February 2026 Grocery Challenge

JingsMyBucket

Hi folks. I have a few spends to declare for the beginning of February. 

£80.08 for a Tesco delivery including £4 delivery fee. I stocked up on chicken thighs, chicken leg quarters, sausages, fruit, eggplants, mange tout, bok choy, fresh herbs, jarred herbs, Itsu gyoza that were on sale due to Lunar New Year, sliced ham, frozen breakfast waffles, frozen shrimp, vanilla extract, canned fruit and other items. 

£5.10 at M & S for baked beans, garlic, and clementines. 

£21.62 at Lidl for fancy tomatoes, cherries, 1kg pork shoulder steaks, 30 eggs, fresh mozzarella, vegetable crisps, fake Magnums, and some free ginger nuts because of Lidl Plus. 

£4.95 at Iceland for milk and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. 

Mr. Jings signed up for Hello Fresh unbeknownst to me sometime last week and only told me a couple days ago. I wish he told me that before I did the grocery delivery and a meal plan for the next few weeks. We’re getting the first delivery tomorrow and he finally told me it was about £38. He doesn’t know… Anyway. I’m going to raise our GC amount to £350 from £300 to account for this. ARGH. I told him that he needs to be aware enough to cancel it before the price doubles. Let’s see if he shifts his behind enough to do it. 

Total £149.75 / £350 spent. £200.25 remaining. 

itsthelittlethings

£5.50 spent in the Romanian shop, £30.81 spent in Aldi.

£90/ 250 left but I don’t have that much left to get.

jivjules1

13:50 in farm foods few bargains found coconut milk at 39p butter 3 for £5 and some blue cheese at 99p yum!

30.51/350

moginstein

Morning all. Just wanted to mention that I've got an email from Holland & Barrett yesterday as they have updated their loyalty scheme.

Thank you for being a Rewards for Life member, xxxx

We’re writing to let you know that today your Rewards for Life programme has officially become H&B&Me, our upgraded loyalty programme.   As part of this update, your points balance includes £5, which you can now spend in store or online until 17th February 2026.

They also have a section that if you fill it in you get an extra 200 points (£2). The £5 is valid until 17th February, so wanted to mention it so others don't miss out if they have it on there accounts.

I don't know if it is all accounts, but if you do have one, it might be worth checking.

(This text editor box is awful, the text keeps jumping around and repeating!)

Sallyp2

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81869323#Comment_81869323

thanks for heads up. I saw this email in junk folder and deleted it

carboot_karaoke

Thank you @moginstein l also ignored and deleted. Just restored from the email bin.

Suffolk_lass

It seems a bit weird to include a link to a soup recipe thread on the forums front page, only to find it dates to 2006 and is closed. Here's a link to that (or you could just look at post 6 on page 1 here), for lots of lovely soup recipes. It's our default for a cheap, warming, veg rich lunch in winter - soup and fresh (hm) bread.

Anyway, I have done my main shop for the month and restocked the cupboards. I do need more bowl fruit (the oranges I bought are not great, but we are persevering). I should only need my regular milk deliveries, eggs and fruit and veg top ups for the rest of this month. Running total for GC is £67.18, plus stores (included coffee) £120.38 and DD and subscriptions £7.75 so far (this one is weekly) - total to date is £195.31 - I knew I needed a stores stock up so my budget was doubled to £300 for Feb (within my £3000 annual)

The quest to use up more stores continues.

Changeyourlife25

£26.52/£500

So far, just lil corner shop trips, habit I’m needing to get out of but didn’t get paid until today, so small corner shop trips it was,

The basics, small box of eggs, bread, fruit, noodles, coffee, cereal, red bull, toxic waste sweets.

Making up a meal plan now and will go do a bigger shop, including a big snack haul to keep us away from those pesky corner shops! 🙏💪

K9sandFelines

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81869323#Comment_81869323

I couldn't see the part you fill in for extra points, but did manage to get some nutritional yeast I was running low on, with allotted points.

moginstein

@K9sandFelines, It was a section on "complete your profile", or something like that, so it might be you'd already filled it in, so weren't offered .

Good that you were able to get something you were after anyway. Enjoy the free nooch!