January 2026 Grocery Challenge

Changeyourlife25

£470.70/£500

JingsMyBucket

Happy Sunday evening, everyone. Yesterday Mr. Jings stopped by M & S for some quick and easy food because we mostly have slow cooking roasts, etc in the house. He spent £24.55 on 3 for £12 breaded chicken, colcannon, mashed potatoes, sweet heart cabbage, croissants, and coffee beans. 

Total £400.04 / £300 spent. £100.04 overspent. 

K9sandFelines

Sorry I've been awol. 

DD1 and DGD finally returned to their home on Friday, after a very long three weeks of having to stay at mine.

So, I've finally had chance to tot up the spends. I hope to keep any more shopping to under or at £150 now. There's two weeks left of my month, with just DD2 and I. So, fingers crossed .

Spends are as follows :

TJ Morris online - 11.48 ( 24 loo rolls) from stores.( One box should carry over til March budget as it's only just been opened).

Waitr@se £6.26 (ys avo x 4, bananas x 3, pasta, sourdough bread, tomatoes x 2)

Tesc@ £4.40 (vivera salmon and plant burgers)

Co-@p £2.76 - YS 2 x bao buns and Spring onions 

TGTG - Alpro Barista milk £14.99 incl delivery

Heron £6.37 - can't remember what I bought!

HomeBargains  £1.98 plasters and bathsalts

For a pizza that was DD1's £2.99

Total ....drum roll = £67.33 added to signature 

K9sandFelines

JingsMyBucket said:

@K9sandFelines thanks for checking in. I've got you in the list. I was actually starting to get a bit worried about you because I noticed you hadn't posted yet. 🙂 Glad to have you here and sending you some strength during this stressful rigmarole. x

ETA: On my side, we still haven't set foot in a grocery store yet for the past week. We're heading to Edinburgh tomorrow for a day trip and I'll stop into Waitrose to get my favourite Scandi rye crisp crackers. I can't get them around here locally. 

Thanks @JingsMyBucket for thinking of me.
Hopefully that's our run of bad luck for the year now, being as it started so early 🤞🏻

K9sandFelines

joedenise said:

Hope the hospital appointment goes well for you DD1 and that she'll be able to return home at the weekend and you can get back to normality.

Sorry I don't know how to do multiple quotes.
She got the all clear. Aswell as everything else happening, she'd noticed a lump on her clavicle bone. Thankfully it's nothing serious and due to possible over exertion of using the arm repetitively. 

Seemed weird , but a nice change not to have to go there for myself for once.

K9sandFelines

carboot_karaoke said:

Meal plan for this week 

Chicken tray bake with roasted peppers, onions and courgette 
Muffin top stew with lentils, broccoli and carrots 
Sausage pasta
Chilli Con Carne Rice and Guacamole 
Chicken Curry and Naan bread 
Special fried rice 
Leftovers 

Could I ask for the muffin top stew recipe please?

carboot_karaoke

Evening all, 

I have another two spends to declare £61.54 spent between Tesco and Asda lots of fruit and veg,  2kg chicken legs for £4.50, a large block of cheese £4.57, frozen fish and chips £5.10,  lots of "bits" like crackers,  jam, eggs, bread, milk it all adds up. £6.20 was for 2.5 litres of custard and ingredients for a large apple crumble I'm making for the coming weekend which l chose to get early to save any stress next week.  

Grocery Budget £274.61 / £279 

Bulk Fund £53.59/ £50

Grocery Challenge £ 328.20 / £329

I have a whole 80p left of my budget 😅  Lots in the freezer and cupboards so still might be possible.  

Food plan for this week 

Beef Keema and rice with chickpeas and spinach 
Carrot and coriander soup with part baked baguettes 
Lasagne (ready made in the freezer) salad and garlic bread 
Jerk chicken, rice, and veg
Fish chips and peas (the frozen items l just brought) 
Chilli Con Carne and rice, guacamole,  sour cream,  grated cheese, tortilla chips, followed by apple crumble custard and or ice cream for 12 people. 
Roast dinner 

carboot_karaoke

K9sandFelines said:

carboot_karaoke said:

Meal plan for this week 

Chicken tray bake with roasted peppers, onions and courgette 
Muffin top stew with lentils, broccoli and carrots 
Sausage pasta
Chilli Con Carne Rice and Guacamole 
Chicken Curry and Naan bread 
Special fried rice 
Leftovers 

Could I ask for the muffin top stew recipe please?

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/muffin-topped-winter-beef-stew 

This was the original recipe,  but not very  MSE. 

So instead for the meat part l combine 500g beef mince and two tins of green lentils, onion,  garlic, beef stock cubes, worcestershire sauce and tomato puree,  season to taste. Then double the muffin recipe (kids love it) and serve with plenty of vegetables,  no extra carb is needed.  

This is for 6 people so you would need to adjust depending on how many you need it for.  

K9sandFelines

carboot_karaoke said:

K9sandFelines said:

carboot_karaoke said:

Meal plan for this week 

Chicken tray bake with roasted peppers, onions and courgette 
Muffin top stew with lentils, broccoli and carrots 
Sausage pasta
Chilli Con Carne Rice and Guacamole 
Chicken Curry and Naan bread 
Special fried rice 
Leftovers 

Could I ask for the muffin top stew recipe please?

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/muffin-topped-winter-beef-stew 

This was the original recipe,  but not very  MSE. 

So instead for the meat part l combine 500g beef mince and two tins of green lentils, onion,  garlic, beef stock cubes, worcestershire sauce and tomato puree,  season to taste. Then double the muffin recipe (kids love it) and serve with plenty of vegetables,  no extra carb is needed.  

This is for 6 people so you would need to adjust depending on how many you need it for.  

Thanks so much. I'll probably do lentils and TVP. There's only two of us, but I don't mind leftovers for DD2 to take to work to eat.

ancientmum

Thank you  to everyone who has shared recipes, it is great to have some new ideas.  I've avoided buying any meat so far, except for some sausages early in the month and mainly eating out of freezer and stores.  I stretched a portion of salmon by making it into a fish pie with a carrot and potato mash and small broccoli florets in with the white sauce.  One meal in my tummy and two in the freezer.  Also  made a veg curry with butternut squash, chickpeas, sweetcorn, carrots and the broccoli stalk.  I added coconut cream, and it was yummy, five meals altogether.  

So far this month I've spent £89 on groceries, but I know I will have to restock on basics like pasta, tea and rice at some point.