June 2008 Grocery Challenge

OrkneyStar

Well I have done my first weekly shop for June and only spent £30, split between the COOP and Lidl (the only supermarkets we have at the moment unless I get on a boat lol) and £2 stashed in a food envelope- I only withdraw it one week at a time although some weeks spend more as need more and other weeks stash some for expensive weeks iykwim! Am quite pleased, got everything on the list plus a few store cupboard essentials, like more lentils, split peas etc. Also got plenty of milk and with what we have already it will last long enough that I won't have to buy any more next week I hope. I got 2 lots of '4 ski yogs' for 78p a pack in Coop- is it just me or is this a good deal? No reduced raw chicken so had to get the 2 for £4 deal, did manage to get half price cold meat though too. Decided to get the bulk bags of potatoes (7.5kg for £4.50) as this is cheaper per kg too and we go through a lot of those. Managed to use one of my coop £3 voucher. Its not great, but with the shop choice here I am quite pleased. I used to think nothing of spending £50-60 per week, even before DS came along, so this is definately a step in the right direction.
Good luck everyone.

SuziQ

Denise your post has fired me up once again! Since finding this site a couple of weeks ago I reckon I have stopped myself spending (and believe me I don't have it to spend) over £150. I did an inventory of all my cleaning stuff,tolietries and skincare and found I had enough for months (so why did I keep buying?) part from treating myself to some stardrops as everyone kept raving and I it would have been rude not to try it! (it's brill btw) and buying some tothpaste and toilet rolls (which I agree with everyone else here-every home has a toilet roll gremlin eating it methodically)I have been so good. I used to go into Mr T virtually every day-now if I have been in 1 day I tell myself I CANNOT go in the next. I have had 5 NSD in juts over 2 weeks which is very good for me but can be improved upon!
I am making food out of lefovers and stuff I would have just chucked out of my freezer. I used to 3/4 fill a black sack every week woth pots past their best,aging stuff out the fridge and packaging-this week I had NOTHING to throw from the fridge,and my packaging is neglible as I am cooking out the freezer and cupboards. Hurray-and it's not even been hard with all the tips and emcouragement on here. I only wish I had found MES OS sooner-I reckon I could have afforded a little holiday for the kids this summer if I had :sad:

teedy23

MRS MAC, can you put me in for £15.00 a week for this months challenge please, this seems to work better for me. I,ll be buying porridge oats and fruit for breakie this months cheap,healthy and good for me I,m sure.

OrkneyStar

Scenic_Route wrote: »

Delivery from Asda is now in the cupboards at £60.44 of which £17.58 was for puss-cat. He needed another bag of litter (£4) and I've got the cheapest bag of dry cat food (£1.70) but any idea's how to wean him off the Whiskas in gravy (was okay when it was £4 for 24 pouches but now it is £5.98:mad: ), he won't touch kitekat or anything in jelly. He is a crabbit sod most of the time and he doesn't appreciate me messing with his food. Has anyone sucessfully weaned their moggie off whiskas?

Meanwhile I'm on an organic kick, I'm getting a standard bag of mixed fruit and veg and 6 eggs for £11.50. Has anybody any idea how many bits of fruit and veg there would be? I'll not be amused if it is one potato, one apple and one onion for that price!:eek:

I just make sure the cat is hungry when I feed her, that way she will eat whatever we give her- she gets some Lidl cat food (looks fine), some Coop-some wet/some dry- and also meaty or fishy leftovers that we have. She is a good mouser too so I think she supplements her diet that way! None of this paying more for cat than human food for her anymore lol!
Let us know how the veg goes

sashanut

Scenic_Route wrote: »

Delivery from Asda is now in the cupboards at £60.44 of which £17.58 was for puss-cat. He needed another bag of litter (£4) and I've got the cheapest bag of dry cat food (£1.70) but any idea's how to wean him off the Whiskas in gravy (was okay when it was £4 for 24 pouches but now it is £5.98:mad: ), he won't touch kitekat or anything in jelly. He is a crabbit sod most of the time and he doesn't appreciate me messing with his food. Has anyone sucessfully weaned their moggie off whiskas?

My pussums only ate Whiskas Supermeat until I joined this challenge!! I decided to try them on Mr T's Supermeat & they LOVE IT - so much so that when we had to get expensive Whiskas again they turned their noses up at it! Why don't you try Mr T's equivalent in gravy; but mix it with Whiskas 80/20 at first then gradually increase the % of the cheaper food?? Works well with the family :rotfl: HTH

Urban_chameleon

okay, I'm in on this. I want to seriously reduce my spending over the next 3 months.

I'm making a guess here; I really have no clue at all about how much I spend on groceries. Ask me about phone, elec, transport and I'm spot on. Why does food not get my consideration?

starting on 29 May to end June 200 euros for me and hubby who is only here at the weekend.

Just realise, that sounds weird, he works away.

Do I also need to send a message to Mrs MC (who's doing a brilliant job)?

Alison

victory

suziq I agree with you, when you list stuff there is so much already, I am terrible for buying even more shampoo, even more bath stuff when I have loads, I did it yesterday I bought even more creams from Aldi only because the channel 4 show said it was the best from the how to look good naked show, I did not need it, could well managed another year without buying any but am a sucker for 'this is the best one, you must buy it, advertised on the tele....':rotfl: :rotfl:

I have learnt loads on this thread though and nothing but nothing goes in the bin now, I was so wateful but not now it has to be eaten, baked, frozen or whatever needs doing with it but never in the bin and I have never made so much from scratch either;)

NSD really help also, buying in bulk for the lack of money days is also a good one, toward the end of the month the money always runs out and then I can happily raid the cupboards or the freezer from what I bought when I had the money and know there is somethig in there to feed the kids, that we are not going to starve if I just used a bit more imagination to the meal plans:D

gunsandbanjos

Urban_chameleon wrote: »

Do I also need to send a message to Mrs MC (who's doing a brilliant job)?

Alison

Just make your budget big and red and Mrs M should spot it and add you on. Welcome to the thread:D

Scenic_Route

OrkneyStar,
Thanks for the tips, he won't eat anything from a plate of left over dinner (fish, meat) he's so weird. The only thing he will take from a dinner plate is a chippy chip . He will have a sniff at a full plate of human dinner but he won;t touch anything on it no matter how cat-appetising to a normal cat it may be. I've put leftover fish and meat in his bowl many occassions before and he has always sniffed it and ignored it. He will take a strawberry lace from me, eat a bit (which can't be good for him:o but it is only once in a blue moon) and then play with it for a while. He catches vole-type creatures and the odd bird but just leaves them for me at the back door, doesn't actually eat them. Maybe he hopes one day I'll use the dead bodies at the door but I refuse to lift them never mind cook them in gravy for him!

Sashanut,
I'll give the mixing 80% 20% a try and see how that goes.

Does anyone know: Is it socially acceptable to store an open tin of catfood with a cover on it in the fridge or is that just gross?:o

SR

MRSMCAWBER

Afternoon all

I have you Urbanchameleon...will add you to the list in a moment ..welcome on board

Well folks, after my 5 NSDs in a row.. i have spent the first of this months budget..got some bargains so im happy though

1. 4 kilo potatoes @ 50c..a couple have spruts but thats a bonus as im going to plant them that will be 6 varieties of potatoes in tubs outside
2. 2 fresh chickens @ €3 -1 in the oven allready
3. 2 x 1kilo bag organic potatoes €1
4. jersey double cream -€1..going to make a quiche
5. 7 x 2litres fresh whole milk @50c :T which im about to try and wedge in the freezer

So spent €13.00 and it should have been €37.05:dance: I still need to nip to Aldi tomorrow for some salad and fruit and then some butter whilst its on offer @65c ...
right off to update my signature..have a great day everyone