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

Cazzdevil

You can shop locally. The idea is just to avoid buying things from big supermarkets which can be sourced and bought locally such as fruit and veg from a local farmer/greengrocer, or meat from a local butcher etc.

Likewise I think I'll still have to get a few things from a "normal" shop, but we have a good shop in the village which is quite reasonable.

I agree though Thriftlady, I'm not sure it's possible to get absolutely everything you need without going to a supermarket, but it'll be interesting to see just how much I can actually get without resorting to one.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

thriftlady... this is the dilema........

without knowing it the supermarkets have got us by our purses.......we have got sooooo used to cheap prices....

does it mean with cheap prices we have cheap quality... ....

to be totally honest i cant see anyone being able to do their shopping without supermarkets..... because they do have us were they want us... in their shops....

i want to try and do my shopping for a month without using one.......

after the month i will prob.. have to go back.... but i am hoping that when i do go back it will be only for a few items...... not nearly ALL my weekly shop.....

as for flour i was going to be cheeky and ask my local baker could i buy some off him.... at see how much he would charge... worth asking...

thriftlady_2

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote:

as for flour i was going to be cheeky and ask my local baker could i buy some off him.... at see how much he would charge... worth asking...

Be sure to buy some bread from him first though

Cazzdevil

This is kind of like the "cold turkey" challenge on Spendaholics (if anyone's seen it, and apologies for the turkey reference):
Try it for a month to find out exactly what it is about supermarkets that you miss and what things you can't afford to NOT buy from them.

I'm looking forward to it

COOLTRIKERCHICK

well just found out that a local-ish pet food supplier

offers free delivery once a week in my area.....

cat food 12 tins for £4.50....works out 37p per tin... currently paying 33p in tescos.. similar type... chunks in jelly..

dog food... 3 tray for £11.50 that 18 tins works out at 63p a tin currently paying 87p per tin tescos own brand chunks in jelly....that if it is the extra large size....even if its not the tescos lge size is 69p a tine..

so over all i think my pet food would be cheaper... plus no petrol cost....

so tomorrow morning when i got the car.. i will go there... and check the sizes.. and buy some to tied me over until next friday......

also will be taking cash out at the local post office to pay them... so will be using local post office more...

Spendless

Is it the 'big supermarkets' you are staying away from. Places like Spar are often franchise owned, so could you get items there???

Cazzdevil

CTC - I've just opened an A&L bank account and discovered in the bumf that I can make deposits and withdrawals at my local Post Office too so I no longer have to drive 5 miles to my nearest Abbey.

Good going on the pet-food front! I'll have to source something like that myself when I'm home (not tonight cos it's mountain bike club night).

You're getting off to a flying start!!

Zed42

CoolTrikerChick, it sounds like a great idea .... but I don't think I could manage it .... where would I get my wine from!!!! (Or would I just need to be organised and order it online .... ).

Organic milk would be a problem for us too ....

I do live in the sticks though ....

Full of excuses aren't I!

Meat I tend to source locally anyway, bread I make (flour normally comes from Waitrose, but I could buy it locally (overpriced though), veg I could get from local market - but quality is variable, and tends not to be organic nor local.

Cheese and butter I could buy from farmshops / deli ....

It's definitely the milk / loo roll type stuff I would find tricky.

Good luck, I shall be interested to see how you get on and what kind of alternative places you find

Cazzdevil

There's a pet food shop at the top of my street actually, it's been there for decades so I'll start buying the cat food from there instead. Support local business and all that

lil_me

I doubt I can completely stay away just due to lack of local places with some items I need, but I have made more and more effort to shop more locally. Unfortunately I am finding with some things it costs me more rather than less, one I save on is dog food, I pay £6.50 for a 15kg sack this lasts the dogs about a month ish, working dog food, gets delivered with my fruit and veg from a lady who supplies pet shops locally just a case of asking about. I have been nosey asking which farms produce what in the local area and can now get beans, barley, oats etc from one a couple of miles away. Milk is £3.00 a week for 4 x 2 pint cartons a week (they don't daily deliver any more) I do live in the sticks as such but that means more farms

Will try my best but as you can no doubt see from my spending so far, it isn't cheap! I would prefer to not shop at my local convenience shop who buys half their stock from LIDL then adds to the price, as then I am lining both pockets with the inflated prices.