November 2013 Grocery Challenge

minicooper272

Another month already! It's pay day for me, so time to start the next challenge. Another £80 budget.

I've struggled to find a system that really works for my so that I keep an eye on every penny I spend (even to have it to the nearest £ would be lovely!) I think I'm going to stick with the food money in a separate purse, but I just need to get better at taking out cash for my main purse, as I just keep borrowing when I'm short.

This month I hope to come in a reasonable amount under budget - I have a freezer full to bursting point, plenty of snacks and basics, so it's just fresh fruit, veg and bread that I need.

I'm determined to get back on top of things this month and will be writing proper meal plans (have been out of the habit for about 6 weeks), shopping lists and stopping going shopping while starving.

NickJW

Hello all.

Been slack posting recently but am reading everyones posts and keeping track of my budget.

I would like to aim for £130 again this month and will be starting from a practically bare freezer.

Have cooked more this week because my housemate cooked more last week due to my studies.

Meals this week have been/will be:

Monday (I cooked) - Pasta with tinned salmon (bought to do fishcakes originally but never got round to it - needed using up!), with antipasti peppers, garlic and chopped tomatoes
Tuesday (I cooked) - Five spice/soy/sesame oil/garlic/ginger chicken stir fry with soy beans, mushrooms, carrots and rice
Wednesday (housemate cooked) - Za'atar chicken wraps with tahini and salad
Thursday (I cooked) - 'Home Style Chicken curry' (from bbcgoodfood) with rice
Friday (housemate will cook) - Chicken Kiev with broccoli, carrots and mash
Saturday (I'll cook) - Balsamic and garlic chicken breasts with mushrooms - served with mash
Sunday (shared cook) - visit to the supermarket will decide!

Hope everyone is well

kayester

Mr M shop came to £81 and then spent things in home bargains, grabbed a bargain got a very good mop, with a spare hared and mop bucket for £12
needed new duster too and got a microfiber one for £2 i have high ceilings total spends added to cig hoping for a lot of NSDs

mooomin

I have £160.86 left out of a budget of £189.93, so I think I'm doing ok. I was going to go to the shop yesterday as we needed chorizo, but realised I would end up spending more so didn't put the chorizo in the recipe and it still tasted fine

I'll need to go to the shops later I think as I'll need bread, but I'll try and minimise the spends. I'm making a vat of chilli in the slow cooker this morning to have as an emergency freezer meal.

Cheapskate

Morning everyone

Please can I go down for £450 for November again? Still went over during October, but getting closer to my target, very do-able, need to get my arris in gear before Christmas!

Off to read up the threads and recipes.

A xo

Nelly11

minicooper272 wrote: »

Another month already! It's pay day for me, so time to start the next challenge. Another £80 budget.

I've struggled to find a system that really works for my so that I keep an eye on every penny I spend (even to have it to the nearest £ would be lovely!) I think I'm going to stick with the food money in a separate purse, but I just need to get better at taking out cash for my main purse, as I just keep borrowing

I'm just the same, I really think I might get some of those sealable envelopes you get for dinner money and pop each amount for each week into them, so I have a seperate budget for shopping, petrol, school lunch money etc, really struggling to come up with a system that works for me

CountingPennies

Hello all! Feeling much better after being so ill in Octoer so i'm back in the game. Aiming for £400 for the 5 of us plus dog. To include all food, toiletries and household stuff. I know this is a reduction from previous months, however the kids have all gone onto school dinners so I don't need to buy packed lunch stuff anymore (apart from DH for work) I'm so skint this month so fingers cross I can come under budget. My month started yesterday (payday) and I spent £8.50 on a joint of pork, 4 loafs of bread and some milk.

2 kids are off to sleepovers today so won't be home to eat till teatime tomorrow, so will be doing something simple for me, DH and youngest. I think maybe beans on toast for lunch, and toad in the hole (homemade) with veg for tea. Shouldn't need anything from the shops today as i'm not going food shopping till I need too!

CP xx

EDIT: Scrap that. Might be easier to go shopping today while I only have 1 child.... Will see how today goes!

sefilby

Hello 1st of November!!
Please can I be put down for £160 this month.
I aiming for £10 per week per person - been going pretty well working around this rate.
Off to do Mr T shop later not much to get really as trying to use up whats lurking in freezer & cupboards. Found some king prawns in freeze yesterday so had those with spagetti & mr T value herby cream cheese - was LUSH!!!

Soworried

That sounds nice Sefilby
I have just got back from shopping. I spent £15.55 in Lidl on cheese, eggs, crisps and enough veg for the next week.
Then I went to MrS and spent £8.39 on pop, oats and sliced and tinned meats.
Total spend of £23.94. I'll update my signature. I'm happy with that and want to get through the next week on spending as little as possible except for 5x £1.99 pork loin joints tomorrow on the Lidl half price.

downshifted

First spends: Asda £33.43 including 30 eggs, frozen veg, various pulses and tinned fruit. Aldi £30.81 including washing liquid, washing up liquid, bleach, tinned toms, lots of veg, sausages and free range chicken. Morrisons, £3 for another turkey leg tucked into the freezer. Total so far £67.24/£250

Cooked my first pack of pulses - the chick peas, kept some out and frozen the rest in 2 portion sizes :-)