December 2008 Grocery Challenge

flubberyzing

Well, I'm over estimate. Although this is my first time doing the challenge and my figure was just a guess. However, I shouldn't need to buy any more food until January as I'm off to my parents tomorrow!
Try again next month.

little_miss_thrifty

Hi All, just updating my expenditure so far. Out of a £300 budget, we have so far spent £151.28!!
I am really pleased - we do not need any more shopping until after Christmas; which realistically, the amount we have in the cupboards should easily carry us into the new year.

This has been a GREAT challenge for me and i will certainly carry it on into January. My new GC wont start until Jan 1st.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

x

Angelraesunshine

I just wanted to say i am back. I know i have been away for several months and missed it terribly (post on main os board) i am going to join in again on the January GC thread. Need to get my act back together again.

Good luck everyone in your december challenge and merry Christmas.

Julimk

Hi Loubob

My budget is for me & DD who is 9 & as you can see from my siggy I have now got it below £120 but it took a couple of months and I couldn’t have done it without all of the help & support of everyone on here.:A So £150 seems a good place to start – and less than I managed in my first month, which was guesswork too.

A lot will depend on your circumstances & what shops etc you have available & when you can get to them. As cw18 said whoopsies (reduced to clear items) especially on meat, makes a big difference. I work full time, so I can’t go out of my way to look for these but I grab them when I see them & they can always go in the freezer for another time.

Angelatgraceland suggested I got DD a cook’s or chef’s outfit to encourage her to help out (she had a chef’s outfit for her slightly older DD) and LO was thrilled with hers & has been happy to go through the cookbooks for ideas, make her own suggestions & help with the cooking.:T She now wants to get her Dad cooking. She is with him for Christmas & we have bought him JO’s MoF, so good luck to her!

I also cook when I have time & make up the full 4 – 6 portions & freeze the extra portions individually for HM ‘ready meals’ when short of time. Good luck.

Declaring at £118.96 for December.

A bit over, but I am still fairly happy as it is much less than where I started & I have loads in still. I was concerned that if I was reducing the amount I spent I would run low on things I had in, but it hasn’t happened. Still hoping to be able to get it down a little bit more, so

£100 for January please.

Moniker

MRSMCAWBER wrote: »

Well folks -tomorrow is my birthday - ...

Have a great birthday Mrs M - you deserve it!

love Moniker

angelatgraceland

Juliemk
[QuoteAngelatgraceland suggested I got DD a cook’s or chef’s outfit to encourage her to help out (she had a chef’s outfit for her slightly older DD) and LO was thrilled with hers & has been happy to go through the cookbooks for ideas, make her own suggestions & help with the cooking.:T She now wants to get her Dad cooking. She is with him for Christmas & we have bought him JO’s MoF, so good luck to her! Quote]

So glad that it worked for you-it's always a worry to recommend someone to spend money doing something in order to save money. My dd also like JO although she seems to now want to spend more time out with her mates lately rather than in the kitchen! Still-she will soon be 15 so enjoy this time of togetherness in a cosy kitchen as long as you can-it is precious! Even better than the moneysaving part!
You are doing so well I think-great leaps from your unsteadiness when you started.
Well Im doing the 4k challenge in 2009 altho my challenge will actually be 10k and I do fear that Ive not accounted for a lot of "things" I buy throughout the year so it will be a very good exercise. Just going to revise my new grocery challenge figures tonight as Im including more items this time.

northern_star

Having just completed the Christmas Food shopping, I'm currently over budget (based on the £'s per day breakdown). However, we shouldn't need anything - other then milk - for the coming week, so there's a chance I'll get back on target. Who knows, by the end of the month there might even be something left in the kitty .

MRSMCAWBER

Evening all

Thankyou for the birthday wishes

On my trip round the garden centres today I saw the veggies seeds coming back out -so it looks like xmas is over :rotfl: not that they had any I needed yet -just need parsnip seeds then Im done for 2009 and then some .. I also spotted some nice polycarb cold frames -which "might be mine at the end of the month" -as the rest of my birthday/xmas pressie :T
On the grocery front -I spent a bit more today including 10 litres of fresh whole milk @ 50c for 2 litres so that is wedged in the freezer -and I should have enough to get us through January :j .... My spends for the month are now at €70 -so I still have €30 left -but I don't need anything -so I will declare and stop myself from thinking of things we "need" :rolleyes:

right off to update my total
have a great evening all

redmel1621

Happy Birthday for tomorrow Mrs M.

I have done it, I have bitten the bullet and ordered a full months shopping for January, it is coming in at £195.00 Although I haven't ordered the dog food yet!! I will then have £145 aside in cash then to buy veg, fruit and milk each week. As well as any other bits that I may run out of!!! I am going to try to reduce this bit by bit over the next 2 months...Then it will probably go up as the baby will be here lol....

I will declare my total tomorrow after I have been Somerfield for cheese etc.. but can I be put down for £340 for January please.

Mel x

CRANKY40

Happy Birthday MrsM!

I decided to do my last shop before Christmas today after a friend at work was called by her son to say that the police had been called to the asda near work due to chaos in the car park. I went to the asda near home, and they must have all been in the other one as it was busy, but plenty of food and no queues to speak of.

I spent £30.75 so now have £23.77 left for next weeks shopping. I should only need bread, milk and a few similar things and I'm hoping that I come in under budget for the month. Time will tell.......