February 2014 Grocery Challenge

StressedSteph

Hi all,

I'm abit late joining but would love to track my progress on here if thats ok.

We are a family of four (children 9 & 6).
I used to spend £80 per week, but have set myself a £60 per week maximum. I cook everything from scratch and have a chest freezer full of meat.
Need lots of strict meal planning and basic items to get within this.

I have paid for the Mr T delivery saver £7.50 monthly payment. This works out at £1.88 per week. My nearest competative large supermarket is a 28 mile round trip so think this is the best option.

We get our milk from the local farm and pay monthly so will add that to my total.

£60 per week - £240.00
Delivery saver £ 7.50
Milk £ 30.00

TOTAL £307.50

Just yesterday I had my first February Mr T delivery £60.31. Eeek
Thanks guys

p.s I make my own bread with a bread machine xx

ikesmummy

cw18 wrote: »

If they've only been finished in the last few days, my kids would have been told to use something else up first (especially if it was something else they asked for or used to eat regularly). But if I'd not had any in for a couple of weeks and it was a firm favourite I'd probably relent and pick some up.

Thanks Cheryl you have helped make my mind up, they can have wheatabix when I need a couple of other bits as well, they hve only run out in the last week and they do hve other things they hve asked for (certainly t things I would have chosen by myself!)

Batch cook has gone well, lasagne ready for the oven after school and the rest is cooling ready to go in the frezzer so not good excues to put off the housework much longer

Coxy11

Hi everyone,

Budgets done to here

Welcome to:
norabatty and StressedSteph

Loving all the pics of the batch cooking. Will be using up freezer lo's and s-t-r-e-t-c-h-I-n-g meals this month, but will definitely plan to batch cook for March.

Just got back from Costco. Had to get some items for camp this weekend (DH not me, praise the lord) and got 24 x pepsi, nesquik x 2 large tubs, juice cartons x 24, oasis x 24, gum, washing liquid, 40 x loo roll, cheese and fruit flakes. All bar the loo roll and washing liquid are from GC so a whopping £51.78 to add to my total. Other items from 2nd purse.

Just £142.88 left now until end of Feb. On paper this is more than doable - I will only need milk, fruit, rolls, veg and potatoes.

Very wet and windy here in Kent today. Hope everyone is okay and keeping safe and warm.

Coxy

joedenise

I've not been out today so have managed another NSD - so that's 9 so far since 25 January.

Am using up some bits out of the fridge and cupboards and making a couple of quiches for dinner tonight. One will be roast pork, onion, pepper, mushrooms & leek; the other will be leek, sweetcorn and tuna. The second one with be a crustless one.

So there will be plenty left over for snacks and lunches.

Denise

First_Trouble

Pixie_Fairydust wrote: »

Do you just plan your main meals or all your meals? (b'fast/lunch/dinner/snacks/drinks). I just get so bogged down trying to plan everything, I think that's why I give up. Any help would be appreciated. :T


Pix
xx

I only really plan my main meals as I tend to take LO dinner to work the next day for lunch. I always make sure I have a couple of tins of beans i.e something I can grab quickly on my way out the door, just in case I had something that couldn't be reheated or there are no LO's.

Billie-jo

Been to get fish, yogurts, carrots, radish & cucumber today as want them for tomorrow. Spent £8.23 so not bad.


I agree that we don't always need a restaurant quality meal, something filling, warming and tasty is fine. Tonight we plan to have just a jkt potato with cheese & onion or there is a small amount of minced beef & onion left that would do for topping. Beans on toast is always a good standby and soup with toasties or even just toast is nice. Chips egg and beans always goes down well and doesn't hurt every now and then.


Potatoes, chicken, eggs, cheese and onions would be my pick if I could only have a few things in as these are all so versatile and there are many meals you can make with these. I am sure you will be ok on £7 per day and we will all come up with ideas if you are really struggling towards the end. Good luck.

LESLAMP

Had to make a trip to Aldi yesterday as needed bread and milk (again). Ended up adding mushrooms, squash (the puppy got his teeth into the last one), bag of salad and cucumber to my haul at a cost of £6.23.

So my Feb balance stands at £58.73/400. Well pleased with that just need to keep at it.

Am hoping that the next couple of days are NSD's. Lunches are costing me a bit more now as my Step-son is now working full time valeting cars and is eating more than ever. Gonna have to save up for a 2nd freezer so I can buy extra with my main shop.

bmma

NSD today
Feb running total £13.17/£200

First_Trouble

SarahB1989 wrote: »

I don't do much grocery shopping online so just pleased it works instore. Forgot I'd ordered one from the Sun though, thanks for the inadvertent reminder! How long did it take for yours to arrive?

It did take a while they say it takes anything up to 28 days. TBH is felt like a lot longer.

FrugalLina

I had my first spend of February, £13.36 at Lidl and that included 800g mince and that will last me a long time, will freeze half of it (for a curry later on in the month) and just make a huge pot of mince stew with tons of vegetables, lentils, potatoes and maybe some dumplings. I have an old box of suet in the cupboard, so will use that up. Will freeze some HM "ready meals" for emergencies/the end of the month when money is short.

Also purchased were a net of onions, 4 tins of baked beans (4 for £1), more than I would normally buy and they will last me ages as one tin will do several meals for me. Along with other fruits and vegetables, I paid a whopping £1 for a swede, I do think that is very expensive and will be sure not to waste any of it at that price (once upon a time I would have used half of it, the other half would have gone mouldy in the fridge before being thrown away)!

Thankfully they still have their cheese at the lower price of £2.19, rather than £2.45, so I am pleased about that.

I will need to stock up on store cupboard items like rice and pasta at some stage this month as stocks are getting perilously low, but I did buy a bag of bread flour and that will probably take me through to the end of the month if I eke it out with a little plain flour in the mix (I add 1 cup cheapo flour to 3 cup bread flour and have noticed no difference). Having said that, despite my meagre budget, I do want to start buying better quality whole wheat flour for bread-making in the future and just eating less of it. Maybe I will do that next month as I am hoping to have a bit more cash to spare in March.

Two temptations were avoided - the bakery section at Lidl has cheese twists that I LOVE, but refuse to buy now they have gone up to 75p (I gave them the side-eye at 69p as it is). I must get some puff pastry and make my own. The other temptation were giant bags of peanut puffs - I LOVE those too, but at £1.99, I decided to give them a miss (sob).

It is an expensive month for me, a large unexpected bill has to be paid, so I need to be really careful not to go over budget.

Sorry this was such a long post.