August 2026 Grocery Challenge

K9sandFelines

I've spent £1.88 in HomeB@rgains on pumpkin seeds and barista milk

Then Ald! I spent £8.66 on tinned potatoes to make a soup, bananas, bay leaves, tomato puree, soya milk x 3, tofu X 2 and no chicken pieces.

So, £10.54 to add to signature.

Finstickle

A catch up post as the school holidays have been keeping me busy.

I think the two negative biggest impacts on my budget this month have been changing to in-person shopping due to falling out with Asda and bringing my daughter with me because its the holidays. I will likely go back to getting some deliveries soon and not brining her but I am enjoying being able to go and see what there is and choosing some different foods.

I also invested in a Ninja Creami so have bought some specific ingredients I wouldn't have otherwise, but will be saving on ice cream and other snacks going forward as it will now all be ice-cream. the benefit of the creami being that it also makes low fat ice-cream so a good option for the healthy conscious.

I've had a fair few expenses lately so need to get on top of finances so intending to be back with weekly postings and some good control from Sep onwards.

August Total

£399/£350

Nelliegrace

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

I picked a bucket full of large cooking apples from the garden and several windfalls, and another punnet of blackberries. The best bits of the windfalls and the blackberries have been stewed gently to have with yoghurt. We have been given a small marrow and some green beans. I haven’t made stuffed baked marrow for some time.

DH shopped at Aldi for milk and a few items on the list.

Milk £1.65 x 2, cream £1.29, evap 52p x 2, super 6 offer; pears 69p, British apples 49p x 4,

£8.28 spent.

Total for August £139.44

£15.56 under budget, mainly because shopping trips have been as short and as few as possible.

diminua

Declaring at £308.03 this month.

Greying_Pilgrim

Declaring August at £218.02/£232.50.

I shall be honest and say that I'm not quite sure how I managed to come under - and have full cupboards, and have bought some treaty/processed foods for the summer hols/a few days away…….. But I did drop lucky a couple of times with a green box from leedle, plus I got given a few items of HG produce from a chum, which again, I utilised. So if anything, I've proved to myself that I can keep to this budget - @Nelliegrace 's £2.50pppd is by far the best 'target' spend I've used to calculate a grocery budget, and be able to come somewhere close to keeping to.

Greying X

PipneyJane

@ancientmum good to see you!

@JingsMyBucket thank you for the chocolate banana bread recipe. We’ve got an oversupply of bananas in the freezer, and I’m a bit bored with my regular banana bread recipe. I’ll give it a go.

I’m declaring for August at £180/£180.

I’ve lost the plot somewhat in August, but know there was (almost) nothing left in the purse when I did a final shop in L!dl on Friday. £4.71 spent on 3 packets of smoked ham and 2x300g tubs of “button mushrooms” (which were larger than many we’ve bought). We had 30% off vouchers for both, so it seemed good value to stock up.

• Pip

K9sandFelines

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82120677#Comment_82120677

I'd love one of those, but not sure where I would store it as I've got so many appliances ( maybe next summer)! There usd to be so many dairy free ice creams at a reasonable price, but now all the best flavours have disappeared and are extortionate! I did nearly buy one for £50 on V|nted a while ago; but by the time I'd decided what to do, somebody beat me to it. At least there's a few more other brands taking the same initiative now with similar machines. Have fun creating some delicious flavours 🙂

thriftwizard

Well August turned into a write-off for me, thanks to hurtling round the countryside on one errand or another, but actually I think I probably came in under budget; a lot of leftovers were eaten & lots of stuff from the freezer too, to make room for this autumn's "harvests", plus DD2 & I were away in Wales for the last week & OH just ate from the fridge & the cupboards. I'll hunt through the bank account & check at some point but it's not a priority, I have other things to sort out; like refurbishing a little rocking horse for DGD1!

K9sandFelines

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82119178#Comment_82119178

I have a gorgeous soup recipe if you need to use the potatoes at all.

I posted in September instead of August's thread ....

£2.48 spend. Two bags of doughnuts and YS kale, and a bag to line the food bin.

JingsMyBucket

I’m finally getting around to doing a final tally for August’s GC. On the 29th we spent £85.66 across Morrisons, Lidl and M & S and then on the 31st I spent £2.80 at M & S for a block of cheddar. I took Mr. Jings shopping with me on the 29th and all hell broke loose! So much for trying to stick to £57 that day. 

Total £380.86 / £350 spent. £30.86 overspent. 

I’ll adjust my budget for September to get back on track.