January 2026 Grocery Challenge

jivjules1

carboot_karaoke said:

Afternoon all,  

The bad weather prediction along with the Lidl discount prompted me to go shopping today instead of Friday. 

I went before eating lunch and was cold walking around the store which are my excuses for bad decision making 😅.  I did pretty well at Lidl spending £26.46 after the £5 discount. High ticket items included a large block of cheese @£4.99 ,  dishwasher tabs £4.29  and two packs of YS Jumbo Pork sausages @£3.75. I did also buy wholemeal spaghetti and long grain rice we didn't need 🙄. We will use them at some point but the £2 could have been spent elsewhere.  

Next l went to Asda, for chicken breast, squash, flavoured water, peppers and part baked baguettes. Alas, l succumbed to 3 x YS 6 exceptional bramley apple pork sausages @£1.30 a pack, followed by a steak pukka pie for my lunch £1 and an apple pie for pudding tonight @£2.11. This is where the cold and hunger kicked in hence the stodgy comfort food 🤭 and yes l did buy 42 sausages 🤣.

Grocery Budget £104.31/ £279 

Bulk Fund £30.54  / £50

Grocery Challenge £ 134.85/ £329

At this rate It's going to take a miracle 🙈 to come in on budget. Need amend the food plan to use what we have and stay away from the shops!! 

You can probably manage on sausages alone! Seriously some great bargains and hopefully they’ll reduce spend later, I’ve learnt a new abbreviation too, I love a YS

Pennypincin

I've been getting treats and some stuff out of other money, so not sticking true to the food budget at the moment.
I'm bound to need some fresh fruit and veg soon, especially fruit as my diet isn't the best despite wanting plus needing to shift the weight.
I'm taking any positive I can though as I'm aiming to make a tuna pasta bake tonight.
I've carrots I really need to use and keep meaning to make a batch of carrot soup, plus have the ingredients in the freezer for a sweet potato and butternut squash soup.
I've ready meals/pitta breads and some odd bits (mainly beige and probably not the healthiest) in the freezer.
So should be okay for a few days other than some fruit/veg and maybe sandwich fillers.

carboot_karaoke

Haha  @jivjules1 😂 this is a thread full of YS lovers !!

I dont think ive mentioned that we're a family of 6 good eaters.  Given the chance those sausages would only last two meals.  I will,  however, be finding ways to stretch much further i e, cut up in a casserole or pasta bake. 

I have just been to check on my cheap veg in the garage serveral carrots we're very icy although they haven't got mushy like they do in the fridge yet. I have dried with kitchen roll and will keep a closer eye on them to avoid any waste even at 5 /15p a bag. 

ShelivesintheShire

@Elizabeth49 You can significantly decaffinate ordinary teabags by pouring a couple of inches of boiling water over the tea bag, leave it for a minute then discard the brew. You then make tea as normal using the tea bag.

otb666

350 left from 600 budget with 2 shops left.  Got a bit of meat outa the freezer for slow cooker sometime over next few days. I have finished all the xmas dinner leftovers it was a hard slog and will remember next year to buy a beef joint as the turkey is just to much now to get through as only 3 of us.  I will have to pop out tomorrow to get sirchati sauce as I forgot that. We have not spent any other money this year so far as its just been too cold to do anything but watch tv.

thriftwizard

Sigh - another £11.67 gone. I needed some dried yeast & black treacle for breadmaking (Danish rye bread, extra good for my gut; had run out of those over Christmas) and snapped up some YS fruit & veg whilst up there as I have half a suspicion that the market might be cancelled this Friday; high winds and trading gazebos are a bit of a lively mix! Our traders are a tough & very reliable bunch but the weather's not so helpful. I'll be doing a swift run to the butcher, fishmonger & bakery tomorrow morning but will batten down the hatches thereafter.

diminua

Another £25.09 spent - largely on clothes washing liquid and frozen food earlier in the week but also some on butter and milk today. £197.47 left for the month. 

dollypeeps

Did a Lidl lurk this morning… weather warnings of snow worried me a touch as the GB public will overbuy on bread and milk.
And they did!  My usual loaf of white was nowhere to be seen in there so had to ‘upgrade’ to Warburtons!…. 65p more!!!! oh the horror but a small price to pay for peace of mind. Trouble is I don’t think that Warburtons is any better than Lidl own taste wise etc but there you go.

Bought Warburtons toastie £1.40, seeded craft bloomer £1.49, 2 x filtered milk 2l £3.50 and a filled muffin which was free on Lidl app
Then  spent £2.98 at the butchers buying 2 pots of pork dripping.
total spent £9.72 paid in cash
Declaring this weeks spends at £84.45 against £90 bank £10 purse grocery money
transferred remaining bank balance to surplus grocery fund ( hopefully to fund bulk buys )

Feeling accomplished and off to a good start as I’ve been using up freezer supplies, Christmas veg and fruit and meal planned.
Think I’ll be at the top of my budget this week but I’m hoping that I can stick hard to a meal plan.

thriftwizard

£59.99 spent this morning, between the butcher, the fishmonger, the greengrocer & W8rose. We should be all in for the best part of the next week, though I may need to acquire some frozen veg towards the end. If the market is on tomorrow & the weather's relatively calm, I may potter along & snap up any massive bargains - mangoes looked like they were in good supply last week - but I don't need to, we'd get by on what's already here. Stay safe out there, folks!

ShelivesintheShire

Lidl shop today came in at £35.69. I avoided the middle isle and also picked up my free demi baguette and free sugar free sweets. The baguette has gone in the freezer as that will be a treat when we have a picnic lunch later in the year.
January spend so far:
Milkman £8.04
Lidl £35.69
£43.73/£350