November 2007 Grocery Challenge

mumzyof2

Can someone help me i want to set a budget but i dont know how much..im also new here. I have myself and my oh, and a 3 yr old and a 21month old..me and my fella eat diff tea as the children..but both children eat the same foods.

Jacks_xxx

mumzyof2 wrote: »

Can someone help me i want to set a budget but i dont know how much..im also new here. I have myself and my oh, and a 3 yr old and a 21month old..me and my fella eat diff tea as the children..but both children eat the same foods.

:wave: Hiya sweetie!

I don't think anyone can set a budget for someone else hon, so much depends on your lifestyle, the foods you like to eat, and how much you enjoy cooking amongst other things.

I had NO CLUE how much I was spending in the supermarket - or what I was spending it on - so in August I just shopped as I normally would and I kept all the receipts.

During the month I made a menu plan of all our meals, packed lunches and snacks, plus cleaning materials, loo roll, basic toiletries and cat food etc and then I made a shopping list for the first two weeks of September based on my plan.

By then I knew we'd spent over £600 in the supermarket in August so I set £500 as our budget for September.

October's budget was £400

and November's is £350.

and I'm going to keep going until it hurts and we start to feel a wee bit hard done by!

So find out what you normally spend, and then try different ways to reduce it bit by bit.

And keep us in the loop of course, we like to know how everybody else is doing!

Love Jacks xxx

High_Peak_Lass

We decided on £300 incl. toiletries and cleaning as it seemed like a fairly generous amount for two people and the odd takeaway (not had one for a while now though)
The only figure i've got to start with is that depending on what we buy my meat bill from butcher is between £15 and £30 per week (sometimes a rib of beef is too hard to resist!) and i've tried to work it up from there.
Have also included 'alcohol not from the pub' in this as well as going out is seperate budget.
We shall see whether it's accurate!!!

High_Peak_Lass

Bobbykins wrote: »

I've just found out we are "entertaining" a week on Saturday :eek: :eek: ......no meal plan, no meal, no budget!......this could be interesting, I wonder if they'd like HM soup and a sandwich? .

What kind of people are you entertaining for?
Is it a formal affair or are you likely to be able to do something like HM pizza and Garlic Bread? (still not quite £1, but YKWIM!)

nopot2pin

Spent £26.99 so far this month... but I only started on Tuesday:eek:

Going to Lidl later today for fresh veg, fruit, milk and bread making stuff. So hopefully wont have to go to the shops again for a while.

I also will have to get fuel. Its now over £1 for diesal here:eek: so dont know how I will do with that part of my challenge.

Good luck to all this month

mrs_pokemon

for 2 adults and 3 children aged3 ,6 and 8 ,our budget is £300.Oops forgot to add on the dog.
We used to spend £450.
Hoping to get it down to nearer £250.

High_Peak_Lass

Just finished the shopping (4 trips to the high street!)
£77.40
Butchers: mince, streaky bacon, eggs, chicken, stewing steak, chicken legs, back bacon, chorizo sausage, chicken wings.
Grocers: leeks, spuds, carrots, onions, yoghurt, mushrooms, thyme, ginger, garlic,chillies, red & green pepper.
Fishmongers: haddock
Mr T: sundries + 2 bottles Leffe (for cooking, honest!)
Aldi: Muesli and mini baguettes
Market: cheese, kitchen roll, tupperware, pastry cutters, spud masher, facepack and a toy for the cat (next doors)

Intend to spend this afternoon turning this little lot into:
Chicken pies
Cheese and onion pasties
beef in beer
bolognese
chilli
cottage pie
coq au vin
jerk chicken
burgers
fish and chips for tonights tea
garlic bread

I probably won't be as detailed in the future but as it's the first one i've posted I thought i'd be thorough!
I might be being optomistic but I reckon that portioned up for 2 this should keep us going till more or less till the end of the month?
Will total up later.
Thank goodness the OH's off out for a drink after work. I can make as much mess as I like!!!

Now to open a beer, put on planet rock and get cracking!!!!

Think i've created a monster!!!!:D

Bobbykins

Hi high peak lass -(love the name BTW - my DH comes from High Peak!) - no, my dinner guests will have to be formally fed - it's the BOSS!

Anyway, being a good OS-er, I've stopped panicking :eek: and had a good mosey round the cupboards and freezer and think I've got the solution:-:D

HM soup (posh tomato and herb one) with HM garlicky croutons.
A big beef casserole, not sure exactly what, but probably with a "french" influence
Roasters/veg
HM Summer pud with cream
Cheese + biccies.


Got the ingredients for the soup and for most of the casserole (just need the meat), got a summer pud in the freezer, got plenty of cheese type biscuits so I reckon I will just need to buy:-
stewing meat
fresh veg
cheese (maybe plus a bit of fruit)
cream

With a bit of luck, they will bring some wine so, with what I already have in, I reckon a tenner will cover everything - I just need to re-jig the meals for the rest of the month a bit to free up the tenner - bob's yer uncle. I'm quite pleased with myself now!:T :T :T

patentgirl

another £28.44 to add on to my total left this month going down rapidly going through my receipt as I type didnt seem to get much for my money will stick to nettos and farm foods and local shops in future too much temptation in asda, dont think I will need to spend anything till at least Monday though
Bobbykins you have done well with your menu hope all goes to plan for you and high peak lass what a busy afternoon you are having!

frankerooney

This thread is just what we need! I did the MSE budget planner as we are truly skint for the first time ever and was shocked to find we've been spending £280/month on food+toiletries+cleaning stuff (me, dh & ds age nearly 3). My November budget is £220 (I'll work out the signature thingamee later...) although we were on holiday in the first 2 days of the month, so I feel like I've cheated already. So far spent £65.34 while doesn't bode well really... but I'm not giving up this soon .

I get a weekly Mr T delivery although Lidl is on my way home from work so I'm gonna stop turning my nose up at it . My biggest problem is that I suffer with fatigue and I'm pregnant too so I don't have the energy for big bake-ins. Anyway I made an effort this week by buying a whole chicken for 3 meals: roast dinner (last night), curry (tonight) and some in the freezer to make a pie next week. And my Mum, bless her heart, is going to make stock for me with the leftovers. So I hope I'm on the right track!