January 2022 Grocery Challenge 22 December 2021 at 4:11PM edited 22 December 2021 at 4:14PM in Old style MoneySaving 463 replies 31K views

GreenCat80

I’d like to jump in and give this a go. I don’t really know what my budget is, I’ll be saving my receipts through January, so I’m going to say £580 budget for us 4 humans, & 3 cats during January. That’ll be cleaning/toiletries/pull-ups etc. I really hope I can spend less than that though! 

pamsdish

Hi @elsiepac can you reduce my budget to £200 and monthly please.
Really want to cut unnecessary spends, with a cheaper to run car, and no pets should be doable. Although the pet part is under review.

QueenJess

After what looks like to be a very expensive December, I went back and the average weekly spend for the last four months has been £125 😱. I can’t quite strip out Xmas properly from December and so I can’t tell if my monthly shop had any impact at all.

I would prefer a max weekly amount for groceries, toilet roll, cleaning stuff etc to be £100, but that might be ambitious to do all at once. Will try for £115 a week, which will come out at £575 for the month.

Have done a very rough meal plan with lots of flexibility, with the aim of doing a massive monthly shop for cupboards, freezer, bread and meat. Then will do everything else weekly and try to run down what I have.

£575 for the month for me please!

StickyTheStickInsect

Hi @elsiepac thank you for setting up a new thread, I see I’m on the list for an annual £5,200, I’d like to stick with that please. I had a rubbish year this year so am hoping for better !

Suffolk_lass

Thanks @elsoepac - very on the ball this month  we really appreciate you keeping a tally. I'm in again this year but may well exceed my target in 2022 as inflation is rampant, and I intend adding a few additional things into GC (I realise I have one or two subscription deliveries and also want to include cat things (unless DH buys them at a pets store) - so when they are in the SM shop. 

£3000 annual target please

Just realised you have added me with that presumption - thankyou. Please leave the contingency too. I also intend adding a row for treats and entertainment to my spreadsheet so I can track my monthly spend there properly (still won't include it in GC though). This is because I have bought quite a lot of wine and then wondered why I needed to juggle funds between three accounts!

shabbychic12

I have read this thread for interest for the last 6 month and think it’s time l joined and a got a  grip with my grocery spends. As it’s the first month lm going to set at £400 this is for 2 adults and a dog but l hope to be under, we shall see.

PipneyJane

Count me “in” please with a budget of £140.

That’s for all grocery shopping for two adults - food, cleaning products and toiletries - but excludes any money spent at our local butcher’s shop (separate budget).   Our month will run from the 1st to the 31st.

Thanks for the shiny new thread, @elsiepac

- Pip

leftatthetrafficlights

First spend from the January budget: 
£10 on flowers and £4.60 on bin liners (for home and garden)
£14.60/ £300

NeverendingDMP

Hello all. Long time since I've done the challenge so wish me luck. Usual budget is 433 but I'm going for 

483 this time please 

I've spent 155 already. Whoops  family of 5, fridge full but a lots of it has a hone already for xmas boxing day Jacob joins.
Good luck everyone 

ancientmum

Morning, I'm drinking tea in bed wondering how Christmas Eve has managed to sneak up on me despite months of planning and knowing that it is on the same day every year. 
 Thank you for the new thread elsiepac, please can you keep my challenge at £70.