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

Gers

An interesting and enlightening article in today's paper just shows what tricks Tesco are up to!


Click to link to Dail Mail article


:mad:

tinselfairy

Went to the newish Natural Health shop yesterday.
On one hand I was disappointed as they don't stock any frozen vegetarian foods, so I am really going to struggle with finding and alternative source for them. Holland and Barrett are just way too much for more expensive than Sainsburys/Co-op.
On the other hand they do stock a good range of environmentally friendly cleaners. So I bought a bottle of washing up liquid and loo cleaner. They also have a few store cupboard staples like organic tomato puree, rice and stock cubes which I can buy in the future.
Also whilst chatting with the assistant she mentioned that the owner is happy to order in items for customers if she can. So I'm going to find out the colour of my hair dye which I normally get from H&B and ring through to get one ordered from them instead.
Next week I have another butchers and greengrocers to try as well as the local family warehouse business.
Small steps made this week, hopefully a few more in this coming week, but I think I'm going to have to face using the supermarket still for just a few odd items and just have to accept that's the way it has to be and that I'm doing my best in our anti-supermarket campaign.

Icemaiden

Morning all,

Well I have started my new monthly shop and things are going to plan so far. Normally I spend £200 a month for 4 of us and previously the first few days of the month most of the budget gets eaten up as I stock up on bulk buys from Asda and then the farm shop for meat.

This month I have been to the farm shop & spent £67 for all the meat I need and a 25kg bag of spuds and eggs, milkman paid £16.80 for 40 pints, I have found a local shop which sells everything else I need and sooo cheap, ie andrex loo rolls 9+4 free £2.99, nescafe coffee 200gms £1.99, lucozade 2 for 99p you get my drift.....Spent £18. Got the fruit & veg from the market spent £5. Still need to buy fish but don't get this till tuesday as its fresh on the market then, this is usually about £25 for the month.

Total so far £131.80 leaving £68.20 from the budget for extra fruit & veg which I buy on a weekly basis at about £5 per week from the market and any other things I have forgotton. Really pleased with the running total so far as I would have normally spent about £30-40 more by now.

[Deleted User]

I am still doing better than I hoped. The only problem I have had is sourcing a good organic butter for spreading as we absolutely love bridel beurre moule douce. It is made and matured the old fashioned way and I have only ever seen it in mr T. We are just using the last one from our freezer

http://www.lactalis.co.uk/something_special/special_butter_and_cream.asp

grhhhh

I could do with some help on this one, otherwise I`ll have to go to T and I don`t want to

They`re missing me because I had an e mailed £10 online voucher the other day. I deleted it, naturally

Thanks for the whiteholme farm link. It is safely tucked away in my favs food file

By the way, try the venison burgers from craigfarmorganics. They are absolutely superb

kscour

kittie wrote:

I could do with some help on this one, otherwise I`ll have to go to T and I don`t want to

Have you tried emailing them asking for a list of suppliers in your area?

kittie wrote:

They`re missing me because I had an e mailed £10 online voucher the other day. I deleted it, naturally

They're not missing me yet! Perhaps they think I've gone on a long cruise or something!:D

competitionscafe

kittie wrote:

The only problem I have had is sourcing a good organic butter for spreading as we absolutely love bridel beurre moule douce. It is made and matured the old fashioned way and I have only ever seen it in mr T. We are just using the last one from our freezer

I like that one too (Waitrose also stock it) - I would say either contact the UK distributor and ask for local stockists or try local delis etc - for example another really nice butter is the Italian one in the pic below - although it's not organic. A couple of local delis stock this and they are usually a good source for decent unsalted French or Italian butter if that is the style you like...

rach

lil_me, you don't live in Ushaw Moor do you? i used to live there and lots of your descriptions sound like it!!!

i haven't had to go near a supermarket yet and i'm pretty confident i can manage til the end of lent (easter sunday) without going! but i know its much easier for me as there's only me and lots of good local shops....to be honest i haven't missed the supermarket at all!!

seen a funky pink or purple shopping trolley in one of the local bargain shops for £14. i was gonna buy a rolser, but can't justify the spend on my small budget. reckon i'll get one of these and if i get on with it i can splash out on a better one in a year or so!

catznine

Mr T et al - eat your heart out! We have just had a lovely lunch using up some of the fruit and veg from the free organic box. Cos lettuce, watercress, cucumber, celery, tomato, red onion chopped up with advocado pears, cooked turkey (from butchers), pine nuts (market) and pineapple (poundland) and lemon juice, black pepper(Julian Graves) and balsalmic vinegar drizzled over the top.

I will just need some nice butter and some cat food next week so a trip to the local farm shop and the mill.

Feeling very content and unstressed.

hazzie123

Been thinking we need our own slogan.Tesco has "Every little helps!" And since I`ve been doing this challenge I`ve been cringing everytime I hear it and read it.I sit at my pooter screaming out NOOOOOOOOO thats the devils words everytime I read it.

So I`m challenging every Rebel to come up with a suitable slogan for us.

Now is the time to call the people with the white jackets on to cart me back off to the looney bin!!!

kscour

sorry no witty slogan yet (thinking hard honest!) but I remembered this:-

"A Sunday morning bright and clear
Lovely flowers decorate the marvellous square
People cry and walk away and think about the fateful day
Now they wish they'd given Jack more affection and respect
Little children dressed in black don't know what happened to old Jack

Grocer Jack, grocer Jack, is it true what mummy says,
you won't come back, oh no, oh no
Grocer Jack, grocer Jack, is it true what mummy says,
you won't come back, oh no, oh no"