So torn between cheap V quality

WhiteHorse

beingfrugal wrote: »

I am increasingly using more fruit and veg, I've learned to cook 'properly' with a store cupboard of essentials coming along nicely..

Immediate gold star. :T

now what i'm wondering is should I take the leap into box schemes for better quality fruit and veg/meat diary etc or keep trekking to the supermarket weekly and buying things that i've drilled into myself to keep costs down.

Box schemes can be erratic and sometimes surprisingly expensive. Local markets are usually the best bet for a convenient compromise on price/quality. Depending on how much you want, sometimes buying by the sack (potatoes, for instance), or net and storing it can be the cheapest of all.

So confused as to what to do for the best - seems silly to 'waste' money on more expensive producers but will it be better for us.

A lot depends on what the item is. Some cheapo stuff is perfectly alright, whereas some is not worth having even if it's free. Higher priced items can work out cheaper in the long run, simply because they work better, last longer etc.

bexster1975

hi being frugal

I think what others say here is true, it depends on what you need/want and what you can afford. Personally I buy best quality meat/fruit and veg that I can afford (usually Waitrose, M&S, local butcher/fishmonger) and cheaper for most of the rest. I have always found cheap meat/fruit and veg a false economy as they are so tasteless they get thrown out/half eaten.

Its just a point of view however.:)

Best of luck

bexster

researcher

I've tried various box schemes and some are far superior to others. The best I found was a local one, from a husband and wife team who grew a huge variety. You could list the items you never wanted and have either a veg box, fruit box or mixed. I found the veg box to be great value, (I asked for no potatoes as I found buying them in a sack was so much cheaper). I had no problem using all the veg they supplied as I think if you can cook, you can turn just about anything into a good meal, and undoubtedly the taste and quality was much better than local supermarkets products. I only stopped using them as we moved.
Now I do various things to keep my fruit and veg bill down. I visit local farmers markets when I can - when there is a glut of anything the price drops. I visit farm shops when I can. I also try and pass by my local Asda around 5.30/6.00 pm, and I find they reduce much of their reduced veges and fruit to 10p - and I often get organic broccoli, tomatoes, herbs, lettuce etc and adapt my meal to use these immediately. Saves me £'s

JenniO

beingfrugal wrote: »

Financially crippled last year and just about getting on our feet. I have a budget every week to feed a family of four. It's not extravagant to say the least £40-£50 depending on household cleaners etc.

I am increasingly using more fruit and veg, I've learned to cook 'properly' with a store cupboard of essentials coming along nicely

Just wanted to say that 'household cleaners' should/could be very cheap if you went down the 'green cleaning' routine whereby you mostly just use vinegar, bicarb, tea tree oil, possibly salt / lemons and a few plastic bottles (or you could save your empties as you use up the remaining 'cleaners' you have)

As for fruit / veg I would defo go to the likes of Aldi / Lidl if you go through a lot of it. I tried box schemes and ended up with stuff I didn't want and it was incredibly dirty and full of soil and bugs and it took ages to get to grips with it. My own garden produce comes out of the ground cleaner than the box scheme I was getting anyway. :eek:

Just my two penneth, good luck to you

elisamoose

I found with the riverford box i had did not have enough of any one thing to use.For example 6 new potatoes or 2 small courgettes. Sometimes Ihad to buy more of something to be able to use it!

Do you live anywhere near a rural area? we buy our potatoes by the sack ( 25kg for £3.50)

CLARABEL

I have tried veg boxes, and i found the expensive and inconvenient. i wish i had got on with them, but i really didn't, i was always short of my basics, and had too much of others...e.g cabbage in winter...there's only so many times you can hide/ serve it before the kids really do revolt!

As others have said quite rightly, i now grow my own spuds where poss, and toms and some soft fruit and rhubarb. i try to buy from the market / green grocers for the rest, markets especially, so i minimise supermarket fruit and veg, although i do still get some bits there, especially Lidl!

Don't beat yourself up, small steps make big differences. well done!!

:T

maman

LittleVoice wrote: »

If you can aford what is best for you, buy it. But why would a box delivered to you be of better quality than what you might find at the market or supermarket? (I expect to get shot down now!)

Well I, for one, am not going to shoot you down. The main difference between supermarkets (and for this I include veg box companies) IMO is the lifestyle experience they are selling. Yes, it's lovely to float around Waitrose and M&S and look at all the lifestyle ideas they are selling in the beautifully laid out shop with staff in nice uniforms etc. OK, moving between the pallets at Aldi or Lidl or the 'pile it high sell it cheap (ish)' philosophy at Asda isn't such a good experience. BUT when I get home I can use my Lidl ingredients to make ever bit as good a meal and for a whole lot better value for money. Yes, you get what you pay for but what you pay for isn't necessarily the quality of the food................jumps down from soapbox and slinks away

rosalie-lavender

I compromise by having a Riverford box about once a month. I look at the contents of the boxes for the week I am buying and choose which box I will have based on what the boxes have in them. They tell you in advance what the contents should be in the varying boxes for the following week. I find it good value because the fruit and veg is so much fresher than the supermarket veg and lasts much longer. It does seem to vary by area though how good the box schemes are.

The rest of the time I get most of my fruit and veg from Tesco's and in the summer some from the local farm and I grow a small amount myself. If I could afford it I would buy more from Riverford because I do find their quality better but it is more expensive.

Aldi's isn't really an option for me apart from on an occasional visit because it is so far away the saving would go on petrol.

One thing we used to do was go to bootfairs and towards the end I used to buy veg and fruit in large quantities at silly prices. The stall holders by that stage just wanted to get rid of it.