December 2017 Grocery Challenge

JingsMyBucket

Howdy folks. Sunday and Monday were NSDs for me. On Sunday I sat down to write out my list of items to buy over the next few weeks. I was feeling awfully smug about my relatively low spend ratio below unti I made that list of impending food & household purchases. CRAP. :rotfl:

I'll start my shopping tomorrow morning. I might also have OH pick up custard and heavy cream from the U.K. to use in the trifle so my London stocking spends may go up. Have a good night y'all and thanks for keeping me on the straight and narrow. I really enjoy reading everyone's updates.

TOTALS SO FAR:
6 NSD
€92.86 / €350.00 for groceries
£179.86 / £200 London stocking up fund

K9sandFelines

Same budget here £333 of my yearly.
Still to tot up Novembers yet EEK! Thought I did get to the 20th.
Finish college tomorrow, so then have to get organised.
I am working boxing day, 28th and 30th; so the end of this month will go quick.
Needed/Wanted to do an online shop, but everywhere is booked. So we will probably order a takeaway of the night time like last year, and nip into Morrissons for the bits we haven't got!


Hope to catch you all soon

K9sandFelines

PS Anyone have any recipe ideas for Atta flour other than flatbread style things. Bought a massive bag during a big shop and hardly used it. My daughter said the wraps from plain flour are apparently better!

pamsdish

£4.50 on a few veg and some pringles.

PipneyJane

K9sandFelines wrote: »

PS Anyone have any recipe ideas for Atta flour other than flatbread style things. Bought a massive bag during a big shop and hardly used it. My daughter said the wraps from plain flour are apparently better!

I use Atta flour for everything. It's just strong, finely-milled wholemeal plain flour (aka "bread flour"). It makes great bread, good pancakes and very nice cakes. One loaf of bread costs about 25p in the breadmaker.


If you need self-raising, add a teaspoon of baking powder per cup of flour.


Atta Flour is also sold as Chappatti Flour and is very cheap. I usually pay £3 for a10kg sack, which lasts us about 9 months. I split it in two and store it in two of the largest sized Lock-n-Lock boxes.


HTH


Pip

short_bird

A couple of no spend days then a spendy yesterday for a total of £96.18 and £53.82 left. Fridge and freezer full.

Mrs_Cheshire

Spent £3 on lunch today as I was running errands, also spent £3.75 on some reduced price profiteroles, was going to get some for Christmas Day pudding so thought it would be good to try them before hand as they should have been £7.20. They are nice but not sure I can justify the full price.

JingsMyBucket

So, my holiday food shopping has begun. There's some restocking involved as well.

€32.87 at Lidl: detergent, canned tomatoes, fruit, veg, pasta, toilet paper (finally!), butter for baking, along with basics like foil, plastic wrap, white vinegar for cleaning, etc.

€14.02 at organic store: bulk dried mango, bulk cashews, and some wheat berries to use a salad base.

€22.55 at Picard frozen store: frozen croissants, pain au chocolat, bagels, crêpes, for Christmas morning and other meals; other bits like frozen chicken breasts, etc.

€14.22 at Delhaize: Greek yoghurt, avocados, Philly, and other stuff. I used this as a reconnaissance mission to check if I'd be able to get the equivalent of whipping cream and English custard so I could ask OH to get some before he leaves London. I still asked him to get some, just in case.

Total spent today was €83.66 and I still need to get items for the work holiday potluck dishes and my main holiday dish. I think I might go with a small leg of lamb for me. I'll lovingly gnaw on that for a few days and make soup with the bits afterward. OH will buy the special cheese and mushrooms to make his dish, tartiflette. That's the one thing he wants to do for his Christmas fun...out of all the work! He also likes choosing the wine and a few beers for himself. I think I'll ask him to hold back to just two bottles of red wine this year. I've really slowed down on my drinking over the last 12 months and know I won't go through more than half a bottle in a week or more.

More shopping tomorrow / later today. Sigh, this will be my main task each day for the next four days!! Good night all.

TOTALS SO FAR
€176.52 / €350.00 for groceries
6 NSD
£179.86 / £200 London stocking up fund

PennyGrabber

Hi all,

Been a little absent due to the end-of-term chaos, but slowing starting to feel human again now!! I have been making my list for shopping this morning, and it's not very long... Bread, milk, veg, stuff for pigs in blankets, sausage meat, cheeses and clems. What am I forgetting?!! Already have loads in ready - we start buying a thing or two each week from sept/oct so it's not too expensive all in one go. I'm also (for the first time ever) not going overboard. I mean, there's way too much food, but way less than there usually is!!??!!

I haven't spent a huge amount on food this month, and I have had a massive organising session of all my food stocks. 50kg of pasta, anyone?!

My goal for 2018 is to run out of stuff. I have boxes and boxes of food, organised by date. A big 2017 box is at the bottom of my pantry to be used asap, then I have 5 2018 boxes and a 2019 box!!! This is crazy. To help me to be cross with myself and stick to using up, the 2019 and two of the 2018 boxes are in my bedroom so I can see them every day. So far, this has served to strengthen my resolve...

Hopefully, all the money I won't be spending on food will be put towards decorating my lounge. Wait, not hopefully - definitely!!!

Frugal living for next year - no buying deals for the sake of it, no stocking up, just buying what I will use that week. May even stop ysing until there is less meat in the freezer!

Merry Christmas to all,

PG x

[Deleted User]

JingsMyBucket wrote: »

I was feeling awfully smug about my relatively low spend ratio below unti I made that list of impending food & household purchases. CRAP.

Lol, I was too, then pow. Been trying to get a Tofurkey Roast (yes that is the right spelling), but apparently it was on some BBC food program, so it has been like gold dust. Anyway, Wholefoods had one left and they put it aside for me. Needless to say, I bought other stuff while in there, Soy Free Vegenaise & 2 x Ellas energy balls (load of overpriced rubbish), then a trip to Sainsbobs, where I bought a bottle of vodka - £20 & spotted out of my eye a reduced bottle of Fireball cinnamon whiskey £10 - couldn't decide which to get, so I got both, like you do. Really not happy with myself, hopefully it will last into the new year. I didn't spend money on alcohol in Sept/Oct/Nov, not worried about that, just I've been on a health kick - oh !!!!!!! well..... Anyway, need to do a quick dash day, to get some last minute candles for presents and a very mini shop, then chillllll. I really am feeling quite stressed. I hate running around. Anyway, have a lovely w/e n I will update sig when I get home.