April 2014 Grocery Challenge

Ladyluck1

Fair few NSDs here. May have a hunt for reduced bits today though

minicooper272

I now have spent £32/80 for the month. Away for the weekend, and when I get back I've planned out a weeks worth of food to take me to pay day. A rough tally in my head, and I should be able to get through the last week on £11. I have plenty of meat in the freezer, so only need fresh ingredients and rice.

Frizzle_2

£35.47 spent in aldi (using the £5 voucher!) and then £5.40 in farmfoods. We like the Hovis bread and hubby loves their potatoes!
Although I have only left myself £18 for next weeks shopping, I have already bought next month's cat food, washing powder, fabric conditioner, dishwasher tablets and lots of cereal which should last until the middle of next month! The freezer and cupboards are full! I ended up using three of the aldi vouchers, meaning I saved £15 (which is why I stocked up) so I won't mind if I am a little bit over!

recovering_spendaholic

Have gone over this month's target again:o

I don't know how you all do it - there are three of us and two dogs and I can't seem to get our monthly spend down below £350.

I include dog food, cleaning materials and toiletries in the total and from this last month's receipts I have worked out that we spend on average (monthly bill divided by 4)

£12 on milk (we get through LOADS of the stuff and DD's wont have anything other than Cravendale - I know it is more expensive but the row if I buy other stuff is too much.

£6 on dog food
£4 on laundry/dishwashing stuff
£7 on feminine hygiene stuff
£10 on fruit and veg
£20 on meat/fish
£2 on cheese, butter
£3 on Philadlephia type cheese (kids eat loads of it)
£2 on eggs
£5 on flour, rice, cous cous, sugar/sweetner, pasta etc
£5 on bread/rolls etc
£4 on toilet rolls (don't even ask.. we get through loads of the stuff as one DD has an obsession with using loads and loads - I am always unblocking the loo, particularly if I use the cheaper ones - I get Asda Shades)
£6 on ketchup, stock cubes, seasonings, mayonnaise, jam etc.
£3.50 on tinned stuff
£2 on yoghurts
£3 on tea/coffee/squash/juice
£3 on shampoo, handwash, deodorant toothpaste
£2 on breakfast cereal (porridge and weetabix type)
Total = £99.50
That's just for April. There are other bits which I have missed I'm sure.

I do a meal plan but can't seem to get it down below that - I shop in Aldi, and in Tesco, Asda and Sainsburys if they have stuff on offer. I cook mostly from scratch too, and bake cakes and biscuits rather than buying them.

I don't think I am extravagant and we don't waste much, if anything.

Both teenagers have HUGE appetites!

I would be interested in seeing how other peoples budgets broke down.

I will try again for £300 for May.

lushlifesaver

Couple of small spends to report from today, total £4.50:

£1 squash
£1.50 2x6 hot cross buns
£2 20 x kelloggs cereal/snack bars

Got everything for the next couple of days, new month starts on Friday (the 25th) so just five days left in the April budget and as bf goes away on Tuesday and isn't back until Friday night we should be good as we are!

SarahB1989_2

£3.67 to add here, used £2.50 of Nectar points on top. Was craving salad and veg as end of the month & end of uni term means have been eating lots of carbs recently! Got a YS salad bowl, value avocados (little treat for me!), YS wraps, YS sausages, and a casserole packet mix. Going to make sausage casserole with frozen chopped onions (from a value bag last month) topped with sliced potatoes (a YS bargain last week that are starting to sprout). HM guacamole on wraps for lunches

recovering_spendaholic wrote: »

Have gone over this month's target again:o

I don't know how you all do it - there are three of us and two dogs and I can't seem to get our monthly spend down below £350.

I include dog food, cleaning materials and toiletries in the total and from this last month's receipts I have worked out that we spend on average (monthly bill divided by 4)

£12 on milk (we get through LOADS of the stuff and DD's wont have anything other than Cravendale - I know it is more expensive but the row if I buy other stuff is too much.

£6 on dog food
£4 on laundry/dishwashing stuff
£7 on feminine hygiene stuff
£10 on fruit and veg
£20 on meat/fish
£2 on cheese, butter
£3 on Philadlephia type cheese (kids eat loads of it)
£2 on eggs
£5 on flour, rice, cous cous, sugar/sweetner, pasta etc
£5 on bread/rolls etc
£4 on toilet rolls (don't even ask.. we get through loads of the stuff as one DD has an obsession with using loads and loads - I am always unblocking the loo, particularly if I use the cheaper ones - I get Asda Shades)
£6 on ketchup, stock cubes, seasonings, mayonnaise, jam etc.
£3.50 on tinned stuff
£2 on yoghurts
£3 on tea/coffee/squash/juice
£3 on shampoo, handwash, deodorant toothpaste
£2 on breakfast cereal (porridge and weetabix type)
Total = £99.50
That's just for April. There are other bits which I have missed I'm sure.

I do a meal plan but can't seem to get it down below that - I shop in Aldi, and in Tesco, Asda and Sainsburys if they have stuff on offer. I cook mostly from scratch too, and bake cakes and biscuits rather than buying them.

I don't think I am extravagant and we don't waste much, if anything.

Both teenagers have HUGE appetites!

I would be interested in seeing how other peoples budgets broke down.

I will try again for £300 for May.

Could you try buying normal milk and decanting it into a rinsed out Cravendale bottle? You could start by just topping up a half-empty Cravendale with normal milk and gradually switch so your DD doesn't notice? Could do the same with ketchup etc if your children like branded stuff.

Mrs_T_M

£5.11 spend to report here today. Hopefully containing our last ever bought pack of tortilla wraps! Used gift cards earned online to buy an 8 inch tortilla press. I've made them by hand before, but rolling them out leaves me aching for days, so wasn't worth the hassle. Having the press will more than pay for itself in a few months.

Having chicken fajitas tonight, and I am really looking forward to it.

Ladyluck1

£1.44 in coop on reduced salmon fillets 75p and some orange and mango tropicana for the morning 64p both tomorrow's date

K9sandFelines

Spent loads today but on clothes for the DDs. Only £6.65 incl a pound on milk for grocery spends though. I hope i can show this type of restraint for the next fortnight, until payday.

Florenceem

Small spend on milk and whoops veg.
For dinner we had turkey + roast potatoes + cabbage/cauliflower/carrots + stuffing balls + Yorkshire pudding + gravy.
Extra Yorkshires going in the freezer.

[IMG][/img]