July 2007 Grocery Challenge

Gemma7_2

:rotfl:
I'm only emptying my freezer so I can give it a good clean! first time I've done this in 4 years - amazing what I'm finding in the bottom, must have been a good year for plums somewhere along the way :rotfl:[/quote]

LOL:rotfl:I'm glad i'm not the only one with bags of plums in my freezer!!
Thanks for the advice i really hope i can do it!!
I'm going to try the pin money thing too!

Gemma7_2

Hi its me again, I've taken your advice and gone through bank statements and worked out what i have been spending(including all those little trips!) and i need to know what people suggest how much i cut it down by for my first month?

rosieben

Difficult to know as everyone situation is different. you could decide to drop down, say, £20 a month or try a bigger cut but only you can judge really. Dont try to do too much at once, best to do a few smaller steps especialy if you are making other changes (eg changing from ready meals to cooking from scratch, or trying cheaper brands) otherwise it may be too much of a shock!

I set a budget of £80 a month just for me when I started. Then I dropped to £60 but its been a bit of a struggle especially as I've been using up a lot of stock, so next month I'm going back to £80.

Just do what you feel comfortable with. There is a recommendation on one of these threads as to how much you should allow per week per adult or child but cant find it. maybe someone will be along who knows it.

Good luck!

Gemma7_2

Thanks! I don't use ready meals ever but because i have to but nappies and wipes some weeks its more than others but i'm going to make a meal planner like someone suggested to stop me buying things i don't need. Can i ask what the jam jar challenge is? I'm assuming its as it says! lol! Do you all shop at different places? I tend to go to Morrisons but might try a virtual shop on Tesco with my meal planner like someone said.
Sorry for all the questions!

[Deleted User]

Been to Tesco and spent £62.50 and got quite a bit of stuff. Was a bit more than I wanted to pay but I blame Hugh Fernley Whittingstall as we had to buy free range chicken instead of cheap chicken!!

rosieben

Gemma7 wrote: »

Can i ask what the jam jar challenge is? I'm assuming its as it says! lol! Do you all shop at different places? I tend to go to Morrisons but might try a virtual shop on Tesco with my meal planner like someone said. ...Sorry for all the questions!

No problem Gemma! ask all the questions you want, there is always someone here to help out.

The Change Jar challenge (jam jar) is here http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=488787

Check out the first post to see how it works. If you want to join in just add yourself to the end and update your signature weekly. I started small with the jam jar and I think I'll stick with that one as i try to only shop once a week which is very good for my budget but very bad for change-gathering

I tend to shop at Morrisons with an occasional trip to Tesco which is a lot further away. I dont like Lidl much. I live in the country so I am a bit limited, but people who have a choice of supermarkets nearby do a lot of price comparing I think. Try http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/Home.aspx

hth :j

Lizzieanne

Well, I'm (amazingly) still on track so far this month. I have a double incentive as I've decided that all the money I am under budget will be put into our brand new mortgage pig. He needs a lot of feeding!

With all your good advice and help I am learning to manage my food stocks better. I know my shopping budget is still way too high but I plan to reduce it a little each month.

Thanks again everyone!

Gemma7_2

thanks rosieben, i too live in the country (the smallest county in england in fact) thanks for that link i will take a look. I'm writing my meal planner as we speak!

Janeryan

Came in at £224.94 this month-pay day on Friday so next month will be a five week month for me but next week we are on holiday so I still use my shopping money just divert it into holiday spending money budget so hopefully will set a budget for £250.00-see you on the August challenge when I get back

redsquirrel80

shelvis wrote: »

Been to Tesco and spent £62.50 and got quite a bit of stuff. Was a bit more than I wanted to pay but I blame Hugh Fernley Whittingstall as we had to buy free range chicken instead of cheap chicken!!

I know exactly what you mean - my local Tesco only had cheap chicken left last night (apart from a couple of small bits of very very expensive organic stuff), so I didn't bother getting any, can't bring myself to eat it.

Gemma - I shop mainly at Tesco cos it's my nearest and good for price, and occasionally at Sainsburys and Waitrose for a change (can actually do a cheap week's shopping in Waitrose but it's so easy to get distracted by all the other interesting things ). I do keep meaning to check out my local butchers, grocers and markets but they are all a bit awkward to get to with my work location/ hours.