December 2018 Grocery Challenge

pamsdish

Thanks for the new thread Elsiepac, will be £200for me this month please.

[Deleted User]

Thanks Elsie. Can I be put down for my usual £80. Don't think i'll include alcohol as it's Xmas, that may change. Still on November till end.

Greymalkin12

Looking forward to the December challenge! Please put me down for GBP 250 for the month (sorry my pound sign doesn't seem to be working!)

PipneyJane

Greetings from Singapore, where we are waiting for our next flight.

Please put me down for ??? £158. I can’t remember the exact total off the top of my head, so it may change slightly. (I am currently coffee-deprived and waiting for the Americano I just downed to kick in.)

- Pip. (It is the ability to do trips like this, which is the reason I am frugal.)

thriftwizard

Thank you, elsiepac! Please can you put me down for £550 this month? I'm upping it a bit as I know we'll have a houseful (7 or 8 over the festivities, 5 or 6 for much of the month) and as I'm currently not able to eat some of the festive favourites, I'll have to substitute with things that may be a tad pricier than our usual fare. I do have a separate Christmas fund (which I pay into throughout the year) which will buy the main dishes & drinks as well as presents and a festive book apiece, but it's the little things that will clobber us if I'm not careful.

elsiepac

Thanks guys, all up to date! Have actually Stickied the Thread now as well, as apparently forgot the other day!!

My personal mission this month is to post on here more, I really miss it! My issue is a lack of time as I have next to no time on weeknights as I'm prioritising my exercise classes and working overtime just to try and keep my head up. I'm in a pretty bad position financially again I think. I need to have a good sit down and look at what I'm doing and where as I haven't put the time in for a while and it's really showing. Even though grocery wise I'm meal prepping every Sunday for the weekdays, I've got really lazy with it and then I eat extra or I buy something else as I don't fancy what I have made.

As for budgeting, I need to get it back under control. What I'd really like is to find a farmers market or something and buy unpackaged produce in season each week and eat according to that, but there really is very little around me, except one in a town 20 minutes away on Thursday mornings, when I'm at work!!

I've had a little think and I think I will try and focus on a different way of meal prepping for the week. I haven't fully decided how I will do it, but I'm thinking I really miss "bowls" - just nice basic component meals. I could prep all the base stuff on the Sunday (cook grains, roast veg, prepare a protein and make a sauce or two) and then mix and match for lunches/dinners through the week. I feel this will help me kickstart my weight loss again too as I'll feel a bit more excited about what I'm eating!!

Any ideas for vegan friendly, slimming world friendly sauces or dressings please?

Budgets updated to here

NeverendingDMP

Hello all.
My next month is from the 26th November but seen as I've ordered my online shop already I thought I'd come and say hello. My month is running from the 26th to 21st December this time so I'm going for 100 a week which is 351

67 pounds out of 351 already spoken for.

Doom_and_Gloom

Thank you, elsiepac for this thread! It helps us a lot to keep ourselves in check.
Please keep me (us) for £200 this month? Our month goes 1st to 31st. We include all food and nonalcoholic drinks. Chinchillas have their own budge. Toiletries, cleaning items etc are also budgeted separately.

PipneyJane

elsiepac wrote: »

Thanks guys, all up to date! Have actually Stickied the Thread now as well, as apparently forgot the other day!!

My personal mission this month is to post on here more, I really miss it! My issue is a lack of time as I have next to no time on weeknights as I'm prioritising my exercise classes and working overtime just to try and keep my head up. I'm in a pretty bad position financially again I think. I need to have a good sit down and look at what I'm doing and where as I haven't put the time in for a while and it's really showing. Even though grocery wise I'm meal prepping every Sunday for the weekdays, I've got really lazy with it and then I eat extra or I buy something else as I don't fancy what I have made.

As for budgeting, I need to get it back under control. What I'd really like is to find a farmers market or something and buy unpackaged produce in season each week and eat according to that, but there really is very little around me, except one in a town 20 minutes away on Thursday mornings, when I'm at work!!

I've had a little think and I think I will try and focus on a different way of meal prepping for the week. I haven't fully decided how I will do it, but I'm thinking I really miss "bowls" - just nice basic component meals. I could prep all the base stuff on the Sunday (cook grains, roast veg, prepare a protein and make a sauce or two) and then mix and match for lunches/dinners through the week. I feel this will help me kickstart my weight loss again too as I'll feel a bit more excited about what I'm eating!!

Any ideas for vegan friendly, slimming world friendly sauces or dressings please?

Budgets updated to here

Hmmm... Just a meal suggestion but, back in the 1980’s, my flat mate lived off pumpkin soup, over which she’d scatter toasted pinenuts. She worked long days, so something like that with a slice or two of black bread/pumpernickel bread, would make a quick meal when she got home.

Also don’t discount just having houmous and wholemeal toast for a quick meal, when you get back really late. That will give you protein, fibre and some vitamins/minerals.

Re buying decent veg, do you have a National Trust property near you? Check it out because it may have a farm shop selling veg grown on the premises. We buy most of our veg from the farm shop at Osterley Park. What is available changes with the seasons, so no purple sprouting broccoli in September, but the freshness and flavour cannot be beaten AND we’re buying directly from the farmer.

HTH.

Pip




PS: Monday’s are my really bad day, timewise. I’m lucky if I have 3/4 hour turnaround time between getting home and leaving for choir rehearsal. I’m trying to always use the slow cooker on a Monday, prepping it on Sunday night. Bean-based stews work well.

PipneyJane

PipneyJane wrote: »

Greetings from Singapore, where we are waiting for our next flight.

Please put me down for ??? £158. I can’t remember the exact total off the top of my head, so it may change slightly. (I am currently coffee-deprived and waiting for the Americano I just downed to kick in.)

- Pip. (It is the ability to do trips like this, which is the reason I am frugal.)

It turns out that my budget for December should be £157.80, so leave me at £158, please Elsie. I’ll make up the 20p from somewhere.

- Pip (Not badly remembered.)