internet grocery shopping v traditional - ?cheapest

tiredwithtwins

hope this is in the right place!
i started shopping online as a way of trying to reign in the shopping budget!
i usually get my shopping weekly/fortnightly on line, but im beginning to wonder if im actually saving money by doing this? when i used to go into the shop i was often tempted by bogofs, things i didnt need, but got anyway. when i shop online, i still would end up having to call into local supermarket anyway (as you do, for bits and bobs eg bread), and end up buying something i like if its on offer....so im pretty certain its not really saving me any money!!

what does everyone think? am i not being strict enough with my budget when i do my shopping on the internet/odd bits shopping, or do you think i would get more bargains from doing a weekly instore shop!??

(ps theres 5 of us - me, him who eats like a horse and 3 kids - 4,4 and 8!! who also eat like horses!)

stressedoutmumof1

I always shop online, and have done for about 4 years now.

I find it saves me money, because you can "put back" anything you don't really need without any embarrasment. I try to stick to a budget of about £50 per week (me, DH and DD) but this does include all toiletries, washing powder, alcohol etc etc

Everytime we have gone to the supermarket and done it "manually" we have always spent about £120 :eek:

HTH

redballoon_2

i shop online and for the two of us we spend £90 max for a month. that is for all of our main meals, and the odd household stuff like washing powder occasionally bumps it up. we write a list of what we want to eat, buy what we need and then write the list up and tick off each meal when eaten!

as for bread, milk we got to a local shop and i only take the exact amount i need to buy the essentials so i can't be tempted to buy chocolate crisps etc...

black-saturn

I've tried shopping online a couple of times (usually when there is a good code on offer). But I find I end up spending more online than I do by going round the supermarket. The reason for this is because I write out a list of the things I need and in the supermarket you can look to see if there are any in the "about to go off" bucket wheras they dont do that for you when you shop online. Plus you have to pay £3.99 - £5.00 delivery.

When going round the supermarket I stick to a budget of £43 for 6 weeks (1 adult and 2 children 11 and 8). I add it all up on a calculator as I'm going round and I buy as many BOGOF's and bargain bucket stuff as I can.

I have tried doing a £43 shop in all the major supermarkets and I've found the one where you get more for your money is Iceland. If you spend over £25 they deliver it for free so you still dont have to haul it all home and you dont have to pay £3.99 to have it delivered.

comping_cat

I think for me (1 adult, 2 children 7 & 9) shopping on the internet makes it more expensive, as we only spend about £35 a week on a main shop, and as black saturn says, its the delivery costs that bump up the price. I also tend to buy the same sort of things each week, know where they are in the shop and tend not to be distracted by the special offers (unless its something i use regularly) and i also love the reduced items!!!!

cha97michelle

i only use the internet shopping when severely strapped for time or if there is a code to make it cheaper. I've found i can get loads done in the time where i would have been shopping. Plus get them to cart around heavy things like boxes of washing powder, bags of cat litter.

I've found that they always miss out something essential that i need to then go to the shop for, and much prefer being able to look at my fresh produce to check it's not bashed.

Overall, i spend too much either way, but it is probably cheaper online because my DH usually runs up the bill with crisps and choc, that i don't buy online.

MATH

I love the idea and experience of internet shopping and if it worked I would use it all the time especially when we are at the coast for the summer and the nearest Adsa is 20 miles away and the nearest Tesco 15 along tourist clogged lanes.

Unfortunately I cannot guarentee (and neither can Tesco apparently) that what I've ordered will be delivered on time or even EVER, that innapropiate substitutes wont be chucked in, that my eggs will not be scrambled, that I won't take delivery of stuff I havn't ordered and that I won't be forced to dash to the nearest overpriced coop or spar when they ring citing 'van trouble' and offer a bleating weak appology:mad:
Nowadays I have to be really desperate to use it.

Sarahsaver

I used to be a regular internet shopper for groceries, once a fortnight, with top ups of mainly fruit and veg from the market. Now I get what I need when I need it, with my 'granny bag' for the regular trawl on a saturday, round the market with ds, I get fruit and veg, and some cheese and meat, and fill my granny bag for about a tenner. Seen bigger trolleys for £7.99 in savers, less than the cost of two tesco delivery charges... but if I had a bigger granny bag i would buy more. DS loves the fact that he gets to choose the fruit, which is not a lot of fun online! We do end up with pineapples, mangoes etc...
Today I got a carrier bag full of avocados for 50p. Beat that Tesco's!:)

CharleneUK

I definitely feel it's cheaper to shop online.

I briefly went back to shopping in store while I had the chance and was back to going over budget... I don't have much self control I'm afraid! :rotfl:

RachelD

Up to now I have only done internet grocery shopping when I have come out of hospital. The first time was after a hysterectomy when I couldn't lift a finger. I had to ask the driver if he could take it upstairs for me to my kitchen. This was against the company rules but on hearing the reason, he rang his office and was given permission.

Plus points

It was no hassle for me, delivered on time.

Minus points

* I missed the bargains.
* The substitutes weren't always to my liking.
* Sometimes you couldn't be specific enough about an item- eg I wanted white vinegar (what else?) but could only order vinegar by brand, not colour .
* I realised I'd rather pick out my own meat and fruit/veg from a shop or market
* Choosing on the internet site is daunting. There are about 100 types of coffee to read through. In the supermarket you know exactly where your brand is and just go there.


I don't drive so use taxis to get my shopping home - which is expensive but I justify because I have mobility problems. I always said that once the taxi fare equalled the supermarket delivery charge , that I would return to internet shopping. I think that time is coming close and I am going to do a monthly shop for dry goods -the heavy or awkward stuff.
This would give me the pleasure of shopping for meat, veg, fruit and an excuse to buy paperbacks and a Tshirt in Asda.

Rachel

sunnth

I use a combination of internet and going to shops, usually one internet shop a month where I stock up on all the tins, toiletries, baking stuff, wine and heavy stuff really and one weeks worth of usual shopping - that usually comes to about £80 and I try to use a code. Then the other three weeks I take in turn at Aldi and Tesco. I find I can do a weeks shopping for 5 of us, kids aged 4, 4 and 6 for £30 at Aldi and the middle week for about £45 at tesco (getting the extra stuff I can't pick up at the more local Aldi). That way I don't have to lug all the heavy stuff home or drag three kids around the shop on my big shopping week and the kids then like to come on the Aldi weeks as I can get round the shop and out again in less than half an hour and they can choose a treat.