September Grocery Challenge

MATH

Bennifred wrote:

I am in total awe!! Did you already have a good stock of stuff in, or is that all the basics too??!! Mine is a family of 5, too, and I just can't imagine getting by on that little (it would be fantastic, though!)

Sorry I havn't responded to this question before now, I only really look at this thread a couple of times a month. No I didn't have anything much in stock except a few tubs of brambles in the freezer cos we were moving back to the emids for school starting back so I had to buy basics as well.

Been to tesco today and done a final September and mammoth shop costing a whopping £40.49. I had a real old cross-patch on the till who didn't want to accept me coupons but I first flirted, then nagged, then asked her to ring the cash office and finally got here to scan £5.55 worth through. So paid £34.94

Total Grocery Spend for September £ 171.64

Budget saved £ 28.36:j

moggins

Weekly shop done today - £28.87 and that was including 12 cans of coke for DH to take to work (he's been buying them from the Co-op) so well under target for this week

Petal_3

Well...I don't think I'm doing very well for my first month. I've kept all the receipts so far so will have a tot up tonight. We've been trying to buy organic as much as we can which doesn't seem to go hand in hand with cutting the grocery bill. I was wondering....do you all buy the value/own brand things? Do you stick with your usual/favourite brand or buy whatever is BOGOF or on a deal? I was in Asda the other day and noticed how cheap their Smartprice stuff was. I needed chopped toms/kidney beans n stuff but when I've bought these before OH said the kidney beans were tough etc etc (he is the King of spag bols & chilli and so is fussy....or maybe cos he knew they were cheap brand he automatically took a disliking) :rolleyes:

I guess the answers are:
1) Meal plan
2) Have an organic box delivered weekly
3) Do online shop from Asda/Tesco for the rest

:eek: Must try harder :eek:

x

rchddap1

First step is to work out what you actually buy every week / month. When you have all your receipts tot up the totals and start to look at areas where you could buy cheaper, or buy more. Link this with a meal plan and you should be able to reduce your grocery shopping.

MATH

You're quite right Petal, cutting grocery bills and trying to be more organic is no easy task. I never buy organic from the supermarket and almost exclusivly use their saver/value lines. IME home made chilli is much nicer even if it contains value beans compared to a packet mix with top-quality beans. I do buy organic fruit/veg/eggs from local producers but then I am very lucky as I live in a rural area where everyone has a sign in their front graden saying eggs here or toms 35p lb.

Petal_3

Thanks. I've really started taking notice of produce in supermarkets. I buy stuff for lunches for work and have started to read the labels on the ham etc at the deli counter....added water, added this and that. Sooo, I decided to go to our local farm shop where all the meat/produce is local....I spent £9.84 on 4 slices of ham, a small wedge of cheese and 3 lamb loin chops! :eek:

I'm just not getting the hang of this.....yet!

angelatgraceland

I did well last night. Id put in my online order for Tesco to a total of about £80. Had an ecoupon for £10 plus some bogos so my £3.99 delivery charge well-sorted. Time for the delivery arrived and I got a phone call instead-van broken down-clutch problem. Would I like to collect the order-del charge reimbursed-evoucher still honoured-plus something for my trouble? Other option was to wait a day or 2 and it would be delivered. Chose to collect, so 2 nice assistants all waiting with all my shopping, load it into my car for me and give me 2 bottles of wine. Refund for £5 attached(delivery fee plus a bit extra).
So

---

I had my shopping done for me, bagged up, put in my car for me-£10 discount for visiting, and a couple of bottles of decent wine for doing so! Not bad at all!
Then I went in, got some milk and a couple of pizzas for £4.69-handed over £2 coupons---just couldnt resist-ad to cover the fuel! I reckon I was £20 up, one way or another!

AnnaV

Well, I don't think I'm doing too well with keeping all my receipts but I have saved £30 from PIN money.

Remembering to get receipts for everything is much harder than I thought! Think I will sent up a box in the kitchen to start posting them all in.

16011996

16011996 wrote:

This month I've set myself a target of £200 for the four of us, not sure wether i'll manage that, but keeping my fingers crossed. First attempt at this challenge.

well i'm upto £140 ish so far, so doing quite well. feeling quite proud, so thought i'd stick in an updaye.

squeaky

I'm finding it really hard to see quite where I sit in terms of a monthly budget. I did my main shop last night and it came to £78.09

It's not as bad as it looks at first glance because that's my entire shop. Cleaning agents, kitchen and loo rolls etc, and of course, my beer allowance . I have to shop to cover a minimum of six weeks too - or at least to maintain my store cupboards at that sort of level because I don't like to trouble my nice neighbour too often to take me up to Asda. Then the minimum of six weeks comes in because he may not be going shopping that week so I'll have to wait on, living off stocks, for another week or more.

So... taking out the non - groceries we have... £53 (ish) for a minimum six weeks that could be stretched to eight... but lets be mean and say £40 for the month... plus all the milk and fresh veg and fruit which is where I really fall down I think 'cos that's a massive £47 already! Mind you, that covers extra food and wine etc for a weekend visitor so it's really £36.

That's still £76 so far for me, one cat, and eighty White Cloud Mountain Minnows.

Seems a lot when looked at like that. Hm.