October 2007 Grocery Challenge

rosieben

weezl74 wrote: »

…

Rather than an unhealthy comparison which would leave me over-stretched, I just wondered if asking for more tips might help.

But Im new to these 'ere parts, so this may not be how it's done!! Is there a place on the boards where we tell each other about food spends and others 'audit' how we could make cuts?

L;)

There’s all sorts of advice about cutting grocery spending to be found on the OS boards – if you browse the OS index http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.html?f=33

Some of the tips I’ve seen and tried are – try value brands and if you dont like them, move up one (ie supermarket own brand). I’ve found that a lot of value stuff is perfectly acceptable and sometimes less than a quarter of the price than the branded!

Meal plan for a week/fortnight/month, whichever suits you best. Make a shopping list for your meal plan (dont forget breakfasts, lunches and snacks) and then stick to your list! Organisation and planning is the way to go …

I read recently a post about planning for leftovers – ie, if you serve mashed potato you cook extra and then make a shepherds pie or similar next day to use up the extra mash. This is something I'm trying to incorporate into my meal planning.

There are so many tips, and some of them will suit you and some wont. It’s a case really of picking out and using what you can.

If you want to know anything specific please post a question, lots of friendly folk here who will be along to help

rosieben

lil_me, I'm not stalking you honest!!! :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

mikeD

Olliebeak wrote: »

mikeD

God forbid, I should EVER denigrate my OH - the guy has his uses and is capable of creating the occasional decent evening meal (even if he does stink the house out sometimes with the stench of smoked fishy stuff!).

What I DO denigrate is his habit of going out for some shopping and coming back with loads of choccie stuff, cakes, expensive biscuits/cookies! For God's sake - HE knows I need to lose weight; I know I need to lose weight but he goes and does THAT to me!

Yesterday's attempt to shop was a large bottle of shandy, two packs of Rocky bars (on offer), a large bar of bitter/dark chocolate (cos he knows I love it!:mad: ), a large bag of mini-choccie bars, a thick sliced loaf and some granary bread rolls. He was actually sent out for milk and bread but God alone knows what happened about the milk !

Sorry Olliebeak, didn't mean to offend . Offers Olliebeak a nice perfumed aerosol (for the fishy smells) as an olive branch.

Thanks Lil_me, yes I am exceptional ain't I, but DW still rules!

Had to buy some veggies from the local convenience store but nothing very much. Spent around £15 quid this week apart from the fortnightly delivery from MR T last Wednesday.

skintscotslass

Hello hello

I thought I had posted earlier in the month, but must have got lost in cyberspace!!

I am absolutely broke this month, having finally sorted my finances out and have £100 to spend on messages. I think this is doable as BF will buy shopping when we are on holiday on week 3. So far I have spent £2.40 on veg on Friday. I have been using up stuff in the freezer, making the most of leftovers and generally trying to be creative. I'm really pleased with myself that I made it through the first week without spending any money. I made brownies this afternoon and might try to make oatcakes later in the week.

Look forward to chatting to you all xx

rosieben

skintscotslass wrote: »

Hello hello

I thought I had posted earlier in the month, but must have got lost in cyberspace!!

I am absolutely broke this month, having finally sorted my finances out and have £100 to spend on messages. I think this is doable as BF will buy shopping when we are on holiday on week 3. So far I have spent £2.40 on veg on Friday. I have been using up stuff in the freezer, making the most of leftovers and generally trying to be creative. I'm really pleased with myself that I made it through the first week without spending any money. I made brownies this afternoon and might try to make oatcakes later in the week.

Look forward to chatting to you all xx

Well done you! :T :T :T looks like you've made a good start! Good luck with the challenge

Hollysan

My first week finished on Friday, and I'm afraid I didn't do too well. I have bought some clothes for work, and I think the unaccustomed spending went to my head! Anyway, I have rather taken my eye off the ball, and I suspect I might have spent a pound or two more than I have written down, but my sig shows what I definitely spent and it was too much!

I also spent £97 at the wholesalers this month, so I am going to try and really cut down on supermarket shopping for the rest of October. I am going to spend tomorrow night doing some meal planning to help me do this. We have family visiting next weekend (two nights, two adults and two children) so need to put some thought into food for the next week or so. Luckily we still have a lot coming from the garden, including a huge crop of tomatoes, so I will get over to the recipes threads to check out some ideas.

Good luck to everyone for the coming week.

Hollysan

Moniker

Hi everyone, just thought I would let you know that I have just used the MySupermarket site which gave me so many problems a week or so ago and they seem to have got their act together as it was much quicker than before and no hitches sending the trolley to Sainsbury's. I have placed my order for Thursday delivery to cover the week 11th-18th and in came in at £42.28 which is under the £43 per week I have calculated that I can spend till the end of the month. However, I didn't do a proper meal plan, so I hope I haven't made any miscalculations. That's the only problem with doing an online order, you have to think so far ahead! (Still I suppose that's part of the challenge - forward planning!)

Out to lunch today with MIL and DH. Had to take her car to top up the fuel and take it through the car wash. Whilst DH did that, MIL and I went into one of those Countrywide stores next to the petrol station that specialises in outdoor pursuits type stuff (as I don't ride or own a small holding haven't had much call to go in there before!) Anyway they sell catering/professional size packs of stuff like coffee and washing powder at what looked like very reasonabe prices. I didn't buy any as I had already topped up on stuff like that in a big supermarket shop at the beginning of the month, but if I had more time it is definitely something I would check out. I did find two books half price which will make good Christmas presents, so spent a tenner on these - but put the tenner saved in my PMS.

Off to make my packed lunch for work tomorrow and update my sig.

Have a good week everyone.

irishwexford

I was doing very well with my budget of £150 having put £50 away (I used to spend £200). Plenty of food and enough cash to last the month for milk and veggies but we got carried away at our local co-op on Friday. Tins of Roses and Fox's choccie biscuits at half price so we bought six tins of each as we have three grown up children each and always get them little extras at Christmas. I will try and stretch the remaining cash out as best I can which will prove I did not need as much as £150 in the first place. Best of luck to everyone for October.

fingersxed

Hi Everybody
Yesterday was the end of my first week on the Oct shopping challenge.This is the first time that I've done this and was very surprised at the results. I was aiming for £100 per wk.£400 for month. I spent £116.11!!! and this was with thinking about stuff cause I wrote it all down and that made me more aware of what I was buying.

I dread to think what we get through when I just keep podding out. I also wrote everything else down that I paid out and again boy what a eye opener!! It's no wonder I'm always overdrawn and have had to use the credit cards!!

Hopefully I will keep this habit up of writing it all down and then you never know I might be shaving the £'s off everything. Here's hoping.

Well it's the start of a fresh week so here we go. Good luck eveybody

suzialwaysbroke

suzialwaysbroke wrote: »

Hi everyone, this is my first post here for the OS grocery budget.
Reckon I spend about £50-60 per week for 3 adults, 3 cats & 2 dogs,
so with Oct being a longer month I will allow £250 & then see how much I can get it down by, fingers x'd

Oh dear, how off course was I (hangs head in shame) :embarasse

Week 1 - Budget £ 50/60 per week - SPENT £129.10!! - did owe D2 some money from week or 2 back, so includes that repayment, but has made me very embarrassed!
Week 2 - Budget £60 here goes......