December 2023 Grocery Challenge

thriftwizard

Plot lost, I'm afraid; in the pre-Christmas lunacy, a number of receipts got mislaid so I can't work out exactly what was spent from the usual grocery budget & what was appropriate to the Festive Fund. However I'm pretty sure I stayed well within what I'd allowed, on both counts, as for the first time ever there's money left in both accounts. We've been eating leftovers in one guise or another all week and tomorrow will see off the last of the 7.5kg turkey in a stir-fry with allotment veg and the odd pepper etc. left in the fridge, and the last of the ham will be diced and frozen towards future pies; we had ham & turkey pies tonight. There are still mince pies, butter tarts, Christmas pud, cake & jelly to finish up, and vast quantities of cheese, fruit, nuts & Twiglets. I don't think anyone went home feeling hungry!

So January starts tomorrow for us, in the fiscal sense. I shall be doing a food shop although there's no market, but don't expect to spend very much. We still have DS3 here but so far he's eaten everything I've put in front of him (yay!) and he'll be going back to his current university early next week. But his twin sister (DD1) and her boyfriend are returning home at the end of January, at which point the "special dietary needs" kick in again - he's quite genuinely intolerant to a number of things & she prefers ready-made food, after working in a supermarket for a few years & becoming germ-phobic. So January will be my best chance to save, use stuff up, tidy my cupboards & take stock, until they can find an affordable place of their own.

Crazycatlady2

As with every other month this year I'm pretty sure I've spent more than I wanted to 😢

I guess I really need to work on this 😕

Blackcats

I am finishing December £6.58 over budget.  This is my best estimate as record keeping and correctly allocating spends between Christmas and grocery pot has been deeply flawed.  I will take some lessons learned with me ready for next December and hopefully apply a more accurate approach.  😉

I hope everyone enjoyed their festivities and look forward to seeing you all in 2024.
@joedenise - I hope you will still join in with your hints and tips.

joedenise

@Blackcats - I will still be reading along and will definitely chip in with hints and tips when I can.

mumtoomany

We were away over Christmas, but called into Morrisons on the way home. We needed milk and salad bits, but also picked up reduced stewing steak and a reduced loaf. £9.10 spent. The annual total now stands at £1846.53/£1860. Still got £13.47 left over. We don't need anything else this year, but I may go to town on Sunday, see if there are any bargains to be had. Pleased we've one in under budget so far. Better than Last year. 

Happy New year, and huge to you all, mumtoomany.xxx

JingsMyBucket

Well, we returned yesterday and went into the high street today to meet friends for lunch and to run some errands. We stopped at M & S to get some basics to last us the next couple of days. £36.10 was spent on various types of yoghurt, milk, butter, 4x YS fresh mozzarella, halloumi, pasta, garlic, red pepper, broccoli, clementines, blueberries, and some other bits. As you can see, we're a dairy heavy household. 😂

£297.42 / £300.00 spent. £2.58 remaining

I'm sure there's some slippage in there somewhere but I'll take it! Thanks everyone for the fun year of saving together. Hope your holidays are going well and see you in the January thread!

PipneyJane

I am declaring with £2.30 left in the purse.

£149.70/£152 spent.

See you all in 2024.  Hope you have a Happy, Healthy New Year.

- Pip

ancientmum

Well that's it for another year.  Been shopping today to take advantage of a money off voucher (stocked up with toilet rolls) and the grand total comes to £1199.29 more by luck than judgement.  Thank you to everyone who posts here for tips, ideas and moral support, and to elsiepac for running the threads.  It's nice to feel that you are aren't the only person trying to live sensibly, reducing food waste and saving money.

Happy New Year everyone, see you in January!

mumtoomany

Didn't go shopping, so declaring at £13.47 left over. Total spend for the year is £1846.53. This was for seven people until June, then two from them on. Also lots of visitors and extras throughout the year. I

See you all in the new year, hugs, mumtoomany.xx

diminua

Declaring with £15.47 left. Full disclosure: I went over my Christmas and holiday budget by near enough the same amount, so I'm where I expected to be rather than ahead. 

Happy New Year everyone.