December 2011 - Grocery Challenge

recovering_spendaholic

Hi - I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas! The wheels totally came off my GC wagon and I do not know how much I spent over the week before Christmas but I do know that it was way way over my budget with the result that I am now in real trouble with regard to my finances for January. I overspent on presents and to top it off got a £105 parking fine which I had to pay too!! I think I got to a point where I was past caring, which of course is the wrong attitude and has only led to things being even worse.

On the upside my freezer and cupboards are bulging and I have my breadmaker and lots of bread flour in so I could, in theory, not really buy much at all from the sm in January. That is if I didn't have my kids who (very agressively) tell me what they will and won't eat!!

Anyway I have decided that I will aim for £120January, which should be more than enough.

I am not going to declare for December as I really don't know how much I spent and I don't even want to think about how much it was.

I feel really embarassed that I did so badly, particularly as it has impacted so badly on my finances, which are dire anyway. I think I gave in to teenage pester power which is weak, but I am not too brilliant emotionally at the moment and my kids know this and play on it.

Anyway let's hope things improve in the New year - I think I will have to give up self employment and find a regular job too.

boultdj

Final shop of the year for me was £23.29 between C*-*p and Farmf**ds giveng me a
Dcember Total £123.62

rising_from_the_ashes

recovering_spendaholic wrote: »

That is if I didn't have my kids who (very agressively) tell me what they will and won't eat!!

Ahhhh Recovering, think you need a (((hug))) - pants to the parking fine & everything else. Know what you mean about getting to the point where it just seems not to matter and you just keep ploughing on without really realising what you're doing.

As for the kids ....... tell them what's for dinner & if they want it - fine. If they don't - then they're old enough to fend for themselves and buy something elsewhere.

Sorry that's harsh but I really do feel they're playing on your emotional side (as you suspect) ..... They really should appreciate how tough things are and just don't seem to - maybe a couple of months of having to buy their own stuff (with their money) and make their own dinners may make them appreciate how lucky they are!

PennyGrabber

recovering_spendaholic wrote: »

Hi - I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas! The wheels totally came off my GC wagon and I do not know how much I spent over the week before Christmas but I do know that it was way way over my budget with the result that I am now in real trouble with regard to my finances for January. I overspent on presents and to top it off got a £105 parking fine which I had to pay too!! I think I got to a point where I was past caring, which of course is the wrong attitude and has only led to things being even worse.

I am not going to declare for December as I really don't know how much I spent and I don't even want to think about how much it was.

I feel really embarassed that I did so badly, particularly as it has impacted so badly on my finances, which are dire anyway. I think I gave in to teenage pester power which is weak, but I am not too brilliant emotionally at the moment and my kids know this and play on it.

Don't feel alone in this. I know it doesn't help your finances, but you're only human, and it's a really hard time of the year to manage when you have limited funds available. I did exactly the same as you - minus the ticket. I used up my whole budget in the first 2 weeks, and spent prob more than double that in the next two! I haven't even looked at my receipts, and I refuse to - just going to start again in Jan, and be much more disciplined. I shall have to face up to it soon, but for now I'm concentrating on how to live more cheaply, so that hopefully I won't make the same mistake again next year.

Chin up, and feel good about yourself. You do a great job with your money generally, and you look after your children well. Maybe you could sit them down and explain how bad money is at the moment? I like the idea that you tell them what's for dinner, and then they can eat it or get themselves something else with their money. If I recall you saying, your dd1 earns more than you anyway, so she should be held accountable for getting her own food if she doesn't like what's being served. I'm really sorry if that's out of line, my two are much younger, so I have no frame of reference, but you can't keep on going making diff meals, or feeling rubbish cos you're not serving what they order, etc.

I've not been myself in the past, for a good few years, and it takes it out of you - find a new positive thing every day, even if it's only little. My one from today is my dd (6) asking for a cake mix, then saying actually no, as it's £1.68 and she doesn't want to waste money when mummy can make it at home. Yesterday, it was that I had made a handmade card for charity. I find looking at the positives keeps my mood up, esp at the beg and end of the day, when I'm at my wobbliest.

HTH, take care.

PG x

medsdemon

NSD today as was working. OH made lovely soup from things in the fridge for dinner and he also sliced up the gammon joint and froze it in portions for using for other meals. NSD yesterday too as had a family day out and just ate cottage cheese baked potatoes and salad when we got home. Tomorrow will have to buy toilet rolls as completely out but no food I think. I will start my january budget on friday as I will get a few bits in to make the meals on my meal plan and using up what we have in cupboard. Will try to make that my only shop of the week..but best laid plans and all that....we will see!!

Take back the NSD. OH went to buy toilet rolls and came back with healthy whoopsies too. 2 papayas @ 10p each, a pineapple @20p, 2 x Innocent smoothies @ 15p each and a pack of chicken pieces @ 50p. So a spend of £3.30 to add but we have all our 5 a day for tomorrow lol, all chopped up in containers in the fridge ready for eating.

quintwins

hi all sent £7.72 in tesco on pizza, 2 garlic bread,bacon, eggs2 rolls of bin bags, 3 loves of bread at 17p each 5 packets of pancakes at 17p each and 2 packets of muffins at 25p, they had crates and crates on veg reduced but none cheap enough for me yet i'm sure there will be loads for 10p in an hr or 2 but after thinking about it i have no room for any in the fridge or freezer and i don't acually need any... pity tho could have been good to stock up

while i was in my lovely hubby spent £4 on mc flurrys you win some you lose some

adysmum

Well I popped to Mr T's on Christmas Eve and spent £6.65. But am delighted with my haul. Am sitting at £285.70/£500 for the month with 1 week to go. Thank you everyone for keeping me on track, have lowered my budget for january. Should be £400 as its a 4 week month but I've gone for £350. Finally got the baby off formula which was costing me £19 a week :eek: but now we are going through 4+ pints of cows milk a day:D.

Quick qustion? How do I get my GC amounts to appear at the bottom of my messages?

jintyb

Hello everyone, havent been on here for ages BUT I have been keeping track and can now report my final total for 2011-

drum roll - my annual target was £2300 and my final total for the year was £2251.62! UNDER BY £48.38! :j
OK, not a king's ransom, but given the way prices have rocketed this year I'm quite chuffed. I also did a big shop at Co5tco yesterday so my freezer is well stocked to give me a good start in 2012!
This challenge has been brilliant - I have learned to be more disciplined and less wasteful and although I dont post very often ( or as often as I should) I am always mindful of the targets I set on here. Thanks a million to all you lovely folks who keep us on the straight and narrow! See you in January!:)

lemmings1986

adysmum Quick qustion? How do I get my GC amounts to appear at the bottom of my messages?[/QUOTE]
if you go to the top right of the page where it says quick links,click that and then click on edit signature under user control panel hope this helps

supersally01

Declaring at £295 for December, and aiming for £250 for jan. thanks to all who post and happy new year!