January 2025 Grocery Challenge

LotsOfTea

I spent £22.82 today on stuff to make pizza with for the weekend, a couple of packs of fish and a few cheeses. I'll be fine now until Tuesday when I'm back in work near shops and will need fruit and salad veg. 

I'm up to £169.22/£300 so very happy with that.

Blackcats

It's been a good month so far for grocery spends but it does seem to be going on for a very long time.
I'm confident that we will come in under budget.  There! I've said it so now I need to ensure it happens.

I've been using @CRANKY40 's £80/week method which I'm finding more motivating than a monthly spend where it's easier for me to think I've got lots of money left whilst forgetting there's also lots of month left.

I made Thai red curry paste from scratch and it was absolutely delicious.  I used some of it to make Chiangmai noodles yesterday when DH's friend came for dinner.  One of the tastiest meals I've made in a long time.

I'm enjoying a mix of making use it up meals and trying new recipes.

cheerfulness4

Does anyone happen to know how much Lidl strong bread flour is, please?

EcoIntent

Blackcats said:

It's been a good month so far for grocery spends but it does seem to be going on for a very long time.
I'm confident that we will come in under budget.  There! I've said it so now I need to ensure it happens.

I've been using @CRANKY40 's £80/week method which I'm finding more motivating than a monthly spend where it's easier for me to think I've got lots of money left whilst forgetting there's also lots of month left.

I made Thai red curry paste from scratch and it was absolutely delicious.  I used some of it to make Chiangmai noodles yesterday when DH's friend came for dinner.  One of the tastiest meals I've made in a long time.

I'm enjoying a mix of making use it up meals and trying new recipes.

If you have time would you mind sharing the recipe. I used a Lidl one last time and it was not good at all! 

t14cy_t

collected from iceland for olio yesterday, small amount but nobody claimed it, so 3 milk rolls, 3 curry sauces in freezer, salad for chooks and aero desserts for todays puds!

TravelCrystal

@cheerfulness4 the bread flour is £1.09 in Lidl
Bought some this week for February’s budget.
Reporting later

T.C

cheerfulness4

That's brilliant, thanks TravelCrystal. 🙂 That's a big saving on Tescos version. 

Cassingtonbear

This is my first time doing the challenge. I set £600 as my target, as that is the average spend for a UK family of four. Well, we have gone over. Let's see how far over in a few days. Then I will set a new more realistic target for February.

RandomOne

Hi everyone. 

I havent joined in for january, but I'm gearing up to start in February. I spend an EXTORTIONATE amount on food for my family of 3 adults, as i have a real problem with food shopping. I just dont know where to start.

Can i get a little advice on  how much you think I should budget per week for food please? I've done what is suggested at the start of this thread and totalled up last months food shopping reciepts, which came to £780.
Please dont judge me! I know it's a lot. I have freezers bursting at the seams.

We have no dietary restrictions, although I'm trying to eat a very whole foods kind of diet (meat, fish, fruits, veggies, grains and legumes) and very little processed foods. 

Any advice would be very much appreciated. 

cheerfulness4

Random - if I was in your position and had really well stocked freezers I'd do an inventory and then work out how many meals I could make from the foods I had. The recipe collection listed at the start of the challenge is really helpful and has ideas for quick or more involved meals.

I'm working through my freezer and cupboards at the moment because I had so much money just sitting in them. I'd set a challenging but decent budget which is a little below your usual spends and slowly work your way down.

It really helped me this month because I decided in advance to save any under budget money left for a definite purpose - to put in a pot towards holiday food spending. It makes you excited ever time you save a bit each week! 😁