February 2017 Grocery Challenge

Ginmonster

Hi

I'd like to join in please. Can you put me down for £150 for the month for 2 adults and 1 child.

I'm going to count the money for the veg box and milk deliveries for the month as already spent (and I've bought some fruit in Aldi today) so I've used £58.35 already.

I've got loads in the cupboards and freezer so this should be easy in theory. In theory.

freyasmum

Delighted to see the mangetout and babycorn on the Aldi super six this week (if they have it all in stock this time!). There will be plenty of diet cola (I know, I know...) chicken and hoisin and garlic pork on our menu this week.

NSD today (although I am tempted to go to Aldi and get their specially selected sausages while they're still on offer!). However, tomorrow will be a very different story. I'm reckoning that we'll spend anywhere up to £120 :eek:

Elsiepac, I've just opened that article for a read! I'm guessing it's dinners for £3 a day though, which is the top end of what we like to pay anyway, but it's always good to find new, healthy recipes!

thriftwizard

£1.60 spent at the County Town market today, whilst shopping for my mother. That was for beansprouts and a large bowl of mushrooms, which will last us all week. And I've just frozen a large tub of venison casserole for future reference, so I feel a bit better about going over budget last month now; a number of things bought in January will actually be used this month or later.

ETA: Also thanking Elsiepac; I've gone off to her blog & found some lovely ideas to try out!

JensFeet

First February shop done at L!*l - but a smaller branch than my normal so a few little things not bought. I spent £55.29 for my 2 week meal plan - but as I am also taking part in the Freezer and Store Cupboard challenge there is plenty to use up! This SHOULD last us 2 weeks with top up of milk and fresh salad at the weekend and again next week.

I will nip to Mr M tomorrow (closest supermarket) to pick up mixed peppers, stock cubes, bobby dazzler fabric softener, firelighters, matches. Also B&M next door for loo rolls and face wash. So another approx £10 - 15 tomorrow but there's plenty of stuff there that will last much longer than the month. Hardest thing for me is to walk past the YS or 'bargains' but I will resist (unless it's chicken as on last piece)!

Lauralozzle

Popped into A*da for bread - ended up getting a number of yellow sticker products - and wine. The wine wasn't planned for!!! Breakfast should be sorted for the month now though!

Now at £35.98/£300

Mrs_Cheshire

Been going to the shops too much, as I'm waiting to defrost the freezer and rather than meal planning and then getting enough for the week, I've bit getting bits and bobs every few days. Need to sit and do a meal plan to use up the few bits in the freezer then I can defrost it over the weekend.
Will tot up spends and update my signature asap

Islandmaid

Hi all,

NSD here .

Made spicy fish stew for dinner from a third of a pack of Iceland white fish fillets (3 4 £10) and some veg - it was really yummy and cheap, so that's a bonus

Weather is supposed to get a bit lively tonight though the weekend, so hope everyone is safe and warm - take care x

lynnejk

Hiya everyone

Off to a spendy start to the month - but just happened to fall that way. So Morries was £37.17 (includes fish for the month) and £19.40 at Mr T = totalling £56.57.

Have put in small order to butcher to collect Saturday (that comes out of bulk fund) and that should be it for the week fingers xd.

Hope you all have a thrifty Thursday and stay warm and dry
Lx

PipneyJane

My £50 February Grocery Challenge

Hi Everyone. Hope you are all doing well. It's been a long time since I posted on the Boards - I gave up due to work pressures - but I thought I'd drop in to share a challenge that I'm working on and, maybe, scrounge some encouragement.

Two or three years ago, I came up with the concept of £50 February. The basic challenge is to only spend £50 on groceries for the two of us in the entire month of February. Since, as a long-time OS'er, I have a well stocked freezer and pantry, this is more about replenishing stores than trying to shop a menu. The first year I tried this, I did attempt to cook the entire month's meals for £50 or less but it is really hard to keep track of prices, when you're only using a small proportion of the flour (Atta flour at £3 for 10kg) and eating stuff that may have been lurking in the cupboards forever.

Also, I am an OS'er heretic, since I rarely if ever menu plan. The closest I get it to work out what we're having for dinner, while I'm making my breakfast. (Yes, I am lazy.). Because of that, I've decided instead to focus on controlling spending and using up what I already have. Therefore, my challenge for the month is to spend £50 or less on groceries. That spend includes whatever is usually bought in a supermarket shop at Mr T's or Mr L's, so toilet paper and tampons are included if needed.

Good luck with your challenges.

- Pam

Flat_Eric

PipneyJane wrote: »

My £50 February Grocery Challenge

Hi Everyone. Hope you are all doing well. It's been a long time since I posted on the Boards - I gave up due to work pressures - but I thought I'd drop in to share a challenge that I'm working on and, maybe, scrounge some encouragement.

Two or three years ago, I came up with the concept of £50 February. The basic challenge is to only spend £50 on groceries for the two of us in the entire month of February. Since, as a long-time OS'er, I have a well stocked freezer and pantry, this is more about replenishing stores than trying to shop a menu. The first year I tried this, I did attempt to cook the entire month's meals for £50 or less but it is really hard to keep track of prices, when you're only using a small proportion of the flour (Atta flour at £3 for 10kg) and eating stuff that may have been lurking in the cupboards forever.

Also, I am an OS'er heretic, since I rarely if ever menu plan. The closest I get it to work out what we're having for dinner, while I'm making my breakfast. (Yes, I am lazy.). Because of that, I've decided instead to focus on controlling spending and using up what I already have. Therefore, my challenge for the month is to spend £50 or less on groceries. That spend includes whatever is usually bought in a supermarket shop at Mr T's or Mr L's, so toilet paper and tampons are included if needed.

Good luck with your challenges.

- Pam

£50 February is a thought provoking idea and probably worthy of its own thread. That's £12.50 a week which isn't a lot but from my perspective would pay for things like milk, bananas and bread with a bit leftover to buy extras. I'm sure if I really tried, I could spend very little this month.
I haven't been keeping tally of my food spends for a long time so to add up the figures and to see what I was spending was a shock. Then I added up the sums according to my credit card statement (mid December to mid January). and I was even more :eek: because clearly I'm overspending in a big way. I haven't yet added up my spends for the rest of the year but will do this if I get chance. (I'm almost too frightened to do so however) If it wasn't for the cameras and being on TV - I would almost want to go on Eat well for less.

December included Christmas food spends - booze, Christmas gifts, Christmas food bits we don't usually have and I know I bought a new frying pan in one of my home delivery spends in January :rotfl: plus I buy supplies for the office so my total spends if broken down would not be as bad but clearly my grocery spending is excessive and explains the reason why at Christmas, I had to delve into my savings to pay for xmas gifts as I had no spare money.
Time for change!