupboard and some potato wedges in the and voila a dinner! Also grabbed some of the frozen apples out of the freezer and bunged a crumble mix on the top and had some soya milk in the fridge so could make custard. Huge dinner which I think the children enjoyed. Only thing was, I had treated myself to a fry up whilst out shopping, so it wasn't the healthiest day for me! DH was out with a client anyway so he grabbed food out which he might have done anyway. So I'm feeling virtuous! And I made the veg crumble first thing this morning, as the veg was beginning to look dodgy!

Shouldn't have to buy huge amounts next week, as the freezer is full of fish and meat, so i should have an underspend this month, although I did budget more cos it's a five week month and I haven't bought as much Christmas stuff as I thought I would. Mind you, my mum has now offered to cook Christmas day so I only have to do boxing Day when all my family are coming - I shall do Christmas dinner that day but I'm going to ask my sister to provide either drinks or stuff for tea.

Is anyone else still here next week, or has everyone departed to the December thread? The way I work out the money for each month I suspect I may be the last one hanging on most months!

she_who_can_not_cook

I am still here lol. But I have done a Dec order

I walk everywhere now aldi,sainburys tesco ect. The only one I can not get to is farmfood it's a bus trip so I do it when I am on holiday like this week.
Anyway back to my so interesting story NOT .I was up at gone five this morning I think I am starting to dredd going back. So I am at tesco for gone 7 aldi for 8 ish and waited for iceland to open check out the turkeys . So it's gone 11 and I am thinking I need an other walk.. so about 10 min away is a library recycling centre and oxfam and north west ambulance bins and a st Frances children's hospice collection Bin so I divide my old clothes between them.
WELL YOU WOULD NEVER GUESS WHAT HAD BEEN DUMPED THERE. Some approved food boxes that did not even made it to the
Front of the recycling bin... and here is me thinking I had the monopoly over approved foods . It's my one non cash only once a month vice haha

angelatgraceland

tessie_bear wrote: »

i love my cookworks sc...cost a tenner about 6 years ago...fantastic

we had the frugal buffet for tea tonight....basically every thing that needed using up in the fridge
a hm cornish pasty
small amount of hm quiche
a bbq chicken portion
some grated cheese

it got eaten but was a bit odd...tomorrow a curry hm of course
take care tessa

I must remember the terminology-Frugal buffet! Brilliant ! Next time I dump all the oddments on the table I will tell them it's a buffet tea :T:T:T

Bookworm42

£5.42 in Mr T tonight. Some snacks for DH for his kayak trip on Sunday. Also some milk & a bit of chocolate for tonight.

Billie-jo

Spent £25.58 this morning this included some flowers for the cemetery.

Forgot to take a photo but tonight we had hm chicken & veg pastie with some potatoes and the last few sprouts and broccoli. Just fruit & veg to get tomorrow and that will be it for Nov.

Bluegreen143

Billie-jo, your bread and butter pudding recipe has been added to the index.

Bluegreen143

Declaring for November at £170.70/£175. pleased with this

Been a bit lax though in terms of making bread, avoiding waste etc will get back in the mindset in December. Just been really busy with Christmas shopping, wedding planning, social life, blog (very neglected) and work, plus wasn't feeling well last weekend

laura_hoggle

We came to the end of our November grocery shops on Wednesday, did a shop in Mr T on Sunday. I made use of the wine offer and got some for myself and a few bottles for presents (one for mum to give as a pressie too!) I spent £33.61, with £10 of this on wine not for our consumption, so I'm saying that was a £23.61 grocery shop.

That gives us a total spent of £189.18 for the money, a whole £10.82 under budget!! :j

Now to venture over to the December thread and decide on the budget for the month over there!

MrsCautious

I have been absent from this thread for too long, due to running around like a whirling dervish, even if I don't know what one of them is

I'm £31 over this month but after joining months back and coming in under most months, I'm not too disappointed.

I'm going to go and have a nose at December as I have a budget in mind but don't know how reasonable this is.
Meg thank you for your lovely message, I hope my reply has reached you x