December 2014 Grocery Challenge

NewShadow

... I'm bricking myself saying this...

Can I please change my amount for this month to £20

I've a week left on November, and I really need to run down my stocks and only want to buy banana's, eggs, and a cooked breakfast on a friday at work.

zippychick

Okay guys, we're now up and running

Please give your kindest welcome to our new GC helper, Solstice_3 :j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j

Good luck for December

Zip:A

january_23

Thank you zippychick and Solstice_3 for running this. Really need the help and I doubt I'm the only one.


December is a 4 week month (28th Nov- 25th Dec) however it includes winter Solstice and Christmas for us so a basic budget won't be anywhere near enough. Due to that I am putting the budget at £450. I know this is high and I do intend on us spending less but like for November I am being realistic. We include alcohol in this budget and we do stock up for Solstice and Christmas as we have people over (wines, ales, ciders as well as rums, vodka etc). We also buy quite a lot of different nuts that aren't cheap - my OH and I love pistachios and walnuts so they are a must.
I know that £41.49 of this budget will be going on the Christmas veg box and beef joint alone.
December is never a cheap month for us.

DawnW

Can I join please? As it is Christmas with extras to buy and more visitors than usual, I am also allocating £450 :eek:

'My' month will go from the 22 November (as I didn't join the November challenge and am impatient and want to start right away) till 26 December, which is a long 'month' but I think I have allowed enough leeway in the large budget I have set.

I will record everything including pet food, alcohol, toiletries normally bought from the supermarket and all Christmas food, and I hope to have some of this money left over for the New Year

Thanks to Solstice_3 and Zippychick for organising, and especially for all the recipe links

Solstice_3

Thanks for the warm welcome zippychick and everyone else Thanks to zippychick and Coxy for running the thread. This thread helps me keep on my toes too If I do miss any recipes feel free to poke me with a stick, I'll do my best not to miss any!

So on to this month's budget for me.

I finally finished my December menu plan, I've left 6 days free for potential recipe boxes as I have some money off vouchers for two, thanks to lovely people here I am only buying from them if I like all 3 meals though if not I have to work out 6 low cost meals.

I've written up a online shop which I am doing once a month now for heavy tins and cleaning stuff, ready to order on 1st Dec. I've written other shopping lists - baking supplies, planned ones for each week and one for the rest of this week, and ordered my meat for the month, and my Christmas meat, fruit and veg box :eek:

I think I have worked out the budget from all these lists - £370 that will include some extra nice bits. I'm planning on using the double up nectar vouchers on the taste the difference wine for Christmas which leaves me £5 nectar points for nibbles maybe. My budget will run from 28th November to 25th Dec :xmastree:

Good luck everyone

merzal

Could I be put down for £100 again please?
Having a few friends over around Christmas but won't be at home for Christmas Day or Boxing Day.
Thanks for all the volunteers on this board!

Bobarella

Hi Zippychick
Please could you put me down for £205 for December.
Thanks very much
Bob

dingdongsaving

Including our turkey money please put us down for £450.

Thank you for the new thread & for all of the volunteer hours that go into keeping us lot organised. :T

I always love the December thread! So many people getting ready for so many visitors & lots of celebrating...exciting stuff. :xmastree:

We have family/friends coming & large meals/drinks to prepare for my birthday, visitors during the lead up to Christmas, Christmas Day & Boxing Day, but we also have several meals planned out & about (invited to eat with friends, hubby's work xmas meal etc.) which means our higher spends will be evened out (slightly!) by more days eating elsewhere than during the average month too.

On a 'heavy' month, when we need nappies, dog food, cat food etc. we budget for £350, so we're adding £100 from our Christmas food budget for surprises & our turkey. This leaves the leftover £££ we had allocated for Christmas food/gifts to roll straight into the savings pot...& possibly more if we manage to go under in Dec.

See you all soon! I'll be lurking & looking for my Santa hat until then. :xmassmile

Caterina

Hello Zippychick and Solstice_3, thank you for the ongoing GC work you do.

Please can you amend my figure for December to £400 to include everything including Christmas food and booze. I am still finishing November as I do 1st to last day of the month, but wanted to make sure that the December figure is updated.

I doubt that I shall spend that much, but don't want to feel too restricted in December with Christmas and occasional visitors etc. also if I go under budget in November I shall use the underspend for a bit of booze for the boys.

cattysmum

Evening all, thanks to Zippychick and Solstice 3 for the new thread. Iv not finished with the November totals yet but thought I would put up my amount of £300 for the month of December. Gone up a hundred, may not need it but want some wiggle room with it being christmas. Of work all christmas but working over new year, hoping to see family at some point over christmas so want to have healthy looking fridge and cupboards when they descend.