2024 Frugal Living Challenge

maryb

I use Aldi’s website to price up my shopping list even though I go to Lidl.  Their prices are as near the same as makes no difference. I agree it’s a nuisance that you can’t see Lidl’s prices on their website.  Then I see what is price matched in Sainsburys because it’s closer and more convenient .  Fresh veg and basic dairy often  seems to be about the same price so I tend to do a stock up in Lidl, then buy fresh stuff in Sainsbugs.  

A tip for those who work for companies which have benefit packages - you can often buy gift cards at a discount including supermarket gift cards saving you around 4%.  They can usually be used at the supermarket petrol station as well though not for Pay at Pump.  Sometimes it’s a cash back arrangement rather than an upfront discount.  Alternatively if you belong to a trade union you might be able to get it through that.  Tax free and a better return than on most savings accounts 

Matty246

Silly question coming up. How do you buy those Lidl boxes please? They are in between the window and the checkout. Are you supposed to go in the exit or what? I could ask in the store but I prefer to look silly anonymously. 

button_box

Not a silly question at all Matty246. you have to go through our store to the checkout. I suppose they are hoping to prise more money from you with impulse buys and some people will have selected fruit and veg on the way round. I got a box this morning. While I was at the checkout I said I wanted a box and they put the £1.50 through without having to scan anything. I got 3 peppers, 2 little gem lettuce, 9 satsumas, 9 tomatoes, 4 large baking potatoes, 3 bunches of spring onions and 4 red apples. Contents vary greatly and are not always available. If there is a queue at the checkout you can't dither about selecting the box you want! I have never taken more than 1 box but I don't think they would object to taking more than one. They don't want to dispose of waste.

kayannie

Matty246 said:

Silly question coming up. How do you buy those Lidl boxes please? They are in between the window and the checkout. Are you supposed to go in the exit or what? I could ask in the store but I prefer to look silly anonymously. 

I can see from outside the store if any boxes are available, so I walk in & straight round to where the boxes are. I have a good look to see which one suits my needs the best & take it to either a manned checkout of a self service till. Once I've paid for it, I take it to the car & go back in the shop for anything else I want. If I don't have the car & only my shopping trolley, I choose the box I want & put it by a manned till (as suggested to me by a member of staff). Then I pay for the box together with any other shopping. I had a good box today although some of them were full of totally rotten fruit. I'm now planning how to use 9 bunches of spring onions! 
KA

Matty246

Thank-you button_box and kayannie. It's such a good way to reduce waste.Good luck with your spring onions kayannie! 

Prudent

I have nine bunches of spring onions between two boxes too! Today I got 12 baking potatoes, a small packet of new potatoes, 2 packets of doughnut peaches, 3 packs of bananas, 2 packets of apricots, 2 nets of tangerines, 1 mango, one small cauliflower, 4 peppers, 1 pack of salad tomatoes, 2 packs of cherry tomatoes, 1 pack of little gem lettuces, 1 avocado, 1 pack of mini cucumbers, 1 aubergine, 1 courgette and 9 packs of spring onions. All of this cost £3. 

Like @kayannie, I can see them before I go into the store. I usually buy my boxes first, put them in the car and then do the rest of my shopping.  

Bishi

I'm a regular shopper at Lidl and am often tempted by these boxes but I've never bought one as part of me thinks that I should leave them for others who might be more hard up than I am. That said, I wouldn't want them to go to waste. I'd be interested to hear if anybody else has had this dilemma and what you decided to do

kayannie

I am 'fortunate' not to have this dilemma as myself & my OH have only our state pensions & no other income. As we are, & have always been, frugal, we manage ok with this, but being able to pick up one of these boxes is a great help. We don't eat meat, we grow as many veg as we can in our small space, we forage what we can (samphire at present, blackberries soon). I bake bread, make cakes & biscuits & make healthy & tasty meals. The variety of fruit & veg in the boxes varies in quality & quantity, but there is often something there that we might not have tried before, which is sometimes a challenge to use! Our entertainment is getting out for a walk most days, either in the woods, on the hills or on the beach. 
KA

Prudent

People buy these boxes for all kinds of reasons. I sometimes meet a lady there who buys them for her rabbit rescue. While I don't want to in any way make sweeping generalisations, some people with more need may not have be able to afford to cook/freeze the contents or may be time poor in low paid jobs. Last year my allotment group donated produce to the food bank run by the local church. There was no uptake among the food bank users and it ended up being taken home by the helpers. The Lidl boxes are often made of of 'glut' items and you do need to have the capacity to be resourceful in the way that you use them. 

Like kayannie, we live on a fairly limited income. I had to give up work due to illness and OH is a pensioner. We budget carefully and the boxes do help with that. We have a very limited amount of produce on the allotment this year because the weather has been awful here and I have been particularly unwell this year.

Kerry_Woman

I am trying my best about stepping back at certain spends. Quite a few I stopped myself from buying. Have noticed my shopping bills have increased.  Installed the water company app that I am with. Have booked a few plays and 2 candlelight concerts in London.   Not planning to away on holiday this year. I will be my permanent job for a year next month, time has flown by so fast. Still trying to save money on food etc where I can.