March 2026 Grocery Challenge

Suffolk_lass

I'm awaiting a delivery from Morries (very rare, but it is my birthday this month and I have a free delivery pass). I've been home for over a week now, with a really awful cold, and dairy and F&V stores are low. I do try and top up early in the month. No idea what won't come but we know there are no salad leaves in any form and no big pots of Greek yogurt. I'll update our spend in due course

remmie

Dog food duly purchased, plus other bits and bobs, milk. bread and staples.

£59.85 spent, bringing the total this month to £87.35.

A bit more than I wanted at this point in the month, but the dog food should last until next month.

Nelliegrace

March Grocery Budget £155.

”Sains had its Red Label loose leaf tea in for the first time in , quite literally, months. So I bought four packs which will last for two months.”

Thank you, @maryb and @Suffolk_lass, I went to Sainsbury’s first thing. Our stock was running low, the weekly ration was 2oz each a week so that is 3 months supply, ( I did leave some for others). After so much excitement, I couldn’t find my car on Sains’s large car park. I walked up and down the rows in the right area, getting a bit anxious, then pressed the key lock, and I was standing with my back to DH’s car.

I looked up tea bags. Tea bags are UPFs, with microplastics, nanoplastics, wood pulp, paper, even PFAS, bleach and glue. A single pyramid tea bag can release of over 11 billion microplastics and 3 billion nanoplastics.

Loose leaf tea 6 x £1.75, muesli £2.

£12.50 spent

I did the weekly shop at Aldi. I had noticed that there was no ground coffee on the website and gaps on the shelf, so I stocked up on Columbian coffee at £3.49.

Milk £1.65, cream £1.39, evap 55p, Davidstow cheese reduced to £1.71 for 220g, spreadable £2.18, med eggs £1.55, sardines 45p, swede 43p, sweet potatoes £1.19, kale 79p, mushrooms 95p, oranges* 99p, kiwi* 89p, (*super 6 offer,) mini pears 99p, wonky grapes £1.37, wonky blueberries £1.09, 7 bananas 88p.

£32.61 spent

Total £48.31

.

LotsOfTea

A quick trip to the supermarket today resulted in £34.30 spent on some bits to take with us this weekend when we head off to the coast for a mini holiday. It's a self catering place so we're taking some easy stuff to minimise cooking as we're only there for the weekend.

Up to £57.16/£300 so far and I'm happy we're on track.

K9sandFelines

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81892786#Comment_81892786

@JingsMyBucket please can you amend my budget to £150.

This hopefully should cover a bulk buy of loo rolls, and give me some wiggle room. I won't be doing a Joybuy order this month as it was a one off, but might pop in Iceland again as I enjoyed some of the bits we did get from there. Although we do still have plenty left. I've also not been to Heron for a good while, so may venture out to there too

Thanks 👍🏻

whitecatcreamsofaDOH

• In for £425 for March.

• 
  Sorry the heading option isn’t working today so Norton’s of you miss this - appreciate it’s a super busy thread 🩷

zafiro1984

First shop of the month, went to Sains to get petrol and a few things, long queue at the petrol so nipped instore and spent 15.89 on cheese, easy peelers, apples and veg. Came back outside to find the petrol tanker had arrived and the station was closed - wasted journey!!

15.89/250

JingsMyBucket

@K9sandFelines and @whitecatcreamsofaDOH I’ve recorded your monthly amounts.

whitecatcreamsofaDOH

£106.44/£425

Thanks so much for looking after the thread Jings, and for deciphering my tired typing from last night 😅

Looking back at spend patterns I seem to need to stock up on bulk items on alternate months (things like toilet rolls, laundry detergent, tea bags, cat food). Not sure if there’s a better way to manage this but I might take a look at options like C0stc0 to see if something like that would work, especially for non perishables.

We’re well stocked this month, apart from cat food, so hoping things will be slightly more under control.

Suffolk_lass

So, apart from lettuce, everything on my order was delievered yesterday and my spends have all been updated in my master spreadsheet (including next week's milk DD which goes today). Our spend total for March is £99.92 and the main shop for the month, is done. Hopefully just a bit more F&V, dairy and possibly an Easter treat or two, left to sort out. My total spend, year to date is 18.94% or £568.34. I know it is only the end of the first week of March but I feel full of Spring confidence!