December 2023 Grocery Challenge

Suffolk_lass

@LadyWithAPlan - if it is still 25% off six bottle, the Sains DOCG Prosecco this one is very nice and would cost you £5 for six on top of your £40 voucher (for which I have been looking, btw - having fallen hopelessly behind on diaries, I missed how you got double points)

mumtoomany

Small shop on Thursday, £17.78 spent. Only need to shop on Tuesday now, should only be bits. We are away from 22nd till 28th. May need some bits when we get back. Might come in under budget. Now at £1785.50/£1860. Leaves £74.50. Hugs to all, mumtoomany.xxx

thriftwizard

@mumtoomany I am in total awe of your budgeting skills! Have a very excellent holiday.

mumtoomany

Hi, @thriftwizard. Thank you.  Needs must I'm afraid. We have been living on decreasing budget, year on year. We were surviving on around £700 per month earlier this year, for everything! Luckily from Next month OH will get his state pension, we will feel rich. 

The holiday is only to stay with my sister and her family. We are going, three of our children, one son-in-law and one grandson. As well as her three children. Will be a full house! Kindly she has funded a hire car for us to get there, and paid for the fuel. Love my family. hugs,mumtoomany

LadyWithAPlan

Suffolk_lass said:

@LadyWithAPlan - if it is still 25% off six bottle, the Sains DOCG Prosecco this one is very nice and would cost you £5 for six on top of your £40 voucher (for which I have been looking, btw - having fallen hopelessly behind on diaries, I missed how you got double points)

Sains did a 'exchange nectar points for double points voucher' deal so £10 worth of points could be swapped for £20  voucher etc , £20 = £40 voucher - so I did 2 x £10 and a £20 so ended up with £80 worth .. Deal is over now  - was on mse in November - I have til 24/12 to use my last £40 one. Given most my nectar points come from ebay and also maximising points from sains on occasion it is effectively £80 free money  - worth watching for next Nov..
It cant be used for alcohol though .. I may buy some champagne glasses as a gift as well as food for bulk, frozen veg etc  this weekend.. as otherwise will be at family's tryng to use it up... and at least my local sain knows about the deal as they always have to put a code in it seems. 

@mumtoomany brilliant about the state pension kicking in next month - thats quite a big jump!

I am currently making soup stocks etc  - I stripped the FR chicken and made a stock out of it with some tired looking carrots, half an onion , HG bay leaf etc  - will be away for 10 days probably next week so trying to eat down the fridge.

I now have an extra £5 HF fresh voucher as my HF delivery did not knock and it was left outside for hours... I complained via Twitter
So that is nearly £34 I am due (£29.xx  prepaid from Nov)  .. so i will do one more HF order with my £10 off then can get a bigger box for free with the credit. They dont let you use the credit til after all offers are completed... 

Lunch was I used my rice steamer and put in brown rice, leeks, peas, onions, garlic, with chermoula, tomato paste and spices with some stock - so served that with the remaining fried chicken and some dijon mayo. I added some pak choi into the rice for the last 10 mins as well - warming and easy food ahead of a potential hangover tomorrow...

I have then got a soup ongoing - there was a delicious squash chickpea lime soup recipe I tried from mse here  - a ww one.. so I am doing a my empty the fridge version.  The FR chicken stock, with leeks, a sweet potato (one of the 2 that came with my HF), garlic, canneloni beans, organic spinach and lemon juice, tin tomatoes, tomato puree, spoon harissa paste and various spices inc a cheeky bit of that Chermoula spice - no squash in but I will buy some more limes as they always useful.   I will blend it  and freeze some

HF meals 2 left - still not cooked - I think I have an issue with being told what to do - even by a recipe!!, these are both 40 min cook times.. The one dish I can cook after xmas ... the other I may try tomorrow - beef mince koftas so easy bit lots of roasting in oven stuff first eg aubergine and the now already used up partly sweet potato...  i need to make some gf breadcrumbs for one recipe and already bought gf pasta for the 2nd so thats prob not helping.

Food spending  today  Grocery £36.74/£200 + £37.43/£50 bulk  + £10.05 junk food (crisps and sweets)
Popped to Mr L to pick up their pretty decent cremant £8.99 (only had one bottle in) and also a rose  wine as they had a spend £25 and get some xmas choc lollies for free 1.49 for the stockings/tree 
Alcohol  for house £15.48
Grocery £8.46   
Bulk - £5.50    brown rice, tonic waters, half the GF burgers
Junk - crisps 6 pack £1.05

Pennypincin

I spent around £2.50 in Tesco on veg and crab sticks.
I've come £10.06 under budget this week, which will go into the bulk fund.
I've the worst of the carrot soup prepped and it's the case of draining the water off the veg, and putting it into the slow cooker, making sure its on and heating up.

JingsMyBucket

Hello folks! I've been rambling around this month trying to get everything done before we go away on Tuesday. Since December 2nd we've spent £223.48 at a variety of places including the farmers' market, a Morrisons order, a couple runs to M & S, Tesco, and Farm Foods. I lost the receipt for Farm Foods but I made a pretty good estimate. 

£261.32 / £300.00 spent. £38.68 remaining

That should leave us enough to get milk and a few basics when we return on the 28th/29th. 

Soontobeoap

Another £5.00 spent on juice, mince pies and chocolate liquers. Away from 22nd so not lomg to go now. 

itsthelittlethings

I'm in. I will go with £220 including all cleaning materials. Just going to add up this month so far.

Asda £27.50
Misc £5.20
Cropshare for January and February £63.60
Asda £14.63
Apples £5.80
Bread £4.00
Misc £2.47
Asda £8.00
Tescos £79.55
Misc £2.99
Misc £9.65
Olives £3.49
Asda £20.10
Xmas cheese £29.15
Bread £4.00

£280.13

I just need to get some pitta bread and maybe oat milk later this week. I hardly bought any cleaning products if any this month though. The cheese is to share. I need to lose £60.

joedenise

I assume you mean going forward!  Surely you don't spend out the £63 odd every month so that's most of the £60 you need to lose plus of course you won't be buying Christmas cheese every month which is nearly another £30 so looks to be doable!

Even if you need that £63 every couple of months that's nearer £30 a month to find so with the £30 for cheese there's your £60 you need to lose!