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

dianadors

For Venison online try:
http://www.venico.co.uk/shop.html


This farm is local to me

halloweenqueen_2

I think you can shop at makro if you pay a fee for being a non member?

catznine

One month on and the results of shopping this way?

• Less waste (our wheelie bin is not even half full):j
• Less expense - for the 2 of us and dd at weekends and visitors £186.48 (this includes a meat order from Jimmys) plenty of food left in freezers and store.
• Less stress - We have now gained our weekends back, no time wasted queuing up at checkouts!

We have found a butcher, fishmonger and a greengrocer at our local market. Flour for bread and baking and pet food from local mill shop, our dairy produce is delivered to the door and we walk around the corner to local newsagent for papers. So much nicer than the supermarket experience!

Why didn't we try this sooner? we are also eating healthier as well. There are still some things which we will have to source at the co-op for now but I don't feel too bad about that as it is a very small local one and pleasant to shop in.

This is something that we will keep to after Lent is over.

Catz x

halloweenqueen_2

Good for you, i find that if I even walk into tesco I want to hyperventilate, let alone shop!

COOLTRIKERCHICK

i have just found out now that the tescos in the next village have put in for an expansion:eek: :eek: :eek:

where will it all end......

i would love it if martin could say something on one of tv appaearences or emails...

that the supermarkets are not the cheapest on everything.. that they try to make us believe....

we have proved it on this thread....

pollys

I have tried to avoid supermarkets for quite some time now and manage really well, but there are some items I cannot get from local shops or the workers cooperative that I bulk buy from. Today I needed readybrek, this is the only thing my teenage daughter eats for breakfast and if there isn't any she'll go without breakfast which is not good, so I called in to the supermarket today for her readybrek and got out as soon as possible, thankfully I don't have to go there every week.

rach

i think my local weigh and save do instant oats like ready brek, if you have one near it might be worth a look

i've not checked in on the thread for a few days. i ended up going to bookers the other day, as i desperately needed UHT skimmed milk and could not source it locally! weirdly i just wasn't bothered about getting much stuff! i got just 6L UHT milk, some fruit sauce to go in my yoghurt, a couple of fresh fruit & veg bits i really needed and 2 bargain boxes of crisps (2 lots of 48 packs for 99p each!)

today i went to the market, though they have a lot less fruit & veg on a thurs than on a sat. got 2 trays of strawberries for £1 and a big bag of grape for £1. i also picked up some dw tabs and loo rolls. i have only spent £37.86 this month so far on food & household stuff. hard to believe. i haven't cooked loads and loads as i've been out a few times at friends etc, but then nothing different than usual!!

i know i will go back to the supermarket for one or two things, but very little. i think i will limit myself to one trip a month, walking with my trolley to the little local sainsburys rather than driving to the massive tesco.

i've still got just over two weeks of my challenge left, as i won;t finish til easter. we go on hols the week after and i think for ease we will go to Mr Ts but it will only be for minimal stuff to start us off, we'll get stuff as we go along at farm shops.

sorry its so long!

sausagefans

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

i have just found out now that the tescos in the next village have put in for an expansion:eek: :eek: :eek:

where will it all end......

i would love it if martin could say something on one of tv appaearences or emails...

that the supermarkets are not the cheapest on everything.. that they try to make us believe....

we have proved it on this thread....

You could start something locally in advance of their expansion to inform people of how much less they will pay in the local shops!?

COOLTRIKERCHICK

sausagefans.com wrote: »

You could start something locally in advance of their expansion to inform people of how much less they will pay in the local shops!?

when we found out that tescos was going to build a supermarket on the outskirts of the village.. we had a campaign to try and stop it... all us local shop keepers etc... even the manager of the somefield that was allready there.. had their legal team onto it......we had the local newspaper ...involved... which done a huge spread.....

now just over 2 years later.... somerfield has closed.... a local petrol station which used to be really busy.... is like a ghost .and we have found out that the owners have put in for planning for flats on the land.....i know some of the cafe and food shops in the village are now struggling... as the kids are going to tescos in their lunch hour rather than into the village......

what i am doing.. locally is when i strike up a conversation etc in the charity shops etc... is just gently say how much cheaper i find things by shopping locally... and i also praise the quality of my butcher.. and bakers products... etc....i know that i have sent some new peeps to the animal feed people.....

it would be nice as i said earlier... if martin.. or ther peeps... make it known to the masses.... that a lot of products are cheaper than the supermarkets....

nearly all of us have found that our fruit and veg is cheaper in local markets...... overall meat from the butchers.. works out better value and some cuts are cheapers....

same as my bread from the bakers....i now only get bread on mon-wed-fri..... ok the bread is about 18p more expensive than sliced bread in a supermarket.. but its more filling plus more slices in the loaf...
so it is better value...

[Deleted User]

I have had to change my sig today because I have to go to mrT. It is the only place I can get the lovely organic butter that I use, so today I will go and get enough to freeze for a month

I am also on the look out for another supplier of good organic meat. Graigfarm let me down greatly by supplying me with lean steak mince that produced 30% liquid when I browned it. They have sent for the other packs I had in the freezer but somewhere along the line I was cheated by them. I can`t get any of this organic produce locally so a mail order contact would be excellent