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December 2025 Grocery Challenge
Comments
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Budgets updated to here.
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Hello @JingsMyBucket, thank you for putting up the new thread. I hope you're feeling better soon.
Please put me down for £250 for December.
This will include my contribution to our extended family Christmas dinner, a meal for DH's parents and Aunt and the usual monthly bits. My month runs from the 25th tom the 25th. No spends today thankfully.Frugal Living challenge 2025
Grocery Challenge November £1803 -
Please put me down for £600 this month again. Thank you for running this.
21k savings no debt4 -
Let's see - we will be 4 adults with 3 different diets (pescatarian, plant-rich, and "obligate carnivore") for at least half of the month (DS3 will be coming home mid-month) not to mention the usual minor invasions at weekends, BUT we will coast through a lot of the last week on food (and drink!) bought from the Festive Fund, although there'll be anything up to 12 of us from time to time. It's technically a 5-week month, but that shouldn't impact too much. I think I'll aim for
£500
please, @JingsMyBucket.
Angie - GC Nov 25 £416.40/£450: 2025 Fashion on the Ration Challenge: 40/68: (Money's just a substitute for time & talent...)6 -
Hello @JingsMyBucket please put TheBees down for £400. We have 16 for Christmas lunch and relatives staying for several days!Hoping to retire earlier than 67!4
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Hello @JingsMyBucket can I stick to £300 please? I'm not including Christmas specific food in with this as I have accounted for that elsewhere.6
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Morning all,
I cant believe we're into December 😱
I just updated my signature with Nov spend and added up our total for 2025 so far = £4296.12 roughly £90 a week for a family of 6. l honestly don't feel like we've eaten badly or gone without at all. Thank you all so much for your ideas and support over the last year 🥰. Thanks to your posts we have discovered Olio and adapted meals to include more veg, lentils and beans. We also regularly shop from home 😂.
The best thing is that the savings we've made are going to be spent towards a family holiday next year 😊
A special thank you to @JingsMyBucket for taking over the thread, hope you and Mr Jings feel better soon.x
MFW
Opening Mortgage Balance 16/06/2024 - £99569.04 term remaining 80 months (Feb 2031)
Current Balance £26,500
MFW 2025 #31 £36,500 / £28,000 OP
MFIT - T7 £36,500 OP
0%CC May 2027- £5,000
0% Loan £600.00
Grocery Challenge
Jan £387.89 / Feb £ 355.67 / Mar £418.63 / Apr £478.37 / May £426.52 / June £376.18 / July £462.54+£103.32 entertaining / Aug £294.38+83.83 entertaining /Sept £328.93 / Oct £381.10 /Nov £282.13
The final countdown to June 2026 - Page 4 — MoneySavingExpert Forum6 -
I just realised that l forgot to include my grocery budget 🤣
This month I'm going for £450 and £50 bulk.
MFW
Opening Mortgage Balance 16/06/2024 - £99569.04 term remaining 80 months (Feb 2031)
Current Balance £26,500
MFW 2025 #31 £36,500 / £28,000 OP
MFIT - T7 £36,500 OP
0%CC May 2027- £5,000
0% Loan £600.00
Grocery Challenge
Jan £387.89 / Feb £ 355.67 / Mar £418.63 / Apr £478.37 / May £426.52 / June £376.18 / July £462.54+£103.32 entertaining / Aug £294.38+83.83 entertaining /Sept £328.93 / Oct £381.10 /Nov £282.13
The final countdown to June 2026 - Page 4 — MoneySavingExpert Forum4 -
I have been keeping an eye on my spends and love this challenge!
There is myself, my adult son (who lives here half of the time) and a little well feed pooch - I eat meat and strive to do a low carb and very low fat diet which means it doesn't always come cheap.December budget £250 and £60 for household items including pet food.
Thanks everyone for keeping me on the straight and narrow recently - reading along has kept me motived!
((WM))4 -
@JingsMyBucket thanks for the new thread
£650 for December please
I’m aiming lower as this only needs to cover just over 3 weeks and it’ll leave me some wiggle room from my usual budget if the Xmas shop goes over budget. I have a separate budget saved of about £250 for the week of Xmas - new year which should be plenty for the food but the alcohol might push me over.
i currently working with about 1/4 of my usual fridge space so going to have to plan carefully to avoid unnecessary spends on top up shops and stay in budget.
this year do something that scares you for courage is not the absence of fear just the knowledge that some things are worth the risk2
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