2023 - Seeds and Stuff I've bought/acquired

That’s perfectly acceptable that the garden is worth £1 a day. It definitely gives you more than that back.

I'm sure you're right, SC, I haven't tried to put a value on what I've picked but the garden pays for itself in so many ways. I don't need to go to a gym for exercise for one thing and there's the sheer pleasure of watching the birds and butterflies going about their business in the garden.
What could I do for £7 a week - a bottle of wine? Fish & chips from the chippie? A gallon of petrol? Cinema ticket? A session at the Leisure Centre?

I feel better already about spending a pound a day on the garden/£250 on seeds! Bargain.

If we all kept a true record of what we spent, I'm sure we'd be flabbergasted.

Do I see next year’s challenge coming on ?   

Do I see next year’s challenge coming on ?   

That's exactly what I was thinking, but am I brave enough?

Do I see next year’s challenge coming on ?   

That's exactly what I was thinking, but am I brave enough?

How about checking in each month with the amount you've spent on your garden? Maybe adding a value for whatever you've grown as well so that, at year end, you'd have an idea whether your garden pays for itself financially.
I'm not very good at keeping records that involve weighing stuff so perhaps we can come up with a nominal amount for each portion of food that's eaten or frozen. For example - a courgette, serving of beans, bowl of raspberries, mixed leaf salad would all be "worth" the same - perhaps 50p if you estimate how much they would cost to buy. 
Using my figures this year of spending £1 a day, if I ate 2 portions of homegrown something a day it would balance out. In winter, there'd be very little produce compared to summer so I'd be relying on summer crops to make up for winter. 
Does any of this make sense?

Do I see next year’s challenge coming on ?   

That's exactly what I was thinking, but am I brave enough?

How about checking in each month with the amount you've spent on your garden? Maybe adding a value for whatever you've grown as well so that, at year end, you'd have an idea whether your garden pays for itself financially.
I'm not very good at keeping records that involve weighing stuff so perhaps we can come up with a nominal amount for each portion of food that's eaten or frozen. For example - a courgette, serving of beans, bowl of raspberries, mixed leaf salad would all be "worth" the same - perhaps 50p if you estimate how much they would cost to buy. 
Using my figures this year of spending £1 a day, if I ate 2 portions of homegrown something a day it would balance out. In winter, there'd be very little produce compared to summer so I'd be relying on summer crops to make up for winter. 
Does any of this make sense?

Sounds like a plan.  I wasn’t sure how to work out the value of what I harvest. I was going to roughly compare to Tesco prices. I like your way better.

I've tried that in the past but it involves weighing, then searching a website, and I soon lost the will to live.
Maybe a pot of homemade jam/chutney is also 50p. Start counting when the jar is opened, not when its made.
Herbs wouldn't count unless there was enough to dry for a jar.
Food that's been frozen wouldn't count until they were eaten so my box of frozen raspberries would last for 2 breakfasts so that's 50p x 2.

Just making this up as I go along!

I probably eat more out of the garden in winter than most other times of year: still eating beetroots, carrots, parsnips, leeks and a few brassicas that the slugs have missed but from store there is onions, garlic, potatoes, dried beans, tomatoes, jam and chutney and, from the freezer: peas, french beans, red peppers, raspberries, red/black currants, gooseberries and pumpkin.

We did Christmas dinner for 10 last weekend a large free range chicken with roast potatoes and parsnips, mashed veg. (potato, carrot and leeks) and broccoli. I did too much mash but the extra I turned into potato cakes the next day that went well with sausage, tomatoes and peas.

I've tried that in the past but it involves weighing, then searching a website, and I soon lost the will to live.
Maybe a pot of homemade jam/chutney is also 50p. Start counting when the jar is opened, not when its made.
Herbs wouldn't count unless there was enough to dry for a jar.
Food that's been frozen wouldn't count until they were eaten so my box of frozen raspberries would last for 2 breakfasts so that's 50p x 2.

Just making this up as I go along!

This sounds like a doable plan (unlike some others ).  I fear, like I've always thought, my garden doesn't pay for itself, but I can't put a price on the excitement of sowing and harvesting. That's why I always feel its worth it.
When do we start, 1st January?  Also do we have to count in the the consumable stuff we use but have purchased previously, or does that become too complicated? I was thinking coir and vermiculite, fertiliser etc.