October 2009 Grocery Challenge

Julimk · 8 October 2009 at 9:06PM

Today was the planned top-up shop for week 3, though there wasn’t very much I needed. Recently there have been very few whoopsies on anything I would find useful & I was starting to become concerned that I might have to buy some meat full price! :eek: Haven’t had to do that for months.

Fortunately this morning MrT did have a few items & I was able to get ¾ kg each of beef mince, pork mince & casserole steak, so with what I already had in that will be enough meat & fish for November’s meals. Only 1/3rd off, as it was early, but that is still a significant amount on meat & there hasn’t been anything available in the evenings, so I am happy.

I am really pleased with how this month’s budget is going. Having completed the week 3 top-up shop I have spent only slightly over £100. Only one more weekly top-up to do & plenty left in the budget still.

Interesting item on Watchdog this evening about grocery shopping; three teams were give a list, which could be purchased for less than £12. One team spent a less than £15 but two of the teams spent over £20! This was because they assumed that the special offers, bigger packs & loose produce would be better value without working out the unit cost, but that wasn’t necessarily the case. Of course we know better! :A

Catzpaws · 8 October 2009 at 9:32PM

Went for a top up shop in Lidl and decided to pop to B&M too. I ended up buying some unplanned random items too - a salad spinner from Lidl and some 10 tupperware tubs from B& M for batch freezing chopped onions.

Now spent about £92 of £200 budget with need to buy more stuff tomorrow for the weekend (milk, cereal, goats cheese, honey, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar - eek :eek: and, um, wine...).

millienjacksmummy · 8 October 2009 at 9:44PM

NSD day here

popped to boots at lunchtime to get a few bits - paid by boots advantage points

Dinner was waitrose chicken nuggets and oven chips and sweetcorn for kids after swimming class & did risotto (using up green beans and ham) for me and DH
Took leftover HM spag bol for lunch!

Off to do a shopping list for tomorrow/weekend

oceanspirit · 8 October 2009 at 10:18PM

Did my weekly shop this evening and was pleased that the total was not as high as I thought it was going to be. I had to buy several items in larger sizes than I wanted because the shelves were bare of the smaller ones, I bought a bottle of wine and a couple of other extras for my visitors this weekend and I also bought ingredients to make a batch of apple chutney to use up the last of mum's bramleys.

I managed to get several items on my list from the clearance shelf which I was really pleased about, and a few whoopsied veg. So total spend was £32.86.

sistercas · 9 October 2009 at 6:26AM

morning

I am aiming for a NSD today , I have spent about £70 so far this month
and I am going to try not to spend over the weekend too as I can make some bread and I dont think we need anything else.

nope just realised after reading flying fresians post I need some cat food :rolleyes:

Nomoneymummy_2 · 9 October 2009 at 7:28AM

Tried so hard for a NSD yesterday, but ran out of onions and eggs, somehow managed to go through 6 again yesterday, really need to get to the farm... its 2and half dozen for £3.49 from the farm and half dozen for £1.15 is what I'm paying locally.... grrrrr, also out of onions again!!!

Was hoping for a NSD today but running low on butter, no eggs again, milk running low and last of the yogurts gone in DD's lunch box..

Working from 3 today till 10pm then sat is 12noon till 10pm then sunday is 6:30 till noon so no chance to get a proper shop done btween then...

Plan to leave work, get straight to the farm so will take all my recipe boks into work and hope for a quite few mins to week plan.... may just get enough timne today to do fridge/freezer invetory (naff all!! )

Well time to get busy!!

[Deleted User] · 9 October 2009 at 9:20AM

<<Interesting item on Watchdog this evening about grocery shopping; three teams were give a list, which could be purchased for less than £12. One team spent a less than £15 but two of the teams spent over £20! This was because they assumed that the special offers, bigger packs & loose produce would be better value without working out the unit cost, but that wasn’t necessarily the case.>>

When I was in MrT's last week I noticed that a small tin of 200g sweetcorn in water was 32p and a cling-film multipack of three was £1.25

exactly the same size and weight. Do they think us shoppers are sheep and fall for such tricks ,well some might but not this canny old gal. :rotfl:I always check weight and price per 100g before I buy anything. I sound like a bit of a saddo but its just a case of making every penny work to my advantage,there are few enough of them to go around at the moment .Still I am quite pleased with my progress this month. My DD's MIL rings me every night and tells me how she is doing .They are two of them and between us we say whats good to buy and what can save a few bob. She lives just outside Bexleyheath in London so she has more of a choice of shops than I do, but we both agree that Aldi's wins hands down when it comes to F&V. I shall pop in there after college this afternoon as its just around the corner from where I go and top up on some veggies for the week-end.keep up the good work ladies we all seem to be doing well.:T

jayward · 9 October 2009 at 10:17AM

good morning,
2 nsd for me this week but my ds is home for 2 nights so i will try to bake today so he can take some home . so extra butter and sugar needed.
today i will get aldi veg,milk and bread in total i have spent £18 so I'm over budget .i think i may of under estimated my total this month i must try harder

patentgirl · 9 October 2009 at 11:52AM

Morning all

Doing ok this month had 3 NSDs this week but need to go out after work today to top up a few things will resist the M & S dine for £10 I must! I must! got £125 left to last exactly a fortnight so should be easliy done famous last words I know.

Nomoneymummy_2 · 9 October 2009 at 11:56AM

Failed on NSD again.. upset at daughter nursery (details on daily thread!) so caved and went to the shop for treats...

Big Farm shop hopefully being squeezed in early early tomorrow otherwise I'll end up wasting money in work tonight&tomorrow...
Trying to defrost freezer to get xmas prep etc organised... Thinking of buying a chest freezer for the shed for fruit and veg now I've discovered the farm is sooo much cheaper (just a pain to get too!!)... is this worth it????

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October 2009 Grocery Challenge

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