December 2020 Grocery Challenge

mumtoomany

spends again, Lidl, Aldi and farmfoods. total about £35.50. Can't find the Farmfoods receipt! But it was around £4.50, I also used part of DD3's Christmas bonus card she gave me, but that's not "real" money. Running total now £187.59/£300. Mumtoomany.

elsiepac

I mentioned before that my budgets were blown this month due to a large unplanned expenditure (essentially a discrepancy between what my letting agent told me and what my landlord told them meant I had to suddenly rehome my degus and chinchilla - awful few weeks as I've had them for years and they were all rescues and they were supposed to see out their days with me.  Still heartbroken.  Found them a lovely home all together amazingly but 250 miles away so hiring a van, fuel etc cost me a massive chunk of this months wages and was essentially all my Christmas money plus some of my normal budgets.  Absolute nightmare.)

- I managed to do a decent shop at mostly Lidl a week and a half ago then topping up in Tesc0 for the bits I couldn't get there, spent about £30 in total.  Held out till last night when I popped to Tesc0 and spent £13 on a few top ups but now have enough for at least the rest of the week.  29p cauliflower for the win!! My favourite veg! 

My pay will come through on Friday but it will make January essentially a 5.5 week month for me.  If I'm careful I should be ok, I have a little overtime in this one finally so that will help. 
I also back in the summer when I was in the middle of my PTSD episode and signed off for months and convinced I would lose my job and be homeless (no basis, all part of the mental health joy of post covid), I applied for Amazon Flex so I had a back up plan for earning money should I need it.  It takes about a month to go through and I only did a few deliveries in the last couple of months when I finally felt more up to it, but it's such a useful little thing to have on the back burner if you want a little extra cash.  Top tip - the Morrisons deliveries are the easiest! It pays £13 an hour but that's before tax (which you need to put aside) and of course petrol costs but it's still extra, and they pay the following Wednesday so it's quick too.  

So if I get really stuck in January I can pick up some deliveries on the weekends.

Tonight's dinner is the Hearty Herby Stew from Healthy BOSH - I had most of the bits in (or near as!) just got some baby potatoes last night and thyme.  Looking forward to trying it as their recipes are usually really tasty and not difficult or costly as long as you have most of the basics already!

pamsdish

O.M.G. @elsiepac as if you haven`t suffered enough, think we will all be glad to see the back of 2020, whatever could go wrong did, for the whole world, I don`t normally usher in New Year now, but thinking seriously may do this one.
£8.32 in Tosco mostly tonic water as no lemon in Morries last week, hopefully now just last minute bits next week at Aldi

[Deleted User]

Hi folks. I might as well come on here and be honest.  My December Grocery Budget is already spent and then some!!  I've got out of the habit of keeping track and that as well as some additional expenses have cropped up.  OH is paid on Friday so I'll need to steal some money from our Jan wages for the rest of the month!!!  Oh the shame!  I need to get back on track next month.  

joedenise

Been shopping this morning and spent just under £30 which leaves me with £130.86 for rest of the month.

Seems like I should be OK this month as it's only the regular stuff like fruit, veg and yoghurts that are likely to be needed.  The cupboards are well stocked now as are the freezers so nothing likely to be needed for those.  Looks like there could be a nice carry over to next month!

MazzieD

@[Deleted User] it can take a while to get it right, think we all lose track occasionally and find receipts we haven't declared or go over budget.
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Well, the seasonal veg wars have started.  Another bumper year of 19p bags of carrots etc from Lid* and A!di from Thursday and looks like Tesc* launched at 29p from your post @elsiepac.  Wow you really have had a bad time of it.  Hope things start to improve.

Managing really well this month, I'll be topping up with the incredibly cheap veg on offer whilst it's available.  Think I'll do a trip to T*sco, love cauliflower so might get tempted to part with some more money whilst there.

Quick walk to L!dl this morning, needed yet more lettuce, cherry toms and cucumber, I seem to go through it so quickly.  £1.35 spent. need to check where I am with the budget but will update my total after the raid on T*esco.

Doom_and_Gloom

Goldfinches - I'm glad I could help you in your decision. I'll put pictures up next week of what I get. Planned at the moment on getting their Christmas box as well as their large fruit and vegetable box (may skip the normal vegetable box as getting an A&C Christmas fruit and vegetable box also but will work that out).

Elsiepac - hugs from me. That truly is heart breaking and I feel for you completely as our chinchilla was rehomed with us and we plan to be his forever home just as we were for the girl that we unfortunately lost last year. I know it must feel like a part of your family has been taken away so have hugs and if you need to talk I know you can on here but you can message me to if needed.


This year has been awful for most people. My disability is not as stable as it was, it has obviously deteriorated over this year and so I'll officially be without a job before the end of the year. No idea about help we can get yet (ESA? Universal credit?) but we have savings that will see us through until everything is sorted.  Our grocery budget in the new year will have to go down from the £200 odd per month it's been but still taking in our values (OH only buys certain meat, dairy and eggs and I do my best to get organic when possible and avoid plastic where I can and sometimes that is more expensive). We have a nearly fully stocked freezer and we have a good stock of staples as I was brought up to put stuff aside just in case of emergency times. 

Yesterday made banana and walnut muffins to not let 4 bananas go to waste. The recipe was for a bread/cake but just adjusted time for muffins and all good. Didn't have self raise flour so just added the needed amount of baking powder and tada no need to go out and buy any. That made 12 large muffins, 4 already gone.

Made vegetable and bean soup in the pressure cooker over night on slow cooker setting so lunch sorted for a few days for me.
My dinner - vegetable and bean curry and FF naan.
OH dinner - beef stew (he made in his slow cooker yesterday) and mash.

OH went to L!dl but has misplaced the receipt so need that added when found. He got bread and croissants so not lots of money.

£187.07/£350 (the extra Yule and Christmas amount is budgeted through the year).
£162.93 left.

wishus

Last couple of little shops plus milk bill have me up to £148.90.

Had a small panic, before I realised that what my bank is classing as food spends are actually presents bought in supermarkets!

goldfinches

So sorry to hear both your bad news @elsiepac and @Doom_and_Gloom am sending hugs from this direction towards the pair of you. This has been a rotten year in so many awful ways for such a lot of us but I'm sorry you both got extra nastiness on top of that.
Spent £3.55 in Marks on milk, yoghurt and  y/s rocket bringing me to £88.80/£152.

Suffolk_lass

Doom_and_Gloom said:

This year has been awful for most people. My disability is not as stable as it was, it has obviously deteriorated over this year and so I'll officially be without a job before the end of the year. No idea about help we can get yet (ESA? Universal credit?) but we have savings that will see us through until everything is sorted.  

Just a bit of reading for you on this link https://www.gov.uk/financial-help-disabled which explains the range of benefits that you may be eligible for - you can explore the links from it in your downtime - and if you have been assessed and thing have got worse - you need to register that change in circumstances. If your OH cares for you he must also register that as there are NI credits and benefit payments associated with carers