February 2026 Grocery Challenge

Soontobeoap

Thanks @weenancyinamerica. I think that I am on a par with Pip as she has several different budgets but @nelliegrace is doing it all on one budget and nearly halving my yearly outgoings on grocery's. I too batch cook but we eat a lot more meat than Nellie. Also we have Grandkids quite often so more mouths to feed.. I am also GF on a lot of products which raises the bill. However there are some lessons to learn as I had hoped there would be so thanks again @nelliegrace

jivjules1

Too many trips to the shop for snacks, extra bits and wine given where I’m at I’m content it’s not worse. I was tempted to just stop adding it up but sticking with it and it’s not as bad as I thought and will give me inspiration to go again in march

Thank you for the good wishes

386.22/350

JingsMyBucket

Afternoon folks, this has been a weird week. How’s everyone doing? 

On Tuesday I spent £10.18 at M & S for bananas (1.04), clementines (2.10), wafer thin ham (4.75), and a white bread boule (2.30).

I also got another –£3.00 refunded from my Morrisons order due to the Italian cold cuts being expired. I went to open them earlier this week and noticed the expiry date said February 5th! They taste okay but I’ll use those as maybe pizza toppings. 

Total £347.53 / £350 spent. £2.47 remaining. 

I’ll take it! The first time I’ve come in under budget in a very long time! I’m going to declare for February now. I may sidle over to Lidl on Sunday to get a few items from their Italian week. I’ll also need to get more bananas and clementines from M & S as well. We still have the whole pineapple to cut into for easy fruit tonight and tomorrow. 

PipneyJane

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81901403#Comment_81901403

That’s sweet of you to say so, @weenancyinAmerica .

@Soontobeoap I find it helps to think of the month as a whole and shop accordingly, instead of just a week at a time, so @Nelliegrace’s £2.50 each per week meat ration is my £40/month Meat Fund for the two of us. (I could easily blow £2.50 and have nothing to show for it, whereas we have a full-to-bursting freezer full of meat, and usually don’t buy meat every month.)

It also helps if you know your basics, the products to which you turn over-and-over-again to make meals. I try to only do one main shop a month for things like eggs, coffee, cheddar, cream cheese, wraps, squash, pasta, etc, These are things I buy without having meals planned, because I know that I’ll use them in the course of the month.

(I know I go to the shops at least once a week, but that’s primarily for fruit and veg. Supermarket stuff doesn’t keep.)

I’m declaring for February at £186.10/£189, leaving £2.90 to roll forward to March.

• Pip

Soontobeoap

Thanks @pipneyJane. I have a freezer full of roasting joints that can then be stretched with other dishes so for the next few months my aim is to buy very little meat. That might make quite a difference. Also being a month without school holidays I am hoping will impact my spends

diminua

£11.34 over - a friend asked me to meet him for lunch on Friday as he had the day off and was coming up to town. I really should learn to leave contingency money over for this sort of thing.

Blackcats

really interesting hints and tips from @Nelliegrace and @PipneyJane - thought provoking and inspiring.

I'm really pleased with how February has worked out and I've got a £48 underspend. We are going to use some of this to buy our Sunday lunch at the pub tomorrow to celebrate DH's birthday.

goldfinches

I just have a few last minute purchases to add to my totals which are £5.50 for a very posh sourdough loaf from a new bakery in the High Street here which was delicious and £8.80 at Marks this afternoon for 2 x borlotti beans, 3 x romano peppers and a jar of red pepper paste to make a recipe that Yotam Ottolenghi included in his weekend newsletter.

That makes my this month's totals which I'm declaring

GC - £113.90/£168

Baking Fund - £20.20/£24

Bulk Buy - £7/£100

I'm really pleased to have come in under for both the main challenge and the baking fund because prices have gone up so much over the last year that I didn't think I could pull that off. I'm going to continue trying to use up store cupboard and freezer supplies for at least the next month.

See you all over on the March thread.

determined_new_ms

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81902063#Comment_81902063

Love this attitude, progress not perfection is key <3

determined_new_ms

happy birthday @Blackcats DH. How delightful your budget came under so you could use those funds for a birthday treat!

Very impressive ppl who came under budget, and some substantially so!