December 2016 Grocery Challenge

elsiepac

OK, I was doing so well,and now it's gone wrong of course! Been having major feelings of overwhelmed-ness about everything that needs doing in my house, (triggered by the Christmas presents/wrapping accoutrements strewn over my front room!). I've been doing a bit of wrapping every night, as I've been buying more presents as I go along, and I hate wrapping all in one go. Therefore my living room is a mess and it gets me down! I've been stressed with work and rushed in the evenings, so barely having time to keep me and my animals ticking over which has inevitably led to me not bothering with lovely healthy food and instead buying carp I don't need (weight wise or purse wise!) for convenience and for "comfort" food. So I have a fridge full of healthy lovely food but no inclination to make it.
Actually, writing this is making me determined to sort this out. I hate waste and since I'm going to be busy from now till after Christmas I'll need to get a handle on it all!

I get paid tomorrow so new challenge will start from then. I take slight solace knowing that I did do better this month with new tactics that I can carry forward, but onwards and upwards and hopefully within budget for January! It's going to be a very tight month for me all round, but I have to make it work!

Very inspired by all of you, keep up the great work!

Also Florence massive well done on your grocery accomplishments - very impressive indeed!



Date.......Shop......Amount.....Remaining
25 Nov.....BF........£53.11.....£106.89 (Health Food Stock Up Shop)
26 Nov.....Steve.....£01.00.....£105.89 (for crisps)
26 Nov.....Mark......£01.50.....£104.39 (for bakery)
26 Nov.....T3sc0.....£21.18.....£83.21 (proper groceries shop)
5 Dec......T3sc0.....£22.95.....£60.26 (stock up grocery shop - baking things, tins, salt, stock cubes etc)
7 Dec......T3sc0.....£01.94.....£58.30 (croutons for me for a salad at lunch - last minute using up iceberg which I never normally have! plus rice for my boss... hopefully I'll get that 84p back!)
8 Dec......Co-0p.....£06.45.....£51.85 (kale, spinach, lemons, coriander, tomatoes, limes and peppers - was £8.13 but I used £1.68 on my membership card)
9 Dec......A1d1......£02.17.....£49.68 (onions, peppers, brown sugar)
9 Dec......T3sc0.....£02.19.....£47.49 (salsa, houmous, broccoli)
12 Dec.....T3sc0.....£02.69.....£44.80 (salad leaves and cherry tomatoes from little t3sc0 hence pricey!)
14 Dec.....Chippy....£01.65.....£43.15 (Spring roll at lunch time - got free chips as they forgot to charge as I was getting for a few people in work and they were busy so gave me them free! Saved £2.05!)
14 Dec.....C0-0p.....£01.00.....£42.15 (Ritter Sport Marzipan)
14 Dec.....T3sc0.....£35.48.....£6.67 (Big Shop)
14 Dec.....Cash......£01.38.....£8.05 (Paid Back from people)
16 Dec.....M&S.......£07.50.....£0.55 (Salad stuff, bread and a french stick)
17 Dec.....1St0p.....£07.17....-£6.62 (Salad stuff, pittas, houmous, crisps)
19 Dec.....T3sc0.....£06.90....-£13.52 (Ready meal, Quorn pieces, Alpr0 yoghurt and chocolate mylk - all not needed and just being excessive and greedy!)
19 Dec.....A5da......£14.24....-£27.76 (went in to see if any little Christmas gifty bits. Got none, but got more freezer bits and some veg)

[Deleted User]

Bought loads of the 19p veg, not in Aldi, but in Lidl. They had carrots, parsnips, brussels and some mini roasts, not sure what they were, they had sold out. I love brussels, bought 3 bags, made some brussels and sweet potato burgers, were really lovely. Grated n fried the brussels, added cumin, minced garlic. Added the sweet potato (cooked), mashed and made into burgers. Tasted really lovely. Gonna make some with regular potatoes, as I have a ton for freezer. Got 4 broccoli in market for £1, so need to cook them up into soup, as they won't fit in fridge. Today is going to be a no spend day, but will be grabbing a few bits tomorrow. Have updated sig. {{{hugs}}} elsiepac, I really wouldn't worry, it's just one day, really not important. I know where you are coming from though. I had my place decorated professionally just recently, instead of the usual me up a ladder. Had to clear the rooms, wow, never been in such a mess, it was so depressing. If i'm not organised, I can't think straight. Still sorting the last of it. Maybe write a list of things to do and really try to stick to it. It organises it in your mind and its less chaos. I'm going to be working at Crisis over Xmas. These people don't have a roof over their head, no family, friends in view, puts things into perspective really, we are really blessed, even though we may not always know that. Take care.

meg72

Save Dosh, love the sound of those burgers, must give them a try, thanks for the recipe.

£1.00 spent today 5 packs 20p parsnips at Asda. these will keep for weeks in my outside meter cupboard.

Total so far £15.45.

t14cy_t

nsd yesterday, yipee!! holding out for ys bargains after twin gs go home!! xx

elsiepac

Save Dosh thanks for the kind words! I know it's nothing to stress about really, just hate feeling so unorganised! And I bet helping out at somewhere like Crisis really does put thing into perspective!

I'm declaring OVER at £187.76/£160. Would have been fine but for my last minute unnecessary spends.

I'm going to go with £140 for January. It's a pure 5 week month for me but I'm going to aim for £20-£25 a week max, which give me £15 contingency if I hit the top end of this. HOWEVER this budget must cover food I will make for my birthday get together - conveniently (not!) in the last weekend of January budget!

I'm going to focus on using up the freezer - or most of it as it really needs defrosting, but if I can defrost individual drawers it will be a great start.

I'm also going to try and only buy what I need. I am TERRIBLE for buying two of everything, as though I'm going to never have the opportunity again! Bloody ridiculous really. I don't mind buying loads of things like tins of beans and tomatoes, or stock cubes as I use them all the time, but a rule, I buy two of everything, for NO REASON. Other than I worry I won't have the money in the future. Well, no, I won't if I keep buying two!!

I'm at my parents for Christmas Eve and Day, although taking some vegan food with me I have a separate Christmas budget for this. I am also away in Plymouth for New Years 30th and 31st Dec, it will be all meals out etc and I can't afford it but mum and dad are quite keen for it to be a family thing (I think dad is feeling his age recently) so after much back and forth they are lending me the money and I will pay back over the year. It's not ideal but I don't have it upfront and I feel it's the right thing to do to go.

So anyway that's 4 nights/5 days I'm not eating at home so that might help if I don't overstock!

Good luck to the rest of you for the rest of December! I am still reading :j

AccyAlly

Just checking in have updated my dog, so far seem to be on target. Remembered that I have the prebooked Mr A shop coming on Friday morning need to update as picked up mince pies in town today and some ys mushrooms at 25p.
As I have been recuperating and off sick it has meant that I can't pop into the shops on my way home or at dinner so no spending! Kerching!
Out of the past 12 days, I have had 9nsd !!
I have also meal planned up until going back to work on 3 January, so including a takeaway and meal out and the shopping for the meal plan should still come in under budget. Fingers crossed.

AccyAlly

Damn you predictive text, as I am on my phone it doesn't like quotes from posts, therefore what I have actually done is updated my signature and not my dog!! :rotfl::rotfl:

Suffolk_lass

January is up, fresh and shiny and brand new! Good luck everyone.

I am sneaking in to declare for the year as DH was paid today. I let my guard down and over-purchased on stores so I am £33.51 over my £3000 target for the year. Could do better B-

SL

Franalamadingdong

Suffolk, if you look at it as a percentage you may feel better about it.

Elsie, have you any big bags? Like those IKEA bags? I store gifts in one of those, usually in the understairs cupboard, because of having a young child, but it makes everything much more contained. House is still a mess because as well as working and having child off school (broke up on Friday) and helping mum and dad, I've been doing freelance audio typing. I'm rejoicing because I just finished the last Tape! Hurrah! It's been a bit exhausting, but I can do it at home, round DS and my other job, so it's a great thing for me to do. We're doing a big clean on Saturday ready for the big man.

No spends for us again. Did manage to forget about stock and soup on the hob yesterday until the smoke alarm went off. *Sigh* DS had the dinner he refused yesterday and I had a ham sandwich for tea. Dentist appointment tomorrow, the one I missed at the beginning of the month and turned up on the wrong day. Lol. Not sure what is planned, need to arrange the wisdom tooth to come out, but it's in such an awkward place I'm not sure it won't be a hospital jobby. So no shopping for me tomorrow, will be going on Friday after work.

My birthday is on the 28th, I'll be 30 and as I only remember ever having 2 birthday cakes I'm thinking of making my own! So I'll want to get the ingredients for that too. I'm thinking an orange cake with a chocolate ganache. We haven't had Christmas cake in years, bit pointless for so few, and none of us are big fans of it, do it's not like I'm fighting against that. Mum offered to cook a favourite meal, but I dunno what that would be. I debated going to the city to go shopping as well, but I don't want anything.
Menstruating + Christmas chocolate + poorly child + lack of sleep, seems to have put me in a funk! At least it means that I am not spending!

meg72

Suffolk_lass wrote: »

January is up, fresh and shiny and brand new! Good luck everyone.

I am sneaking in to declare for the year as DH was paid today. I let my guard down and over-purchased on stores so I am £33.51 over my £3000 target for the year. Could do better B-

SL

Don't be so hard on yourself, you've done well, you are only over by a very small percentage and as this was due to over buying on stores you probably still have it and more in stock so will help next years budget.