January 2025 Grocery Challenge

Tjh1412

Added up all my top up receipts and my big shop, currently at £68.93/£80 for January. Will definitely need another 8 pints of milk, bread and fruit so will be tight but hopefully I can squeak in under budget

Spendywendywoo

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

What does wobbling mean, please? X 

determined_new_ms

Spendywendywoo said:

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

What does wobbling mean, please? X 

It's from the Wombles, things you get for free. Other people's rubbish that is useful. Can relate to finding money on the street. I use it as things I've got that I would have paid for

EcoIntent

Blackcats said:

@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.

Thank you so much, that is ever so good of you 🙂

wishus

A**i trip 13.49, takes me just 49p over budget for the month, but I'm done! I'll count it as a win. 

Did I need the cream I bought?

Probably not, I could have used milk, but there we go. 

Made Cullen Skink for lunch, and haggis neeps, tatties and whisky sauce for dinner. Not Scottish but I studied Robert Burns years ago, so it's a thing we partake in. Very popular in our part of England, too. 

t14cy_t

RandomOne said:

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. 

im a snacker too and usually buy from approved food which is excellent value and you find unusual bits too. delivery is quite cheaper and very fast.

Suffolk_lass

I just wanted to add, for all the new people on here, before we all move over to February (when @elsiepac puts it up)  - don't beat yourselves up if things don't go to plan in February. The most important thing is to know yourself and to do that, track what you spend, when and on what. Nothing ever goes to plan. 

Over here, my ambition to stay under £150 this month was bust by Mr Sl who was out with our visiting friend; me - "find out if she would prefer a roast or a takeaway, and if it is a roast, pop in on your way back and get a chicken or something from the SM or the butcher's"
him "the butcher's in **** (posh medieval village) was open and I thought ours would be shut by the time we came back, so I bought this one" (£18.13!!!!!)

Over £18. Knock me down with a feather (not clever, Trevor!) and flipping heck, the turkey crown for emergency visitors at Christmas cost less than that! - so plans? yes, very important, but also, knowing the shopping habits of anyone else buying in your household.

So here, we are at £150.23 with carrots and possibly potatoes and a milk top up to go. And breathe....

zafiro1984

RamdonOne having read all the posting I have empathy with you. Years ago, before retirement, I did my entire grocery shopping at M&..... how times have changed. It will take time to alter the way you do things, as the saying goes 'two steps forward and one step backward'  couldn't be truer.

My best tips would be:- spend time on your computer looking at supermarket websites then shop online after making a list of what you need for the week. If you have to go to the supermarket take a list - this doesn't always work for me as temptation usually wins. Think laterally - no leeks for a recipe - would an onion do.

There's a thread on here 'Reverse Meal Planning' where you start with what you have in the fridge/freezer/cupboards and work meals around that. It does help to save money as well as less waste.

Things don't always work out as planned - I've overstepped my GC budget this month, but it could have been a whole lot worse if I hadn't done any planning at all.

TravelCrystal

Morning all
Welcome to all newbie’s and @RandomOne, you will soon get the hang of it.
I personally think meal planning if you can is a good idea. I write out a month’s menu’s, very often looking at recipes in my stack of cook books and repeating things I have made before which are economical. I go through my diary and make sure when I have a busy day coming up I go for one of my batch meals from the freezer. 

I don’t always adhere to the day I have the meal lined up for and either juggle that month or move to the next.
 Definitely think having bought my meat in advance has helped.
However here is my dilemma 🤣🤣
yesterday in the Daily Mail there was a ‘farm foods’ leaflet with lots of goodies and money off vouchers.
Do I add to the freezer or keep the money 💰 in the bank!!
Thank you  @e@EcoIntent for the Thai paste recipe.
Sounds lovely 

Have a good day folks
T.C

cheerfulness4

Very good point about going through your diary to work out easy meals for the busy days, TravelCrystal. I always do that, too.  It really makes a difference.

A trip to Lidl meant another £8.70 spent.  Had to replenish my breadmaking stocks as they were out of date and have just purchased a new breadmaker.

95p        2x 4pk mandarins in juice on BOGOF
£2.18     2x bread flour
£1.30     2x dried yeast
£1.09     Baking margarine
99p        Korma sauce
£2.19     Spreadable butter

That should keep us going until my final shop of the month on Thursday at Tesco. That should be a tiny shop as we don't need much to push us through to Februarys challenge. Am expecting a nice underspend to pop in my holidays food pot.