December 2020 Grocery Challenge

Suffolk_lass

@MazzieD I'm so glad it helped. Our cat is ten now - I'm sure you are right about it being an age thing. I do try to not getting drawn into doing her bidding so we try to stick to regular times but it is easy for her to start pestering and for us to give in - then suddenly she is in charge! That's why we put the dry food down (to try and resist becoming her staff!  )

DailyOM

Hi @elsiepac, many thanks for this. First time here. Please can you put me down for £300 1st - 31st Dec.
Many thanks 

K9sandFelines

£400 for me again please. 
My eldest daughter and granddaughter haven't officially been able to move into their new place yet, (down to a few hiccups and miscommunication); so I am still feeding them at the moment. Hopefully, they'll be in by the NY and I can drop the budget back to the amount it took me years to get it to (which was £200). However, I was working in a shop then, and got a hell of alot of reduced stuff; so maybe it might not be quite as low.

Good luck everyone for the last GC month of 2020.

Smoosh

First spend of £6.09 on some YS bits: 6 ready meals that we'll use as work lunches, 2 vegan sausage rolls, a loaf of bread, a smoothie, and some iced buns (oops). Also a garlic bread that we forgot to get with the weekly shop.

6.09/300

DireEmblem

Ooh I like this challenge.  I will be eating for 1, so a little curious to how low I can go.

If food already in the pantry counts, then I have enough almond milk, oats, chocolate and frozen fruit for about 15-20 days breakfast.  If I add some banana pancakes to the mix, then that should cover the month.

I have a pizza, chicken steaks to cover 4 meals with veg, and two portions of Thai butternut squash lentil soup in the freezer.  Now just 55 meals to plan and I am done

Banana and Chocolate overnight oats - 63p a portion (I use my Quidco cashback to get free protein powder).
Banana Pancakes - 55p a portion (I simplify and just use 1 banana with 2 eggs, and drizzle with honey).
Thai Butternut Squash Lentil Soup - 56p a portion (Lidl have an offer on for butternut squash - 50p).

Actually thinking about it - if I can keep each meal under £1, stick me down for £90

Smoosh

First big food shops done.
£30.51 in lidl on 18 toilet rolls, a big shampoo, 2 packs of sweets, 6 mince pies, pepperoni, a pizza, bubble bath, baby potatoes, 6 pints of milk, 2 apples, sweet potato fries, 2 pears, whipped cream, 4 bananas, Babybels, ketchup, penne, apple juice, tin of rice pudding, granola bars, chocolate Caramel desserts, a butternut and Goats cheese Wellington, 2 big pots of Skyr, tin of tomato soup, 6 crumpets, cheese sauce mix, a basil plant, 6 eggs and 6 bags of crisps.

£21.55 in tesco on 8 litres of Dr pepper, 2 litres of lemonade, 16 vegetarian sausages, 2 tubs of ice cream, 6 hot dog buns, frozen spinach and 2 blocks of Pecorino.

Finally £3.99 in b&m on pumpkin spice coffee syrup.

This week's plans:

Sunday: Wellington with roasted baby potatoes, roasted carrots and onions and peas
Monday: vegetarian sausage casserole with mash and baby corn. 
Tuesday: pizza 
Wednesday: hot dogs and sweet potato fries 
Thursday: macaroni cheese with spinach and garlic bread
Friday: cheesy baked bean topped crumpets, sausages and fried eggs
Saturday: takeaway fish and chips

Breakfasts: yoghurts with muesli, porridge and granola bars.

Lunches: leftover Wellington, vegan sausage roll, cheese and onion roll and leftover pizza for me. Ham, mash and peas, curry and tinned soup for OH.

Snacks: cheese, fruit, crisps, granola bars, popcorn bars. 

We forgot kitchen roll and vitamins as they didn't have either in lidl so will have to pick those up in the week or tomorrow. 

We are up to £62.14/300

[Deleted User]

I'm back in for the 2nd month of my annual budget! 😊 I am reasonably happy with my first month - we had a few household spends that I had to get from the grocery money as I hadn't set a budget for them 🙈 but I've rectified that now and started a 'pot' for household stuff 😉 
Next week's menu plan is written and I have everything we need food wise - however, I'm on my last couple of dishwasher tablets so will have to buy those on Wednesday! 😂

welshspendthrift

£54.57 spent on groceries at Tesco included some extras for Christmas cake and puds today( Sherry rec by Nigella was a bit expensive let’s hope it’s worth it when puds cooked!) and maple syrup ingredient in rum and butter Christmas cake, why is maple syrup so expensive( Tesco own brand) OH did shop he is so much better at not adding extra 😀 we’ve also had a £4 magic bag which was ok not as good as first one. 

Balance of food budget £291.43
had a discussion about our Christmas meats, small Turkey and a gammon for roasting. I would like to support but for a small Turkey about 4.5 kg we are looking at over £70 as £11.25 a kg Gammon is £9 a kilo so about £15! We may well go to Lidl but conscience pricking at not buying local.looked at local Turkey farm too and as expensive, has to be free range and whole Turkey as we like brown meat as well.  Any tips or advice? 

Smoosh

Got vitamins and kitchen roll. Up to £66.89/300.

Hettyhound

Hi, I’m going to stick with a December budget of 220 which I came in under last month 😁. There will only be me and my son so food shouldn’t cost a huge amount more and I’m planning on doing a little baking instead of buying in.  Made some chocolate brownies yesterday, just as a trial you understand to make sure they were acceptable 🤣 and I’ve got a recipe for Christmas buns I have all the ingredients for.  They are an alternative to mince pies which I’m not keen on but basically are a bread dough with dried fruit spread on and rolled/cut as a Chelsea bun style.  They won’t cost me any extra in shopping so I’ll give them a go.  My budget includes pet food and household/toiletries but I don’t need much.  Have come to compromise on the cat food that seems to suit my two; one bag of more expensive stuff mixed with two boxes of cheaper supermarket own brand.  I decant into the expensive stuff original bag and they eat it.  Maybe cats are swayed by the power of marketing rather than taste too 🐈