December 2011 - Grocery Challenge

recovering_spendaholic

Hi Everyone - can't believe that the December thread is up to 4 pages alreday!! Thank you to Zippy, Rosieben & Helen Jelly for running the thread, and to everyone who posts - I have found that this thread has helped me so much, both in terms of budgeting and also in terms of eating more seasonally, not wasting food and cooking more creatively. Welcome to all the new people joining this month!

1st day of my December challenge and a NSD, which I hope is a good omen for the month to come!! I will need to go shopping tomorrow though and I also want to buy the new WW vegetarian cookery book, the price of which I will take from the grocery budget. It's £7.99 so not that expensive.

Bohemiancoast - I like your idea of eating simply for the first half of the month so that Christmas seems like more of a treat - I think I will try that too!!

clairesolo

HIya! Not doing too bad right now with the challenge. Saved £5 from my my mum's lindor ball present for xmas and another £5 as my hubby got this weeks roast beef reduced to 60p!!

PolkaDotsAndLace

We never seem to get good whoopsies, despite going to MrA's reasonably late on a Sunday afternoon - OH nabbed some olives but everything else was not particularly nice ready meals. I do wonder how much we could shave off the budget going at 9pm or so, but we're both knacked by then and we don't drive so it involves a 20min walk up two hills with heavy bags!

kippers

I've budgeted for £300 again this month (my month runs to 24th Dec), however I have a full freezer and cupboard. I need to organise my freezer again and find out exactly what i do have in there.
I have family round on xmas day but i have everthing in ready for this except brussells (mine are rubbish at the allotment this year), i do still need to make my mincepies and a xmas pud but i have those ingredients in ready to use and i made my xmas cake and mincemeat last week (i just need to ice the cake). I want to make a gingerbread house for my girls to decorate and eat so i may have to buy some sweets to put on it (this is a challenge in itself as my dd2 is now lactose intolerant).

I have my family round for a xmas get together in a couple of weeks and i'll need to get one or two things for that, but i have a gift card from asda for approx £15 which i will use.

Other than that it's just milk and the odd thing so i should do well this month...well that's the plan anyway.

We had my dd2's birthday party yesterday, so that is over now and she wants a sunday roast for tea tonight (it's her favourite meal), so i'll use allotment veg and i got a chicken out of the freezer last night.

Someone mentioned shepherds pie...i had forgotten about shep pie...i think i'll make one this week yum yum

Xmas presents all bought now, just need to wrap them. I also need to make our xmas day crackers but i've bought everything for that.

The kids are off school Weds due to the teachers strike so i have promised we will put the xmas tree up. So i'm hoping December will be a month to enjoy xmas rather than running around madly.

mooomin

I'm now at £92.10/£200 since the weekend.

recovering_spendaholic

kippers - I am in awe of your organisational skills! I have yet to organise anything for Christmas!

Pork chops out of the freezer for tea, with jacket potatoes and hm coleslaw, yoghurt for afters. DD1 is out for tea so that will save a few moans! I make my home made coleslaw with red and white cabbage, grated carrot, grated apple, chopped celery, raisins, walnuts, red onion and low fat mayo mixed with a bit of creme fraiche and it is really nice - even the kids eat it without moaning!

I am going to visit a friend who has just moved house today and she loves the stuff from our local artisan baker (she lives over 15 miles away so doesn't get there very often), so I thought I would take her something from there along with a houseplant as a housewarming gift. It will cost me about £10 and I will take it out of the Grocery budget as I don't have another one for it! We usually go to Starbucks for coffee but I think I will cry off that today as it is too expensive and I just can't justify it at the moment.

After my fruit cake disaster at the weekend I have decided that it is the dried fruit that I don't like as it is literally full of candied peel - it's the Tesco value stuff and I really think it has been a false economy. I have 8 bags of it left - do you think Tesco would take it back and let me swap it for other dried fruit?

Loads of work to do before I go out as I have a report due - will make porridge for breakfast. I need to pop into Tesco to see if I can get some of the Jordans for 27p a pack with my vouchers! Hopefully today will be a low spend day apart from the present.

tessie_bear

hi...its very cold today....boo but i suppose the warmness couldnt go on for ever....feel the need to cook a stew coming on...off shopping in a minute but only a few bits as the freezer is rammed....need to get packup bits and some veg and some fruit

will note the damage later
have a nice day tess

mummyjane

After a fair few months off the rails I am back and more determined than ever to cut down on our spending. Can I please be put down for £300. This will cover groceries, pet food, cleaning bits and toiletries. Back to cooking from scratch I think

Strangely enough, I always thought I spent less when I shopped online. When I actually stopped and looked at what I was buying I realised that lots of items ended up in the bin due to very short dates (not everything can be frozen before anyone says ) Also, quite often there would be items missing so I would have to go to the shops anyway which meant even more expense.

I've decided to shop cash only, taking out exactly what I want to spend - will try this for December - after all if it isn't in my purse and the cards are at home I shouldn't go over budget, fingers crossed anyway!

purplespex

Hello All,

After a couple of months of lurking around and reading the posts, I would like to join the grocery challenge for December. Can I be put down for £185 please. This is for me, my partner and a cat. This is to include everything, toilteries, alcohol, cat food/litter etc. Hope that I can make it!!

So far this month I have spent £77.92 leaving me with £107.08.

Thanks for all the wonderful posts, it has really inspired me to change my spending habits.

Spex xx

spendaholic

Gosh, p5 already! :eek:

I'm already down for £160 for this month (thank you!), which is £40 per week. My first week down and I only spent £38, which means I have £2 in the savings pot. :j (Every little helps.)