September 2015 Grocery Challenge

Ladyluck1

Wysiwyg49 wrote: »

I watch Eat Well For Less - try to put things into practice, make most meals from scratch, buy basics products if they are OK, meal plan, the lot! But still spend approx £120 a week for family of 4. I think the budget is busted by fruit juice, biscuits and cereal...favourite recipes are from Jack Monroe and the Hairy Bikers (e.g. cauli cheese with bacon and mushrooms). I'm tracking spending a bit more now as I'm aware I waste food every week, but its definitely the extras not the main meal ingredients that bump up the spending...

Have you tracked what you're spending?

We are also a family of 4 2 adults and 2 children one aged nearly 5 and just started school and one nearly 2 year old.
My budget has been helped by free school meals though which my son now gets!

I still only spend on average £40 a week if that and I buy a lot of snacks for the kids 🙈

We don't drink alcohol though and me and hubby rarely snack. He also has a lunch at work which only costs him £1 so £5 a week.

davidsdesire

I've spent $160USD of my $200 already. I found a couple of beef briskets marked down so i grabbed them. I love brisket with bbq sauce and it's not a cut of meat commonly sold here in New England. One is in the freezer already. I plan to smoke and bbq the other Friday when it rains and it's not so hot! It's 32C here today. Ugh.

selloptape

I was doing really well until I passed a stall selling local honey at £4 each, couldn't miss out as it's so rare to get in a city and is supposed to be really good for hay fever (sigh, I know, I am a sucker, but it was a sunny day ). But apart from that only a quick top up shop for milk and bread yest, and today was NSD, so still on track

davidsdesire

i, too, will spend a pretty penny for good, local honey.

Tink_04

A NSD today - I have got chicken casserole in the SC which has used up all the odd bits of veg from the fridge and my chicken drumsticks that were YS from the freezer, this should do extra to give the kids for tea tomorrow too. Trying not to buy loads as working my way through the freezer and trying not to waste anything but it's is running low.

I have 're stocked my tins after running them all down but still need some more to fill up the cupboard gaps but will buy when I see them at a good price.

It really feels like Autumn now so can see the SC being used a lot more now.

SpikyHedgehog

miss_try_to_save wrote: »

hi all firstly spent £130 of my grocery budget out of my £200 for month and now disaster has hit my 7 draw freezer has broken and everything is ruined total nightmare luckily I have store cupboard things such as frey bentos pies and a 3 draw fridge freezer which still works cant believe my bad luck all my frozen stuff gone

If you've got household insurance, it could be worth giving the insurers a ring - my friend's fridge freezer broke the other day, & her insurers would pay out (minus the excess...) if it was caused by accidental damage.

moneyonmymindsam

miss_try_to_save wrote: »

hi all firstly spent £130 of my grocery budget out of my £200 for month and now disaster has hit my 7 draw freezer has broken and everything is ruined total nightmare luckily I have store cupboard things such as frey bentos pies and a 3 draw fridge freezer which still works cant believe my bad luck all my frozen stuff gone

So sorry to hear this x


£2.50 spend for me so down to £78 left ..ish


Added a tinned Soup to the SC / Pantry for a bit more winter stocks.

lynnejk

Evening all :hello:

miss_try_to_save wrote: »

... and now disaster has hit my 7 draw freezer has broken and everything is ruined total nightmare .....cant believe my bad luck all my frozen stuff gone

I think most home contents insurances cover freezer failure so you could take a photo and list all the spoiled stuff and make a claim. Good luck with it.

Managed another NSD here today

We had venison sausages, new potatoes, steamed carrots and cabbage with an ale and onion marmalade sauce for dinner.

Hope you all have a super Thursday
Lx

t14cy_t

NSD yesterday, yippee!!

miss_try_to_save

hi all well I have a freezer coming Monday thank goodness I spent £10 yesterday on bread and milk and some other bits such as toilet roll and frozen mixed veg and plums and grapes I also cooked up what little food was edible from freezer so dd1 has a random lunch today included in the £10 yesterday was some apples from my local charity shop for 25p so im making a apple crumble later but as most of my food gone will have to really get my head into figuring out a new extremely cheap menu for the rest of the month while trying to get as much fruit and veg in as possible any ideas would be appreciated typical in my small freezer that still works there is not a lot of meals I have £60 to last till the 30th Sept luckily I do have a store cupboard of tins which im going to be relying on so corned beef hash is on the list and toad in the hole as my frozen sausages were in little freezer I don't think I will manage but im going to give it a go to stay in budget only 20 days to go lol ekk