a month without supermarket - new challenge for 2011 starts at post 1013

lil_me

I haddn't thought of eBay for powder but just searched for Bold which I tend to use, and got 10 boxes which retail at £2.50 in ASDA for £19.50 delivered, happy with that, will be 'overstocked' now but it's paid out of my paypal 'free' money from eBay sales.

Borax, bicarb etc I have had off eBay before, might try there for some of the other things I have been relying on supermarkets for!

pawpurrs

What a brilliant thread, have been thinking along these very lines myself just today.
I used to run an organic farm and so had everything from there, fruit and veg and tins and cleaning products supplied via the farm shop that was supplied by a cooperative.
When the farm closed I carried on with the cooperative, but as fewer people wanted stuff (at cost price) I started to get in to the Tesco point malarky and with codes etc, got back nearly as much as I gave, hence free holidays, etc, but it still feels wrong, I dont want to end up living in Tesco land, they stand for everything I dont believe in and feel guilty about shopping there, and yes with a bit of effort it neednt be more expensive and better quality to boot, must get off my backside and do something, dammm those clubcard points.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

i'm in exactly the same boat as you pawpurrs.....i was addicted to the club card points.... money off coupons etc.....

at the mo.. dont find it too bad.. but the club card mailings are due..... and this lot is going to pay for my new oven ...if they come in time to be converted for mfi...

so when they come through the door.. i think thats when the cold turkey... sweats etc.. will kick in........:eek:

but one good thing for me is that mfi is finishing in april so that was the conly thing that i really wanted with the points...... .....

but welocme aboard........ even if you buy some of yuor shopping.. away from mr t..... thats good.........and as a lot of us have found... mr t and his rivials.. are not cheaper on every thing.. that they are trying to make us believe...

li_me.... didnt think of ebay for the washing powder...i'm ok for a minute for that.. so hope that firm will still have the bold washing powder in a fortnight.....but on saying that.. see how my sales go this weekend.... might buy some then......

little_miss_thrifty

Hi, can i join? I have been reading a couple of books lately on the power of supermarkets and they have been shocking reading into how much we are all sucked in, so i have started the challenge to, to not get anything from the 'big 4' at least.
i get meat, veg, milk, eggs from a local farm shop anyway, and we have a local healthfood shop for loo rolls, washing liquid and other dry goods and an old hardware shop for any other items, so i hopefully will not come unstuck!!
Thanks for the thread! x

lil_me

One thing that did impress me today in there is something they have listened to, there was some organic brocilli for 10p which I got, and the packaging is completely compostable, my thought is but why not do this with all the fruit and veg packing!

CTC I'll PM you the link to the sellers shop, they seem to have a lot, sell other stuff at good prices too, feedback is good also, but I'll PM you it direct to the washing powder bit.

TBH now I think about it, with what I already have in (free sort of as was from Sainsburys order where could use a load of codes) plus this it'll last me over a year at the rate I am using it :rotfl: Even with how much washing I do, I still only use a box a month tops! Might sell some of it on to my sister.

kscour

re: the clubcard points

I worked out my shop in lidls compared to what it would have cost in Tescos (being over fair to tescos when I couldn't do like for like) my £11 and a bit shop would have cost over £1 more in Tescos
£12 in points = 12p x 4 for deals = 48p
so 48p in limited option deals or £1 in pocket?

competitionscafe

Apparently this week (10-17 Feb) is also 'purple love week' - "the largest coordinated tasting event taking place in over 600 independent delis/bakers/butchers/farmshops across Britain".

You can find out more at their website:
http://www.purpleplaces.co.uk/index.asp

<"It may sound a bit hippy-trippy, but this week-long event is a serious attempt to unite independent stores, a call to arms for ham-on-the-bone slicers. Now in its second year, the organisers have teamed up with Big Barn (Britain's biggest local food website), and from next Saturday are promising Britain's largest single tasting event, as specialist shops encourage their customers to dip, dunk, drizzle and nibble.

"Independents usually lose out on the opportunity to use national campaigns to raise their profile,'' says Henschel. ''We can't all afford Shirley Bassey or Jamie Oliver, but if we stick together, a lot of little acorns could make one big oak forest." ">

dianeclaire

Being a little bit of an insomniac, gone away for a bit and now reading, loads of great ideas

We were always great friends of Borough and Local Farmers Markets as well as Farm Shops, Newlyns, Wellingtons and Park Farm deserve a mention (Berkshire/North Hampshire).

Now determined to kick the supermarket habit, for all help asked for (washing powder etc) - THANK YOU!!! Now determined not to line Mr T's pockets

Phoning Pet Food Supplier tomorrow(very local) and confirming order with local dairy

rach

this thread is great and has really made me think. i feel like i've some on leaps and bounds recently anyway as i've stopped doing so many supermarket shops. once i have got my shopping trolley i will try and do more fruit & veg shopping on the market and use the local butcher. milk i can get at the corner shop cheaper than at the supermarket (quite a few shops near me, they're all having a price war!). things like cleaning stuff and washing poweder i can get at wilkos, if that counts as a non supermarket, but there are a few other things i'm not sure where i'd go. i guess for now i'd be happy to at least get the bare minimum at the supermarket

kimnhol

Isnt amazing what you find when you actually look! :rolleyes: There is a big sign just out of the village stating frozen raspberries well as I was driving of I head to this run down farm! We pulled up to a shack with the arrow pointing and found a room with sacks of potatoes and a chest freezer full of bagged raspberries big bags £5.00 smaller bags £2.50 we got a big bag, no one to pay except for a great big yellow drain pipe heading into another room and another arrow. In goes our £5 never to be seen again. We were so surprised of the good old fashioned trusting values still around, (not to say they werent all sitting in the hedges with shot guns watching us :eek: )

Came home and made apple and raspberry jam in the bread maker and we are still laughing about the farm.