December 2021 Grocery Challenge

Suffolk_lass

Went to the market yesterday (outdoors) and bought our Christmas bread and pastries (as he won't be there next week, or the week after) - anything beyond that bread, we will make ourselves. I also bought a small amount of veg and fruit, together with a 4kg bag of red rooster potatoes (as our homegrown have finished now). Then some bass fillets, smoked haddock (for DH) and Scallops (for me) for Sunday. Tonight will be roast beef as the large joint has been liberated from the chest freezer ready to cook when DS comes over to help with the Christmas decs. Happy days.

pamsdish

Struggling as usual to balance my books, I shop too much for others, they pay me, mostly, some I am dubious I got the cash, but it doesn`t help to keep my accounts straight, most pay me when I give it them, or owe me till they get the cash. Hopefully will have a better idea by next week.

Rough calculation £3509.26 to Nov, which does include treatment and subsequent euthanasia of my dog, does not include newish car and subsequent expenses.

pamsdish

Totally blown 2021, just bought another Ninja item the health grill, heading to 2022 with optimism, massive belt tightening, no animals and subsequent expense, still grieving my dog, low running expense car, really miss my mini, no large expense on my horizon, please.

Blackcats

I'm sorry about your dog Pamsdish - very tough.  "Heading to 2022 with optimism" what a great sentiment - good for you, lots of nice folk on here to keep you company. 

Hettyhound

Way over budget and still shopping to do.  I currently stand at £198.94 spent out of an extremely optimistic budget of £160; what was I thinking of?  Still I should come in about £250 under the annual target I set of £2,500 so that’s encouraging.  New Years resolution (one of many) is to get a good set of meal plans going that I can rotate and not to forget to include my lunches and also an endless supply of snacks for my boy.

QueenJess

An outrageous amount of money spent today on the Xmas shop by DH £138.40 and the Xmas veg box, fruit etc will be another £54.50 😱.

 There’s no way Jan can be like this. £600 would be an average of £150 a week and my absolute max is £100 (preferably £85). Xmas did collide with running out of things from my first monthly shop though. I think the key to Jan will be to buy more in the monthly shop and try to buy little in the top up weekly ones (especially as DH insists on shopping in expensive places for that). Really need to sort it out!

I’m not going to meal plan for a month, but might consider some main meals to have in to be able to shop as little as possible outside of the monthly shop. Off to do some planning and thinking 🤔…

Total spent £497.55 / £600

Pixiehouse55

£24  spent today in a little village called Benson where we moored up to get essentials. 
No spends apart from treats for us in our Narrowboat for Boxing Day. Spending Christmas Day with friends. We are doing well so far. It was 2 weeks ago yesterday when I last did a food shop.
Happy Christmas to you all. Xx 

pamsdish

Blackcats said:

I'm sorry about your dog Pamsdish - very tough.  "Heading to 2022 with optimism" what a great sentiment - good for you, lots of nice folk on here to keep you company. 

Thanks so much @Blackcats , it was 6 months ago but loved that hound so much.

Wishing all a Happy, healthy and frugal 2022,
xxxxxxxxx

esjw

£333.66/£600 spent with £266.34 left.

Spent £34.36 this past week, cleared all the outstanding vouchers for L!dl and treated us to a 90p pack of stewing beef after seeing that dumpling recipe, thanks @elsiepac. Christmas dinner for my side last weekend was a learning curve for DH who wasn't convinced the £4.29 frozen turkey breast joint would be enough (we also had a beef joint). He's been pushing for a large turkey crown for £40 from the butcher   I'd be sick of the sight of turkey by time we'd worked our way through all that!

DH has taken the younger ones to the in-laws so just me and DD1 for a few days. As well as spending some quality time together, it's given me chance to rope her in to the meal planning and budgeting.

leftatthetrafficlights

Declaring this month at £270/ £300 - not great but a lot of stuff bought for solstice (despite having a separate budget for that too! 🙈) 

Anyway, happy solstice everyone! 😊❄🎄 see you all on the January thread!