August 2025 Grocery Challenge

cheerfulness4

Did my monthly bargains shop at Farmfoods and very pleased with my stash.  Lots of Maggi bag packet mixes for 19p that I find so quick and useful to pop in the oven with some chicken.

Spends today:  £42.05

carboot_karaoke

Afternoon all

Thank you as always @elsiepac for setting this thread up ❤

This months budget is going to be £380 + £70 entertaining = £450.

I have set this amount because we are away for a week and the food for that comes from a different budget. 

I have already visited 4 shops 😬

My local Aldi had 250g 5% mince beef reduced to £1.35 so l brought the 10 packets they had left.

I also brought lots of fruit, veg and salad, I was missing them after a week of frozen veg and tinned fruit to keep me out of the shops 😄. Along with the normal meat, cheese, eggs, tinned things for this weeks dinners l picked up some snacks, for the kids half are currently hidden away so they last more then 24 hours. l also needed fabric conditioner, foil, washing sponges and black bags which came to about £10.

We are having some friends over for brunch so l brought bacon, sausage, croissants, pastries juice etc,all out of the entertaining budget for that. 

New totals  

Grocery Budget £117.17 / £380
Entertaining £30.49 / £70
Total £ 147.66 /£450

Changeyourlife25

£4.80 / £600 

£1.80 for some double cream at the corner shop to go in tonight’s chicken pot pie.

£4 for the local food share

Where I then got a huge turkey thigh, sliced chicken breast, cocktail sausages, natural yogurt , pasta sauce, loaf of bread , a donut, a jelly making kit, dried lentils, chickpeas, risotto rice, and sunflower seeds. Some bisto gravy, a leek, a carrot, new potatoes, mini cucumbers, grapes, couple of spring onions. A wildlife magazine, rainbow fizzy belts, a suduko book, a bottle of zarbees immune support and a toilet roll! 

Great stuff  

I put a ton in my M0rrisons basket last night but thankfully couldn’t get a delivery slot, was about £155 going to see if it’s any cheaper in L1dl another day . 

Pennypincin

I'd like to stick to £40 per week please.
I'm going to restart Monday as I've lost the plot.
I've not spent any food budget, due to being at a Christian conference, and will put the food money in the bulk fund.
I will try to limit the spending and treats though.

AnotherNewDay

Hi, I'm in for August again - overall total £115. I'm going to split that as £45 for 2 ravenous black cats and £70 for 1 human woman including all groceries, toiletries and household.

AnotherNewDay

AnotherNewDay said:

Hi, I'm in for August again - overall total £115. I'm going to split that as £45 for 2 ravenous black cats and £70 for 1 human woman including all groceries, toiletries and household.

First shop of the month = cats - wet + dry food £14.48/ £45 & Human grocery + household £15.09/£70
Total = £29.57

goldfinches

Evening everyone and thanks to @elsiepac for the new thread.

I'm back to have another go at keeping track of my spends after losing the plot completely in July due to the weather and various other difficulties so here goes.

Please put me down for

£180 Main Grocery Challenge, £20 Baking Budget and £45.60 Bulk Buy Fund

please, that covers all food for one moderately active vegetarian woman, household bits and basic toiletries. I've decided to increase the main budget this month and see how I get on.

Suffolk_lass

Just milk and a little top up shop so far for me - total is £27.10 for August. My fridge looks pretty bare but we have plenty of fruit and veg in the garden to use, and plenty of protein in the freezer. Fortunately, what is there is yogurt, and butter/spread. So just a definite egg top up, and maybe a little cream and some carrots. I might include Baked potatoes in the meal plan - as we have several large potatoes that have been there for a month or more!

I have already spent just over £1880 this  year - I should be under 66% at the end of August, if I am to stay on the average track,  but I am at 62.72% already - 2 chances of that - fat chance and no chance, with milk at £7.50 a week if we only have that this month I will be at 66.67%!!

I am taking some comfort from some of the long-posting stalwarts on this thread, having had to increase their budgets this year. My £500 contingency is almost certain to be needed for December. I like to entertain then, and we can afford it.

Mrs_Cheshire

Popped to Ald! on my way home from dropping my son off at camp spending £105.31. 
Got fizzy drinks - bottles for in the house and a few cans for out/picnics, cereal, lots of sauces for meals and condiments, pasta n sauce, noddles, hot dogs, soups, ravioli, dips and tortilla chips, crackers/twists, snacks for the snack box, ice creams, smoked haddock, breaded chicken steaks, veggie burgers, venison sausages (meat & fish was 50% off - have frozen it), some frozen veg, cooked/diced frozen chicken, orzo, savoury rice, mushrooms, fridge stuff - ham, satay sticks, houmous, raspberries and strawberries, chocolate bars and a bunch of carnations for the kitchen. 93 items in total so not too bad really. 
Now I'm going to sit a meal plan roughly for the month so I know where my gaps are and only shop for the things I need. 

RandomOne

Hi everyone, I'm back to try again for August. I have a few weeks off work, so should be able to spend less this month, plus i have a lot of meat and fish in the freezer. So should really just need fruit, veg, dairy  and pantry items this month. 

Please set my budget at £400 for August.

This is still quite high, but since i am so bad at sticking to my budget, I'm not going to lower it until i can consistently stick to the £400. This is to feed myslef, 2 adult sons and an elderly cat. I also have 2 dogs but their food comes from a seperate budget. 

I think i might try shopping at Aldi next week, I usually shop at Tesco and have heard mixed reviews as to whether Aldi is actually much cheaper. Would love any feedback on this.