October 2025 Grocery Challenge

PipneyJane

Frugalistamama said:

Urgh, I've already spend half of my budget in the first week. I've got a lot of stock up items though so hopefully, if I can control myself, and stick to just fresh bits I'll manage to say in budget but it's the half term coming up so it'll be a bit tricky. 

I've got a massive 10kg bag of basmati which was on offer at sainsbobs.

We store ours in the largest sized rectangular Lock-n-Lock boxes @Frugalistamama, the 9L box size.  (One box takes 5kg of rice or flour, so you’ll need at least two.)  They are airtight, bug tight, water-tight, and I can fit two on a standard sized cupboard shelf.

I saw that Nect4r price offer and one on chapatti flour when I was in Sainsbugs on Wednesday, but was only using a basket (10kg Laila Basmatti rice £12, down from £19, 10kg Elephant Atta, £7 down from £12.50).  We don’t need rice, but we did need flour, so I asked DH to stop in Sainsbugs on his way home from something yesterday and he picked up a sack of the flour.  £7 spent.

The above brings our spend to £44.75/£211, leaving £166.25 for the rest of the month.

We’ll need to go to L!dl today to pick up our free bakery sweet-treat, and then on to Sainsbugs to get the Sunday paper and some bananas.  May see what other offers they have, but there’s very little on the shopping list.  I really need to do a meal plan.  Hmm…..

- Pip

lushlifesaver

Aldi yesterday was a spend of £58; a little higher than anticipated but did include unplanned hummus, brioche and some protein items for the mr as well as an extra pack of chicken to cook off and use for some lunches (wraps etc) as we are both trying to get better at actually preparing lunch ahead of time.

We are now further through the budget than I'd like but it did include the costco spend so to be expected I suppose

angelpye

I do a weekly meal plan, checking stocks, and shop. 

Yesterday I did:
£53.86 Sainsburys
£16.26 Lidl

Earlier in the week I did:
£4.50 Waitrose
£1.55 Tesco
£4.65 Lidl

Total: £80.82/£280

A little more than was hoping for. This included dog food, toiletries and cleaning products. Plus there were a few 2for3 offers with the extras rolling over to next week. 

Need to watch the small spends as they start to add up but that’s more about being organised. 

suprisinglynice

First shop of the month for me today, £109.17 spent -  £190.83 left. I have picked up some extra's to go into the 'Christmas cupboard'. This will drop as I will be paying the butcher this week for our Christmas turkeys, We always buy the main meat for our children's Christmas dinners too, one less expense for them with their growing families and very much appreciated.

mandco

Asda £24.56 aldi £52.03 Tesco ( minus cat food & £4 voucher )£27.39 = £103.98. = £243.93/£800 
also spent £82.02 on bulk buy cat food which is going towards the 2nd purse challange  (£325.95)

PipneyJane

lushlifesaver said:

Aldi yesterday was a spend of £58; a little higher than anticipated but did include unplanned hummus, brioche and some protein items for the mr as well as an extra pack of chicken to cook off and use for some lunches (wraps etc) as we are both trying to get better at actually preparing lunch ahead of time.

We are now further through the budget than I'd like but it did include the costco spend so to be expected I suppose

If you’re anything like me @lushlifesaver, regardless of what I go to C0stc0 to purchase, I always spend 2 or 3 times more than planned.  Seriously, I can go to purchase a bag of their coffee beans and come out with my purse £100 lighter.  (That’s why we have a separate Bulk Fund.)

I have two shops to declare from today:-

• £14.70 spent in L!dl on YS duck breasts 2x£2.49, YS chicken pie £3.69, citrus toilet bleach 2x55p, Maasdam cheese slices £1.99, Crème Cheese 2x95p, paracetamol 35p, Cheesecake Brownie 79p + 1 free.
• £7.58 spent in Sainsbugs on 226g Desi paneer 2x£2.20, 325g baby plum tomatoes 89p, satsumas 99p, 8 bananas £1.30.

We got £2.07 in schrapnel in our change, including a £2 coin, so that has gone to the money boxes.  (House rule:  never spend a £2 coin - they go to the Running Away Fund - while 5p coins and coppers go to separate savings pot.)

The above brings our total spend to £69.10/£211 leaving £141.90 for the rest of the month.

Meal Plan

Unless otherwise stated, all breakfasts are cereal and all lunches are leftovers.  Also, the order may change.

Monday - Baked Feta and Cheddar Cheese Pasta using up home grown cherry tomatoes supplemented by today’s purchase of baby plum tomatoes
Tuesday - Chole Paneer (paneer and chickpea curry) served on bulgar wheat or basmati
Wednesday  - homemade pesto served with fusilli pasta, (to use up fresh basil from the garden, Parmesan and pine nuts lurking in the fridge)
Thursday - I’ll cook up one of the packets of duck breasts, together with sweet potatoes and brocolli
Friday - Nadiya Hussain’s Ham & Cheese Crown served with broccoli 

- Pip

 

Suffolk_lass

Gosh, I am still ripening and freezing homegrown tomatoes, ready to make a fourth batch of passata. My lader has one empty shelf after I spotted a preserve-fail and binned some jars. I could have taken remedial action but having been on holiday for over two weeks they went in the compost bin. 

So today or tomorrow, I must shop. I have only picked up one or two things so far in Waitflower, while visiting Auntie, and I used vouchers to pay. So only milk so far this month (£7.75 dd to the milkman). I shall need to go to Morries as it is cat litter that is most urgent (not GC, this falls into the pets and livestock budget), but I will buy mince, eggs and various veg related things. Keeping it small - too easy to spend £50

Pennypincin

I've £8.34 from last weeks budget, which I will put into the bulk fund.
I've still not managed to stop doing the picking up odds and sods, but hopefully I will learn.
I probably will have more food budget left the next couple of weeks as I'm away for about a week from Thursday to Harrogate and Scotland.
It's taken me a while to save, but found a coach tour that wasn't too expensive.

K9sandFelines

itsthelittlethings said:

Might make some curry this morning while I have the effort in me.

My fridge and cupboards are chocka block.

I should block out 1 hour an evening to cook.

I am debating a monthly meal plan. As I get paid monthly I think that could work.

Please share on the meal plan thread with us if you do a meal plan. It's lonely over there.

K9sandFelines

PipneyJane said:

lushlifesaver said:

Aldi yesterday was a spend of £58; a little higher than anticipated but did include unplanned hummus, brioche and some protein items for the mr as well as an extra pack of chicken to cook off and use for some lunches (wraps etc) as we are both trying to get better at actually preparing lunch ahead of time.

We are now further through the budget than I'd like but it did include the costco spend so to be expected I suppose

If you’re anything like me @lushlifesaver, regardless of what I go to C0stc0 to purchase, I always spend 2 or 3 times more than planned.  Seriously, I can go to purchase a bag of their coffee beans and come out with my purse £100 lighter.  (That’s why we have a separate Bulk Fund.)

I have two shops to declare from today:-

• £14.70 spent in L!dl on YS duck breasts 2x£2.49, YS chicken pie £3.69, citrus toilet bleach 2x55p, Maasdam cheese slices £1.99, Crème Cheese 2x95p, paracetamol 35p, Cheesecake Brownie 79p + 1 free.
• £7.58 spent in Sainsbugs on 226g Desi paneer 2x£2.20, 325g baby plum tomatoes 89p, satsumas 99p, 8 bananas £1.30.

We got £2.07 in schrapnel in our change, including a £2 coin, so that has gone to the money boxes.  (House rule:  never spend a £2 coin - they go to the Running Away Fund - while 5p coins and coppers go to separate savings pot.)

The above brings our total spend to £69.10/£211 leaving £141.90 for the rest of the month.

Meal Plan

Unless otherwise stated, all breakfasts are cereal and all lunches are leftovers.  Also, the order may change.

Monday - Baked Feta and Cheddar Cheese Pasta using up home grown cherry tomatoes supplemented by today’s purchase of baby plum tomatoes
Tuesday - Chole Paneer (paneer and chickpea curry) served on bulgar wheat or basmati
Wednesday  - homemade pesto served with fusilli pasta, (to use up fresh basil from the garden, Parmesan and pine nuts lurking in the fridge)
Thursday - I’ll cook up one of the packets of duck breasts, together with sweet potatoes and brocolli
Friday - Nadiya Hussain’s Ham & Cheese Crown served with broccoli 

- Pip

 

Please share on the meal plan thread. Noone is posting.