July 2026 Grocery Challenge

JingsMyBucket

Budgets updated to here.

Welcome to the thread @path_to_1m! You'll find lots of helpful people and posts here. We're a nice community on this thread.

@K9sandFelines I've updated your bulk amount and total for you.

TravelCrystal

Well my Ocado delivery arrived today. I bought a couple of things not in the G.C camp, Cider for DH he is paying 🤭 and a couple of moulds to make us ice lollies as I know another heatwave is coming. I think it was @Suffolk_lass who mentioned them. Let’s see how they turn out.

GC food was pretty much the usual suspects.

Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, salad items, various condiments that needed replacing, bacon, pizza for lunch, tins of b beans, ice cream, cheese, chipolates on offer, biscuits, coffee, yogurt, milk, kitchen towels and eggs.
Total cost this week including aforementioned items £100.90

Should last us 2 weeks.

Order in for day before our trip house sitting, list made of meals planned and table booked for Sunday lunch out.

The following week we are off to the midlands to see rellies for a few days. My DB is driving so that will be nice.

Will take provisions to the rellies but that will come out of my sundries budget

Hopefully the next heatwave isn’t going to be as bad, fingers crossed 🤞

T.C

JingsMyBucket

Afternoon y’all. I’ve lost the plot for June and need to go back and add up the second half of the month. I’m going to set my budget July for:

£350 covering July 1 – 31st. 

Today I’ve already spent £12.24 at Tesco this morning on bananas (78p), chilies (90p), 2kg potatoes (1.56), garlic (1.00), toilet paper (6.00), Boursin cheese (2.00), and a free box of fruit split ice lollies. I had a Clubcard coupon for free lollies so took advantage of it to stock up before the next heat wave. 

Total £12.24 / £350 spent. £337.76 remaining. 

I’ll try to keep out of the stores until at least Sunday. Next step is to make a meal plan for the rest of the week. We’ve been flying by the seat of our pants for the past few weeks and we need to get a grip on food in the fridge and use up what we have. 

PipneyJane

Afternoon All

I have two shops to declare:

• £24.57 in Sainsbugs on my way home from work yesterday, spent on spring onion 55p, Yeo Valley Yoghurts 8x£1.92, mushrooms £1.85, 8 bananas £1.39, YS grapes £1.98, sweet peppers £2.10, 345g broccoli 78p, and 548g carrots.
• £12.16 in L!dl today on YS strawberries £1.42, 1kg 4-berry medley £2.44, YS muffins 52p, 1 dozen large FR eggs £2.89, BBQ Salt £2.79, fruit & veg box £2 (6 mangoes, 2 red peppers, 5 oranges, 500g carrots, 500g apricots).

I’ll admit that I went a little mad on fresh fruit. I’m still eating yesterday’s grapes, so why did I buy the strawberries plus the L!dl Fruit & Veg Box? Well, I didn’t see the latter until it was too late to put the strawberries back. (I may end up quartering and freezing them.). I’ll use the oranges tomorrow, when I make Calves Liver In Orange Sauce for dinner. (I had to bin one of them.)

It was the mangoes and the apricots that caught my attention and made me buy the box. I’ve already eaten a third of the apricots, but I’m at a loss re what to do with SIX mango. One, I’d eat raw, but six? Does anyone have a good Mango Smoothy recipe to recommend?

This brings our total spend to £36.73/£180 leaving £142.27 for the rest of the month.

• Pip

joedenise

What about mango chutney Pip to go with curries? This recipe uses 5 mangoes! https://www.daringgourmet.com/indian-mango-chutney/#recipe

Mango chutney is the only way I can eat mangoes - don't like them raw at all!

Loads of smoothie recipes online - I'd just google and have a look to see which of them uses the ingredients you've got!

mandco

@PipneyJane what about mango sorbet? A refreshing treat for the upcoming heat wave and pretty simple to make even if you don’t have an icecream maker.

small spend of £5ish in Tesco express today for new potatoes, carrots, dill, bread, bananas & a 4 pkt of donuts

TravelCrystal

I was going to say mango chutney @PipneyJane. I have it with risotto and curry 🤭

burtha

Hi , can I join in .

Life's been a bit crazy and I need accountability? Or just need to keep track of where I am atm . Budget and food spends changes monthly with number of people , but I probably spend less than average anyway .

Currently 3 adults and 1 dog . But help out with 6 grandkids weekly so 🤷‍♀️ at times.

So lets guess £350 for the month .

Today's been £8.50 shop and £3 tgtg , so £338.60 / £350

Sallyp2

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82054570#Comment_82054570

ditto babes - june went up the swanny for me. Disappointed as i was doing well. I will tally up final spends so i get to a £ figure like yourself.

i'm looking forward to my £ cash cold turkey week starting Monday, to as you say, get a grip on things

Sallyp2

just realised July is 31 days, please set my budget £279 🙏