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

skintscotslass

kscour wrote: »

I have had great fun using the bt directory website. You can search for a business by type (eg greengrocer) and town so I now have a few starting points.

kscour - what a simple and fantastic idea! I have managed to find a local (ish) green grocers in the next village. I will explore tomorrow

Thank you :T:T:T:T:T

kscour

Can't wait to find out how you got on! Fingers crossed you'll find some hidden treasure on your adventure:D

skintscotslass

kscour wrote: »

Can't wait to find out how you got on! Fingers crossed you'll find some hidden treasure on your adventure:D

Ha! 1 big bag of tomatoes which are almost on the turn for 50p. I will make a tom sauce from them I also got bananas, apples, cherries, mandarins and some jersey royals. Milk was bought from the newsagents across from my work.

I had a nice chat with the ladies in the shop. I just need to work out how I can manage it once I'm back to work full time. I may have to do a list for Mum and Dad

I dont think I can totally avoid the supermarkets but I'm going to try my best

Sunnyday

I`ve been wondering about giving the supermarket a miss for a while but it will not be anytime soon as i`ve been saving the MrM vouchers so once they`ve gone i think i shall give it a whirl.

I can forsee only two things that i will have trouble sourcing, the first is milk and the second is bread flour. Even the local supermarkets don`t sell bread flour around here. I ran out a while ago and the local spar and Co-op don`t stock it :eek: i have to go to Asda, Morries or Sainsbugs. I have a years supply of yeast as i stocked up when the offers were on

I could cheat a little and buy a stock of flour first but other than that i should be fine. There is a local fruit and veg store and a pet store too.

I shall look for this thread in a few weeks when the vouchers are all gone.

SD

kscour

Skintscotslass :Twell done:T and I bet that'll probably be the nicest tomato sauce you've ever tasted!

Sunnyday just use the time between now and when the vouchers run out to find where to go to buy different things. When I was doing this last time I had to use different towns in order to get everything (except for the elusive orange squash which only lived in Mr T's) but by going to a different town on each shopping trip over the month I managed most things.

I don't think many people will manage to cut out the supermarkets completely but I figure whatever I spend locally will make a difference and any difference is better than nothing.

My house looks like a bombsite but I had a brilliant day shopping today.
veg all sorted - cheaper & nicer looking than Mr T's
found some cheap beads and buttons for DD1's jewellry making so she's happy!
Bought a lovely looking steak pie from butchers about the same price as Mr T's but the list of ingredients are on one line so no rubbish or E numbers etc.
sugar & couple of bits in a family run mini supermarket.
2 books for DD's in charity shop
and I treated myself to a lovely handmade cushion (very practical as the cover comes off and is washable as is the cushion pad) for £10
Then to top it off went to buy DD1's some more crocs, they are the ones that look like sandals, they had two pairs left because they've been discontinued, one was just too small but the next size was a bit too big and loose over the top of the foot so the lovely lady reduced them from £32 to £10 so if they were still too loose after her feet grow a bit "it wouldn't be so bad to have only lost £10":D better still now she's worn them for 10 minutes around the house the fabric strap has given a bit and the gap between that and her foot has gone so they fit her fine:j better still as her feet are nearly as big as mine I might get to nick them one day:D
It wasn't a true days shopping because I didn't have alot of food stuff to buy but it was a great way to start off again. Guess I better get on with the housework now though!

mama67

I use my milkman for milk, fruit juice, butter, cream and sugar.

The milk is organic and comes in glass bottles, the fruit juice also comes in glass bottles, so both are returnable = no rubbish.

The butter is british as is the sugar, so this is supporting the british farmers.

He also sells other things which can be added as and when needed including loo rolls.

I have an organic veg box delivered weekly, and can add to this online up to 24 hours before hand.

Eggs I get from a farmgate in the next village and I have just asked this particular farmer and he also rears pork,beef and lamb which I can buy a share of when the beast is killed.

My local village shop/PO sells meat from the butcher in the town 15 miles away so it also supports them as well as the PO. They do as well have a selection of fresh fish from Grimsby Docks, although I do tend to "go down dock" 3-4 times a year and stock up.

In this particular town which is still a traditional market town there is also a health food/organic shop, other butchers, greengrocers, cheese shop, deli, plus lots of individual independent shops and quite a few charity shops; and a twice weekly market and monthly farmers market.

If I have to buy things from a supermarket I will go the Co-op first choice and then Sainsburys.My local Co-op sells a range of local-choice products.

I do prefer to buy local if at all possible and then british, fairtrade and organic.

kscour

Ahhh the lesser spotted milkman - we used to have one of those!:D He used to deliver the papers as well to try to make ends meet, and kleenez or something similar I can't remember exactly. Still not enough to be able to keep going though and we now haven't had a milkman for about 8 years:(

Where do you get your veg box from Mama67? We're quite lucky here in that although the veg isn't labelled organic as long as you buy it non supermarket you usually know where its come from and whats gone on it and it's well tasty. Really annoys me when I can buy locally grown new potatoes from our local shop and the local tescos is importing them from Israel and the like - makes no sense what so ever Would be nice to get my veg delivered though!

COOLTRIKERCHICK

wow just came nosing on the os board, and seen the old thread, up and running..lol..

i still try and use local independant shops etc... but i have slipped back and use the supermarkets:cool:

but this year we have started growing more of our own veg, and we chickens and ducks again, so we have eggs coming out of our ears:rotfl:

i have also been buying off approved foods, which is a family business which sells out of date stuff on-line, so had some mega bargins there.

i am looking to buy sugar in bulk..25kg sack at a time, as i am now starting to make my own jam etc

mama67

kscour wrote: »

Ahhh the lesser spotted milkman - we used to have one of those!:D He used to deliver the papers as well to try to make ends meet, and kleenez or something similar I can't remember exactly. Still not enough to be able to keep going though and we now haven't had a milkman for about 8 years:(

Where do you get your veg box from Mama67? We're quite lucky here in that although the veg isn't labelled organic as long as you buy it non supermarket you usually know where its come from and whats gone on it and it's well tasty. Really annoys me when I can buy locally grown new potatoes from our local shop and the local tescos is importing them from Israel and the like - makes no sense what so ever Would be nice to get my veg delivered though!

I buy my box from here and it comes weekly on a Wednesday.

mama67

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

wow just came nosing on the os board, and seen the old thread, up and running..lol..

i still try and use local independant shops etc... but i have slipped back and use the supermarkets:cool:

but this year we have started growing more of our own veg, and we chickens and ducks again, so we have eggs coming out of our ears:rotfl:

i have also been buying off approved foods, which is a family business which sells out of date stuff on-line, so had some mega bargins there.

i am looking to buy sugar in bulk..25kg sack at a time, as i am now starting to make my own jam etc

Not sure if they do sugar but I seem to remember flour in 25kg sacks here