January 2026 Grocery Challenge

JingsMyBucket

So much activity in the last day! I'll have to read back to catch up properly. 

Budgets updated to here. 

JingsMyBucket

@Working_Mum those are excellent savings! Wow, £1,500 less... that's given me some inspiration and motivation for the next couple months. 

We finally sent out the invitations for our open house party next Saturday. I've been adding items to our Tesco order here and there but now that the RSVPs are coming, I have a better idea of what I do and don't need. I have about £20 in points/vouchers to put toward the shop. I'll try to keep it to less £75 pre-voucher price. Their delivery minimum is £50 now. I'll also use the opportunity to restock on items like canned beans, canned tomatoes, etc. 

This coming Sunday, I may venture over to Lidl & M and S for eggs, yoghurt, fruit, and a couple other bits. 

VickyV

Hello GC dwellers!
Been a very long time since I last dipped my toe in the money saving pool. Basically, I have persuaded the new Hubby to seriously look at our retirement savings plan and one of the areas where things have really gone to the dogs is our food spend! I genuinely don’t know how much we are spending on food and drink every month but I have developed a penchant for Sainsbugs, where every weekly shop appears to cost £150+ and we still need to nip out for bits. We don’t eat out a lot in general, or get takeaways often but with 2 adults, an unfillable teen and a younger kid it gets expensive quickly when we do! 

Not sure what I feel a sensible target is but I’m going to play safe and aim for £600 for all food and drink for January. Will start on the 3rd as we are away until then. £60/£600 already spent on Planth00d for next week. 😬

Happy to have decided to run and jump on the back of the GC bus! 

Vicky x

itsthelittlethings

£23.34 in Tescos before the big delivery comes on Tuesday. That did include a bottle of conditioner that I didn't really need but couldn't resist. *annoyed*

Suffolk_lass

I popped in to Sainsbugs on my way home this morning (not a stop-out, an early hospital appointment) and bought 2 bags of oranges. Got to the checkout and paused - the lovely assistant advised that one wasn't working. I replied that was a good choice for me as I needed to pick up my nectar prices. All good. £3.65 spent.

Total to date is £57.84

TravelCrystal

@Working_Mum, that is such a brilliant achievement. I was pleased with my saving in 2025 over 2024 before I joined the GC’rs. Great motivation on here.

I have a couple of things to mention.
At the end of December we went away for the night for our anniversary and whilst everything was included from holiday fund we did have lunch there so £17.44 to start January spends
I also had to go to Lidl for Christmas veg £2.67 


Today’s trip to Lidl’s included 3 packs of cashews @ £3.99 for 500 gms. I don’t need them at the moment but worth stocking up at that price as I add them to our morning muesli mix. Also bought a family size pack of mushrooms, will have some of these tonight with garlic and cheese jacket potatoes.
Frozen fruit, reduced price mince pies cause we haven’t eaten enough 🤭 various condiments that have run out, fruit and vegetables, Greek yogurts, cheese, pate, tinned tomatoes and scouring pads. The only baked beans were Heinz at a ridiculous price so had to stop at Asda on the way home for those
£49 Lidl and £.84 Asda

Total January spend so far £69.95/£300

T.C

PipneyJane

Good morning All and welcome to all the new GC-ers 

I have two spends to declare from yesterday:  £50.78 in L!dl and £17.32 in Sainsbugs.  

In Sainsbugs, we purchased the following:  Mushrooms £1.85, plum tomatoes 89p, 8 bananas £1, 450ml Yeo Valley Yoghurts 4x£1.92, houmous £1.35, wholemeal wraps 75p, 100g ground cinnamon £1.50, Chocolate Cookies £1.40, 3m Turkey Foil 2x45p.  

The yoghurts are normally £2.25 but were discounted to £1.92 if we used the “smartshop” widget.  It is noticeable that the discount has decreased; in March we paid £1.69; a month ago they were £1.80.

In L!dl, we used our 10% off voucher and purchased the following (all prices are the regular price):  400g Gold ground coffee 2xE£5.39, 1kg arborio rice 2x£2.9, 800g extra mature cheddar £5.25, 400g cans chopped tomatoes 12x43p, 250 butter 2x£1.99, Chorizo 2x£1.89, VitC 3x£1.19, 12 large FR eggs £2.89, Gold instant coffee £E2w.65, 1kg Four Berry Medley £2.99, 1.1kg muesli £2.29, 500g pasta 5x41p, crème cheese 2x95p Dark soy sauce 2x55p, bran flakes 7p, toothpaste 2x69p, toilet cleaner 2x55p.  Total discount was £6.26, with the 10% off voucher plus some other 15% discounts applied.  The one thing L!dl didn’t have was frozen Salmon en Croute, so we will have to purchase one later.

The above brings our total spend to £86.90/£180 leaving £93.10 for the rest of the month.

I will have to buy some salad leaves tomorrow to go in our lunch.  Also on the shopping list are dried cannellini beans and the aforementioned salmon en croute.  We’ve qualified for a free cake from L!dl+ and free veg, which will inevitably be a family pack of mushrooms. (We go through one per week.)

A rough meal plan for the next few days.  All breakfasts are cereal and all lunches leftovers, unless otherwise mentioned:

Today lunch = leftover lamb’s liver in orange sauce, dinner = goose risotto
Sunday lunch = wraps to use up the last of the roasted beef fillet, dinner = Southern Style Pork & Beans cooked in the slow cooker
Monday Baked feta and cherry tomato pasta
Tuesday If there is any goose meat left, this will be a stir fry.  If not, then I’ll do Wednesday’s dish instead.
Wednesday Mary Berry’s Sausage & Red Pepper Hotpot using a tray of the full sized pigs-in-blankets we acquired over Christmas.


- Pip

wishus

Hello all, please may I join in the month challenge with:

£150 for 2 people

Just spent the first £20 of that in a zero food waste shop. I'm so grateful for these places. Not only do they help eliminate food waste and encourage me to try different new foods, but while this house is (hopefully temporarily) without any full time income and my freelance work is a bit spare, it helps to really stretch the budget. Today the swedes were free. 

diminua

£27.44 spent - £10.94 on a drink out and the rest on fruit and veg (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, garlic, cucumber, satsumas), bread (ciabatta and baguette) and margarine. Loose meal plan subject to change for the next few days is: Yorkshire pudding and veg with gravy tomorrow, cauliflower and broccoli cheese Monday and likely also as leftovers Tuesday, pasta with tuna and pesto Wednesday and with onions, grated carrot, red pesto, dried oregano and the last small amount of parmesan Thursday. Friday likely fish in breadcrumbs and mash and carrots. 

ShelivesintheShire

NSD here. Operation ' use it up ' continues with a loaf of 50/50 homemade bread, so toast for breakfast with some gifted Fortnum and Mason marmalade ( which was nothing special). Lunch was the last of the smoked salmon and yummy French cream cheese sandwiches. We had some unused clotted cream so DH has made a batch of scones and I have made bread rolls to have with burgers tonight.  A rather carb heavy day but all from the freezer or pantry.