December 2020 Grocery Challenge

Frugalistamama

Oh my goodness, duck-gate. Sick of talking about me wanting a duck for Christmas! So waited for lidl to have their fresh duck in today as I've not been able to find one anywhere. Went really early..... No duck. Ahhh... spend £10 on items i needed. So had to go to Sainsbury's, no fresh duck. Finally found a frozen one (1 of only 5) Why is it so difficult this year? Anyway i don't usually go to Sainsbury's as i get too tempted. And yes it happened again. Spent £17 extra on unnessarsay ( but delicious) items. But the duck was mercifully good value at £8.

I've got everything I need now for Christmas food, so I'm planning to stay out of the shops. I may possible visit on xmas Eve for a few top ups and YS items if there are any, but not counting on it.

Month runs 15th-15th already at £86/£300 and it's only the 19th!!

PipneyJane

JingsMyBucket said:

@elsiepac and @Doom_and_Gloom what a terrible year for you both and I hope next year is much better. Hugs from across the Atlantic. 

And hugs from me, too.  

I have a couple of shops to declare from Wednesday.  We spent £2.60 in L!dl, mainly on onions, and £10.95 in MrT’s.  (Actually the MrT shop was more than that but Christmas coffee up the rest.). Along the way, we collected £2.32 In shrapnel (£2 coin and various coppers), which has gone into the money box.  

The above brings our grocery challenge spend to £129.20/£140.40, leaving £11.20 for the remainder of the month.  There is very little that we’ll need: oranges, potatoes and onions spring to mind, plus fresh milk.  DH will collect the goose on Wednesday, but it’ll be purchased by the Christmas Fund.

- Pip

ancientmum

This week I've bought enough meat from the butcher and the market to hopefully see me well into January.  I've also done a Sains shop which includes cereals and snacks for DS3 so annual total has leapt to £1744.16. 

K9sandFelines

elsiepac said:

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!

Oh Elsie what a crappy time for you. I am not up to scratch with your move, but you must be distraught.
 I've had a Morrison's delivery today from said Amazon Flex/Prime. Food cost me £21.09. I don't include anything else.
I have a couple of small spends still to add.
I got paid super early (only started this job last January); but I am still running the month the same as usual. So this month will finish on Christmas day and my GC2021 will start on Boxing day.
I'll try and drop in more over Christmas, as im finally off for a bit :👏

patentgirl

I am picking Turkey and beef up Wed (will have to freeze beef) now as not worth doing all that for 3 of us as in tier 4 now so plans changed now ! Will get some bread and milk  then  no more spends 2020 but still over by £50 looking forward to starting again in 2021 looking into annual budget Happy Christmas  everyone

pamsdish

£6 In Tosco, unexpected run to town so grabbed more ginger ale, washing up liquid, as started spare, pack bacon for friend and a bottle of whisky to go with ginger ale, different budget.

MazzieD

Quick dash to L*dl to get 14p sprouts (3 bags) and  a bag of carrots.  Spent a whopping 31p as had a 25p scratch card win.

Think I've had enough of food shopping as the shops are getting busy even early in the morning. Don't eat salad over this part of the year so no top ups required and fridge and freezer are full.  

£81.99 spent, £8.01 left.

K9sandFelines

Doom_and_Gloom said:

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. 

So sorry to hear that things arent going well for you either. 2020 has definitely been a year and a half. 

joedenise

Forgot to post a couple of days ago.  Had a small spend in Lidl and now have £95.55 left for the rest of the month.  Will hopefully be doing my final shop tomorrow and then not having to do another shop until the end of the year or even into next month as will have more than enough for a couple of weeks meals.

Matron_Midge

I’ve done my final shop of the year and am ready to declare my annual totals.
I've come in ahead of budget at £4325.50/£5200.00 (yippee)
That means I’ve averaged out at £360.46 per month or £83.18/£100.00 per week.
Extremely happy with that considering we had all the gang here during lock down #1 eating me out of house and home.

Can I be in again next year please? Same budget £5200 per annum/£100.00 per week. I know it might be a challenge for me as two uni students will graduate this year and have already said they are coming back home to save up for their own homes so we will be a family of 3 until the end of May and  back to a family of 5 after that.

Thanks for running the challenge and keeping track of everything on our behalf. Merry Christmas xx