January 2025 Grocery Challenge

gill5blue

determined_new_ms said:

Hey guys - I saw many of you are in the pantry challenge thread. Was reading through and am inspired to join, hope it continues for Feb as our pantry/freezers are still full!

I have done a few shops over the last few days, and a more substantial grocery shop today. Current spend £164.95/£375 . I think I need to get another litre of milk before the end of the month but hopefully that we're set for January. Super happy with how I've done! Personally I haven't felt deprived at all. Far from it.

Hi,

Your wombling for 2025 is very impressive. How do you do this?

Gill5blue

TravelCrystal

Good morning all
A frosty one here ❄️
 Just posting my last spends for January eating.
Have been shopping for February already but will wait for @elsiepac to put up the thread.
Earlier this week I went to A to get a haggis for tonight’s supper and an accompanying swede. 

Made some cheesey potatoes in the slow cooker last night and saved some for tonight.
Will heat up the haggis in the microwave and mash the swede. I luv an easy tea 😊

Also picked up a clover for £1 in A
Total spent in A £4.76

Did a Grape Tree order as needed to top up on several spices and running out of yeast.
Topped up cereal requirements which included a range of nuts.
£29.43 spent.

Total spent this week £34.19
Declaring for January £184.93/£200

Have a great weekend everyone

T.C

t14cy_t

spent £12 in tesco yesterday so £77/£100 this month so far. happy with that. hope everyone is safe and well. xx

RandomOne

Thank you so much everyone for the advice and suggestions, I've taken them all on board. I'm very much looking forward to Februarys GC! 

Suffolk_lass

RandomOne said:

Thank you so much everyone for the advice and suggestions, I've taken them all on board. I'm very much looking forward to Februarys GC! 

One more from me @RandomOne - during February, see if, by tracking and reviewing, you can see what it is you do that results in so much spent. For me it is shopping. I just do not stick to the list and come out having spent between a third and a half as much again as my list suggests. So my answer, is to only go once or twice in the month. I do a big shop and then if I need more of something, I pay the premium of buying it locally in the convenience shop, and also getting DH to buy it, but it removes me from the temptation.

For others, it is irresistible YS bargains they don't need; we call that paying the supermarket to store their food.

Or maybe you don't use a list and just pick stuff up, or even, the same stuff each week, or top up shops, take-aways, snacks or junk - we all have something and knowing what it is, really helps you make the life-changing, permanent changes. Don't be embarrassed, there is lots of support here and we could improve a bit. Keep posting, whatever happens. Knowing what you do is that power button to start the change!

determined_new_ms

gill5blue said:

determined_new_ms said:

Hey guys - I saw many of you are in the pantry challenge thread. Was reading through and am inspired to join, hope it continues for Feb as our pantry/freezers are still full!

I have done a few shops over the last few days, and a more substantial grocery shop today. Current spend £164.95/£375 . I think I need to get another litre of milk before the end of the month but hopefully that we're set for January. Super happy with how I've done! Personally I haven't felt deprived at all. Far from it.

Hi,

Your wombling for 2025 is very impressive. How do you do this?

Gill5blue

Thanks Gill5blue! It's been from Olio! And that's the reduced costs (yellow stickers on the items) or the costs I would have spent. So I got a laundry hamper I was looking for for my lo, it is a nice one. I imagine I would have paid about £10 on facebay for something similar.

diminua

Quite a lot spent since last time - I haven't quite blown the budget yet but I've had a cold so have been eating comfort food like the cheesy risotto at work (instead of making sandwiches) and scoffing cough sweets. I also bought a box of small whiskies today as well (reduced, I think left over from Christmas) so will be having a hot toddy or two later on both for the cold (which is on it's way out now) and in a tiny nod to Burns night. 
Other than that I did a shop today and got coffee, clothes washing liquid, carrots, new potatoes, tomatoes, fiery ginger beer (also for the cold), milk, dark chocolate, green pesto and tuna. 
Only £5.66 left for the month now. 

RandomOne

Thank you @Suffolk_lass. I know hands down that 2 things contribute to my sky high food bills. 

1. Snacks. We all love our snacks here, and while the boys pay for their own, I often just buy them snacks i know they'll love and not bother asking for the money back (which they always offer). I am also a serial snacker, and thats why I'm also overweight. I'm hoping that the lack of snacks as i reduce my food shopping will also mean a decrease in my waist size!

2. I love cooking and my favourite thing is to try new recipes, which means buying new ingredients at least once a week. I've alerady decided to only try new dishes if i have the ingredients already. Anything new, i can try once a month instead of once a week. 

This whole process of shopping for food less is going to be really difficult for me, i know it. I would like to shop online for delivery and avoid supermarkets altogether. I think i might actually try that in February. 

cheerfulness4

Random - I found it helped shopping online. I'd start my next shopping basket as soon as the one before was delivered and it would give me plenty of time to really think out what I actually needed and time to delete what I realised I really didn't. 

This month I've done 3 online shops and one week where I used Aldi. I think I might half and half it next month as there were a lot of savings to be made at Aldi but still things that were better at Tescos for us. It's a case of gradually working out what works best for our own family shopping. 

Blackcats

@EcoIntent here is the Thai red curry paste.  There's a lot of chopping but I can honestly say I will never buy a jar of the sauce again.
I used less chillies and took the seeds out so it was still hot but not violently hot 🔥
 

Simple Thai Red Curry Paste 

ingredients 
10 red chillies (I used less) chopped
1 red pepper chopped
thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
4 large garlic cloves
1 lemongrass stick chopped (I didn't have any so just left it out)
2 tinned anchovy fillets
1 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbs chopped coriander stalks
4 shallots chopped
1 tsp lime zest
2 tbs light olive oil
salt to taste

whizz all ingredients in a food processor
add a little water if too thick

this makes about 200g and I have used a couple of tablespoons in the recipes I've made.  I kept it in a tub in the fridge.