January 2017 Grocery Challenge. NEW BEGINNINGS!

kkffoo

Not finished December yet, but setting out budgets now. I've asked my hubby to leave the budget the same this month (four weeks) as without the Christmas food vouchers it will still be a reduction, so £273.08 for four adults.
Currently researching for a larger slow cooker to help with batch cooking.

greent

Hello all - I used to join in this challenge several years ago (must've been a while as I used to include nappies and my youngest is now 7.5!!) Could do with joining in again - funds in Jan and Feb look like they will be tight so grocery spends need monitoring.

There are 6 of us but 5 for the purpose of the GC, as DD will be heading back to uni on 2nd Jan. I will be sending her back with some supplies, but I upped Dec's budget to allow for this. That leaves 2 adults, 1 x 16yo boy (huge appetite), 1 x11yo and 1 x7yo. (Plus veggies for 3 guinea pigs and occasional feeding of DS's gf weekend lunchtimes/ evenings) The 3 children take packed lunches to school. I am usually around home at lunchtimes, as is OH. Meat free meals are not a possibility where OH is concerned - he wont eat them. He also doesn't eat leftovers (but myself as DS1 are good at eating those up! ) Nor will he eat lentils or meaty meals bulked out with lots of veg (so no super streeeetching of mince when making chilli here!)

Anyway, I shall set a budget of £400 for the month for the 5 of us, to include guinea pig veggies (not oats and hay) and our food shopping only - not toiletries or cleaning products. This will include any snacks/ drinks out (eg cup of tea out) but not a full blown meal out or takeaway - these are entertainment budget (Am hopeful in Jan we should be ok - we have a cream tea as a present and a company-paid-for meal out. Just leaves DS2's birthday - but he will be happier with a McD's than a family meal out!)

To run from 01/01 - 31/01.
Thanks x

Hexxed

Hi all, I'd like to get in on this in the new year. I'm not sure how much we spend in an average month but I'd guess £120 is a doable starting point for two adults and a cat. The freezer is empty for the first time in a little over two years and is currently undergoing a much needed defrost, so a chunk of the budget will go towards restocking that with plenty of ys bargains.

Florence_J

I'm in again, and my January month has already started (it started on the 20th)

New monthly budget is £185 with a yearly target of £2220

Spends so far:

Tesco-coffee and margarine= £3.90
Sainsbury's-2 X Pizzas = £3.99
Savers-Painkillers, lemsips and cotton buds = £9.17
Tesco-Burger rolls = £0.99

Total so far £18.05/£185

nannygladys

Hi everyone

Please may I join in. I going for £25 a week as I get my pension 4 weekly it's easier for me. I will start January 4th, as Xmas visitors will have gone by then and I will be able to start shopping properly.
Nannyg

fairy3

Hello all

Would like to join in for January please - will aim for £100 for the month to run from 1st - 31st Jan. This is for myself, the dog and occasional DD and DS who work unsocial hours and often eat at work. Not hosting Christmas or New year and freezer is quite full and store cupboard has most of basic tins and pasta pulses and have loads of spices.

Hope everyone has a lovely Christmas

Fairy

Rachiedabbler70

Hi All
I think I am going to go for an annual budget this year of £3250 which will cover me and my teenage son all year plus my eldest son for 3 months when home from University. Takes into account birthday meals out and my Christmas shop. Don't know how doable it is, but I'm going to give it a good go. I do love home cooked food though and never buy processed so does keep costs down. My son is also switching back to packed lunches for college from January which I think will save me £20 per month as his dinners are £3 a day, 4 days per week at present. I am still going to give him £3 per week for one lunch out as he meets friends one day per week so don't want him to miss out on social activity.

I need to bulk buy chicken breasts January so will probably end up spending about £250 in first month to ensure I spend enough to qualify for free delivery.

Thanks to the thread runners :A the list of recipes is awesome.

PennyGrabber

meg72 wrote: »

Please put me down for £80 this month. This is my normal budget however I intend to carry using up and running down the freezers as I have been doing for the last two months.

Anything left over at the end of the month will be transferred to the bulk buy fund. I am convinced that I over buy for fear of not having enough food money. This anxiety has dogged me for years and stems from a time of real hardship. I am determined to try and break this habit this year and have persuaded myself that if I have a bulk buy fund I will be able to see that there is enough money. I am aiming to have three months budget £240 in the bank. I know I can do this as the last two months have proved to me. £125 already saved.

I'm exactly the same! When I became a single mum, my daughter had just turned 2, and my son was 4 and a half months old. I really panicked that I wouldn't be able to feed them, as my salary only covered the mortgage and the childcare. Was only ten years ago, but I bought my own house six months before the market crashed. So glad he cheated then, and not the following year, as I wouldn't have been able to afford a house at all! Anyway, I have a ridiculous amount of food in my house even now, knowing I can feed the children! It has to stop. I will eat from the cupboards wherever possible, and only buy what is needed. The exception is my Christmas Eve ys shop, as I've been looking forward to that for months!! I have saved £76 this year just by putting my 50p coins away, and that's for the ys shop. Whatever isn't used will go into my pantry, so I'll always have money for food.

2017 is the year for me to clear. The house, my mind, the food stash, the garden... Busy but happy times lie ahead!!

Florence_J

Hi guys, just wondered if I could check something.

In my earlier post I said that 9.17 was spent on painkillers and that in Savers. It was my OH who bought them (we both have had shocking colds this week)

I realised he bought 2 packets of lemsips, a pack of 16 Ibuprofen and a pack of 16 Paracetamol all in the same shopping trip.

Isn't there a law that shops can only sell two types of products like that in a single transaction? Or has it changed.

I questioned my OH about it and he thought it was a little weird, but I don't know if things have changed.

Although we benefited from having a good stock of cold medicines in the house, I would hate it if someone with ulterior motives was able to purchase that much and I don't know if I should mention it to Savers or not. Any advice much appreciated.

PennyGrabber

Florence_J wrote: »

Hi guys, just wondered if I could check something.

In my earlier post I said that 9.17 was spent on painkillers and that in Savers. It was my OH who bought them (we both have had shocking colds this week)

I realised he bought 2 packets of lemsips, a pack of 16 Ibuprofen and a pack of 16 Paracetamol all in the same shopping trip.

Isn't there a law that shops can only sell two types of products like that in a single transaction? Or has it changed.

I questioned my OH about it and he thought it was a little weird, but I don't know if things have changed.

Although we benefited from having a good stock of cold medicines in the house, I would hate it if someone with ulterior motives was able to purchase that much and I don't know if I should mention it to Savers or not. Any advice much appreciated.

You're right, it is two packs. I know this only too well, as I suffer from chronic knee pain, so when it flares up, I end up driving around to different chemists to stock up to them be able to stay at home!!