January 2014 Grocery Challenge

Suzexxx · 31 December 2013 at 2:32PM

Hi all

Can i join please, budget for January is £250.

I joined this thread last year and only lasted for 4 months, due to having my little boy in February i struggled keeping uptodate with the reciepts.

I have the same sort of reasons for joining as last year and found this thread very helpful in keeping me on top of my spending. I'm just about to return to work from maternity leave, but only for a few hours each week so money will still be tight for us for the next few months.

Suze

xx

LESLAMP · 31 December 2013 at 2:40PM

A newbie to all this but can you put me down for

£250 for January please.

We are a household of 4 adults and a 7 month old lurcher.

Hopefully this will be going down in future months.

:beer:

Florenceem · 31 December 2013 at 3:03PM

MrsCautious wrote: »

Hello, thank you Zippychick for thinking of this when you have been poorly and worried about your job, I very much hope things come right for you.

Thank you to all who run and contribute to this thread, I would like to join for January with a very thrifty head on. I'm armed with a slow cooker, a bread maker and a, um notebook to see me through...and I've only ever used the notebook.

I also have £43 in nectr points, £12 in luncheon vouchers and £45 in Sainsbury vouchers so that adds up to £100. I'd like to use these in January to reduce grocery shopping costs, so my planned budget for this month is £100that's on top of all the vouchers etc, meaning I can spend £200 really -- hope that makes sense, it does to me. . . I'm trying to keep costs down, I think I could go a little lower but don't want to feel too restricted and end up splurging.

This is for me, two teenage daughters and a dieting Jack Russell. It includes all cleaning and household supplies like foil etc. I'm going to be meal planning and making most of YS bargains, would like to give more baking a try but will need to plan time better.

Touch wood I have been managing easily on £200 in this challenge up to now, didn't do too great when I tried to get it down to £150. Lost track a tiny bit in December, having doubled my budget, didn't think I was too far away though.

Good luck everyone, happy new year x

Saw foil on your list - I wash and reuse so don't buy it very often. I do the same with poly bags.

forever_saving · 31 December 2013 at 3:29PM

Afternoon all,
I haven't joined in with the grocery challenge for a while. Really need to get back on it. Can i please rejoin for £300 for January. I have a new diary so really shouldn't be any reason why i can't keep a close eye on what i am spending.

Wishing you all a happy new year!
Zippychick, thinking of you and hope you feel better soon.
FS x

lynnejk · 31 December 2013 at 3:31PM

kayester wrote: »

Can I have some advice please.
I have a 2kg (4lb) silverside of beef. I want to slow cook it in a fan oven (never done this before) what temp n roughly how long for if any beef cookers here?
Hope you all have a happy new year :beer:

Here's a thread to a recipe I've used in the past
http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/980/beef-pot-roast.aspx?o_is=LV

Florenceem wrote: »

Saw foil on your list - I wash and reuse so don't buy it very often. I do the same with poly bags.

I reuse mine as well until no longer possible, then used for rubbish wraps :rotfl: My DH calls me mean but I reuse T bags and anything else I can get away with
Lx

WantAnOrange · 31 December 2013 at 4:13PM

Can I ask some advice please? A bit random but, if you store flour in bulk, what size tub do you use? I've got a 16kg bag of flour and a 24ltr tub. It looks like it might fit but I don't want to open the bag and find it doesn't all go in (I may be completely out!).

I am very excited to have all this lovely food filling up my store cupboard again! (need to get out more....)

medusasmummy · 31 December 2013 at 4:29PM

Afternoon all

Hope everyone has had a happy, safe, and well Christmas!

January started yesterday and is a 5 week month for us. so with that in mind

Coxy- can I be put down for £300 please

We did a big bulk shop on heavy items yesterday and spent
£35.08 in s@insburys
£55.15 in te$cos

so just short of £210 to last the month. The meal plan is done and there nothing that I can think of that we would need until at least next Tuesday. hoping to spend as little as possible so we can start stashing money away for our holiday.

really need to knuckle down and only but needs and not wants!

Huge thanks to all who help with the thread, and wishing all a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2014 :beer::beer:

K9sandFelines · 31 December 2013 at 4:34PM

Hi folks. My January starts tomorrow, though I'm not sure when i get paid as it is only my third pay cheque; plus holidays have thrown the dates a bit.

I was just starting to whittle my spends down and then I had all kinds of disruptions kept seeing me have to alter things.

I am aiming for £360until I hit target then will reduce gradually by about £10/20 probably.

Good Luck everyone for 2014 grocery spends.

malamay · 31 December 2013 at 4:56PM

Hi everyone, and happy 2014! This year has gone by quickly :eek: I started the grocery challenge in January last year, and it has certainly helped!

Not sure what budget to set for this month. I'm currently using up the second Christmas turkey (£4 in Mr. T - rude not to buy it really) so have a few meals left here, then there's the reduced ham I bought that is taking up a corner of the freezer. I stocked up on reduced meat in December, and it's all portioned up and ready to go from the freezer.

A full month for us has come in at £150 or more for two of us in the past year, so I will aim for £150 again this month. No reduction as it's a long month!

Nikkiclaire · 31 December 2013 at 5:08PM

NSD today and just finished making 6 jars of delicious sticky chilli jam to go with leftover meats etc. Well I pretty much eat it with anything and also use it to cook with. I usually buy it and pay £2.60 per jar. I have just made the 6 jars and it cost me a total of £3.00 so thats 50p a jar. This will be less when I harvest my own chillis. As I usually buy the chillu jam anyway its a real saving. In case anyone interested here is the recipe

150g red chillis ( finally chopped and include seeds)
150g red peppers(finally chopped remove seeds
1kg of jam sugar or sugar with added pectin
1 clove of garlic
600ml of bog standard cheap vinegar
Old jars washed and sterilized.

1. Chop finely all chillis, peppers and garlic ( you could blitz it with food processor)
2. In a big pan ( I use a stock pot) dissolve sugar and vinegar
3. Add mixture and boil for 15-20 minute
4. Sterilise jars in oven
5. Spoon mixture into hot jars and put lids on
6. As the jars cool swish them around so that chilli bits are evenly distribute
Its now cooling, but it tastes amazing : )

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January 2014 Grocery Challenge

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