December 2017 Grocery Challenge

K.Mack · 28 November 2017 at 11:02PM

Doom_and_Gloom wrote: »

We just got to heart broken whenever we lost one that we couldn't bring ourselves to rescue any more. May foster again in the future one day though.

I know how you feel. I've told OH that once these two boys go I can't have anymore for that reason, but I have a feeling the OH will persuade me!:rotfl:

Today Aldi spend of £75.31. This included things like loo roll and washing powder. So will only have fresh food to buy the rest of the month.
This leaves us with a weekly budget of £24.89.

elsiepac · 29 November 2017 at 8:32AM

Re ratties, I'm the same - I have a small animal rescue so I have various small furries, but rats are special - like little dogs, I love them so much. The last pair I had - around this time last year - would sit on the sofa with me every night for hours and we would have cuddles and they are just a delight. Unfortunately I am horribly allergic, so after they passed away - which was really traumatic as the first one to go was really unwell and I spent a lot of money trying to treat her, then her sister died, as they do, of a broken heart - I said I won't have any more. I can't deal with the heartbreak!

No spends for me to add just yet - shopping day is tomorrow and I'm planning to just get veggies, maybe some fruit, perhaps some quinoa and rice to top up stocks and a couple of spices I've run out of/are periously close to running out. As mentioned before, I'm planning to live from freezer bulk cooking, except for I need to make a soup for lunches next week. I have Thursday and Friday off work next week and I'm out Wednesday night at a charity crafting event at a pub with my sister, who will be providing dinner afterwards. Also out Thursday night at another craft night coincidentally (decoupage and prosecco!) - never been to one before and bizarrely now two in the same week! I'm really looking forward to them!

zafiro1984 · 30 November 2017 at 2:02AM

Can you put me down for £310 for December. I've kept it the same as usual - ie £10 per day. I've tried to get ahead for Christmas over the last couple of months. The freezer comes in really handy - I've made and frozen

3 Christmas puddings,
2 Christmas cakes,
72 uncooked sausage rolls - 36 made with sausagemeat and apple, 36 made with sausagemeat chestnuts and apricots (they are everyone's favourites)
I've frozen about 5kg of sweet chestnuts, that took ages as you don't get much of a nut out of chestnuts grown in this country.
36 uncooked mince pies, plus about 6kg of mincemeat - I freeze mine as there is too much apple in it to keep well in jars.
2 x pheasant casseroles
6 x venison wellingtons (same as beef but just made with venison)
Loads of ice-cream as the hens were laying more than I was selling - it occupies 2 shelves in a freezer!!
Turkeys - I grow my own.
I've also made and frozen loads of 'nibbles' as we usually have a fair number of people who 'drop in' in the lead up to Christmas and over the holiday. It's so easy to stick a tray of frozen nibbles in the cooker when they arrive.

Apart from the everyday stuff I really only have alcohol and crackers left to buy.

Highland_Fling · 30 November 2017 at 10:34AM

hi everyone
can I please join GC this month. I used to be a member of this forum years ago but due to a variety of circumstances I have fallen by the wayside with regards controlling spending.
I have also fallen into the habit of popping into the local corner shop for bread and milk and exit £15 poorer. Haven't a clue how often that happens during a month. Ridiculous as my freezer is full and my cupboards are groaning.

I know December may not be the best month to join but at least it will give me a rough idea of how much money I am wasting and probably how much food I have been wasting too,
I will set my target at £250 this month which I think is well above what I should be spending but probably is well below what I have been spending.
Wish me luck.

short_bird · 30 November 2017 at 12:39PM

OK, I'm back for December with a budget of £150.

This includes food, laundry and household stuff and toiletries.
It doesn't include going out drinkies or food during the trip to Reykjavik because I really have no idea what food is going to cost there. (I have found the supermarkets, there are 2 close to my hotel.)

Hopefully I'll have found the plot in December

and won't get gastric flu like I did this month :eek:

Coxy11 · 30 November 2017 at 2:42PM

Hello all,
Budgets updated to here

Good luck for December everyone!
Coxy

Pandora_2 · 30 November 2017 at 3:17PM

Hello all, not been on here for absolutely ages and once again the budgeting has been forgotten and I'm getting a bit spend happy so need to get myself back on track and you guys always seem to keep me motivated

December is going to be a bit expensive as I'm hosting Christmas for a few family members (about time I had a go at it!!) so I'm going to put a budget of £150!! This is from today until payday on 29th December and it's to cover normal stuff for me and the cat plus whatever extra food and drinks I need for Christmas.
Already have a half full freezer (although it is only a small one), some food in the fridge and the cupboards are about half full so hoping I can make use of some of what I've got and not come too close to going over budget. Any money left over will be used to make an extra payment towards one of my debts, even if it is only a couple of quid. Every penny counts!!

Good luck everyone!! xx

XSpender · 30 November 2017 at 8:58PM

My month started on 28th and I have already had a few spends:

£10.00 - DH McDonalds and kebab when I was away with work:(
£0.95 - sweets on a long journey
£10.90 - sweets for DS advent calendar, bottle of port on offer for Christmas
£13.90 - bread, ham, cereal, oven chips, peanuts as ran out of basics before Mr T due tomorrow
£35.70 TOTAL

Week 1 - I have a large Mr T order coming tomorrow to use a £9 voucher which covers the meal plan for the first 2 weeks, 6 bottles of wine @ 25% off and my favourite GF beer on offer. Enough booze for me to last until mid Jan at least! Budget £35 spent + £105

Week 2 - I have another large Mr T order coming to use another £9 voucher and to cover the rest of the food required for the meal plan for the month. Budget £81. I also have £40 of dinner allowance to spend this week.

Week 3 - I will do a small shop for fresh food only and beer for DH. Budget £30 + £20 M&S gluten free Christmas bits

Week 4 - I have a small Mr T delivery booked for the 22nd to take us up to the New Year and to cover the fresh bits for Christmas Day (potatoes, carrots and cabbage). Budget £50.

M&S have sent me a £5 off £25 voucher for this week so I may spend this week 1 instead of week 2 as what I want from M&S is freezable.

Mrs_Cheshire · 30 November 2017 at 9:50PM

elsiepac wrote: »

Hi all

A decent start to December for me - had to get a few "big ticket" items and spent nearly £30 doing a stock up order of cleaning products at 33% off..

I have tons of fresh food in and last night realised just how many portions of food I have in the freezer - so the majority of the next 2 and a half weeks will be using some freezer meals and just pairing with veg and rice/potato etc where applicable. Should keep my next 2 weekly shops pretty much in budget. When I enter the last week of my December budget I reckon I'll be down to 8 or 9 individual portions of frozen "mains" so I'll probably cook something new that week.

I'm going to have oats for breakfasts as usual and I will be making a big soup for lunches for each week as per usual.

This week's lunch is one I make pretty much every month -I've made it so it's free on Slimming World - here's the recipe if you're interested:

TORTILLA SOUP
(Based on Oh She Glows recipe)

1 big onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 fresh chilli, deseeded and chopped small (totally optional)
1 big or 2 small courgettes, sliced and quartered
2 peppers (both red or one red and one orange or yellow works well), chopped
2 tins tomatoes
1 knorr vegetable stock pot
750 ml water
1 tin black beans, drained and rinsed
A good handful or two of sweetcorn
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp cayenne

Lime juice and fresh coriander to serve if you want

Basically saut! the onion and garlic (and chilli if using) in water or frylight until soft
Add the courgettes and peppers
Mix well and keep cooking for a few mins
Add every thing else (except lime juice and coriander) and stir well and cook for probably about 20 minutes maybe 30

I got my five soup cups portions out of this, and each day to work I'll take half a lime to squeeze over and some coriander chopped up in a little pot to sprinkle on.
This soup is really tasty and will warm you up nicely
Enjoy!

Thank you for the recipe, I'm following SW and always looking for new ideas for lunch

zafiro1984 wrote: »

Can you put me down for £310 for December. I've kept it the same as usual - ie £10 per day. I've tried to get ahead for Christmas over the last couple of months. The freezer comes in really handy - I've made and frozen

3 Christmas puddings,
2 Christmas cakes,
72 uncooked sausage rolls - 36 made with sausagemeat and apple, 36 made with sausagemeat chestnuts and apricots (they are everyone's favourites)
I've frozen about 5kg of sweet chestnuts, that took ages as you don't get much of a nut out of chestnuts grown in this country.
36 uncooked mince pies, plus about 6kg of mincemeat - I freeze mine as there is too much apple in it to keep well in jars.
2 x pheasant casseroles
6 x venison wellingtons (same as beef but just made with venison)
Loads of ice-cream as the hens were laying more than I was selling - it occupies 2 shelves in a freezer!!
Turkeys - I grow my own.
I've also made and frozen loads of 'nibbles' as we usually have a fair number of people who 'drop in' in the lead up to Christmas and over the holiday. It's so easy to stick a tray of frozen nibbles in the cooker when they arrive.

Apart from the everyday stuff I really only have alcohol and crackers left to buy.

sounds amazing, would love to drop in!:rotfl:
How do you make the sausage rolls?

Camomile · 30 November 2017 at 10:58PM

zafiro, I’m really intrigued by your post- have you got a walk in freezer the size of a shed? Are you a farmer/stalker? Can I please have the recipe for the ice cream?Kids love it and I have a few hens( laying currently next to nothing).

Genuine question to everybody else declaring less than £300/ month, how do you do it?

I decided to run down the freezer and fill it up before Christmas again as (speking from experience) there’s hardly anything foodwise on the offer in January-anybody noticed that?

Mrs. Cheshire, thank you very much for all your help, much appreciated

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December 2017 Grocery Challenge

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