December 2009 Grocery Challenge

earthmother

Well, I've now meal-planned and done my big delivery orders - had Tesco and Asda deliver today - it worked out cheaper than shopping with just one, even taking delivery into account, as I also had nappies and a few household bits to get that aren't in this budget but were on offer.

I've now spent £106.84 from my grocery budget, and other than a tin of beans & sausages and a pack of ham that I forgot, I won't have to shop again until Friday (and then only for milk), and next week is looking good too, so roll on lots of NSDs :j

Downsizing_2

Can you put me down for

Downsizing - £100 for December please? I used to post quite regularly, but not for ages, and somehow the site won't recognise my username or password anymore. Anyone know if there's a time limit if you don't log in?

£100 is for 2 adults and one toddler, we are away from 18 Dec on hols so will try to run down fridge and freezer before we go. Should just be milk, fresh veg etc (famous last words...:rotfl:)

Downsizing

SmlSave

Hi can I be put down for£250for December? I want to stock up for the new year

XSpender

Back from Mr T and they have refunded me the cost of the 4 x shower gels they over charged me for and let me keep the shower gels:T I am chuffed to bits as that is over £7 and will keep me clean for months:D Well done Mr T:T

While there I spent £2.00 on 3 for £2 on their discount shampoo range and got 2 Ragu sauces for £1. They were still on the shelf not with the big £1 each promotion. I only spotted them as I was buying some other sauces to go in a pasta lovers hamper I am making BIL for Christmas. I think they are just original and traditional flavour.

All in all spent £3.61 on sauces, shampoo and hairspray for us, £17.53 on wine for Christmas and £8.13 on Christmas food including the tin of celebrations DH was wingeing (sp?) about. The hamper contents come out of a different budget.

I have £76.69 left until the end of the month but only need fruit and milk and the meat and fresh bits for Christmas day so it is achievable as there are only 3 meat eaters to cater for.

XS

poohbear59

Hello, Can I join again please? I would like to aim for £240 for December as we have 3 adults Monday to Friday and five or six at weekends.

I must write my meal plan for the month after doing my freezer inventory.:D

Angelfeathers

Wow. Went round Tesco, got a full trolley, was panicking because it looked like I had well over £100 in there, but when I got to the till it was actually only £86.13, and when I took off the £19.33 we'd got from sticking a couple of pots of coppers and 5ps in the coin machine, it was down to £66.90.

Also, £7 of that was on half-price toiletry gifts, which will be reimbursed from the Christmas fund, so the actual total was just £59.90!!!!!!

I am so chuffed!

No really great deals there, but quite a lot of things had their prices reduced so that must have made quite a difference. Got some whoopsied fish pie mix and a pizza with (I think) 25% off, some half-price chicken tikka ready meals (£1.50 each), and some BOGOF Frijj milkshakes for DS.

Very impressed!

falady

Thanks Rosieben for the link to the index. :beer:

I spent £40.82 / £230 in the new morrisons last night. It had some good offers and lots of lovely yellow stickered reduced trout. A whole seabass for £1.89 too (non-reduced price as well!).

So, tonight's tea is baked sea bass, HM skinny chips slimming world style and runner beans. Yummy! Unfortunatley OH is playing football til 7pm, so his will have to be warmed up, but the sea bass needs cooking today, so not much i can do.

I have been doing a menu plan for December, and have done most of it. The week before xmas is a bit blank , but hopefully the recipe index will help.

I am following the slimming world plan, and while it is based on a basic healthy diet (fruit veg, lean meat, pasta, rice and grains), it can preclude some lovely recipes!

Tomorrow i am off work, so will be rescuing the slightly manky apples and pears from the bottom of the fridge and stewing them for crumble, making scotch eggs for OH, and cooking bacon and potato hotpot for tea. Very cheap and very tasty. :A

Also need to do some financial planning as my contract ends in january and we still have some debts to sort out.:o

Good luck everyone!

Ali x

elizabunny

Evening everyone,

1 NSD for me today -thank goodness! I made HM Chicken Curry for Dinner tonight and one for the freezer. Also made Banana & Honey Bread Pudding, but this time I added the zest and juice of one orange and a bit of sugar:D There's enough left for pud. tomorrow as well.

Hope everyone has started well on their budgets.

oligeo

Hi Everyone,
There's so many posts already, and its only the 1st!

I'm really going for it this time, have given myself a realistic budget, seeing as its Christmas and we're entertaining a few times, and out for Christmas meals, which will come from this budget too. I normally give myself a way too small budget, then feel bad when I overspend.

I'm doing as someone suggested (thank you!) and keeping an analysis of my spending, split between toilletries, milk & dairy, meat, fruit & veg, etc, etc. So I can see exactly where my money is going. I actually think I'll make more of an effort to not by the snacky foods when I see exactly how much has gone on that.

So my first spend for the month is £77.88 at Sainsburys earlier today.

Take care all.
Sarah

triticale

A lot of my 'unnecessary' grocery spending is when I get the 'urge' for a particular meal and have to buy odd ingredients. Tonight I have the urge for fish & chips. Bearing in mind I live 3 doors down from a chippy, this is usually bad! :rotfl:

However, I happen to have one battered fish portion in my freezer left from a BOGOF in Morrisons a couple of months ago, a tin of value mushy peas in my cupboard, plenty of spuds and fresh oil in my deep fat fryer.

So fish and real chips and mushy peas for me tonight, without touching the food budget!! :j