December 2007 Grocery Challenge

Trying_hard_5

tattycath wrote: »

Hi everyone. Please can someone tell me when is the earliest I can buy my fresh veg for christmas?

We always get our veg about 3 days before xmas and put it in a curver box in the garden, with another upturned curver box on top of it, using a brick to weigh it down. Stops the foxes and other beasties getting into it.
It's so cold outside that it always keeps fresh!!

egon

I've spend another £8.29 today. mostly in the pound shop, for kids paracetamol etc. We don't have a poundshop here, so have to buy when I can.

I've also bought bread today. I am hoping to buy a breadmaker in the sales.
That should keep the bills down a bit. (I am useless at making bread by hand. Give me a car or plumbing to sort out :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: - no problem - self is the women! )

Mike D - I would love to know about your spreadsheet too. I was going to get one started in the new year, so any help is very much appriciated. :A

Egon

tattycath

Good evening everyone.
Went to supermarket tonight as we needed some milk and DD1 requested a take away for evening meal. So:o this is what we bought/spent.
milk x 10 cartons @ 0.44p £ 4.40
Mr kipling manor house cake 0.09 (reduced from £1.05)
The best christmas choc roll 0.09 ( reduced from £1.29)
The best christmas choc roll 0.09 ( reduced from £1.29)
5 mr kipling mini battenbergs 0.09 (reduced from £1.19)
spicy chicken jambalaya 0.29 ( reduced from 1.99)
hartleys pineapple jelly 0.25 (reduced from 0.33)
hartleys pineapple jelly 0.25 (reduced from 0.33)
san marco pizza x 2 £2.00 (reduced from £2.30)
6 x tins cat food £1.88
tikka mkasala sauce 0.65
tomato ketchup 0.43
uht cream 0.52
mini tortillas 0.09 (reduced from 0.59)
mini tortillas 0.09 (reduced from 0.59)
garlic baguettes x 2 0.99
6 Free range eggs £1.28
coleslaw 0.62
mayonnaise 0.69
12 white bread rolls 0.09 (reduced from 0.49)
6 x brown bread rolls 0.09 (reduced from 0.45)
best stuffing 0.29 (reduced from £2.09)
cooked sliced chicken 0.19 (reduced from 0.79)
savings stamps £5.00 (towards christmas 2008)
Total £20.45
total without reductions £31.23
savings made £10.78
So i've just got to update my sig!! i'm quite impressed with that:j

By the way, I tried to get a morrisons savings stamp card tonight. They only had cards that hold 50 stamps and no bonuses!!! I askerd at customer services and they said the promotional cards with the £3.00 saving (when used in november/december) will be brought out again in the middle of January sometime.

Savvy_sewing

Hi tattycath,
I dont seem to ever get any offers reduced by that much, must be shopping in the wrong place. Do you actually put the savings, £10.78 into a bank account, or something. or do you just record it as a "virtual" saving?
I actually had a no spend day today.:T (Cos kids actually bought the milk, and boyfriend gave me a couple of loo rolls to tide me over until my Mr T Delivery.
Girls had some of their Healthy start vouchers delivered today, so that will help us on milk, and Veg.:D

Re storing veg,, cant remember who asked that. I store mine on the balcony, in the old coal bunker. But I find its easier to cook the veg in advance and reheat as I never have enough space to do, and the energy to prepare all on the day.
On another note the value lines that I attempted are so far not as bad as I thought they would be. Had the chicken nuggets tonight. Passable for the odd occasion. Not something I have had in about 3 years though!!

meanmarie

Spent €4.33 today...not sure what is left of budget, but have about €150 in 1 & 2 euro coins to be spent as an emergency fund if needed...some things which should have come out of the Christmas budget have been paid for out of grocery budget, so should have at least €50 still in GC which will pay for leg of lamb for St Stephen's Day (boxing Day to you) and get the fruit and veg we will need over the holiday...tbh, if I send OH or DS1 to get these I won't have to pay for them so that is another option!

Good luck to all,

marie

Savvy_sewing

Oh meanmarie, your posting in euros just reminded me, I have 80euros still in my old purse from my October holiday. Yepee, savings for next year!!!!:beer: :T :T :T

tattycath

Hi Mooloo. I've never actually thought what to do with the savings, |I guess I should either save them or virtually save themn so I know how much I save over the year... I'll have to give that one some thought. I already save money in my mortgage pig-there is a thread for it on mse-it's a great idea. I also have a couple of tin money boxes that you open like a tin of beans and I put change in there too. I only started the grocery challenge in November but it's really motivating so now I am trying to buy morrisons savings stamps-a few each month. Then by christmas 2008 I'l have an extra budget (that has already been paid for over the year) to go towards my christmas grocery shop, so I won't have to increase my grocery budget for december because it will already be covered!!!
Pleased you managed a no spend day and pleased you are getting to grips with the challenge!!! yes, some of the value, smart price and other economy lines are brill, it's just trial and error to see which ones are right for you. I do go for cheaper brands on alot of things apart from:
Tea
coffee
wash powder
fabric softener
and I have to have soft loo rolls-can't be doing with the economy ones of those I'm afraid!!
OH insists on free range eggs!!!
but apart from that it's pretty flexible and I do try to buy my branded items when they are on special etc.
good luck with rest of challenge!!

Savvy_sewing

I think that, from now on, I will try and keep a "virtual" savings list of what I save, with the grocery challenge. earlier in the month I wondered about a £360 month for the 4 adults, 2 babies and 1 dog. But I think after reading all the challenges you all manage that perhaps I should be more adventurous and go for £300 a month for January onwards. Bit late to do an actual one this month.
Tattycath I think I should get one or two of those sort of tins. Have to keep my eyes out for them. Or ask my daughter too. We dont have a cheap pound shop etc here to get things like that.
I also agree with you about the loo roll. Got to have a little luxury in life.
Luckily none of my lot are fussy, they will eat what ever I put in front of them. Although the last two weeks my menu plan has gone to pot. Oh well tomorrow is another day, and I can get myself back on track if I get a bit of motivation.
Reading the thread here helps me alot.

tattycath

Hi again Mooloo. I got my tins from poundland, however, There is a sealed pot chalklenge thread on the website and instructions on how to make a piggybank out of papier mache-very old style and money saving. OH, kids and myself have started making some the other evening-it's a great family event, and we can all get involved no matter how old or young we are. Just a thought, hope it helps.

rosieben

Mooloo wrote: »

...
Re storing veg,, cant remember who asked that. I store mine on the balcony, in the old coal bunker. But I find its easier to cook the veg in advance and reheat as I never have enough space to do, and the energy to prepare all on the day.
On another note the value lines that I attempted are so far not as bad as I thought they would be. Had the chicken nuggets tonight. Passable for the odd occasion. Not something I have had in about 3 years though!!

great idea to store on the balcony. I usually cook my swede ahead of the rest, I mash with butter and black pepper and it reheats perfectly in the mw.

re value lines - I tried Tesco value curry sauce, thanks to a tip on OS and its lovely, much like the curry sauce from the chippy which costs nearly £1. At 6p a tin its a great addition to my storecupboard. But like Tattycath I dont like cheap tea bags or toilet rolls, other stuff I am willing to try. I found Tesco own brand wheat biscuits are just like weetabix but much cheaper!