January 2020 Grocery Challenge

Islandmaid

NSD as we’re not going out

Lazy roast today, chicken and leek pie with roast potatoes, cauliflower cheese, steamed brussel tops, sticky toffee pud for after

Suffolk_lass

baggins11 wrote: »

Feeling a bit disheartened today. This is my first month of working out how much we spend and we have spent £704 so far this month!

When I did our budgeting I figured our month spend would be around £480. Although I have done a lot of bulk buying this month so my cupboards are full and it is difficult to work out how much is for the future but I estimate at least £100 worth is bulk buys.

Also I have baked fresh bread every day and made lunches for the family and that has saved probably around £120 this month. I have also started baking GF bread so will be saving lots going forward with this.

So if I take those things off I am at my £480 ish so it's not disastrous. The thing that worries me though is I thought I was really thrifty this month. Everything was cooked from scratch and packed lunches every day. We eat mainly veg meals and do not have many luxuries. I batch baked a months worth of biscuits and flapjacks and portioned up in the freezer for the kids to take every day. Our wastage this month has been minimal although I want to reduce that further. OH was doing dry January and I don't drink. We didn't buy toiletries or cleaning products this month as I bulk buy those.

We do have 2 hungry teenagers who do lots of sports so eat more than me but I just can't understand why some people manage on such low budgets. I am obviously doing something wrong.

Don't be disheartened baggins11 - It took me three years to reduce my spend from about £750 to £400 and then another four to twiddle it down to an average of £200 per month, with £400pa for stores (bulk buys and sit on the shelves) and a reduced month for our Summer Hols and an increase for December. My annual budget has been £3000 for the last three years and I comfortably stayed inside that in 2019. We live well.

I think the top tips are well documented but the order is not.

1. Look at what you have in and meal-plan based on this
2. Make a list of what you need to make those meals
3. Review that list to see if you can substitute an ingredient you would buy with something you have in
4. Go on to MySupermarket and enter your list, then price compare to determine where you will shop (max 2 SM for me) and consider where substitutes for your brands can be tolerated
5. Make a second list of the things you are running short of that do not perish that you will buy only if they are on offer, from your separate bulk buy/stores budget
5a. Later you can take this to another level if you wish, where you keep a record of the offers, their frequency, and how many you need to buy to always have a spare in hand so you don't have to buy at premium price
* Only then do you shop - you know where you are going (or ordering from) and what you are buying.
* Even then - you go to the YS point and consider whether you can substitute something there for something on your list. If it can't, would you use it? Can it be frozen? Can you afford it? - before it enters your basket.
* In all cases consider if you can drop a brand (I can't for coffee, shower gloop, organic milk and laundry detergent) - I have not bought my brands other than on offer, for over five years.

And - If you can't control yourself to stick to the list you must send someone who hates shopping to do it for you (because they will stick to the list, query substitutes so these are conscious decisions, and not buy extras because they can't wait to get out - well this is my DH!), or order it online so you can't be tempted.

Look at vouchers and coupons but be aware you are signing away your shopping habits to a knowledge base if you do these online - maybe pick up a paper or magazine and clip things you would buy anyway. There are active threads in the forum behind the email to help you with current offers. Only get Bogoffs for things you would buy.

There are more steps but not to begin with...

Cut yourself some slack - tracking is the first step. Well done for being honest with yourself:T

Saver.The.Taste

2 shops to register, one slightly heavy one of £25.09 but this was after a £4 off coupon and I did get a whole salmon for £12, and this will do about 15 meals for me so very worth the investment!

Second one was a small top up shop to get the last few essentials for the year (hopefully) and to use up some coupons. Spent £6.15 (I was hungry too!!) but I think with the exception of a loaf that's me.

Now up to £88.98/£150

baggins11

Thanks SuffolkLass that makes me feel much better. I think I need to be better with lists and meal planning. I vaguely meal plan for the week but I need to spend more time on this. It is good to hear where you started from and how you have reduced your spend so much.

Unfortunately I couldn't send OH shopping. He always buys brands and spends twice as much as needed. I sent him out yesterday for a pack of small sandwich bags for my batch baking and he came back with 2 packs of medium sized bags instead!

supersaver1000

Hi All

I have been lurking in the background and following along. This month I've tried to stick to a £300 budget for 2 adults + occasional visitor (DD) and a furry fussy kitty.

I thought I would delurk as I am cashing in for January at £348.46 from a planned £300.

I think I have a lot to learn. I've been including cat food, toiletries and household stuff e.g. bin bags, but even so I can't believe how much we have spent. Going to start February off fresh and hope to get under £300 next time.

Baggins 11 I'm baffled like you, its good to hear I'm not the only one. We used to spend around £1k/mth for 3 of us, but DH used to insist on eating out of season foods or whatever he fancied (including takeaways) once upon a time.

Suffolk Lass thanks for those tips - really helpful. Its good to hear that it also took you a little while to whittle it down, I'm feeling hopeful again.

jasminesaver

Hello, reporting a big spend for me this week - £38.30!! This obviously exceeds my £25 a week budget. The reason for this is that I went to Iceland and bought lots of frozen food to stock up on, including a 3 for £10 deal on frozen fish which is quite good. I also bought coffee in M&S, and I bought extra stuff like juice and milk in the co-op, and I also spend £5 on ham slices for my sandwiches. So all in all it wasn't that bad, and hopefully my shop will last a long time (??!!!) Hopefully next week will be cheaper. :think:

Herbyme

baggins11 wrote: »

Feeling a bit disheartened today. This is my first month of working out how much we spend and we have spent £704 so far this month!

When I did our budgeting I figured our month spend would be around £480. Although I have done a lot of bulk buying this month so my cupboards are full and it is difficult to work out how much is for the future but I estimate at least £100 worth is bulk buys.

Also I have baked fresh bread every day and made lunches for the family and that has saved probably around £120 this month. I have also started baking GF bread so will be saving lots going forward with this.

So if I take those things off I am at my £480 ish so it's not disastrous. The thing that worries me though is I thought I was really thrifty this month. Everything was cooked from scratch and packed lunches every day. We eat mainly veg meals and do not have many luxuries. I batch baked a months worth of biscuits and flapjacks and portioned up in the freezer for the kids to take every day. Our wastage this month has been minimal although I want to reduce that further. OH was doing dry January and I don't drink. We didn't buy toiletries or cleaning products this month as I bulk buy those.

We do have 2 hungry teenagers who do lots of sports so eat more than me but I just can't understand why some people manage on such low budgets. I am obviously doing something wrong.

Me too Baggins. I have 2 just-out-of-teens who eat like they may never see food again, and DH does not do what I'd call thrifty food, those are reasons why I find it hard, but not enough to justify how much more I seem to spend compared to most people on here. I do at least half my shopping at Ald1 and don't buy 'luxury' brands. I cook nearly everything from scratch and our food waste is (funnily enough) very low, I think. I do food plan, at least 1 week at a time but am trying 3 weeks at a time at the moment - that helps a lot except when plans change. I didn't buy lots of food at Christmas (which was a good thing as my mum had a stroke on Christmas day so all plans went out of the window) so I haven't had that January thing of living on leftovers from the freezer all month.

I am getting better at it, and spending less, partly just by paying more attention to it, but I find it can get a bit obsessive and then I get fed up with it and yoyo in the other direction for a while! So I'm trying to find a happy medium...

Hope you also find a good balance and get your spending to a level you're comfortable with Baggins (and everyone else too!)

K9sandFelines

There isn't a February thread up yet, but I'd liken to dive back in for the rest of the year please, after having just moved house.

Still on £300 I think. Didn't do last.month as everything was depleted and needed repurchasing.

Still need to add up 2019 spends also.

Good luck all and its good to be back.

candygirl

I've just done a meal plan, from what I've already got in, n I potentially have 64 meals I can make :eek:
Am also looking for new, easy veggie recipes at the mo

purpleybat

hello all,
i can't remember when i last posted... i think it was when i did my last weekly shop so i shall say i've done 2 shops since then of £3.22 and £11.69.
having a quick look i think i have about £30 left til the end of the month, so in theory i should be able to stay in budget.
freezers are starting to have a bit of space in and hoping at the end of next month i should be able to defrost one, reshuffle, and then defrost the other,