August 2007 Grocery Challenge

Moniker

Thanks for the encouragement folks! I have decide to join the PMS group and put the 50p-odd that I 'saved' going to the butchers in my PMS purse!

Had a good day's baking - made a yummy pizza and raspberry muffins which we had with ice cream for pudding (so much for the diet!) Going out for lunch tomorrow, then will do a roast chicken on Monday which should make three days' meals for me and OH.

Have been browsing the other forums and found lots of interesting stuff - it's getting to be quite addictive! Usually it 's my OH who is attached to the computer till last thing at night not me! Must go to bed - night night all.

The_shuffs

hi everyone this is my first GC and i am not finding it very easy my OH always puts a downer on anythihg i do to save money he never thinks it will work hates eating really cheap food and sticking to the meal plan but i am not going to give up so HELP me keep going im still smiling

stiltoncheese

Hi everyone :hello:

First time posting on the monthly grocery challenge, although I have been doing my own unofficially for the last few months (varying from between £65.00 and £85.00).

Anyway, this month runs from 29 July to 25 August for me and i'm allowing £85.00 (only me to buy for). This is for all food, cleaning things, toiletries, loo roll etc, plus a few random guests here and there.

Have already spent £78.30 in Mr T's in my normal monthly shop (got quite a few bogof's and used a couple of online codes) so freezer and cupboards are stocked to the hilt.

That just leaves me £6.70 to get some fruit and veg with for rest of month (we have a cheap market here, thank god!) If I run out of milk then I have got some powdered in the cupboard just in case. I have also menu-planned for the whole month, and have been sticking to this quite well.

Still 3 weeks to go and only £6.30 to spend, hmmmmm......might be over this month, and it's only my first month, lol.

lil_me

The_shuffs wrote: »

hi everyone this is my first GC and i am not finding it very easy my OH always puts a downer on anythihg i do to save money he never thinks it will work hates eating really cheap food and sticking to the meal plan but i am not going to give up so HELP me keep going im still smiling

Keep smiling, let him moan, but stick by your decisions. He'll soon get used to it and when it does work you can firmly stick you tongue out at him << I found suggesting if my partner wanted to eat something else that was ok, as long as he was buying it and cooking it, soon shut up. It might help to get him involved in meal planning, also I find my partner hates it being too rigid I might say these are meals Mon-Sunday but will regularly switch days round if he/I don't fancy what is planned.

By really cheap food I am wondering what you mean and what he 'prefers' maybe you could go into more detail and people could suggest ways to make cheaper stuff more appealing to him.. for example my partners a true carnivore (he'll eat peas, carrots, sweetcorn and green beans very occasionally) he's a nightmare for meat quality as his step dad had a butchers (they lived next door) so huge cuts of nice meat were the 'norm' when he was growing up, but I've found if I do a slow cooked brisket which is very cheap compared to the topside he prefered he loves it, same with casseroles, amazing how little meat I put in and he doesn't winge. I buy nicer quality meat but less of it, I use a farm shop which actually some prices per kilo are cheaper than Tesco value which suprised me.

Stiltoncheese I think you're doing very well for your first month, ok maybe spending is high to start with but sounds like you have a plan to work with.

Kerfuffle

Hello everybody

Welcome to the 'newbies'. Good luck with your challenges.

Have updated my signature. As you can see I didn't do very well last week, hoping for better things this week. Hopefully by week 3 I'll be back on track and under budget. As posted earlier I have done a meal plan for the month, however since then found the MEAL FOR TWO FOR 50P thread so I'm going to rejig the menu plan and do some of these recipes which will hopefully leave me with food for the following month.

Did a small shop today, the intention was to allow £15.00 on any purchases upto next saturday, today I spent £14.44 so I'm really chuffed. On Thursday I need to buy 2oz mushrooms, 1 onion and 1 tomato so hopefully (again) they will cost 56p or less, fingers crossed.

Keep smiling everybody.

Toodles.

trying-very-trying

Can I join this challenge too please? The food budget is quite scary to me I've never worked to a budget before, but I must try something to make me stick to the new DMP budget, maybe posting on here will help. I think I'll try for £300.00 this month, does that sound fair for 4people, plus a regular visitor, a dog, 2 cats and 2 hamsters ? I'll work form today, 5/08 through to 2/09, that makes it just 4 weeks for me.

Curveygirl

I think this is about my 4th attempt at posting. I always seem to get interupted mid rant, so I'll keep it short.
This pay days will fall 27/07-27/08, so I've been at this for about a week and a half now, with a target for me and OH of £240 inc cleaning stuff, but not including dog food as she always costs the same whatever (and we SUFFER if we meddle with her food).
Mr T delivered all the basics on pay day, I paid the milkman, and visited the fishmonger, and the lady that refills our bulk buys of cleaning stuff, and paid my work milk money as well; so that took care of over £140, with me naively thinking that we just top up on fresh fruit and veg and bread in between. I was, of course deluded.

Yes, there has been fruit veg and bread -also 2 bottles of wine, a round of drinks, a bag of maltesers, 2 lollies, a bag of chips (£1.55 for about 6 -I think I'm cured), (don't tell "weight loss 13" any of this will you), 3 top ups of milk (must get the milkman to bring more), washing up liguid, despite visit to refill lady, as OH rang me at work with a washing up liquid emergency, cos SOMEBODY had put the empty container back under the sink (apparently it was the dog). As I write, OH has shouted he's going for more milk. :eek:

Did I say I would keep this short? Oh well. Roll on the rest of the month.

orchid-96

uh oh, another 'nip' to the shop today, had to get hot dog sausages (dh says we MUST have them for the barby today and also cheese slices for the burgers) anyway I also picked up a small paddling pool!! 2 tins of meatballs (on offer 2 for 89p think ds might like these) and some nice barby serviettes and plates - spent around £8.50 so will update my sig...

I hadn't realised how much 'popping' to the shop I actuall do :eek:

This is my first month of trying to budget so I will hopefully get better at it..

:beer:

kj*daisy

Spent £20 on a takeaway and about £10 at a cafe today. But we have had guests to stay. Anyway - got a couple of guest free weekends coming up so that should save us some money.

I need to go and cook some of the veg in fridge as it's stockpiling a bit now, and I get a load more on Tuesday.

cheletastic

Hi everyone

Hope I'm not too late to join in? Really need to join this challenge as I left my job on Friday and my new job doesn't start until 3rd September :eek: (had to leave old job as quickly as poss though cos making me ill!) This means my pay that would normally last me 1 month has got to last 2 months :rolleyes:

I normally spend around £200 for 2 adults but I know I can get this down. Trouble is, OH is v fussy and a brand snob! Think I will try for £160 this month and try and get it down further next month if I succeed.

My month started 1st August but I haven't done any grocery shopping yet.:D