February 2014 Grocery Challenge

ikesmummy

Out for my sisters birthday meal tonight, thankfully had decided at the beginning of the month this wouldn't come from our grocery budget but our going out budget (may use the whole £40 of that tonight). Do have a voucher to use and DH is driving so no alcohol for him so may have a little change.

Budget is still possible, need a few bit to see us through the next 7 days but £30 is looking more and more achievable the closer we get.

joedenise

Yesterday was the final shop before February payday and have spent a total of £315.51 - this is £65.51 over budget but quite pleased with that as my DD & DGD with us for nearly a fortnight which I didn't know about when I set my budget for February. Am now up to 17 NSDs this month and payday is on Monday so the opportunity for another couple over the weekend!

Will stick with £250 for March as usual as should only be DH and myself. This amount will also include a nice meal either at home or, if there's enough money left in the budget, a meal out for my birthday at the end of the month.

Denise

spendinglikemad

Need to give myself a kick up the bum, though it has been half term and with 2 kids at home and working from home its been a tough week - but managed to get to the end of the week and still smiling (well sort of!!)


Anyway I weakened this week as DS had a cold at the start of the week so got him some nice food in and went to SM yesterday even though DD has been baking this week DS wanted some chocolate so got him/us that plus some throat lozenges and some wine gums for me, could have been worse but ended up now with only £17.82 left of grocery budget til the end of the month. Its not a biggie if I overspend but I thought it was doable but it does include all cleaning stuff and toiletteries, it may still be doable but I need to be strict this weekend!!

Anyway I need:
Milk 3 x 4pt - £3
Bread 1 loaf - £1
s'wich ham - £2
Bananas - £1
Veg - £1
Potatoes - £2
So that's £10 so maybe able to get some meat as well depending on what there is at aldos


So to keep me on track for dinners, these are the meals we have in :
Fri - gammon steaks and HM wedges
Sat - marinated salmon veg rice (green pepper and carrot)
Sun - fish cakes (from freezer)
Mon - pizza x 2 in freezer (HM dough balls)
Tues - crispy chicken from freezer & HM wedges and BBeans
Wed - chicken curry & rice
Thurs - sardines on toast? (we have 5 tins!)
Fri - tomato soup? and fresh bread rolls


Got bread rolls and juice pots for dd lunches and I can have bits n pieces from the cupboards/fridge - I would really like to stay on budget especially when I read the inspiring posts


Keep going everyone


SLM


Any

islandhoppa

Declaring for the month at just under budget, very pleased as still plenty of food in, I've set a harder challenge for next month though, same budget but to last 6 and a half weeks!! here goes, see you all on the March thread:)

twigpig

Thanks mouche, lynne JK and make-it-3 - will set at £250 and see how I go.... eek

Would be great if I could toilet train my little one but he's not talking yet so nappies will be necessary for a while longer

Beckyy

£22.48 left for us til the end of the month. Still have to meal plan and buy for Tue - Fri for evening meals and packed lunches for OH. Will definitely be tight but hopefully we'll just scrape it!

Florenceem

NSD here again.
For those just starting on or struggling to lower their grocery spending - my advice is - PLAN PLAN PLAN.
Go through the fridge/freezer(s) and note what you have.
Same with cupboards. I have a folder on my computer - listing everything I have in stock. Pre having a computer - used pen & paper
Then spend a bit of time - planning a menu using what you have in stock - you will be amazed how many meals can be made. For those who say - lack of time - to sit at computer and write up menu/stock list - do you watch TV or spend time on gadgets?
Taking care of children can be another reason given for lack of time to plan - I had 6 children in terry nappies days - 6 under 11 years old.
Lots of sites that give budget recipes are available. Yes cooking from scratch takes longer than ping food and creates more washing up. However apart from the cost/nutrition side - home cooked meals are more filling. I used to make dumplings/Yorkshire puddings/stuffing to bulk out meals. Always did a pudding as well.
None of my 6 children are unhealthy or incorrect weight now they are adults - also weren't as children.
Don't mean to preach but help. I have always been frugal - was out of necessity now my choice.

tessie_bear

well said flo..quite annoys me when peeps on the old style more widely( not the lovely folk on this thread ) ask for ideas and then dismiss them....my mantra if you do what u have always done u get what u have always had...make some changes make some different efforts and u can move mountains.....well u can pay off debt/buy your home/treat your kids

i am on a mission to use up the contents of the freezer to possibly turn it off all together as costs me too much keep chucking food into it and feel i would save if i bought little and often...plan to try

we are having pizza tonight from aldi so will see if they are nice...hope so tomorrow i have the makings of a fried breakfast even blackpudding which i buy every couple of years

have a great weekend
tessa

CherryPie

Went into Tesco last night after work (11.30pm!!) to buy some fry light oil. As they had started to re-stock there were plenty of staff around. As I was looking for the oil, a helpful employee said to me there was a bargain:


1 litre of Olive Pomace Oil reduced from £1.80 to 18p!!!!


There were only 3 left, so it felt rude not to buy them all!


They were on the shelf beside all the other cooking oils.


Pretty standard looking plastic bottle, green label saying "Olive Pomace Blend Oil" with some foreign writing underneath. SEL clearly stated only 18p.


Ideal for frying, cooking or salad dressings.


Needless to say, I'll keep 1 for me and give the other 2 away, my family are used to getting some strange bargains!!

Frugalsod

Also cooking from scratch gets rid of all the junk that ready meals contain. So I am finding that everything tastes better. My food bills have gone down and while I should be saving more I do find that I have upgraded some of the items that I now get. So getting organic veg and things that I would not normally get because it is in the veg box.

Also making things like pasta and pasta has cut my consumption of it quite a bit which is also good for the diet. No more shop bought pizzas and saving money as well.

I found that for me to replace the things that I normally liked with things that I made are cheaper and better. An apple crumble could be £3 in the shops but for that amount you could make a crumble twice as large and just as tasty. My Banoffee pie was also much bigger than the store bought version even though I cheated and used ready made caramel.

What I have noticed is that rather than a big online supermarket shop of £100 a month I am now doing the same amount but only every three or four months. Though I am spending more elsewhere for meat and veg, I have cut out so many items that I can make myself. In fact that has become my new mantra "If I can make it I do not buy it." I started on all the things that I normally ate and now make them rather than buy ready made.