July 2026 Grocery Challenge

Nelliegrace

Grocery Budget for July for 2 Pensioners at £5 a day, £155.

We shopped earlier this week because the weather is forecast to be too hot for the rest of the week.

Milk 4 pints £1.65 x 2, yoghurt 1kg £1.49, cottage cheese £1.39, 6 mixed size, British free-range eggs 99p, yellow-stickered turkey mince 500g £2.09 x 2, (to freeze in portions,) tinned mixed beans 69p x 2, sardines 49p x 2, cream crackers 49p, lettuce 49p, cooked beetroot 75p, mushrooms 99p, vine tomatoes £1.49, 7 bananas 88p, wonky blueberries £1.19, and grapes £1.37, strawberries 99p, cherries 79p, oranges £1.39 x 2, nectarines 1kg £2.39.

£28.31 spent.

Total spent £52.08

wishus

Couldn't resist the gorgeous strawberries, aubergines, squash, and coriander on the market stall today, plus more salad bits. £7.80

Brings the spend so far this month to £56.67/£150 - £93.33 remaining.

Blackcats

we went to Sains today to get MrBC his preferred coffee bags to take on his trip away next week. He can enjoy a decent cup of coffee in his hotel room rather than paying a fortune in the hotel bar. We also bought a curry selection box ready meal for a grandchild who has just moved into their own place. The curry comes from my pixie dust pot which I use for random treats for family and friends.

Then we did our main shop at lid ls and like the rest of the nation we stocked up on salad, fruit and ice cream.

£276 remaining

whitecatcreamsofaDOH

Now up to £70.40/£420 - mainly due to buying cat food.

Every so often I wonder whether to do her own budget, or keep it in with grocery. I think I go round in circles and then decide I’m too lazy to split out the cost so it stays 😂😂

That’s her sorted for the month now so am wondering if I can keep the next week’s spends to around £50. Got enough in for the next two days so don’t need to go to the shop until Friday.

Greying_Pilgrim

I had to go over to the side of town that has fArmf00ds, so I bought 12xchopped tomatoes (not on one of their flats, they didn't have any, but they had 1ndus brand chopped tommie tins at 3for£1), and I bought 2 bags of sugar for £1.70.

Although it's not counted in the GC, I went to dune1m, and bought 2 x 1 litre glass clip-top storage jars. I bought the k1lner version, in favour of the dune1m own brand, as the wire looked flimsy on the own-brand. £9 spent. They will be to store pulses and grains, so "grocery adjacent' spending, I suppose.

I have updated my signature. It ain't looking pretty ☹️But at least for tea this evening I used up a bag of dehydrated soya chunks that had been bugging me, taking up space in the cupboard. I was pleasantly surprised at how well they took up flavour. It's probably the first time I've ever cooked (successfully) with the chunks - I remember having a disaster with the mince, way back in the mists of time, when DH and i were a 'young couple' 🤣

Greying X

Suffolk_lass

I succumbed to the temptation of M&S Strawberries when I collected a few items of summer clothing (I have a variety of knackered vests, lots of which are so big on me that I often find the armhole extending round a boob; so I bought some £5 vests and STILL managed to buy a size larger than I should have. I will wear that one for fat days and beekeeping). I digress.

I also bought a bag of egg tagliatelle (they are the only SM I go to that sells egg pasta), milk, some coffee bags and a pack of burgers. £67.68 left

Greying_Pilgrim

I've just posted this elsewhere on MSE, but it's pertaining to grocery shopping, so:

Shopping done. I went to MrL and MrS today.

Green box bought in MrL. There were a number today, but of very variable quality. They clearly were getting rid of a carrot mountain. I very nearly didn't bother, but found a box with a (big) bag of red apples in it and the only bag of carrots in the box (many had several), were organic. There were lettuces (iceberg again), a cucumber a rock-hard kiwi 🤢and a punnet of nectarines - 3 of which were so ripe, they've exploded 🫤oh, and a random baking potato and a random (not out of the bag) apple…….

Someone did ask today if the boxes were 'free' to take…… 😯

I did use a couple of my 15% vouchers, and my 30% scratchcard voucher - on the 'correct' wraps today!

In total, including a bottle of wine and the green box, I spent £23.09 in MrL.

I didn't have alot to buy in MrS today - although I did notice they have put the 4 pints of milk up to £1.75. I had a couple of things that attracted extra points and a couple of MyNP's. I did 'bulk buy' the small green lentils as they were on offer (MyNP's), so I bought 5 packs, which will be great for summer salads, so i'm counting that £7.35 as a 'Bulk Budget' spend. In total in MrS I spent £10.90 grocery budget and £7.35 bulk.

So £33.99 on food and £7.35 bulk today.

I was a bit surprised at the milk rise (and yet not, I know costs are rising for farmers like everyone else). I did have a couple of 'useful' coupons in both Leedl and Sainsbugs today, so that helped. I just went in and shopped and came out today - no perusing the shelves (too darn hot), so I've no idea if there were any bargains throughout either store.

I did spot a comedy gold moment in Sainsbugs whilst waiting at the tills. A Guide Dog trainer was walking around the store training a dog (you're going to guess the breed when you hear what it did), and they were passing the end of the aisle that had wild bird food. Quick as a flash, the dog scoffed something off the bottom shelf….. luckily the handler spotted it, and managed to get their hand in the dog's mouth and extract it. The brand of bird food that was next to where the dog found the tidbit? "Peckish" 🤣 The breed of dog?……. Labrador 🤣

I need to update my siggie figgies.

Greying X

Nelliegrace

@Greying_Pilgrim, Quick as a flash Labrador with an innocent expression, and a whole black pudding missing.

Greying_Pilgrim

Too right @Nelliegrace I think Sainsbugs was probably lucky it was just the bird food aisle. It's us humans that are at fault, we want assistance dogs to help with domestic chores, and then don't let the doggies do a bit of 'hoovering'…… 😉🤣

Greying X

mandco

other than the more expensive branded stuff sains seems to be the only place that does full fat lactose free milk now? I try to stock up when I get a nectar price offer on it as it tends to have longish dates but haven’t had one for a while now. Occasionally I pick up Tesco own brand semi as thats 99p too - no Lidl local enough for a regular visit but ds doesn’t really like it. Sains had updated the shelf labels to the new £1.50 price yesterday when I popped in but they had the branded stuff on offer for £1.35 so picked up a few of those.

@whitecatcreamsofaDOH I also include the pet food ect in my budget - my monthly budget would be a lot less of I didn’t but right now I’m going with if I spend it gets included life’s busy enough without trying to find time to break down every shop into different areas of spend.

Went to an appointment with dd yesterday she wanted to stop in sains after - £22.15 spent on lactose free milk as it was on offer,1/2 price yum yums & apple pie, gluten free biscuits & crisps on offer & fresh greens for the buns tbh aside from the milk & greens didn’t really need the rest but fell into the I’ll get it as its on offer trap.