March 2017 Grocery Challenge

pinkypig

Hi everyone. £139.26 after last weekend's shop and this week's food tech ingredients. I need milk today so I'm going to be over. I'm going to spend the next 5 days living out of stores although I will need some fresh fruit at the weekend.
PP x

Ginmonster

I hear you armchairexpert! I've only got the one but he'll go mad for something for a month and then decide he doesn't like it any more only once I've bought 3 packets. I never learn. Luckily I'm not a fussy eater..

Suffolk_lass

armchairexpert wrote: »

Fantastic rant upthread, Ginmonster. Saving money on groceries with small children around is the WORST. My kids aren't so much fussy as they are changeable, so if I find a bargain on wraps they'll go off wraps, and if I bulk buy cornflakes they'll be sick of them by Wednesday. So frustrating. I'm going to feed them spaghetti bolognaise for every meal ever at this rate.

Yes, I agree, very entertaining and true (not the gin bit!)

Islandmaid

Forgot to post £60 Aldi spend yesterday - the weeks groceries including cat food and household stuff etc also bought a couple of ready meals for youngest, as we are away for a couple of days next week, and he is working 14 hr days, so a quick 'ping' meal for him for a couple of day won't hurt him.

Am over, but not too worried as DS is now back with us 3 days a week, which I didn't plan for.

oceanspirit

Supermarket shop yesterday evening £21.25 (£6 of which was a bottle of hemp oil) and local shop this morning £1.79 for milk and biccies for workman who will be here for 2 days. Forgot to get it last night as I don't normally buy.

Hadn't bought nuts for a while as have been using stores so noticed a big increase. Food inflation seems to be higher than official numbers are saying.

The other thing I noticed was aisle upon aisle of confectionary, biscuits and cakes - I'm sure it was more than usual. I was looking for coconut milk and savoury biscuits and didn't find either. Couldn't buy birthday cards or blank cards either as they've been put away to make space for mother's day cards.

So, a higher than expected spend and not a lot to show for it.

meg72

Ginmonster wrote: »

In typical small child fashion my son whinged this morning that we don't have any cornflakes in the house, despite the fact that I had to use the last lot up in cakes because he never wanted them, so I promised I'd get some for his breakfast tomorrow. What's the betting he won't want any by tomorrow morning?


Anyhow, I picked up a few other essentials like butter and bananas and a couple of non-essentials like some veggie sausages and nuggets for easy meals when my hubby gets back (he doesn't like cooking and I find having things like that in means I can head off the call for a takeaway). £9.75 spent so still under budget for the month. I think I should be able to make with just over a week to go.


£84.85/£100

Sorry but did have a giggle at the small child as I well remember those days when had little people thought it strange that what used to have me tearing my hair out now makes me giggle LOL the joys of old age eh.

XSpender

£68.77 spent on a Mr T delivery today including pet food, soap powder, loo roll and the week's groceries. Annoyed that they had no 0% greek fat yogurt and didn't offer any alternative. This means I will need to go and get some at a shop tonight. The whole point I shopped on line this week was to avoid going in a shop :mad: I would give it a miss but my eating plan contains a lot of 0% fat greek yogurt.

My total is now £442.64/£400 which I am pleased with as the £400 was a challenging target based on my usual spends. May need to add some beers on at the weekend for DH but do not need anything else.

caronc

Shop of £16 this week mainly F&V, some pet stuff and a huge pack of kitchen roll on special offer. I'm hoping that this will be my last spend of March if I can hold off my next shop until 31/03 when I get paid. total so far is £131/£150.

Ginmonster

In the plus column for today my boy did eat the much-demanded cornflakes for breakfast this morning. Just in case i was getting complacent he reminded me who is boss by deciding he no longer likes cheese sauce after I'd made cauliflower and broccoli cheese for lunch. Keeps me on my toes! :-)

Bluegreen143

Will read back everyone's posts in a minute but just wanted to report my figures while I have them on hand - not going so well :rotfl::eek:

£123.90 this month out of an original £120 budget. And I go calendar months and shop on Thursdays so I have another week's shopping to get :eek:

Today in Mr Ts I bought (just listing food here as I'm not counting household stuff for now):

Bananas 1.2kg 83p
Grapes £2
Iceburg lettuce 70p
Garlic 4pk 89p
Peppers value 4pk 78p
Onions 1kg 75p
Butternut squash 90p

Milk 4 pint £1
Double cream 300ml 95p
Greek yoghurt 500g £1
Mature cheddar 350g £2.50

Honey roast ham £1.60

Value tinned tomatoes x2 62p
Coconut milk x2 £1
Value spaghetti 20p
Value tinned sweetcorn 35p
Tinned mackerel 66p
Value plain flour 60p
Dark chocolate 150g x3 £2.25
Frozen pizza £1.50
Cola x2 90p

I genuinely am not sure how I could make it much cheaper! The cream and chocolate were for making truffles to give my mum for Mother's Day in lieu of buying an actual present (I have a card I got ages ago and will also get my toddler to paint a card so I've gone for thought over spending money lol). So though not strictly necessary it seemed a frugal way to do things as I would maybe have bought flowers or a fancy box of chocs normally or taken her out for lunch.

The cola is necessary or else I will get divorced by DH and the pizza is for him to eat when I'm away Sat night and is again fairly cheap compared to buying him a bit of meat to make a meal which he would have wanted otherwise. I can't really cut back on fruit, veg or dairy any more than I have with a toddler to keep healthy (plus I do like to get at least my 5 a day myself). Didn't buy bread this week so will need to make some - hope I get the time tomorrow or DH will seriously moan about lack of bread :eek:

The only thing I can think is I should have got a gammon earlier in the month to slice and freeze instead of keeping buying ham for DH lunches, I will defo get one next month when the funds are there.

Hope everyone else is having success!