January 2008 Grocery Challenge

vanilla

I'd like to join if thats ok.
I'm really not sure what we spend a month but i'm gonna start with 350 pounds from the 1st-31st, that is for 2 adults, 3 children and a dog. Thats for everything from food - petrol.
I'm hoping if it's wrote down then i'll stick to it (fingers crossed).

rosieben

LouiseJ wrote: »

I joined the grocery challenge for the first time in September and came in just over budget. In October and November I nailed it! Coming in way under budget by a significant amount being the result of meal planning and home baking.

BUT! I totally lost the plot in December:

• I did not keep my spending diary at all!
• I Have no idea how much I spent on anything, never mind food in December
• Missed a credit card payment and incurred a £12 charge
• Had loads of take away meals and shop bought biscuits
• Did not even look at the MSE site throughout December

I have decided that next year I am not going to have a December.

I have now re-aligned my halo and have set a budget of £250 for January:A

I think a lot of us had wonky halos is december but January is a new month, a new year!

Frugaldom

I'd just like to state my case early, so there's no going back. My budget of £120/month includes everything grocery, cleaning, toiletries and alcohol on the rare occasion I buy cheap plonk. I've done a complete cupboard/fridge/freezer inventory and if I spend anywhere near my £120 during January, I'll have a fit! Feel free to yell at me during January if I buy anything other than toilet rolls, fresh produce or dairy, because that's about all I could possibly need.

EagerLearner

nykmedia - same here! I have lots in the cupboards and have already meal planned and shopped for the rest of this week. Next Sunday I will shop again but still have one Sainsburys voucher (last one of the 6 they sent me) that gives £4 off a £20 spend. Bet they thought they *had* me and my money when they sent those, but we've meticulously tried to spend the £20 and actually save the £4! December was hard but still averaged £23 spent each week, with £4 off after that.

I have lots in the cupboard for Maroccan curries with cous cous, plus lots of fish frozen and tinned stuff.

egon

Hi,

I've done my first Mr T shopping for January. It will be actually delivered tomorrow 31st), as it works out cheaper for us (all the offers!).

I only intend to do one Mr T a month, the rest of the month will be either Lidl or Morrisons (only if I can't get it in LIDL).

So hopefully, this will set us back onto track!

Good luck everyone.

Egon

cornishlady

Hi, i'm a newbie & i'd like to join the grocery challenge if that's ok,don't know exactly how much i spend but i know it's too much and i'm determined to try and cut down on food bills this year.Family consist of OH,son 19(20)tomorrow,daughter 17 & me.£400 for January +2cats

Move_To_Portugal

I need to stick to £200 a month for groceries throughout 2008 so I'm joining the January challenge. I'm aiming to improve my cooking skills next year and in doing so keep my budget in check.
Food prices have gone up so much lately and it's been hard keeping up with the changes in my price book, but I'm hoping for new focus during January.

Good luck everyone

mtp

bails

Hi all. Right, I'm starting from tomorrow My OH is a vegetarian so I'm thinking of pretty much going the same way (I've been thinking about it for a while for other reasons) so that should help. I'm also going to try the 'drop a brand' idea, especially on the cat food! I think I remember something about being able to compare supermarket prices/find what offers they have on, is that right and can anyone help me with a link please? Thanks and good luck!
Oh, and I'm also giving up alcohol til June so that should help too!

tattycath

Hi everyone. Welcome to all the newcomers!!!
OH has told me tonight that I can have understairs cupboard as a pantry-It does open into the kitchen. I've just got to empty all the cr*p out of it, clean it up and give it a coat of paint. Then I can maximise my multisaves and bulk purchases!!!:j So many projects going at the same time. Doing DDs bedroom at the mo and now doing the pantry, got to finish the lounge-just the glossing to do. Trying to do it all as old style (financially as opposed to old fashioned) as possible. So this grocery challenge will be worth it's weight in gold. Although I am setting fairly conservative targets I hope to be well under budget some months. January should be one of them as my cupboards are well stocked, as are freezers. So... Fingers crossed!!! I have decided that when I am under budget I will save the rest of the money from the budget in a separate pot, and hopefully will have enough to have a 'free month' i.e just spend what is in the pot when I have managed to save enough. I am doing same as last year and saving morrisons stamps for december 2008 and I have 5 already.
Anyway I'm waffling now so I'l go and put kettle on and psyche myself up for tearing more wallpaper off the walls in DDs bedroom.
Continued good luck to everyone else.

shell2001

I am back in this month. I was doing ok but kind of lost the plot a bit. We have £375 put back for household budget (food, toiletries, prescriptions, cleaning stuff) but I am planning on putting £50 a way per month into savings account so if I run short its there but hoping not to have to use it. So budget of £325 per month for DH, me and 5 and 3 year old. 5 year old DD has cooked dinner at school on day of her swimming lesson so thats nearly £10 per month gone.

Plan is to stock up on meat for the month so I can do some batch cooking to fill my new huge freezer (old one broke down 23rd Dec). May pop into Iceland and get some frozen veggies. I make my own burgers and chicken nuggets etc which work out more expensive than the "budget" ones you can buy but prefer to know its proper meat in what I am eating. I do find fruit and veggies really cut into the budget, everytime i pop into the veg shop to get a couple of items for tea its usually £5 gone.

Good luck everyone.