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December 2018 Grocery Challenge

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  • candygirl
    candygirl Posts: 29,455 Forumite
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    thriftwizard wrote: »
    £120-odd (a few pennies under) spent between a quick non-perishables run yesterday, and this morning's market. We're good for most non-perishable things until mid-January now, but have drawn a blank for chick peas & butter beans. However we do have dried, so can survive on those if I'm organised. There will be a bit more spent on meat tomorrow or Sunday, and probably a swift visit to the wholesalers (who may have relevant legumes!) early next week, but so far, so good. Feeding 6 for most of this weekend...

    Aldi still have tinned chick peas, n butter beans in :D
    "You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf"

    (Kabat-Zinn 2004):D:D:D
  • thriftwizard
    thriftwizard Posts: 4,667 Forumite
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    Thanks, candygirl, but sadly Aldi are further away from us! Though there is one not too far away, it's just a direction I don't often need to go in. But worth a trip, I suspect, as I need to get as much as possible stashed away before I start my treatment, so I don't have to drive when I'm not feeling too good.

    £21 spent at the market this morning, on steak mince, pork steaks, a leg of lamb, a bag of sweet peppers and some tomatoes. This week's meals are Spag. Bol. this evening, roast lamb tomorrow, plus pork steaks, tagine of lamb, lasagne, & either "leftovers" pie or baked spuds with whatever's left in the fridge at the end of the week! The only further expenditure on groceries should be bread & bananas Tuesday-ish.
    Angie - GC April 24 £432.06/£480: 2024 Fashion on the Ration Challenge: 10/68: (Money's just a substitute for time & talent...)
  • Vanlady
    Vanlady Posts: 148 Forumite
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    Monthly budget will aim for £300 £85.50/£300
    To include all food, toiletries, cleaning stuff, cat food and cat litter, non alcoholic drinks.
    NSD will aim for at least 15 6/15

    Hi all. 6 NSD here which I'm very pleased about and so far no one in the house has died of starvation:D This challenge really does make me think twice about whether I really need something now or can it wait.
    £25.50 spent in aldi today for fresh and frozen necessities. Also bought some xmassy items even tho I didn't intend buying them today......stuffing, cranberry sauce and goose fat.
    Meal plan done for next 3 days:
    Chicken and veg stir fry tonight
    Chicken and veg casserole with dumplings tomorrow
    Vegetable Paella on monday

    That's a very interesting study Jings m b ...optimum fullness of fridge 50-60%. It's so true, I feel very overwhelmed with a choc a bloc fridge and always find something a few weeks later that I forgot about and has gone off.....so annoying:(
  • Highland_Fling
    Highland_Fling Posts: 113 Forumite
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    Confession time for me. I slipped badly today. Went in to buy petrol and there was a M+S attached. Spent over £10 on rubbish. Sweets, crisps etc. No excuses just impulse buy. :(

    Have meat etc. prepared for tomorrows dinner so will follow rules tomorrow and hopefully for the remainder of the week.
  • JingsMyBucket
    JingsMyBucket Posts: 791 Forumite
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    Highland_Fling wrote: »
    Confession time for me. I slipped badly today. Went in to buy petrol and there was a M+S attached. Spent over £10 on rubbish. Sweets, crisps etc. No excuses just impulse buy. :(

    Have meat etc. prepared for tomorrows dinner so will follow rules tomorrow and hopefully for the remainder of the week.

    It’s okay Highland Fling, don’t beat yourself up about it too much. The good thing is to acknowledge the slip and get up and keep moving. You’re only human. :) Just keep going and make a trim of £3 per week for the rest of the month to rebalance (?).
  • flubberyzing
    flubberyzing Posts: 1,386 Forumite
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    £15.83 in Tescos. Including a pudding for xmas day, and some Bombay Mix, which I always get for a friend, who loves the stuff. He's vegan as well, but it's one of the few "treats" that he can still enjoy from his pre-vegan days.

    The supermarket was absolutely rammed! Haven't seen it so busy first thing on a Sunday morning in ages. Yet I'd have thought people doing the "big xmas shop" was still a good 10 days away...
    Because it's fun to have money!
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  • pamsdish
    pamsdish Posts: 2,585 Forumite
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    £4 in B&M, 3 black pudding dated Jan, trying to cut down unnecessary shop visits and a dozen eggs, will do biggish shop during week and hopefully can manage then.
    Do I need it or just want it.
  • selloptape
    selloptape Posts: 632 Forumite
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    flubberyzing wrote: »
    The supermarket was absolutely rammed! Haven't seen it so busy first thing on a Sunday morning in ages. Yet I'd have thought people doing the "big xmas shop" was still a good 10 days away...

    Supermarket was rammed here today too! It's been getting busier since mid-Nov, must be some immense Christmas food hoards in kitchens round the country :)

    Just squeezing under budget due to some Clubcard vouchers bringing today's shop down to £24.76.

    Have downloaded a budgeting app which is helping me keep track this month :)
  • candygirl
    candygirl Posts: 29,455 Forumite
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    selloptape wrote: »
    Supermarket was rammed here today too! It's been getting busier since mid-Nov, must be some immense Christmas food hoards in kitchens round the country :)

    Just squeezing under budget due to some Clubcard vouchers bringing today's shop down to £24.76.

    Have downloaded a budgeting app which is helping me keep track this month :)

    I really don't get the Xmas hoarding thing.It's one day fgs:rotfl:
    "You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf"

    (Kabat-Zinn 2004):D:D:D
  • YorksLass
    YorksLass Posts: 1,712 Forumite
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    edited 9 December 2018 at 4:57PM
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    Because I overspent last month, I've cut this month's budget down and it works out at just £27.50 pw. Since this includes Xmas, it should be interesting, to say the least! :rotfl:

    Anyway, Wk 1 has gone OK with a total spend of £26.32 - milk mid-week, a small spend on Friday in the market and a Sainsbugs shop - and 5 NSDs. Pleased with that, especially as it included £5 for a gammon joint for the New Year. Also got a ys punnet of mushrooms for 40p; I'll use some in a stir-fry and the rest will make a mushroom soup. All meals planned for the coming week so the only thing I should need is more milk later on. :)

    I'm another one who finds a full fridge somewhat overwhelming when it comes to decision making about what to have to eat. I've got round that by having a list fixed to the fridge door with a magnet. Nothing fancy, just a piece of paper divided up into squares with a category of food in each square eg 1.Veg, 2, Fruit, 3.Meat, 4.Dairy, 5.Other and 6.Needs Using Up.

    When I put the shopping away I write what I've bought in the appropriate square with its Use By date (where applicable) and then cross off when it's been used. The benefits? It helps with meal planning, I can see at a glance what's in the fridge without opening the door (helps to keep the fridge cold) and ensures nothing gets wasted (that's where the NUP square comes in handy). Might be a bit extreme for some but it works for me. :D

    thriftwizard: If there's a Sainsburys near you they have chickpeas (35p) and butter beans (55p) in stock.
    Be kind to others and to yourself too.
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