January 2021 Grocery Challenge

[Deleted User]

I'd like to join.
Monthly £250.00 ,
I used £30 already (I got paid on the 23rd and have to let it last until 27th January 2021)
Me and my husband are looking to buy a house early 2021 and so I'm looking to save money anyway I can.

candygirl

Hi guys. Hope you've all had lovely Xmases.Mine's been very quiet this year, but relaxing n calm
Can I please join in the Jan challenge with a budget of £130? X

StickyTheStickInsect

Could I join please ?
With an annual budget of £5,200, this is for 2 adults, 3 children (2 who are Dairy free) and 1 cat. This includes all food, drinks, toiletries, cleaning products, cat food, cat litter and alcohol.
Thank you x

Suffolk_lass

I'm going to start the year by trying a month where we live on what we have in, plus eggs and milk that are delivered. We are fortunate to still have leeks in the veg plot and stored squashes and plenty of frozen fruit and veg so will try a no-spend month. I will report back in due course.

For those new to this, I really urge you to write down what you have already, then meal plan from what you have in. Try substitutes (like any veg instead of the one a recipe specifies) and only then, write a list of what you must have. When you get to the shops, know where you can swap things (meat in the YS fridge is always a great saving) and be a little bit flexible. Great savings to be made for all of us!!

patentgirl

Morning everyone I am going to try an annual budget this year of £3200 will be easier to budget with everything else allocated monthly will have more time on my hands as officially retired from end of Dec to grow more fruit and vegetables this year and shop more wisely. This is for 3 adults Good luck everyone and big thanks to @elsiepac for running thread.

Suffolk_lass

patentgirl said:

Morning everyone I am going to try an annual budget this year of £3200 will be easier to budget with everything else allocated monthly will have more time on my hands as officially retired from end of Dec to grow more fruit and vegetables this year and shop more wisely. This is for 3 adults Good luck everyone and big thanks to @elsiepac for running thread.

How lovely. I am sure you won't regret that decision to retire. I have been amazed how much our costs of living have dropped since we stopped work, and yes, growing most of our fruit and veg has been marvellous

ancientmum

Morning.  Elsiepac please can I change back to a monthly target, as everything is up in the air regarding what DS3 will be doing after next May.  Please put me down for £100 for January as it is just me, all groceries, cleaning stuff and everyday toiletries (and the occasional bottle of booze).
Thank you.

PurpleJay

Hi,

Could I join in please.

I have been overspending during lockdown on food but part of this has been due to creating an emergency store so it is hard to tell what we have been actually spending on what we eat/drink if that makes sense! I have a well stocked if a bit random 'Brexit cupboard' which I had always planned to use in January 2021. It was useful at the start of the pandemic when it was difficult to get rice, pasta and such like for a while. I have been grocery shopping online since March (I usually did before that too) and have been spending around £100 per week. There is just me and my 14 year old so I know we can spend less especially as I love to cook from scratch and we are plant based. Vegan food is only expensive if you buy the ready made/processed sort. 

I need to take an inventory of my store cupboard and pull out anything with short dates. The pandemic has shown me that having some food in hand for periods of isolation is helpful so I want to maintain this to some extent but at present, I know we have more than we should need. I am going to draw up a store cupboard meal plan for a couple of weeks and maintain that going forward. 

I am going to set my annual budget at £3600 so £300 pcm but for January I am going to aim to spend no more than £200. I tend to buy my cleaning products and loo rolls online from Koh, Who gives a Crap etc so will also try to remember to add these into my running total. I stopped drinking alcohol in July which has massively helped my budget. I do buy non alcoholic beer but only occasionally.

Good luck everyone.

Merlin's_Beard

Hi, could you put me down for £120 for one my budget for January please? I've recently moved and suddenly the only shop within a 15 minute drive is a Co-op so unfortunately my costs are going to expand accordingly, I think. I'll see how it goes over the next few months.

lindsaygalaxy

Hi. 

Please can I be put down for £400. That’s 2 adults, 2 teenagers and a toddler. We still have lots of groceries in and a freezer that I want to defrost so need to start using up the contents!