February 2026 Grocery Challenge

Elizabeth49

A few spends to catch up on. £70.01 on Saturday for the weekly Sainsbugs delivery. Plus £6.61 for laundry stuff in Savers.

Then another £23.33 in M&S. That included some YS free range chicken that will do for two meals (having the first lot tonight with roasted mixed veg) and some of their 'only ingredients' meatballs, which were okay and UPF free. I was going to try the 'only' sausages, but the only two packs they had were use by that day and they can't be frozen, so I gave them a miss.

£1.95 for bread yesterday. I had an engineer in to repair the leaking boiler in the morning and a hospital appointment in the afternoon, so never got my head around putting the breadmaker on.

£187.92 spent & £257.08 remaining

PipneyJane

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81879983#Comment_81879983

@Nelliegrace, I looked at M&S Only bran flakes last week, winced at the price, came home and checked out the L!dl ones that I had in the cupboard. The only real difference that I can tell is that L!dl add honey to theirs. (Working from memory, M&S were wholegrain wheat, barley malt and salt. L!dl's is wholegrain wheat (80%), wheat bran, barley malt, salt and honey.)

HTH

• Pip

otb666

507 spent now So 93 left for final shop next week. I go from 23rd to 23rd. I went to waitrose again and spent 170. Hubby has been on monjo thingy for over a year now and a bit worried as he hardly eats much at all. Lost over 5 stone and trying to tempt him to eating a bit more. He really struggles to buy much at all really. I like the fact they do really small portions of food as our volume of food has gone down a lot. Budget has not gone down but no waste of food which I cannot abide. Dont use farm shop anymore as we only buy a few carrots a few onions a pepper oranges bananas apples and I like the frozen vegetables as you can use just what you need. At the deli the guy said as end of gala pie we could have 50% off but hubby said too much and only wanted half Which obviously worked out the same but i nearly fell over in shock that hubby stuck to his guns. Before he would have had it and eaton it all without a second thought.

Sallyp2

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81880608#Comment_81880608

hey lovely - be careful your hubbies quick weight loss on 'monjo'

two friends have have gallbladders removed as the fast fat metabolism caused gall stones. They had jaundice and were very poorly

otb666

Sallyp2 Thanks for that I will check he does not go yellow and will check out gall stones on NHS

jivjules1

212.22/350

TravelCrystal

Need to catch up on posts, apologies.

D.H and myself have been taking it in turns to have these dreaded coughs and colds. So I have been trying to keep away from people as much as possible and am having another Ocado delivery later today. Hopefully next month’s spending will be a little better. We are on holiday at the beginning of the month where apart from lunch food included so fingers crossed 🤞 won’t send the budget too high. That being said I have my bulk meat coming next month. Half a lamb, pig and quarter of a cow. That will last us for the rest of the year apart from some chicken which I will get at some point.

I will be robbing Peter to pay Paul with the budget meanwhile.

In the shopping later I have tried to buy the rest of February’s food hopefully.

Lots of fruit and vegetables, cheese, milk, mustard, yogurt eggs and coffee.

I did walk up to the Range earlier and bought a YS loaf for 50p for bread and butter pudding at some point. Don’t know why but my brain says it has to be white bread. All the bread I make each week is either seeded M and S or Atta flour mixed. Also had 5 utterly butterly’s for £5 which was my chief reason for going.

Anyway Total food spend this week is £56.40

That brings total this month so far to £195.73 and £169.80 bulk

Hope everyone’s month is going well and most of you have been able to avoid germs.

T.C

LotsOfTea

I stocked up on various bits in the no plastic refill shop yesterday and spent £14.95 (it included some pic n mix for DH as he came with me). Then today I had a supermarket delivery which came to £103.44. Amongst that it was all very sensible stuff apart from 2 bunches of daffs but that's an allowable treat to cheer up the house.

I'm up to £128.17/£300 for the month so doing fine.

determined_new_ms

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81875178#Comment_81875178

Hey RedLipstick - what I have found is I have stopped making a set "meal" every night. Often it is what needs to be used up, a protein and some friend. I've stopped food waste (almost - I had 1/2 a cucumber I hadn't spotted was about to perish!) but going through my fridge regulary. I have a "next to use" shelf and am encouraging my family to look there to see what needs to be used rather than out of habit grabbing the same things (and then we run out of those!) Leftovers from one meal either get frozen or incorporated into the next meal.

Some things we run out of and that's ok, we can go without and eat other stuff. Fruit and veg - I get a mixture quicker perishing (berries, bananas, mushrooms etc) which we eat first and longer lasting/frozen for later in the shopping cycle. Although there are certain things if we run out of my partner will go to the SM and purchase so I need to make sure we have them. I've realised our bread isn't going to last so today have made a no-knead loaf. We always need a bake (cake or biscuits) in as a sweet treat - I wish we didn't but they would go to the shops if we don't have it.

Also I don't meal plan - at all! I have an idea of how many meals the proteins in will cover, and I have a rough idea of what they might be, but that is all subject to change given I make meals in order of perishability - what needs to be used up and what can I make with that.

You will go through thinking "I'm going to run out of things so will need to do another shop" (which is were I was the last couple of days about eggs, butter and sugar) but then a few days tick over and you realise, no it's fine you'll make it. Some things I hide from my family to bring out later in the shopping cycle!

I've got to say I'm loving it and feel like we are eating really well, fridge, freezers and store cupboard well stocked!

dollypeeps

week 1 of Februarys GC declared at £96.53 / £90 bank £10 purse

£2.86 left in purse …. Seem to have 61p somewhere!,

Off to do this weeks shopping list. Don’t think I’ll be so lucky this week as we seem to need a few ‘bigger items’