August 2015 Grocery Challenge

Itsa_Longshot

A little over my £30 target this morning - came in at £30.57. I did manage to only buy what was on the shopping list, so I at least managed that. £88.19 out of £150.00 for the month.

chocolatebum

top up shop and weekly shop adds £132.84 to my balance. :eek: hoping that things will calm down now that my children have went back to school and aren't eating me out of house and home through feeding them and the extra bodies that appear at my door. also stocked up on some washing liquid as it was on special so won't need to buy any for the rest of the month and possibly into next month as well.

*snow*white*

Hello everyone

I have been awol this week as have been out of action with a rotten cold. So we have been surviving on freezer and cupboard stock, not very exciting stuff but not had much appetite.

So finally got around to defrosting freezer today and have just returned from aldos spent £57 on a good stock up and have £37 left for 2 weeks worth of packed lunch stuff so all looking good.

Loving the breadmaker I got from 3cycle is so easy and means less buying stuff I don't need when popping to the shop for bread, this combined with freezing milk in the small cartons has definitely curbed the corner shop dashes.

off to catch up on everyones posts I have missed.

JIL

WantToBeSE wrote: »

Hi guys.

I was a bit sneaky today. I have had a tin of 1p's and 2p's lying around the house for months, and didnt want to bag them up to take to the bank. Lazy!
So i noticed one of those coinstar machines in Tesco the other day and took it along today and changed it. There was only £9ish in there, but it paid for some fruit Not sure whether to include that in my GC budget or not?

I have been doing much better so far this month

Just to let you know, the self service tills at morrisons have a drop in reciptical thing. No interest charged. I feel like I get free shopping every six months or so when I take my loose change.

sukimax

Not doing terribly well so far this month another £78.05 on a big shop on Wednesday then £19.80 on more fruit and veg today. Local shops seem so much more expensive for that than the supermarkets but that's the worst of living in a small village. I am trying batch cooking so may well be able to cut down on spends towards the end of the month because I can use up a lot of what's in the freezer. Also the kids are back at school next week so that should make a difference.

t14cy_t

spends of £8.32 yesterday so still within monthly budge, yippee!! x

maria3104

Tink7 wrote: »

Hi Everyone,
I keep dipping in and out but tend to lurk looking at people's ideas. Am desperate to save money and need all the help I can get. Foodwise can be difficult as DD1 is vegetatian ad DD2 is coelic and dairy free. Went to waitrose to buy goats milk £1.60 for 1l, whilst there they had cake packets reduced half price £1.25 each. Popped into Iceland and bought McCains oven chips £1.50 (DD2 able to have these too!) and picked a chip tray free (worth £5). Next, off to Aldi to buy the super six. Have just come back from hoildays to find the electric had tripped and all my food in the freezer ruined - not happy bunny.

Hi

Just a thought have you contacted your insurance company NFU Mutual automatically give this cover with all their contents policies and probably others do as well. Really feel for you.

maria3104

Hi All

Have updated my signature, Mr T came in at £38. I was worried that I would get the £4 surcharge etc, but as it was over £4 less vouchers and offers I have not been charged it. Whew!

Am looking like I have 2 more weeks of Mr T to go to end of month, so am hopeful of being under budget again. This is such a relief as earlier in the year it was drifting. I actually managed ot be in a meeting by all the supermarkets last week and I restrained myself, went nowhere but for fuel and cam home. Such a change from 2 years ago, over £100 would have been gone from me just because I was there so may aswell stock up. Frankly my food store looks like a shop I have so much. I really need some counselling. I must adjust to the fact that there are now only 3 of us at home, no children, etc etc.

Onwards and upwards, back to blackcurrant patch to prune as I pick. Such fun!

Maria

WantToBeSE

lynnejk wrote: »

Glad you found the stash but these machines charge you 9.9% to count the pennies for you :eek: They are best steered clear of IMHO.
If I included such savings I would think of it as adding £9 ish to my budget for the month, as it's not money saved by budgeting as such. I don't know what others think ??

jayII wrote: »

I'd add it to my monthly income. I do this with all income, , including swagbucks earnings, overtime pay and so on. Since it's unbudgeted cash, it would probably end up in savings, unless it was needed for something else.

I avoid coinstar machines too, but I can see that they have their uses.

JIL wrote: »

Just to let you know, the self service tills at morrisons have a drop in reciptical thing. No interest charged. I feel like I get free shopping every six months or so when I take my loose change.

Thanks everyone I dont have a Morrisons close to me, but will definitely make sure i do that next time. I think i did it because it was a spur of the moment decision to change it all.

It only took 98p from my money, so i guess thats not too bad.



The kids are going through an alarming amount of fruit and snacks this week, so i am having to go shopping for that again today, as well as paint (i ran out, and am in the middle of painting the lounge), but that comes from a different budget.

Tink_04

Just popping along for some ideas and found the tip about Morrison's tills really helpful! I often stop there on my way to work to buy fruit for the week ahead and its really quiet that early- might try putting loads of the copper jar in tomorrow!!!