MS Dilemma

Hezzawithkids

I have tried doorstep deliveries but find that as our consumption is so irregular it just doesn't work; we either had far too much milk or not enough. I would rather buy it as I need it at least then I know it won't be wasted. I always support local businesses whenever I can but sometimes it just isn't practical. I get my groceries delivered from Ocado so I salve my concience a little bit knowing that of all the big supermarkets Waitrose has the more ethical stance. Sometimes you just have to pick your battles!!

cazrobinson

glass bottled milk on a daily basis.

we are a family of five and daily milk is ness as we don't have space in our fridge and no place for thousands of plastic bottles. we get organic milk in bottles but if they ever change to plastic i'll look else where.

and it's a price worth paying for (£50 a month). the supermarkets know that people just pop-in for a pint - why do you think that the milk isle is furthest away from the door?!!

wc33

I do a combination, with delivered fresh milk in glass bottles from the milko, to guarantee that i 've always got fresh milk. He delivers about 3am and I have a pint on Monday and Wednesday and two on Friday. But every other weekend, when my children stay over, I do a supermarket shop and get a 6 pint plastic bottle.

So I feel that I'm doing my bit to keep the milko in a job, doing my bit for recycling with less plastic, and also saving a bit of money when i buy from the supermarket.

HTH

lemanie

We used to have glass bottles delivered but I just couldn't fit enough in the fridge as we get deliveries on Mon, Wed and Fri so I swapped to plastic 4pt containers. We get a kerbside plastic collection so it was no prob. I thought I was still paying a lot more but was happy to for not having to lug enough milk for five home/run out/spend more than I need on a trip to the shop but I just worked it out and I'm paying 32.5p per pint - fab value I think. It used to be Robert Wiseman's milk from the Dairy in Whitby, we live in Scarborough but they recently closed it down and now it is Dairy Farmers - so still local I believe.

schoolfundraiser

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I started with my local milkman when I had a baby and needed the convenience of always knowing we had milk without having to get her ready etc (nipping out to the shops quickly is not an option with a toddler). He is a treasure who looks out for the elderly on the street (he changed his delivery time from 5am so that their doorstep deliveries weren't being nicked by workers on their way to start at 6am at the factories up the road) and is always really helpful and didn't moan too much when he had to deliver me huge bags of compost!

As the house next door is empty and my neighbours are young and often away it is comforting to know that someone will notice if the milk isn't collected and will alert someone if anything happens to me. Now that the postman is changed regularly you can't rely on them any more. I'm more conscious of these things now I suppose as my husband died suddenly of a heart attack at 52 earlier this year and the uncertainty of life was brought home to me. Also knowing we at least had milk when I couldn't bear to go and and face the world just after it happened was really useful.

needaspirin

I’m sorry to say that I feel that milk delivery is a thing of the past. As it can never compete on an even footing with supermarkets it will go the way of all the old things. (Where’re the barrow men who used to trade the cobbled streets?)
I have just bought 84 x 1 litre cartons of UHT milk for £29.40. This will last me 6 months.
It is a sad thing but I don’t see a future for doorstep delivery of this type. :sad:

Churchmouse

For years and years I supported the milkman. I used to have 4 pints every day. Never had the luxury of an early morning delivery, earliest was 9 am, latest 12 or even later. Waiting in for the delivery could be a nightmare.

One was very good and did the route two different ways so that on 3 days a week everyone was near the beginning of the round, and could choose to have double deliveries those days.

The last one never delivered to me before 11 so I cancelled, despite my long-held support for the daily round. ( although by then it was down to 3 days a week, thankfully my milk requirement had also reduced!!!)

I now buy from the supermarket and never have to throw milk away. Yes I do get caught in the spend more trap sometimes, but at least my council recycles the plastic in kerbside collection.

Just to throw things off topic, why is it that people are more willing to pay extra to support the local butcher, baker, milkman, farmer but not to support independent bookshops, music shops, clothes shops etc? Mr T and the like will be only too willing to dictate what books you should read, what music you'll be permitted to hear etc in a few years. Just a thought:D

tenuissent

We had house cows (Buttercup and Daisy!) for about 15 years and were always sad when they had their dry times and we had to have milkman's milk, which tasted funny.

Now we have 3 deliveries a week from the milkman in glass bottles, which is a big plus, and supplement it with plastic bottles from the butcher next door when necessary.

I use the plastic bottles to transport cargoes of water to my allotment, where there is no water, and also find them useful for picnics, so not much recycling happens here.

There are disadvantages with delivered milk, as already mentioned: remember to tell him when we are away, and restart when we return....sometimes goes off in the summer.....my husand doesn't really like the system and would prefer to buy milk when we need it.....but I'm sticking with it for all the good points.

MrsTinks

Churchmouse wrote: »

Just to throw things off topic, why is it that people are more willing to pay extra to support the local butcher, baker, milkman, farmer but not to support independent bookshops, music shops, clothes shops etc? Mr T and the like will be only too willing to dictate what books you should read, what music you'll be permitted to hear etc in a few years. Just a thought:D

Because there is a difference in supporting local produce and local shops... My butcher sources all his meat locally, my milkman works for a local dairy company. The local clothes shops source their clothes from places like Taiwan and China - I can buy the same clothes in big stores or online for 75% less. Or even better... I go to the local charity shops and buy it
Books - again this isn't a local produce... I end up paying more for it in local shops than online from amazon and I'm not supporting local producers, and local bookshop owners are not the same to me.

Actually I get a large amount of my books second hand in charity shops too, and I only add them to my list AFTER I've read them from the Library Where I am ashamed to say I support a lot through late fees

If local shops like clothes and books and music were comparable in price to other places then I'd have no issue at all buying from them. But I don't buy much music and I won't pay over twice the price for something like books and clothes. I really spoilt myself a little while ago in Primark and bought 2 pairs of work trousers, 1 pair or jeans, 2 summer tops and a work t-shirt... total spend? £26.... My local shop? I'd get one pair of jeans of the cheap rail for that.
Yeah I'd prefer to buy ethical clothes but right now I can't afford to be THAT picky

orchid-96

kazmeister wrote: »

I buy milk from the supermarket but as I only ever have semi skimmed I freeze it.

I usually buy 3 or 4 x 4pt cartons a week (for 2+2), and freeze them upright, just loosen the tops to give room for expansion and take them out the when we're getting down the last one. Semi and skimmed will freeze but not full fat. That way we dont spend the extras in the supermarket.

I have recently started freezing whole (full fat) milk (I have 16month old babies) and have found that it is thawing out fine

This is a very interesting thread, I know my neighbour gets her milk delivered so am going to ask how much it costs and where it comes from and might join in...I go through loads of milk and like others have said, if I run out, I can never just go to the shop for milk...