January 2025 Grocery Challenge

EcoIntent

Currently at £92.57/£130 with the week ending today, all down now to if anything else gets bought!

That would end the two weeks at £240.49/£260. 

Tomorrow due to the timing of pay coming in, is when we officially start our first month of 2025 (our budget is always mid month to mid month). I feel like this two weeks has almost been a bit of a reset and explore of what budgeting on groceries could look like. Early on, it was good to get the advice of starting where you are, and just getting clearer on what we are choosing to buy. That was sound advice. 

I have also gone back over all our spreadsheets and in 2024, we spent £6560 total on groceries (inc toiletries/laundry/cleaning supplies alongside food, no alcohol), family of 3 and our cat. What has surprised me is how accurate £130 a week actually is for us anyway. Some months were higher, some were lower, but that worked out at £126.15 average per week. However, the main difference in the last two weeks is we have only ate out once, I would say we would generally over 2024 have had one takeaway a week plus a meal out on some weeks. 

I am going to go for £125 per week this year for 2025, with a total of £6500 for the year. The goal within that, will be to improve quality of our diet - to eat better with higher welfare meat and dairy, more vegetables and fruit and less ultra processed food. Hence,  I am not aiming for big reductions, as we can afford what we are spending, which I know is a privilege. 

determined_new_ms

I popped into Sainsburys on Weds and ended up spending £27.60 which takes my gc for the month to £82.34/375. That included some meat and a few other bits that weren't on the GC list but I knew we'd run out soon, then oh would go to the shop and it'd end up costing more 

Loving the big batch cook approach. On Sunday I made a huge tomato based vegetable stew which I blitzed up so it was a kinda tomato sauce, secretly packed with veggies and a big batch of plaki giganti. Both have kept us going all week. Served up in a variety of ways, for lunch and dinner. Really worth the time and effort. Veggie sauce I froze half as well : so that'll be used in a week or two.

Today I will make a batch of roasted tomato soup using olio peppers  a berry blush banana bread and oh is making a blackbean dish he makes. Think I'll also make some brioche buns.

CRANKY40

Good morning, 

Week 2 shopping completed yesterday with a total spend of £66.86 so my spend so far this month is £144.08/£320. The fridge was looking very bare yesterday but looks better now. I will be baking tomorrow to fill up the cake and biscuit tins again then that should be us set for another week. 

LotsOfTea

I had a delivery yesterday which came to £80.51 so I'm now up to £146.40/£300 for the month which, given that we're about half way through, seems good. 

I'm going to try and have a less spendy second half of the month as DH will be away for work and we have so much to use up from the stores and freezer. 

TravelCrystal

Good morning all
Belated Happy Anniversary @cheerfulness4.
Before I forget I had better confess a couple of little spends.
Was in town yesterday and called into Grape Tree as we had totally run out of sea salt.
Obtained 2 bags and 2 bags of vacuum packed chestnuts for £5.98
Need the chestnuts to make a separate herb stuffing to go with the free pheasant we were given.
Probably have that next month as this month’s meals are planned.
Lamb hearts in the slow cooker at the moment. Will have these with broccoli, green beans and cheesy mash. There are leeks, carrots and celery stewing with the hearts. Any leftover juice will be frozen for soup next week.
Made a loaf of bread yesterday in the bread maker with oregano and fennel seeds.
Today I decided to make a five seed loaf, cooking as I type.
Marmalade on a Sunday morning with oregano bread is a bit different 🤣
Will need to replenish fennel seeds soon, another Grape Tree visit, but will make sure I get 3 spices or herbs as it’s 3 for 2.
Now to make some muesli biscuits which should last us a couple of weeks.

Total spend so far £150.74/£200

Have a good day all.

T.C

Quantaqa

Just caught up with the thread, it's moving fast.  This is my final week of our 'month' as it runs from 25th to 25th.  No food plan done for this week yet so I need to get craking on that.  There is loads in the house so I'm going to do an inventory and plan from stores as much as possible.  I have £40 left do to use until pay day so that is plenty.  Like others are doing I want to get some baking done this weekend.  Last weekend I made a fruit loaf and that's done me for snacks at work all week.  I think I will do a couple of loaves of bread for sandwiches and some banana bread to use up the last of the bananas.

Have a good day everyone.

carboot_karaoke

Afternoon Everyone, 

Just returned from the shop with one spend to declare of £54.20. Amongst other things l spent about £12 on meat including chicken thighs, drumsticks and minced beef.

I also spent £12 on junk food for the kids.  I know this was unnecessary but given that our older children are looking after the younger ones this weekend l thought I'd make meal times easy and leave plenty of snacks.  I think £12  for a weekends babysitting is a bargain 😄. 

Also keeping up low food waste, l can't say zero because I had to throw out half a lemon but that's not bad and much lower than normal.

New totals  £349.47 /£500

Suffolk_lass

I shopped today. First time in a SM this year. I had to buy light bulbs (£10!) which are in my stores total of £44.49 as three were replaced over Christmas and no spares in two sizes. £50.31 includes a pork shoulder joint that will do more than one meal for £5.41, and eggs! My word. Our egg-swap-for-honey person lost their chickens to the fox, it is a bit of a shock how much eggs have gone up! Anyway, my year to date, with next week's milk delivery bill is £122.60.

I should be able to get away with just milk for the next two weeks if I use my resources carefully. I have a friend coming to stay next week but I'm sure I can cook what we have and she will eat it. It's all about each other's company and a good old catch-up, not a showy gourmet meal thing!

PipneyJane

Good afternoon All

Glad to hear that so many people are keeping within their budgets.  I have a small shop to declare from yesterday:  £14.52 spent in Sainsbugs when I popped in to take advantage of their SmartShop Nectar prices and buy more Yeo Valley yoghurts.  (I bought 2 lemon curd at £1.85, and 2 Greek-style with Honey at £1.77).  As well as those, I bought a kilo of loose potatoes and then went a little mad at their “condemned” fridge, buying two rolls of YS puff pastry at 88p each, two tubs of Bol Teriyaki Udon Noodle lunch pots at 84p each and 200g of Ardennes pate for £1.25.

The pate is in the freezer and the pastry is in the fridge - it’ll keep for ages.  We will have the noodles tonight, accompanying some salmon fillets that have been in the freezer since April 2023!

The above brings our total spend to £116.89/£160 leaving £43.11 for the rest of the month.

Should be do-able. I have to go to L!dl tomorrow to pick up our free vegetables and free bath product, earned in their app, but don’t plan to spend much.  There isn’t a lot on the list, just wraps and salad leaves.

MEAL PLANS

Unless mentioned below, breakfasts are cereal and lunches are leftovers portioned up when I dish up dinner.

Today The above mentioned Teriyaki Noodles with salmon fillets. 
Saturday Lunch - toasted bagels with cream cheese & prosciutto.  Dinner   - beef stew made with shin of beef and served with broccoli and mashed potatoes  (NB:  while the oven is on, I’ll bake a carrot cake or two.)
Sunday Lunch - wraps filled with sliced meat from the freezer and salad.  Dinner - pasta with YS Lidl meatballs and tomato sauce. 
Monday DH is going to the football, while I have a compulsory choir rehearsal. Since it’s just me, I’ll have a bagel for lunch and leftovers from Saturday for dinner  
Tuesday Sophie Dahl’s Dhal served on bulgar wheat.
Wednesday Nadiya Hussein’s Ham & Cheese Crown served with potato croquettes and broccoli 

- Pip

thriftwizard

A very moderate £24.50 went west at the market today, which is entirely reasonable. However it all went pear-shaped later on when DS3 announced he's actually away for most of this weekend, and much of next week, so the big bag of mince will be going into the freezer and - something else, probably fish of some description, will be coming out instead! Which has meant re-shuffling all the menus - again! Sigh... But it's going to be a "different" sort of week anyway; I can see the "family contingency" fund is going to take a battering.