It's getting tough out there. Feeling the pinch?

YorksLass

I don't use the scan & go app as I don't have a smart phone so can't comment on how useful I'd find it.  Tbh, they don't appeal to me but I can appreciate others do like them.

When I do an in-person shop I usually do a rough tally of what's in my basket (rounding up for ease) so I don't get a nasty shock when I get to the till but, if I did go over, I wouldn't be embarrassed at asking for some items to be returned to the shelf to keep the total within my budget.  My money, my choice!     

SM delivery today, 3 subs - one kept, two returned for a refund.  Two items up in price since I last bought them.     As usual, there didn't seem to be a lot there for the money but I did order a gammon joint and a beef joint plus a large pack of toilet rolls that accounted for £19 of the total so maybe not as bad as it first appeared.  None of them is a regular/weekly purchase after all.     

A news item last night said that people, especially younger folk, were consuming less meat than before.  That set me to wondering if it's because vegetarian/vegan options are becoming more popular (health reasons, climate change, animal welfare etc) or is it because meat has become too expensive.  Or maybe it's a combination of the two?  The verdict didn't seem to be clear.

Bluegreen143

Judging by people I know (I’m 35) it’s for health or environment and it’s not to save money. Everyone who I know who is vegan eats expensive meat substitutes and vegan processed junk food so it doesn’t cost much if any less than eating meat. Of course you can do a vegetarian or vegan diet cheaply but I don’t know many in real life who do.

Brambling

For the last few years I have eaten less meat but try to eat a better quality meat, we have a great farm shop which has a butcher counter most of it is produced in the county or just over the border probably not saving a lot money wise. I have meat free days or eat meat / fish for one meal a day only, I learnt at my mothers knee to stretch meat and pad out with extra veg 

Floss

Bluegreen143 said:

Judging by people I know (I’m 35) it’s for health or environment and it’s not to save money. Everyone who I know who is vegan eats expensive meat substitutes and vegan processed junk food so it doesn’t cost much if any less than eating meat. Of course you can do a vegetarian or vegan diet cheaply but I don’t know many in real life who do.

I think the cost of a veggie or vegan diet depends upon whether one is able & prepared to make things like falafel, nut roast & not to use meat substitute foods (which can be heavily processed so not particularly healthy).

YorksLass

As you can tell from my shopping, we're not vegetarian or vegan although we do eat far less meat than we used to - not especially related to cost or environmental reasons either.  For us, it's because we're older (one mid-70s and one early 80s) and need far less calories than when we were working (DH was in a manual labour job).  We still have breakfast, lunch and dinner but much smaller portions and sometimes a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack - it seems to suit us better than three larger meals.

Could we become vegetarian?  Maybe - there are one or two days a week when we don't have meat - but overall I think we'd find it hard and I agree, it probably wouldn't be any cheaper.  Vegan? Most definitely not.  Still, it's horses for courses.

Bluegreen143

I was a vegetarian for five years, but I didn’t eat any of the processed meat substitutes myself - just pulses, veg, nuts etc. I don’t think I’d enjoy going vegan though. I love milk, butter, yoghurt and cheese, and I don’t like the dairy-free versions of these things. 

We do eat a fair amount of meat now (mainly chicken and salmon and some mince or ham). With a husband and little kids to feed you just go with what people like! We do have a lot of veg and beans as part of our meals for health which helps pad the meat out a bit.

leftatthetrafficlights

I think a lot of younger people who have become vegan do eat a lot of processed vegan food because it is readily available - as a very long time vegan I know that I have eaten far more processed rubbish over the last couple of years than I did in the first 15 -18 years of the lifestyle; partly because of the novelty of it's availability, partly due to curiosity and initially it was to help support businesses which were helping people transition to a vegan diet. Unfortunately, many of the current 'big players' in the fake meat market are not independent vegan producers so their motives for marketing their products have little to do with helping people transition. Personally, after eating UPF'S far too regularly (a couple of times a month) I have moved back to eating properly again and rarely eat processed vegan food now. 

Cost wise, a 'traditional' vegan diet is incredibly cheap - beans, lentils, grains and veg are incredibly cheap; fruit and nuts are probably the most expensive part of the diet but this is offset by the economy of the rest of it. 

I would assume that anyone becoming vegan for health reasons would avoid the processed fake meats anyway - yes, processed vegan food probably is less harmful than processed animal products (I'm not aware of any of the ultra-processed vegan food being classified as carcinogenic unlike many ultra-processed animal products) but ultra-processed food is never a healthy option.

London_1

Brambling I'm with you I think I eat a lot less meat than I used to, but better quality.My local Dobbie sell Glouster old spot sausages .They are not cheap, but with 97% pork content if I cook two then I would probably save half of one for a sandwich or to go sliced into a quiche the next day and eat one and a half for dinner with veg. They are so delicious and reminds me of what sausages used to taste like before being filled with god knows what in the supermarkets.. Yet again 250 gms of decent 5% reduced  fat mince with plenty of veg added, diced onion, mushroom stalks diced up, diced carrots and a handful of lentils or porridge oats will extend it to almost half the size again for cottage pies or with added herbs ,spices and some kidney beans a decent pot of chilli to be ported up for the freezer. Remembering my late Mums ways in the 1940s to streetch meat with veg and herbs means even a small amount of meat can go a long way.
But again I am just as happy to make a veggie curry, chilli or lasagne with reduced veg. My herbs and spices shelf in my kitchen get a great deal of use as they can brighten up almost any meal

JackieO xx 

CKhalvashi

Bluegreen143 said:

Judging by people I know (I’m 35) it’s for health or environment and it’s not to save money. Everyone who I know who is vegan eats expensive meat substitutes and vegan processed junk food so it doesn’t cost much if any less than eating meat. Of course you can do a vegetarian or vegan diet cheaply but I don’t know many in real life who do.

That isn't saving though.

If we do meat free, it uses a filling food instead of a meat alternative. Our meal last night was in the form of potatoes with herbs and mushrooms, purely as we didn't have meat defrosted. I made up a garlic sauce (from cottage cheese and mayo) for it and prep time came to not more than 20 minutes for everything, costing not more than about 75p for a (large) portion. Instead of potatoes, I would normally use lightly fried chicken or turkey for this particular meal, but last night was baked in a very shallow oil due to time constraints.

For saving money, always make sure you have access to potatoes. I have said this before.

euronorris

I do like the scan and go type apps, as they make the whole experience sooooo much quicker! Also, at Mr S, when they reduce seasonal items (like Halloween stuff after Halloween, Xmas stuff after Xmas etc), they aren't always quick to update the shelf edge label, but if you use the scanner you can see what the new, reduced price is. And those items are often 90% off! And if it isn't a price you like, you can just take it off the scanner and pop it back. I recently got some banner type balloons there (which spell out party), for 23p, and picked up a cardboard cake stand for a friend for 50p (that was from the Kings coronation products earlier in the year). You can do this in Mr A as well, but I find their initial reductions are not that high.

Great for keeping an eye out for reduced dress up items straight after Halloween. I've never paid more than £3 for DD's Halloween outfits, as I've always bought them in the sales, a year ahead. And then I pass then onto friends. Though this year she was very specific about what she wanted, and I couldn't find it anywhere for under £40 (hence making it).

As you might tell, I am very familiar with where all of the reduced items tend to be placed in supermarkets. 🤣

Additionally, with Mr S, I always have nectar price offers that are unique to me. These tend to be items that I frequently buy. And it won't be all of them, just 5 or 6, but 9/10 it makes them cheaper than buying them anywhere else.