January 2024 Grocery Challenge

pastmysellby

I've a day at home planned today so the ideal opportunity to do a fridge / freezer / cupboard inventory.  I am desperately trying not to buy any food before 1st Jan. OH not currently on board with this and wants to do a food shop.  We've run out of eggs and other stuff but with only two days to go, I'd rather wait and eat what we already have in.  We'll see how the battle of the wills goes 

thewestfive

Hi
Can I join please?
My grocery shop is out of control and dare not look at what ive been spending over last year or so. I have looked at the average for my family from the Nimblefins post on page 1. 
This comes to £775 for January. Family of 5 adults (including 1 celiac so extra expense).
I am including all food (including any takeaways - NOT HAPPENING), toiletries, toilet roll etc as well as all cleaning stuff, and dog food.
I am not intending to spend all this as my cupboard is full as well as freezers. But I need a starting figure.

basketcase

CMD79 said:

My MIL works for Heinz in logistics. Aldi tins are produced by Heinz - albeit in a separate site, but it is Heinz.... 

Possibly, but not necessarily.  I'm not saying you're wrong, but I wonder if this happens on the separate site?  I can't see Heinz letting Aldi use their exact recipe - unless they're a lot more altruistic than most food companies.

Years ago I had a summer job as a packer at the Cussons soap factory.  They also did Bronnley and several supermarket multipack soaps.

We were due to pack 2 lots of identical soap - same colour, shape, size, smell etc.  The only difference was the SM name stamped on the bars.  But they didn't just change the die.  The whole vat was emptied out, scraped, cleaned and filled with a different soap base because the formulae were different.

basketcase

@thriftwizard
Your post just caused a Damascus Road moment!

My pension was due on 2nd January, but arrived yesterday instead.  I was going to start the challenge on Monday because I'd decided to 'go frugal' in 2024 - and I discounted the money because it arrived in December, so wasn't part of my January figures.  (Pensions being paid 4-weekly (not by calendar month) this is one of the odd occasions it's due twice in one month - the 2nd and 30th). 

But of course this is my January budget.  What a numpty I am.  No wonder I've always felt financially 'behind'.  I was.  Literally. This probably sounds really obvious to most people on these boards.  But for some reason it wasn't to me.  How could someone otherwise intelligent be so dumb?  It's a gift, honed by years of practice.

It wasn't the bills btw, just everything else - especially food.  I was going shopping today and counting it as a December spend.  But, of course, it's not because the food's for use in January, so is actually part of the January budget.

Simple once you realise, so please feel free to have a good giggle! Zooms away to alter spreadsheet to reflect stunning revelation!

nellis10

Good Morning @elsiepac If it's not too late may I join this challenge.
No idea of my spending lately, but hae some goals to achieve in 2024 so want to rein in the spending!
I'm going for £300 (might be too generous but want to see how I go!)


£300 for January for FOOD and HOUSEHOLD (and Starbucks!  )

CMD79

pastmysellby said:

@CMD79 Could you reshape the chicken burgers (thawed) into meatballs and have them with a tomato sauce and pasta?  I seem to remember somebody I follow on Instagram doing something similar with beef burgers.

It wouldn't work because they are the "breaded" or "battered" or something kind, so couldn't reshape. However, to slice one up and cover it with a passata and have with pasta isn't a bad idea. I'll stick 2 scotch bonnets in it and we'll not notice what's in there anyway!! 

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll go for that next week!! 

joedenise

If they're battered/breaded then I think it probably would work with a curry sauce and call it Katsu curry!  Definitely worth trying particularly if you make a fairly hot curry sauce!

joedenise

@thewestfive - you need to post this on the January Grocery Challenge which is pinned at the top of the Old Style board.

basketcase

Could you either make or get a bottle of a Chinese lemon sauce and have lemon chicken with steamed rice?

Misslayed

Merge requested - probably won't be made until next year! IE Tuesday