Can Fruit and Veg Box Schemes + online groceries help control food spend?

onewhoasks

I've just subscribed to a weekly fruit and veg box scheme (trialing Riverford at the moment). I plan to get everything else from Ocado (which I've been using for a while, I like their range) but will cut the shop down to once fortnightly and focus on what's on offer.

I hope this will help control my food budget, and result in less trips to the shop where I end up buying more than I planned.

Anyone else do (or done) similar? and how did it work out?

surfsister

my daughter did this in london when at uni as veg so dear there unless you have a supermarket near. she found that you eat much more healthily as you find lots of clever recipes online to use up the veg. but sometimes you get odd combinations of fruit/veg. once they got an enormous swede and made about 5 meals from it!! definitely worth a try. lots of stuff is locally sourced too even in london from local community gardens!

COOLTRIKERCHICK

if you are ordering online, then you are potentially cutting any impulse/reduced buys..


I found a good way of reducing/sticking to busget was to shop locally and not use a supermarket..
even though there were loads of things cheaper locally than in a supermarket there were some things a lot more expensive.. BUT.. even though I had less impulse buys, and less more my money I did stay in budget, and actually ate more healthily.. but now with a large supermarket literly right infron of where we live at mo...I have slipped back into old habbits... need to start going to the city indoor market again..

Clowance

if cutting spend why not order veg from ocado as well, then get what you want? to cut further order from asda instead of ocado?

lindens

I have switched to online supermarket shopping due to time issues, but a good side effect of this is less impulse/unhealthy buys

honeythewitch

The fruit, vegetable and meat boxes seem awfully expensive to me. I costed a meat box against supermarkets and it was more than double the price.

rach_k

Online shopping saves me quite a lot as I find it easier to compare prices quickly or find alternatives and I'm less tempted by pretty displays.

The bigger veg box schemes are very expensive though. If you really want the surprise factor, check out your local grocer. Mine delivers boxes of mixed fruit and veg that is just as high quality as the bigger schemes but cheaper and it's supporting local business. Or to save more (but maybe take a hit on the quality), check what's on next week's list on the Riverford site and then just order the same thing from your supermarket!

onewhoasks

Hi All, thanks for all your helpful comments!

I'm going to see how the fruit and veg box scheme works over the next few weeks - I like the idea of freshly picked and organic. The price for organic veg in the supermarket is comparable, and of course it would be cheaper to shop non organic, but so long as there is a noticable difference on taste and quality we're happy to go with it since we are big veg eaters and not so much meat eaters.

I plan to set aside a certain amount of cash for things over than fruit and veg boxes and see if I can stick to it. I'll post an update!

Edwardia

If you are a SmartPass holder with Ocado you get 10% off their veg boxes.

IMO Riverford is more expensive than Abel & Cole and not as good. However if ethics is important to you then Abel & Cole is owned by Aunt Bessie's and Riverford is franchised from a Devon family.

I don't think Ocado can be bettered as an online supermarket and I've tried Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Iceland, ASDA and Tesco. If you shop offers rather than to a list, it's like looking at offers in a market and making meals from that and you can save money. I've saved £20 at Ocado before now.

Bongo21

We've started to do the same, veg box from Abel & Cole with main shop from Ocado - it has definitely saved money but only when I also do it with a weekly menu plan, on the week's I'm not as organised then I always end up having to go to a supermarket too!
I really like the recipe cards in the veg box, especially if there's a random piece of fruit or veg I have no idea how to cook.

SailorSam

I eat lots of fruit & veg but it's not like buying a tin of beans or a frozen chicken. I think i'd rather see and pick out what i wanted.