Anyone want to join me on my $100 per week food challenge

[Halex]

$85 this week, yippee

Very pleased to be back on track & determined to stick to it.

Woud have been over if I had to buy bread.  Love my TM

Total included lollies etc for the trip home

[obbie]

I will post after I shop

[astarra]

$87 this week. 

[obbie]

$170 today.

thats about average for us for a week for 6.

[Halex]

This week I need a few big ticket items, ie 10kgs of basmatti rice & a few other things.

I am back to being determined to stick to budget, major bills due & coming up

Have done my menu plan & think I can buy the bulk items  eat some freezer meals & stay in budget.

Need to do some baking for school lunch boxes, realiseI have a pack of 12 muesli bars so will give cp a muesli bar each day

Menu plan
Sat steak & salad
Sun tacos, all prepared from freezer
Mon pasta with bits from fridge & freezer
Tues, birthday so out or take away
Wed pork chops & lemon pilau  rice
Thurs chicken, ceasar salad
Fri burgers with left over ceasar salad, & any left over rice

Lunches, left overs, freezer food & sandwiches.

Organised my aussie farmers order & done my shopping list

Back to school, back to routine, lets all try & stay in our budget

H

[judydawn]

Yes Mum 

I am well below budget so far this year - January's average $55.76 per week and this week I only spent $44.34.  I have plenty of vegies left for the coming week and am determined to use up my freezer stocks so I expect this week's total to come in well under budget as well.

[Halex]

JD, thats fantastic.

It will be easier not having heaps of hungry kids over all the time

Feel good getting back ito it

[obbie]

I am sure we are getting ripped off up here on prices.

[Halex]

Kalbarri prices are higher.

[KarenH]

I have actually started to take this challenge seriously, after being fairly half-hearted about it last year.

In the past few days I have gone around our 2 local supermarkets (woolies and Foodland), butcher, fruit and veg shops and farmers markets, and written down the prices of the things we regularly buy.  Partly to compare what shops are cheaper for what items, but also to get an overall idea of what things cost, so I can recognise a bargain when I see one.  I am ashamed to admit that until doing this, if you asked me what something usually cost, I would not have had much of an idea - I just bought what we wanted.

It has been a very time consuming exercise,  but an amazing education.  I cannot believe how much prices vary, and how many bargains are out there to be had, if you just know what you are looking for and can recognise a bargain.  And all the info is now on a spreadsheet on the computer.

For those who havent already done this, and who can be bothered, it was a very valuable exercise, and using that information, I am sure I can save lots more on my groceries

[judydawn]

Great tip Karen and good on you for taking the time to do this little exercise.  I used to do the same thing (pop items into my basket without worrying about the price), had no idea what prices were generally, especially items I didn't buy every week.  I've never had the time to go around to different shops to do what you have done but I do stand in front of items and check the per kg price of everything similar so that I know I am getting the best value for my dollar.  I used to have to work it out for myself but since they bought in these regulations where all prices must be shown per kg, it is now so easy to do and very worthwhile too.

[obbie]

we only have 2 supermarkets here ww and iga.

I check price per kilo too Judy

[Jude59]

There are big differences in prices once you start looking around.  At one of my local shopping centres we have WW, Coles and to open soon Aldi.  So lovely to have them all under the one roof.  Makes shopping around a bit easier.

[judydawn]

And it would keep them honest too Jude - a bit of competition is good for us.

[cookie1]

Since we have been retired I tend to watch prices much more. I look carefully at the unit pricing but will not buy the cheapest as sometimes I don't approve of where they have come from. I find weeks where I need meat are much more expensive or need to stock up on bakers flour or similar.