Yes, the final shopping trip happened yesterday:
2 tins cat food 90p
tin tuna 45p
box frozen fish (4 pieces) 2.00
mozarella 47p
BOGOF cheese (so 2 x 400g packs) 3.99
bag small apples 1.34
Total - 9.15
That left enough to buy some small Easter treats for friends at school - another £3.
By my calculations, that leaves me 16p from the original £100 for the church collection next Sunday........as long as we don't spend it in the meantime. I'm not tight enough to just put 16p in the collection - I will put our usual amount in as well.
This has shown us that it is possible to do this, to eat well and not feel that we have struggled to find food to eat when we have plenty of ingredients in the house. I will be honest, the girls have said that there was "nothing" to eat occasionally, but that has been because they have seen a lack of ready-prepared, ready-to-eat stuff. When I have pointed out to them that they could make a sandwich, have some fruit or pop some corn, they have seen that there has been food to eat! Similarly, the fridges have had a little less "Stuff" in them - I have kept the bacon frozen to avoid it being eaten as bacon sandwiches for breakfast every day, I have bought less ham/pepperami for sandwiches and pizzas because in my experience they don't get kept for the sandwiches and pizzas as they get eaten too easily as snacks!
The family has gone to take the poultry to the auction today near Mildenhall, so I knew last night that I had to make them all a packed lunch. So yesterday at the shops, I made sure I had some fruit (the apples) and some sandwich filling (some of the cheese) and then yesterday evening, I made some lemon madeira cakes with some lemons I had had here for while and needed using up. I also used up the end of a bag of mixed dried fruit and made the FH a fruit cake. They have gone off with enough food to keep them going for the day, and then they will have their chicken dinner when they get home this afternoon.
I can see an online order coming from Asda in the near future to restock the pantry! I have enjoyed this challenge, and the bank balance has benefitted from me not going shopping and spending £50-£65 each week. There has also been less wastage which can only be a good thing. We will have to try to keep doing all the good points, and learn from the whole experience.
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5 comments:
Well done, especially as you had the setback of your husband spending money on things you didn't need.
Well done at suceeding at your challenge! Its hard for us to stick to a rigid budget as I have to buy for B&B guests as well as us. That said I'm sure we spend alot less than the average family, and theres never much wastage. Lidl is my friend!
Thanks, guys!
I must check out Lidl again - have got out of the habit of going there lately as I was finding that the Value ranges at Tesco and Sainsbury were cheaper than Lidl. I know Aldi also has some great discount offers on fruit and veg but our nearest is in Peterborough - just too far away!
I've had a look at your fitness challenge, Toria - and I am impressed! Maybe I should work on fitness now......well, I know I SHOULD!!
I'm not sure the equivalence of your spending challenge compared to the U.S. dollar ... but I'm glad you and your family stuck with it. We have cut back by one third to one half of our monthly food expenditures ... as well as other non essentials. Now it's time to finally hammer the rest of the mortgage with the extra savings to be completely debt free. My kids have learned not to say 'there's nothing to eat at home;)
Mrs Mac, even if we compared the exchange rates to see what my £100 equates to in $$s, I don't think that it would help. I follow Gayle Bryant on the $60 a week blog in my blogroll, and I am amazed at the prices she pays for some of her items. The price of some foods in the USA is just so cheap compared to what we pay here. I am sure that it is swings and roundabouts, though, and that there are things we pay less for here - although car fuel certainly isn't one of them!!
Not having a mortgage or rent to pay is our greatest blessing - we'd be in dire straits otherwise!
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