June 2014 Grocery Challenge

joedenise

Did my main shop yesterday and was pleased that I only spent £27.83 - usually my main shop comes in around £40 but had already bought the meat needed for this month, apart from some burgers which I still need to get but don't need for another week or so. I did however buy some pork leg steaks in Morries as they have them on half price offer at the moment and I use them quite a bit in various dishes - so already have some meat to use in next month's meal plan:T.

Total spend to date is £180.81/£250 with 18 days left in the month so looks like it could be a bit tight but won't be too unhappy if I go a bit over as have quite a lot of stuff in the freezer which will go towards next month's meals. Planning on doing a freezer inventory this weekend (as long as it's not raining 'cos they're in a cupboard outside - so wish I had a garage so I could still do this if it's raining!)

Denise

peony40

Morning all,

Just got back from my first grocery shop of the month, I spent £28.48 on groceries. This leaves me with £71.52 until the 27th June.

If I am passing by a supermarket this week i will pick up some tomatoes and bananas but this is all I need.

Good Luck all.

It is nice to read how everyone else is doing.

XSpender

A spend last night on a kebab and c0ke for DH as we were so late in and he had no lunch as too busy. I had a HM tortilla pizza which probably took less time than to get served in the chippy - definitely fast food:D

I had eventually got round to making the bolognaise so will have that tonight and I will be able to freeze another 2 portions of lentil and 2 portions of meat ragu.

I will be popping to aldee shortly for the weekly shop, I haven't shopped since Sunday and could really leave it a couple of days but we have stuff on this weekend and will need a couple of items before Monday like milk and apples.

My list is short, I just need to stick to it.:o

Meal plan for the week

F - pasta bolognaise
S - chicken biryihani or enchilladas
S - Turkey and stuffing bacon rolls, roasts and lots of veg
M - Salmon, baby corn, peas and new pots
T - lentil and bacon soup, HM cheese bread and apple crumble
W - Pork and bean cassoulet
Th - Pasta bake and salad
F - chicken and leek potato topped pie with lots of veg

piglet27

Hello all, you all seem to be doing fantastic!


I'm very concerned. . . .


It is my first month of doing a grocery budget, let alone a challenge! I normally just buy what we need, but I have finally realised that this needs to change!!!

I started my month with freezer cooking a large bulk of my months worth of main meals. Total cost on 27/5 for all the supplies was £85.28 for Mr T and £42.87 for A1di. Although I didn't plan on starting my month till 28/5, feel this should be included.


I have a veg box once a week costing - £18.25 on 29/5 then £20.45 on 5/6. (I'm still getting used to amounts and varieties here so cost not constant yet!)


Apart from my veg boxes I then had NSD's till yesterday, where my Bf took me to Mr T's (list in hand!!!) and I completely failed at sticking to the £35 I had set myself, spending £54.51!


If I now count in the 3 veg boxes still to come (at my normal amount of £14.45 each), I have a grand total of £36.49 to last until 28/6!!!
:eek::eek::eek:


With only milk, yoghurt and fruit to buy, will I manage this.


Signature updated now.

cw18

piglet27 wrote: »

I'm very concerned. . . .

OK, so month 1 of the challenge. As such (especially if you've no idea what you previously spent), don't get too concerned. It takes time to get used to it, and the normal recommendation is to keep an eye on spends for a month, look back and see where you may have 'slipped' and work out a strategy for avoiding those in future, set yourself a realistic budget, then start chipping away at it slowly each month until you're comfy with with it

Have you looked over your Mr T spend to see what went wrong? If you're spending over £25 would you be better with a £1 delivery slot than going to the store (assuming you can get one to suit - I never spend enough to have a delivery so don't know that's when with any of the supermarkets these days).

Solstice_3

Hello everyone Market day today in town so I went to a few stalls before heading to Asda. Got my eggs from local deli to see how good they are, supermarket ones are rubbish, 6 for £1.05. Bought onions, new potatoes and tomatoes at market for £3, indian snacks to go with dinner £3.50 (expensive but not a regular spend) and bread rolls, and fancy bread for lunch tomorrow £2.60. Then onto Asda for a £14.95 spend on milk (2 for £3), coconut milk (2 for £3), cooked meats (3 for £5), cheese, houmous and blueberries. Cooked meats are for pizza, lunches with bread and one pack has prosciutto which is getting wrapped around chicken breasts on Sunday. Just need to figure out meal plan for next week have to get to Thurs with just £4.27 left.

Always_after_a_bargin

2.00 on milk today, but it is 3.4 litres so will last till 14 th which is when it's dated. Got a meal planner on my fridge now taking me up till next payday so feeling confident that I will come under budget.

nannygladys

Hello everyone

Well another nsd today because I forgot to take my purse to work,I really needed fresh milk but I have just taken some out of the freezer so I will get a hot drink when it's thawed out.

So my spends for the week finish at £9.13/£20.00, so the residue will go into emergency fund and I have put a fresh £20 note into my purse that I have already put into my work bag.

Since last Friday I have had 4 nsd's so I feel quite proud about that. Having another Jack recipe for dinner using courgettes that were a ys earlier in the week, really loving her book.

Nannyg

Treadingwater84

Weekly shop completed, with a trip to: pet shop, butcher, ff, Mr Al and Mr Asd.

We are having a week of clearing the batch meals from the freezer so not too much main meal stuff to get. So with nappies I came in at £41.62.

I have bought enough fruit to sink The Titanic as DS seems to live on it and will hopefully have enough to make some ice lollies. Also some not needed sausages and chicken thighs. I seem to have a problem with meat, I get really panicky if there's not a little bit extra in the freezer:huh:

I'm very happy as I'm still under budget. DS may well get his new pjs :j

Solstice_3

Dusted off, literally, my bread maker this afternoon. It's currently making dough for the naan breads I'm making later. Not sure what to do with the excess dough yet need to do some research re freezing. I have made up naan/flat breads before and frozen them and then just warmed them up, they're not as nice as fresh though.

Oh and I used up my summer greens from my veg box ^_^ I made a pesto with them and some of the wild garlic, some sage from my garden, some walnuts lurking in my cupboard, parmesan and oil and salt. Got a jar in the fridge and the rest in the freezer

I got a weekly fruit, veg and meat box last Friday and I was wondering if it would last me the week. Well I still have meat, had some already in the freezer, I used the lamb shoulder from the box, I still have carrots, cabbage and kohl rabi, and I still have bananas and apples. So I guess that's a yes lol