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

competitionscafe

kittie wrote: »

Anyway try these gorgeous cinnamon buns.

Those do look good - will add to my 'stuff to make' recipe list.

Penny-Pincher!!

Churchmouse wrote: »

PP, you and DH are king and queen of the bargains at Sainsbury, Asda, Tesco, Co-op etc.:D
I just wondered, are you finding living without those bargains and aldi etc, is do-able? To be honest I expected it to be so much more expensive that you'd find it unsustainable. I don't live that far from you, and I'm sick to death of the supermarkets, so figure if you can manage using the independents I ought to be able to as well. Especially as i wouldn't be dependent on finding yellow stickers:rotfl: I don't mind travelling the couple of miles to your neck of the woods:D Might well be asking you for pointers to which farm shops, butchers you're using;) Also if you don't mind me asking, where do you find the vouchers for use at Waitrose? Used to get a few I used in Sainsbury when they accepted without you buying the product, but they seemed to really dry up a few years ago.

Thanks for any help you can give,
CMxx

Waitrose take any vouchers as long as they sell the product, but you dont have to buy the product. TBH, I still have loads of reduced items in the freezer as its huge-so probably wont be so easy in a few weeks when stocks sink low:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: I am hoping that we will buy only what we need and the butchers still do quite good deals on items, also local shops still do the reduced bread etc. I am missing the bargains at Sainsburys though:D The butchers is on the high street and another one at Bexleyheath. Farmshop is on the A21, which is quite a treck but a pleasant journey.

I have worked out that even if we bought everything locally for a whole weeks food and stuck to the list it would only be £30 Do you use Makros? Maybe we could go halves on a lamb or pig or something from the butchers as its too big for just our 3 IYSWIM?

PP
xx

tinselfairy

Went to my local hardware store today and bought soda crystals as I'm going to give the 3 mix washing powder thing a whirl.

Found an alternative source for organic free range eggs today so that's another non supermarket source I can add to my list.

At the mo I'm doing one supermarket shop a week in Sainsburys stocking up on organic milk and a quick check in the reduced chiller section!

Apart from that it's the local Co-op for day to day basics, the market or the local fruit and veg shop.

Still plenty room for improvement and there are other shops I've just not had a chance to visit, my mission continues.......

Churchmouse

Thanks for that PP

No I don't use Makro, don't have a way of getting a card

Will have a little look at the butcher's on the high street, now tell me there are half a dozen:rotfl: :rotfl:

As for sharing half an animal, might be possible at some point, although I only have a tiny freezer (part of fridge/freezer) Would have to be lamb, we don't eat much pork. We eat beef which I know you don't;) ( Mind you even sharing half a cow would be too much:rotfl: ) I do envy you a big freezer, 'cos even when there are terrific bargains I'm very limited in what I can buy.

CMxx

Leopardlady

Well i would like to have a go at this, not sure if i will succeed, but will go for it. I usually shop at the dreaded Tescos, Asda and Sainsburys. This will be tough i am a definite food shop addict, i complained yesterday that i had been to tescos three times in two days as OH asked for stuff after i got back each time!

There is an organic shop at the end of my road, a bit expensive and only have veg on a thursday. I believe there is a butcher in town, will have to find out if i can have milk delivered and find out where the best supplier of veg is.

Thanks for the inspiration!:T

competitionscafe

Tesco 'ruining towns and stifling choice'
By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
Published: 21 March 2007

"Tesco is descending like a black cloud over Britain's towns and cities, stifling choice and fostering a sense of alienation: those are just some of the claims made in a new book about Britain's biggest supermarket. "

"In the book published next week, Mr Simms discusses a survey in The Grocer that found 56 per cent of Tesco customers were "bored," 53 per cent "stressed" and 52 per cent "frustrated" by their experience. He warns that if Tesco and other big stores succeed in homogenising retailing, shops will become a succession of "faceless, soulless big-box out of town shopping parks"."

Full article: http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2377712.ece

catznine

Just realised it has been a month now since I rejected the advances of Mr T etc.,:D and I really should go and do some sums and let you know how I have got on. Off to find my notes...........

COOLTRIKERCHICK

sounds an interesting read.. competitionscafe....:T

if those figures are right.......thats a lot of customers.... if thats how they feel ..why dont they just shop in local independant shops..... ....simple.....

is the good old habbit..... that mr t... wanted.....that stops them from going else where.....

i decided against buying the whole venison.... until i find a peice to try.....so if you know of anywhere on line.. let me know...

i love the way i shop now......ok i am now doing more dinners.... gravy.... casseroles etc...... so may not be healthy in one way... but in another way.. no additives.... or hydr fats etc.....more vegs being eaten.....etc...

plus hardly any waste... no impulse buying......my rubbish has gone from neally 2 wheelie bins fulls a week.... to
1/2 of the smaller one per week.....plus the empty pet food tins are washed uot an put into the recycle box... plus any paper from the outside of the tins..paper sugar bags.... etc.... is all put into the paper recycling bags....

i havent written much over the last week or so ..on this thread... as i now have got into my shopping habbit.... which to me now seems like the norm....

i am finacially better off.... as on average.. i am spending less than what i would in the supermarkets....

as with another thread that i started.. on average every
15p of every £1 spent on food is thrown away..

looking back on what i used to impulse buy in my shopping trips to tescos.... and the food i used to throw away....it was mostly the impulse food that i used to thow away.....

the_optimist

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

i love the way i shop now......ok i am now doing more dinners.... gravy.... casseroles etc...... so may not be healthy in one way... but in another way.. no additives.... or hydr fats etc.....more vegs being eaten.....etc...

plus hardly any waste... no impulse buying......my rubbish has gone from neally 2 wheelie bins fulls a week.... to
1/2 of the smaller one per week.....plus the empty pet food tins are washed uot an put into the recycle box... plus any paper from the outside of the tins..paper sugar bags.... etc.... is all put into the paper recycling bags....

i havent written much over the last week or so ..on this thread... as i now have got into my shopping habbit.... which to me now seems like the norm....

i am finacially better off.... as on average.. i am spending less than what i would in the supermarkets....

looking back on what i used to impulse buy in my shopping trips to tescos.... and the food i used to throw away....it was mostly the impulse food that i used to thow away.....

Snap, except I haven't got a pet (apart from the 3 goldfish and they don't eat much )

As for MR T, I find it quite worrying, that he now does catalogues. Now that he ruined most local food shops, how many non food shops will he destroy now?:mad:

sausagefans

the_optimist wrote: »

As for MR T, I find it quite worrying, that he now does catalogues. Now that he ruined most local food shops, how many non food shops will he destroy now?:mad:

Tesco are already the biggest non-food seller on the high street.

But lets not make an bones here as to who has done this damage. It is down to lazy consumers. All Tesco have done is some cunning horizontal and vertical integration (shares on suppliers and other shops) and been there to help the lazy consumers.

Consumers reap what they sow I'm afraid.

The customer can choose to sack anyone at Tesco from the guy on the till to the MD simply by spending their money elsewhere.