January 2017 Grocery Challenge. NEW BEGINNINGS!

WantToBeSE

Afternoon All

I agree, no failings, just lessons

I was going to go food shopping today, but i am going to wait until tomorrow instead. I have some food that i can make dinner out of.

I'm doing twice baked potatoes for dinner, with salad and veggies. They are basically baked potatoes, cooled down, flesh scooped out and mixed with a variety of yummy things, then put back inside the skin and baked again. Never tried it before, so hopefully we will like it!

Withdrawing my GC money in cashis really helping. I have also got an overflow tin, where the money from the GC budget that i dont spend, gets collected. Its a new thing i started since staying in budget However, my pantry needs restocking since I've been eating from it recently..so i might wait till the end of Feb and use whatever money is in my overflow tin and then do a bit shop for tinned and dried goods.

FurryBeastOz

Small shop today - needed DHs milk and satsuma. Topped up a couple of tins and a HUGE Savoy cabbage. Was going to get broccoli and courgette but there weren't any. Couldn't be arsed going out of my way to Lidl but resisted Tesco and Waitrose.

pinkypig

Hi everyone
I've just done my last shop of the month at Aldi and it came to £18 exactly so I'm declaring under at £128.97 which I'm absolutely delighted about:j
Stocks and freezer are very depleted so I won't be able to rely on them so heavily next month but I'm still chuffed to bits.
Thanks for the inspiration and the ideas:T. See you over on February.

PP xx

miss_try_to_save

hi all £270 left of my monthly challenge and what seemed a lot of food has turned into not so much im trying the lemon drizzle cake from the recipes on this sight as i have cheap lemons pizza and chips tonight for dinner i think im going to have to plan better as i will have to do a shop tomorrow now and will also stock up on crisps as lidl have a offer on tomorrow and sun 2 weeks till payday so fingers crossed

pamsdish

I have 2 bank accounts d/d and savings, was reading on another site about leveling off bank account, I check my account online every day, always have, the idea being you level your d/d account end figure to a 0 or £5, I made a decision to always move to my savings account nothing less than £5 so if my end figure is eg £6.11 I move £6.11 if £4.11 I move £9.11, I realise this is not possible all the time or for everyone, but it`s amazing how quickly it mounts up. Like throwing all loose coin change into a jar it`s habit forming.

Sue14

Another £7.63 spent in lidl yesterday, hopefully won't need anything else before the end of the month, but we'll see.

DanielleNic87

Haven't been on for ages but checking in with £221.83. This was for the majority of January. It's rather a large amount considering we are eating out of freezers/cupboards and fridge, but feel quite a lot of this was nappies and wipes for the kids.

Franalamadingdong

Well done on the great work everyone!

Purpleybat, we have 2 employees, including me, certainly no HR department. I'd like to move into HR when my son is older actually. Where I am now is complicated to say the least and I would never imagined to have been spoken to the way that I have been lately.

Anyhoo! After work I went to help at my parents, who were watching my DS as he can't go back to school until 48 hrs after vomiting stops. Then I took my mum back to their other house because she's fighting against a nasty cold, but had to give in. Then we finally went shopping! We don't food shop late normally but it means it is done and we can spend the weekend working at my parents'. The first guests are due on Friday and there's still loads to be done. I'll be thankful when it is!

Today's shop did go off list. I blame hunger and tiredness. But it came to £49.89. I can't see any further shops so I'm going to tentatively claim £167.33 for the month. Under by £12.67. I saw the reduced stuff after there being no reduced veg and the fridge stuff hardly being discounted a man was discounting some pizza express pizzas. 68p each! Pizza was planned for tonight. One for us, two for the freezer!

After this absolutely awful month I'll take my wins where I can. My energy company charged me loads this month and although they're meant to do a manual review, 3 weeks later there's nothing, so I might move companies (I have researched others). Because of my astronomical pay rise of £4.80 P/w, which was back dated to July, tax credits have been hit after the advisor on the phone saying that they wouldn't be. Because the advisor said they wouldn't be I submitted the current tax credits along with the change in pay to housing/council tax help... This means I've been doubly penalised, especially as the new tax credits weren't sent to the housing people like they normally are. So I now owed a pile of extra rent and council tax because of the back dated pay. But this is due to change again when they get the new tax credits (which I submitted along with a cover letter and my new payslips). I should add I am happy for all my wage increase to be balanced out by benefit/tax credit reductions, I just hate the flux and lack of stability. I like everything to be known.

Sorry for all the mega rants! The past 3 weeks have been a bit of a donkey's armpit! Thanks to all of you for putting up with me and being so supportive!

just_trying

Fran, that amount shouldn't make a any difference as the disregard is £2500, so you can earn that much more and shouldn't make a difference. Check your award when it arrives. Sorry off topic. We lost ours due to a big payment, though we never got much.

Elspac, we love tipping point here, best of luck, my granny got to the final auditions on deal or no deal, never made it to the show.

Spent £1.30 on milk local shop, cereal monsters just now. Will post tomorrow after shopping. You've all done so well.

t14cy_t

spends of £13 in morrisons and tesco last night on a few basics and lots of ys goodies, plenty for dogs, chickens and ducks too!! xx