December 2018 Grocery Challenge

candygirl

Doom_and_Gloom wrote: »

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.

Aww I love chinchillas:D Don't think the pooches would though:eek::rotfl:

Jami74

Jami74 for £500 again please.

I'll reduce it in January but don't want to set myself up for failure over Christmas.

I'll also look into buying more things in bulk (pet food) for 2019 and might consider a yearly budget (divided by 12 of course).

Edited to add: Have managed to convince the doubters in my family that Sainsbury's own baked beans taste as good as Heinz. It was the last of the brands and we get through quite a lot of beans in a month

Suffolk_lass

Jami74 wrote: »

Jami74 for £500 again please.

I'll reduce it in January but don't want to set myself up for failure over Christmas.

I'll also look into buying more things in bulk (pet food) for 2019 and might consider a yearly budget (divided by 12 of course).

Edited to add: Have managed to convince the doubters in my family that Sainsbury's own baked beans taste as good as Heinz. It was the last of the brands and we get through quite a lot of beans in a month

If you are going for an annual budget, may I suggest you add a thirteenth "month" for your bulk buying or stores? it will let you buy any brands (I know you said they have gone for food, but maybe toiletries) when they are on offer and take advantage of better pricing without it impacting that month's budget. We like Original Saucer Mint and Tea-tree oil shower gloop for example, and have not spend £2.20 on a pack for over four years. Always waiting for 2 for £2 offers and checking MySupermarket when things run low. I do typically buy 6 when they are on offer though so space and budget availability play their part.

And you need to avoid the pit-fall of one person on here (who shall remain nameless) that had effectively insulated their loft with Bogoff packs of toilet rolls (hundreds, literally). Brexit-proof or price-proof stores is one thing; Bogoff or YS addiction is something else entirely

Vanlady

Monthly budget will aim for £300
To include all food, toiletries, cleaning stuff, cat food and cat litter, non alcoholic drinks.
NSD will aim for at least 15

Hi all,
Thanks for this thread Elsiepack. Please may I join for December. I lurked on the November gc but have decided to take the plunge and join in :rotfl:. What a great thread! Full of fab ideas and helped to keep me on track.

Jami74

Suffolk_lass wrote: »

If you are going for an annual budget, may I suggest you add a thirteenth "month" for your bulk buying or stores? it will let you buy any brands (I know you said they have gone for food, but maybe toiletries) when they are on offer and take advantage of better pricing without it impacting that month's budget. We like Original Saucer Mint and Tea-tree oil shower gloop for example, and have not spend £2.20 on a pack for over four years. Always waiting for 2 for £2 offers and checking MySupermarket when things run low. I do typically buy 6 when they are on offer though so space and budget availability play their part.

And you need to avoid the pit-fall of one person on here (who shall remain nameless) that had effectively insulated their loft with Bogoff packs of toilet rolls (hundreds, literally). Brexit-proof or price-proof stores is one thing; Bogoff or YS addiction is something else entirely

That's such a good idea! Thanks.

And lol at the loft insulation. I wish I had space to do that.

JingsMyBucket

Hi everyone. Looks like some folks are off to the races already. I still have to tally my November amount but I know I’ve gone over by a lot. For December, I’d like to do €350, please. That will cover OH and me from the 1st to 31st; we’ll be away for Christmas the 23rd to 31st but I’m going to include our travel food in that amount.

pamsdish

First spend today,£69.21, that includes 2 lge beef joints to cut into smaller joints, 2 jars of coffee, bottle brandy and a grouse, 2 reduced gorgonzola.
Going to remove alcohol as only a yearly spend and will last .

Highland_Fling

Good morning everyone
well I spent £40 in Markies yesterday evening but will count it in my December budget.
The lovely thing was a man at another checkout handed me a voucher for £5 off shopping so total came to £35. I am an advocate of sharing random acts of kindness and it was lovely to be on the receiving end of one.

selloptape

Thanks for the December thread elsiepac

Please can I be put down for £306.25 again... I was slightly over last time so sticking with the same budget for December.

I wasn’t sure how to deal with Christmas food, it’s just me and one teenager this year and he often doesn’t want a full on Christmas dinner. I’m hoping that if I cut down in other areas I can spend similarly to a normal month but still have a few festive treats. Will be interesting to hear what everyone else does

thriftwizard

I'm off into the festive budget with a combined spend of £65 at the market yesterday & today. That's bought us meat, fish, cheese, fruit & veg for the week, although as per usual there'll be a little top-up shop early-to-middle of the week.

I will be having a little follow-up treatment before "reconstruction" next spring, so am likely to be a little below par for the next 2-3 months. It's just a precaution, so whilst recognising that I may feel like cutting corners and taking the easy way, I don't want to lose the plot with our budget, or with the quality of what we eat. The diet recommended after the first operation really didn't suit me (though it was of course necessary) and I feel much better now for eating more normally, so I think I'll have to indulge in some serious planning to get through this little interlude with as little damage to the budget or my tastebuds as possible; stock up & batch-cook whilst feeling OK, so there are easy answers for the days when I'm not.