September 2016 Grocery Challenge

lynnejk

Afternoon everyone

Meekie wrote: »

Thanks Lynne, that sounds great and a brilliant way to build up a little spare cash for Christmas.

Can I ask which foods you think are particularly worth picking up in bulk? And do you shop for those online or in shops/sm just as and when you see something you want?

The only things I really buy in bulk are meat and wine (cheaper by the case) but I'm wondering if I should be considering other items too.

Thanks!

I buy things that I usually use such as Hz Baked beans, tins of tuna, salad cream, tea-bags when I can get them on offer price and stock up. Otherwise it's when I see an offer, like the salmon at 3 for £10 as I chuck it in the freezer. Other things I look out for is coffee and sugar for DH (it's his vital fuel) and I always buy an 18 pack of T rolls in F Foods and a couple of their specials at 3/4 for £10 - depending what's good on price. Only buy what you know you will definitely use

donnajt wrote: »

Hi lynnejk, this sounds fab but its monday morning and the brain is yet to connect (tea too hot to drink!), couple of questions:-

do you only set aside £100 in Jan or do you have a monthly bulk budget?
what do you bulk buy?
is your monthly budget just grocery shopping?

cheers my dear x

I put £100 aside once each year in January and use it as needed through the year. Each month I add to it any monies left over from that month's GC budget,

My monthly budget is all food for me and DH, cleaning, laundry and toiletries.
HTH

Now on 4 NSDs for the month :j

Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday
Lx

Florence_J

To make sure I don't go too drastically over my budget this month, when I had to buy milk this morning I only took a £1 coin with me so that I couldn't buy anything extra, even if it was a good deal.

Have devised a plan for the rest of the month, have done a food plan which uses up a lot of things we already have with limited need to buy extra ingredients. Have got OH on board about what we buy. Will make sure I don't go crazy with next months shopping so that we can stick to budget.

It will be tough but I am up for a challenge

£18.40 remains.

Pepperoni

Spent an additional £6 on 2 packs of slimming world burgers today. Took me slightly over my weekly budget but they'll roll into next week too.

Wysiwyg49

First weekend shop was £73.16 plus a sneaky topup last Friday for a sausage and chip supper, so £80.16 so far.

On the meal plan this week:
Chicken dinner
Beef escalopes, new potatoes, stuffed mushrooms (delish)
Spag bol - can't go a week without the kids favourite!!
Nando's marinaded chicken with HM savoury rice and corn on the cob
Pizza (left over from DD's party as all the teenagers just drank and the food never came out of the fridge!!)

tattycath

Been to @sd@ tonight and B&M and spent a total of £31.06 and that included a few bits that I hadn't factored in so I'm pretty pleased about that.
Up to £91.35/£200

freyasmum

Decided to make sizzling chicken strips for dinner tonight with the (uncooked) chicken that we had left from the BBQ.

Used up some fridge bottoms spring onions and half a bag of peppers that I wouldn't have been able to use up in time otherwise. Nipped into the coop after karate to see of there were any decent bargains - but even the reductions were more expensive than full price in Aldi!

Still, got a small bag of carrots and a handful of mushrooms to bulk out the stir-fry so £1.17 to add to the total.

That will take us to roughly £48 for the month so far.

Ladyluck1

Sorry I'm late £200 for Sept please

donnajt

So been a bit naughty - popped to tesco and had to spend £6 on taxi home ... spent £34.77 grrr however, got £6.05 cashback so total £28.72 + £39.77 Sainsburys spend = £68.49

I have however got a lovely stockpile for my Second Purse, will share pic once I've worked out costings

sharronej

I like the idea of a second purse, how do you use yours please Donnajt? I'm thinking if I have any money left at the end of the week I could put it in there but maybe you have a better way?

thriftwizard

Freezer disaster! One of the Offspring left the door of the small freezer slightly ajar overnight; a drawer wasn't properly back in place... Whilst we haven't lost too much in financial terms (we do have freezer insurance but won't be claiming, as a lot of it was home-grown or saved leftovers for pies etc.) this means the budget will be well & truly bust again this month as I'll have to re-stock. Though I will do this gradually, not all at once...

Is it possible to add, say, £100 to my target, taking it to £620, please? Sorry to be a pain! And I think I could cope without, if need be, but I'm not happy with that idea going towards Christmas; I'd like to be able to snap up real bargains when I see them.