July 2007 Grocery Challenge

Boona_2

I live in a tiny town more of a village really but they get very upset if you call it a village! The nearest supermarkets are 9 and 12 miles away unless you count a huge Tesco about a mile from where I work.

I always meal plan and make shopping lists but there is something about a supermarket that just switches off my 'sensible' gene - the marketing is so slick that you know you are being manipulated but you can't seem to override it.

Any entry into Tesco always seems to end up costing me £20 even if I just pop in for a pint of milk a something for tea and a "proper" weekly shop ends up costing in excess of £100.

So I tried shopping at the more local supermarkets, start at Lidl & then move on to Somerfield (unfortunately next door to a Waitrose): this was better, a weekly shop coming in at around £75-80. Not bad but still room for improvement.

But I think I have at last found the solution that works for me. I use the local shops in my "town". A good local butcher, a friendly corner store, a small deli, Post Office and a chemist. What more do I need? Shopping now takes up 35 minutes of my weekend, costs me nothing in petrol and joy of joys has cost me an average of £55 per week, including those Oops moments, for the last month

The only things that I can't get locally are coffee beans (our real indulgence) and "ethnic" food supplies. But I have just done a monthly shop for these items, combined it with another unavoidable errand to save on petrol and only paid £19.75 which brings the average cost per week to just shy of £60 for three adults and a dog. Now gone into smug mode!!!

OK individual items do cost a bit more but I don't impulse buy any more. Added to which I get a good feeling from supporting my local traders and trying to keep the heart in the town, we have lost 18 shops in the last 18 years, I get to catch up on the local gossip AND the food miles are less.

BONUS

In-my-shell

Hi did my first weekly shop of the July grocery challenge and spent
£49.25 of my £200 is this just a lucky first week or has all the gems of information and tips from here started to work lets hope its the latter and all the good advice on here will make my challenge achievable, so heres to next week being as good if not better thanks everyone for all the support.
Shell

cheerfulness4

Hi all,

Had jumped off the bandwagon of doing my grocery challenge and my bank balance has really felt it over the last 3 months so back to it!

From 29th June - 28th July I have the budget of £185. Had to replenish the empty cupboards and freezer and have spent a whopping £102.62 so far.

Still I have lots of basics to make meals with and bought cleaning stuff for month, tho not the dreaded loo roll that rips into my budget.

Will keep popping back to see how we're all getting on. Need the encouragement as I never seems to learn.

teedy23

morning all, made it through this week for £6.16. Biggish shop tonite, so that should be my spends for the month apart from bread and milk. Freezer still quite well stocked so that should help. I might get my fruit &veg from the miriad asian fruit shops that are quite near my place, always mean to get off the bus as I,m passing, just laziness that I dont. The prices there are great, and great variety of spices and vegetables you wont find in Asda. Mental note to self: get off your jug of rum and get it done.

shopaholictiedtheknot

galantvr4 wrote: »

shopaholictiedtheknot wrote: »

This is Maximus my beardie!!

Hi, the crickets make sense now! Must show this to my son-his name is Max!!

Having a bad budget day and bought a bottle of wine tonight, that wont help getting out of the overdraft will it? But I have meal plans ready and just need to make my shopping list for the weekend shop.

Hope your son likes his namesake!! and hope you enjoyed the wine I am off to buy 3 for a tenner, had a crap day at work and i need some!!!:D

shopaholictiedtheknot

lil_me wrote: »

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v241/lil_me/?action=view&current=woody-1.jpg One of Woody but it's dark, think he'd go crackers if I tried to use the flash. He was named after the character as my son thought he was Buzz at the time and he's his best friend so had to be called Woody, well that was after we convince him not to call him Granny.

Bought a tank for what will be the new arrivals of turtles some time next week, they eat fish and chicken etc so that will have to come out of the budget, only babies at the minute so about 2 inches long at the most and won't eat much :rotfl:

Did also do some food shopping, will add to total now.

He is cute! I love toy story!

Linda32

Hello all,

Previous total £116.98 - finish 27th July - Budget £265.00

Co-op £1.57
Co-op £1.49

Market Approx £2.50

£122.54

Its not looking too bad so far, but I know from experience that its early days yet.

teedy23

Morning all, done my biggish shop last night, havent been able to do this for a while as no transport, but a friend took me to Tesco. Spent £67.53, hope thats it for the month, barring milk and bread. This also included 6 bottles of wine as they have 30% off and a few reduced, so they cost me £15.25. The only thing was I had no mocs to use!!!! this hasnt happened in a while, dont like it. Will spend today having a bit of a cook-in, must check what room I have in the freezer, If I remember, not too much! Things do last a bit longer once they,re cooked though dont they?

lil_me

Loo rolls, some pound shops do nice ones for 6 for a £, I usually stock up there or likes of Wilkinsons/Home Bargains if we're near one.

I know what you mean about the supermarket being too tempting, I overspent in one yesterday if I am honest, ok still within budget and what has been bought will be used, but didn't NEED to buy all those extra things really. Downside for me with local shopping is there is only a limited few locally, the butcher I won't use anymore as he lies but I do used the farm shop several miles away for meat and eggs, pet shop I use the local one, I was getting fruit and veg delivered but the delivery lady hasn't been round for some time so will have to look for alternative.

nearlynewbie

End of my first ever week on the grocery challenge.This month only including food.

Budget £81(for the week)- spent £70.31(for 2 adults, 2 large teenager, 2 children).

Very pleased. Thank sfor all the encouragement of the thread.