October 2025 Grocery Challenge

Landgirlinthelittlecity

Hello, can I join please?

Our monthly shopping is done payday to payday, which the 25th of the month (or if it falls on a weekend/BH, the closest day to it), as such we've already done a few shops for this month. We generally do click and collect on a Friday, which I share with my sister so we don't have an issue with min spend, and also so I'm not too tempted with offers etc, that I wouldn't normally buy. Doesn't always work but I'm trying!

Ideally I'd like to move away from a lot of the processed food I buy and eat more healthier/ cook more but that's a super long term goal as it's not easy. 

Shop so far -
Te*sco - £4.93 (wanted some butter)
Te*sco - £26.09 (our second main shop)
Te*sco - £31.57 (our first main shop)
Farmers Market Shop - £27.83 (mostly just random nibbles that I didn't need but wanted!)
Total - £90.42

Monthly Spending - £250 for two adults (ideally I'd love to get this to £200 but know that's an ask and a half!)

Left to spend - £159.58/ £250

Thanks LG

Finstickle

K9sandFelines said:

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.

I used to do this and found that it worked well - I didn't necessarily stick to the days etc but it really helped in terms of overall mental load, batch cooking and only buying what was needed.  I just do weekly now but could see me going back to monthly at some point.

Finstickle

I have one main shop and a couple of little shops to declare.

Asda was £66.29 for delivery this week, although going though it, £15.16 of that was purely on high protein/low calories snacks for me.  Focusing on losing weight and curbing costs at the same time is not easy.

Tuesdays DD is at her Dad's which this week saw me take a trip to Tesco for bread, babybel, butternut squash and wine :-) I have noticed it's a day I tend to treat myself both in terms of food and spend, but I think for now I'm ok with that as it's still a bit tricky for me on those days.  (I also go to the gym that day so not just drowning in food and wine - I am doing all of the things :-) )
So Tesco for £12.89

I also had a Coop trip for some supplies (soup, cheese, milk, Lucozade and YS pizza)

Current total: £94.52/£400

3.5 weeks until payday - might look into making some homemade snacks to curb that area of spending

angelpye

Quick pit stop into chemist today for a few items, on a 3for2 and all needed - £13.18.

£94/£270

JingsMyBucket

Evening folks. We’ve finally returned from vacation and I’m just finding my way to the thread now. I stocked up a lot in September before going away and our pantry is pretty good and so is our freezer. Our task this week to do a freezer and pantry inventory so we can really understand what we have then make a meal plan for the next few weeks. For now, I’d like to make our goal: 

£325 for October 1 — 31 for us (2 adults). 

JingsMyBucket

While in London late last week, I bought a few items for the pantry at a couple different stores: miso soup packets at an East Asian grocery store and some rye crisp bread and 2 boxes of oat bars at Whole Foods. I think the total for all of them came to roughly £13.00. 

£109.04 spent on a Tesco delivery this morning. I stocked on doubles of quite a few items to reduce the need to visit or order from Tesco again this month. 2 large packs of toilet paper (£13); 2 2kg bags of red lentils that were 50% off, lots of Kleenex tissues that were on sale, etc. We also got the basics of yoghurt, cheese, butter, milk, vegetables, halloumi, salad, bananas, canned fruit, foil, frozen fruit, oil, etc. 

£122.04 / £325 spent. £202.96 remaining.  

I’ll likely spend some time this coming week(end) visiting Lidl for more veg and eggs amongst other things. Savers may also see me darken their door as I need a couple items from them too. 

lushlifesaver

PipneyJane said:

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.)

- Pip

I've got a Costco trip down to a fine art I think; this last trip I purchased: welch's fruit snacks (a box of 80 packets), a multibox of little biscuits (party rings, mini cookies and mini jammie dodgers - perfect for lunch boxes/play date snacks, as a tiny treat with a brew, 60 packs in a box working out much cheaper than buying the bags of 5 packets at the supermarket)), cat litter (a small amount cheaper than elsewhere) and pancetta, two whole large chickens, a 24 pack of petit filous and box of kinder chocolate bars (which i then 'sell' back to the kids rather than buying chocolate at the shop!). Which were all 'stock' and then a tin of Danish butter biscuits and two packs of the muffins (paid for by the mr, separate budget). 

I keep a list of items we buy from there and before I go I write the current price at a regular supermarket down and only buy from Costco if the price is the same or less. The Mr laughs about how strict I am whilst there but you need to be! At the moment other than pancetta and whole chickens or rib racks it isn't particularly cost effective to buy meat there vs the butcher/supermarket. At least not locally to us!

Our Costco usuals are:
Cat litter
multibox crisps *if on offer
Welch's fruit snacks *unavailable elsewhere as a US import
pancetta
grana padano (grated)
own brand laundry detergent (178 washes under £8 last time!) or branded if on better offer
Petite Filous/cheesestrings/babybel * if on a good offers
2 x pint milk
2 pack of whole chicken
Hellman's mayo *when on offer

for our business we buy:
nescafe coffee (large tin)
bin liners
microfibre cloths *when on offer if ours need replacing/replenishing

if it's not on these lists we (I) don't even consider it unless it's an unbeatable price

wishus

Hello, please may I join in with another target of £150?

Spend so far £29.44. The freezer is pretty full, but we definitely need veg and fruit. 

Loads of toiletries bought this month. With BodyC... going into administration we have been delighted to find Supers..ers. Me, I don't mind Lacura or Cien but my husband is a brand seeker (not always a snob). Still he was delighted to find his shampoo in there almost £5 cheaper than in Boo.s. 

itsthelittlethings

£16.85 at Mr Tescos.

Suffolk_lass

Maybe tag the meal planning thread in your signature @K9sandFelines - there are several; what are you having for dinner? Reverse Meal Planning (in my sig) which is all about using what we have in, without shopping for missing ingredients and others.