NOT BUYING IT! 2015 - A consumer holiday

CAFCGirl

I was chatting to DH following the Google search of giving up supermarket challenges, and lo and behold we have struck a deal!

We're giving up the supermarkets for one month!
I appreciate its not very long, but hey if we can do it for a month, maybe 1 will turn into 2!
I'm so very pleased he's on board, so I've been mind mapping my rules for myself in the past 10 minutes, and they're quite simply atm.

No:
Supermarkets inc Coop, locals, express shops
Chain Stores

Yes to:
Butchers
Greengrocers
Pharmacy
Bakery
Health food shops
Independent shops

Allowed:
To use up supermarket stocks of items in the house
Monthly budget of £225
Amazon for dog food

chella

Count me in!! As of today, going to try my hardest to make it until the end of January

TudorRose

Hi Everyone! I've enjoyed reading this thread and I'd like/need to join.

I consider myself to be good at keeping expenses under control by careful shopping etc but in the last couple of months I've had a lot of unexpected expense. My windscreen cracked at the weekend and that cost me £75.00 and my tooth is being capped on Friday at a cost of £219 and these are only the latest in unexpected expenses.

I am sorted for Christmas except for fresh vegetables etc. I have well stocked food and cleaning cupboards, so have plenty to use up. I just need not to succumb to buying more.
I have followed others advice on here and have been unsubcribing from unwanted emails. I have also decided not to buy any more books for my kindle as I have more than enough to read for most of next year.
It is great to think that there are so many other like minded people out there.

chella

CAFCGirl wrote: »

OOOh i'd most definitely be up for that.... you wouldn't want to visit this part though

I am thinking Margate or Dover???

purpleshoes_2

There arent very many local shops left where I am, there are a few, hairdressers, butchers, fruit and veg shops and some other independent traders, some cafes and tea shops etc, my town used to have a market but that disappeared a few years ago. The next town has a fruit and veg stall and I try and support that as much as I can. The town I live in was badly hit by the closure of the local steelworks plant around 20 years ago and its not really recovered, many local businesses went to the wall.

Loads of takeaways (but I rarely eat those these days). Well yesterday I thought Id go and get myself a shopping trolley and try and get a shop in (I dont drive), stock up with stuff I need for my cats so i could avoid supermarket shopping for a while. All was fine until I got it off the bus and the wheel fell off Ha, could only happen to me.

I went back and they replaced it, but its not that sturdy, I was given one earlier in the year and exactly the same thing happened, wheel fell off so Im going to buy the same one my mum has which is much more solid, shes had it over a year now and its been bumped up and down several flights of stairs (I live in a top floor flat). Had originally tried to buy it but the store said it had sold out, should have looked online because it hadnt, but hey ho, these things happen.

I bought that from them because I did think, support a local shop, but after I bought it, it dawned on me they didnt give me a receipt, they dont let you pay by debit card either, so won't let that happen again, will make sure anywhere I go I get a receipt and can pay by card, spent all of last night sitting thinking, what if they just tell me to !!!!!! off??

I was going to go and see my brother at his work, his gym chain are being refurbished and everyone else apart from him has been decanted as he lives locally and other people drive and he doesn't so instead of 6am starts as usual, hes getting working 11-7pm for a few weeks, but I just jumped into the first clothes I saw this morning, joggies, a football top, its freezing so I had a bubble jacket on and I had a wooly hat on too, so I reckoned that he would disown me when he saw me in that get up, shopping trolley too would have been the last straw

I made parsnip and sweet potato soup as parsnips are on the super six at aldi, also a parsnip curry with assorted veg. Still decluttering as well, have stuff I need to take to the charity shop but tomorrow is spent in waiting for a delivery of pads and gloves for my boxercise classes in the new year.

Ive still got a lot of stuff I need to bin, recycle or charity shop but I will get there. I teach my last fitness class of 2014 tonight and 3 weeks off so plenty of time to get decluttering.

icontinuetodream

huge post written - now disappeared!!! :mad:

suffice to say - I'm in....off to sulk about my post now...;)

[Deleted User]

I have an independent butcher, a greengrocer, a local bakery but nowhere to buy household things like washing liquid or loo rolls without having to use a supermarket so much as I'd like to eschew the big names I won't be able to do it entirely.

purpleshoes_2

I also used up some nectar points on ebay, only £5 worth but its something, my local sainsburys isnt too near me. Actually when I buy stuff to promote my own business I always try and support people on ebay who do leaflets and banners at a competitive price but aren't one of the big names. Ive had some decent bargains over the years from small printers on ebay, I bought 1000 leaflets last week from someone and the service was really good, will probably buy again in the new year as well.

Theres also a small business in my home town that sells locally sourced food, its a scottish restaurant, my mum and I have been going there for a few years now, it does a fab lunch, 2 courses for 7.90, a gem in a pretty much bog standard medium sized town.

My local town had an initiative going a few years ago to get people to shop locally, think theyve stopped it now but everytime you spent more than 5 quid in participating shops, you got put into a draw for a prize of £100 vouchers and I actually won them once. My mum and I went for a meal that that restaurant and I spent the rest of the vouchers in local shops.

I dont have tons of spare cash right now, every penny counts hence me shopping mostly in aldi, home bargains and poundworld, but I often buy from the fruit and veg stall in the next town, Ive developed a bit of a fruit habit this year, being not allowed to eat junk, I do a bootcamp and we follow a Paleo diet for the duration so I do eat a lot of fruit and veg.

I used to shop with approved foods quite a lot, but that went to pot when all the snacking stopped:)

seriouslyfrugal

Hi all

I've finally managed to wrap the Xmas presents :j

I have also been looking at the emails I don't want anymore

I also have finally sorted out my sewing supplies definitely need to use up some supplies before getting anymore :rotfl:

the Neil boorman book has been ordered from the library sounds like a good read

I ventured to the supermarket and there was a lot of stressed people and trolleys filled to the brim I just don't get it

for anyone wanting a cheap hair cut or beauty treatment I would advise going to the local vocational college need to sort out my wardrobe and do a charity drop off soon

catch up soon

CAFCGirl

chella wrote: »

I am thinking Margate or Dover???

Worse..... Medway....