June 2014 Grocery Challenge

Florenceem

NSD here again.
We had HM Impossible Pie + HM wedges + mushy peas for dinner.

she_who_can_not_cook

nursemaggie wrote: »

Hi I have been lurking for a couple of weeks. I am keeping my receipts but I have a problem with the market as they don't give receipts. I spend £20 to £30 every two weeks there.

So glad to have found you! Can't cut any more off my other bills so this is where I hope to do it before we run out of savings. Took 3 months for DS to get JSA. No chance of a job. DS then lost JSA again when we moved here also he is now joint tenant and no housing benefit for 3 months. He finally got JSA last week.

Problem is I no longer get any money to support him but he is not allowed as he lives with mum. I am not allowed one penny more than for one single pensioner. Maths just does not add up. Have cut out all that is not fixed bills and food no luxuries even TV gone. We think he may get housing benefit next week.

Market is helping, We have shopped twice at Ald* Can't believe how cheap. Need to decide when new month starts. Assuming DS gets paid we both get housing benefit every 4 weeks, Basic pension about half of 4 weekly, Occupational Pension calender monthly, JSA every two weeks in arrears.

Objective to get DS coping on a budget he can manage before I die and still have enough savings left to pay for my funeral. Some advice would be useful.

I know it not the subject to talk about but have you looked at the coop prepaid funeral to get it paid up front. Also depending on your age banks do an EOD plan. The last plan I was doing before I changed my mind gave me 4k for funeral.for 25 quid a month but it was index linked so it went up each year so I did one of them friendly plan @25.00 a month lump sum when you die thing .

K9sandFelines

Another £2.40 spent yesterday. Hoping i don't need much in this weeks shop.

FrugalWorker

I've been lurking here for the last few weeks. I'm hoping to start in next months challenge, but I have a question for all you knowledgeable folks. How do you manage/count your OH's spends. We are two adults. He likes to spend without looking at prices. He's not the worst. But he doesn't understand why I want to track what we're spending. [as an aside we're not in debt besides the mortgage, but we would like to move house and this will cost a lot!]

- Going to keep a household kitty in the kitchen so he can take money for that for milk/bread
- Going to try and keep 'his food' in the fridge to discourage him from going to the shops
- Have homemade prepared favourites of his to discourage him from going to buy steak

I want to do this monthly, tying in with my monthly salary. Challenge is that some months it is a 4 week month, others it is a 5 week month. I guess others try and stock up on non consumables during the shorter months? I of course will be starting on a longer month, just might up the budget and try and bring it down a bit after a month or so (in line with a shorter month )

Happygreen

To my constant irritation OH does not contribute much here so I am doing this to keep track of my own spending on groceries. At the moment I do include my booze but maybe that should rather count as a treat than be included it in the family shopping. I stock up when there are good deals around so some months are under and some are very badly indeed over budget....
What I would really like to do is start a food waste thread to keep track on what goes uneaten and what it was worth. Maybe I'll start one after the holidays because I'll have to cook for only 3 instead of 4 in the family

Coxy11

Hi everyone,


Sorry I've not contributed much to the thread this month. Work has become very busy (I'm a gardener) and my Dad has been staying for a few days, so I've been out with him.


In terms of my own GC we are over this month by about £50. Mainly due to not meal planning and having a few BBQs which always seem to bump up our budget as DH likes to get meat from the farm shop. Bought a load of meat on Friday for friends coming Saturday, only for them to cancel.


Tonight we will have mussels, fries and salad. I need to get some packed lunch bits today for DS2 for this week. Payday is Wednesday therefore signalling the end of our June GC.


Welcome to nursemaggie - sorry to read of your predicament. There are lots of useful threads on this website which may help and give advice on benefits etc. We are a happy and helpful bunch on here so please do keep reading and posting.


Welcome back Scotsaver.


Bluegreen - good luck for the new job tomorrow.


Right, off to the shops with DD and DS1 as they are in dire need of clothes for our holiday.


Have a good day all
Coxy

bmma

agree about Swedish Glace, ELSIEPAC, being vegan it is lovely to have ice-cream,can't buy it too often, as it gets eaten rather quickly!
spends to date £204.32/£250.00p
8 NSD'S
plenty in freezer and cupboards,so hopefully only fresh salad to buy,June's challenge finishes 6/7/14

marris

just been to Mr Morrison's and got fruit &veg with the vouchers they printed on Thursday £10,19 worth for a £1,29 spend (after vouchers including the cost of papers) . that will help my budget a lot. need to count my total spend this week and update the sig.

craigywv

hi alll nsd here too,will need fruit about Tuesday, well next Friday finishes son aged 10 in school for 9 weeks !!!!!! so I am sorting out stuff to have prepared and frozen for him to munch on as he is a gut! planning on still doing a normal packed lunch for him at lunchtime only on a plate lol so nothing too out of the ordinary there. snacks .............I shall make and bake hm sausage rolls mini ones so I can defrost a couple at a time, also cheese straws,scotch eggs,and fairy cakes all can be frozen. otherwise its fruit, fruit and more fruit! and some yogurts. I have an icecream maker,and a bucket load of corn so can make popcorn.has anyone ideas for toppings for popcorn, thanks in advance.xxx

MrsCautious

My grocery spends, to include all food, drink, toiletries, household and cleaning stuff for three of us, are creeping up towards £250 a month. I have plenty of stuff in our very small freezer and am going to do my best to bring this average down. I'm hoping a couple of lower spend months through July and August. We'll see.

What does everyone think of a budget of £250 a month for me and two 15-year-olds for food, household, cleaning items and toiletries? I think I'm harder on myself about it as I don't recognise enough it's not just food? £3,000 a year to have all that covered isn't that bad is it? After a bit of reassurance really, I'm not in any debt.

This time last year though I was managing to stay under £200 and that was with our lovely dog as well. Now I'm busier at work so this must be a reason, I'm not making my own sauces or soup as I was or batch cooking. Too tired I think! Also this time last year I wasn't drawing any salary at all and I am now, I wonder if I have become a little more complacent because of this? I do have a savings target though and would like to contribute more to this.

Life as ever seems to get in the way, with both my mum and my dad in law in hospital at the same time, plus all the other trials and tribulations so many of us face -- does this make a difference do you think?

Thank you for any guidance!