Not using the supermarket every week

piratess

I know a while ago there were a few of you who didnt use the supermarkets i found this really interesting and after watching channel 4 this evening im wondering if it can be done on the cheap?

I dont really have a big stock of things as i dont have much storage and wouldnt know what store cupboard things would be essential But i thought about trying to just use farm shops and market for meat + veg and just using tesco for nappies .. and things such as gravy, flour, etc ...

Are there any other things you can buy without having to put more money in mr Ts pocket and is it somthing that could work out more cheaply ?

any thoughts please ?

Psykicpup

I definately think that butchers vans at markets & good butchers are much cheaper than Mr T - I did the supermarket challange & havent gone back on it really - almost never supermarket shop now:A

catkinq

I'm trying to avoid supermarkets as much as possible now. We get a veg box each week so there is always something to eat and I try to stock up on things like flour when I do go. We end up paying more for things like milk (we use about 12 pints a week) but I find that paying more for one thing is far cheaper than popping into Tescos for milk and coming out wiht loads of other stuff that you could have done without but have been conned into buying by thier clever marketing techniques. I also buy a lot of fruit and veg from people who stick it on tables outside their houses with honesty boxes beside it.

lilac_lady

Mr T & co draw us in and before we know it, we've spent 10 times what we went in for (usually a pint of milk and a loaf). Stay out!

Sharra

We were really good last year about this. Every couple of months I did do an Asda shop for things like washing powder and tins of beans/toms (I did it online so only bought what I needed). Apart from that we had a veggie box and used local shops and the farmers market. Since september time has been really tight and we've lapsed back into the supermarkets - I can definitely say we spend more by using them rather than local shops.
My new years resolution is not to go there!

piratess

So ... if i was going to start doing this where would be the best place to start ? ........ weve got 2 farm shops near by who do meat fruit veg cakes cheese etc ... and then theres the market on a saturday

would i still need to use mr t for wash powders milk staples etc

fizzel81

if i have to use a supermarket this month im going to lidl (10 min bus trip or other in town where i will use market for fruit/veg/potatoes)

i could get by using lidl as main shop, there nappies are not bad at all either

ive never tried the meat vans (there is 2) at salisbury market simply as im not sure how good the meat is iykwim

agree with whats been said about tesco, they seem to like placeing offers around the entrance (and they get me verytime)

Icemaiden

I know I keep banging on about shopping locally;) but I avoid using Asda at all costs.
It does take a while to get used to as I was pre-programmed to think the only savings I could make were in the supermarkets:o I used to do a big monthly shop at Asda and then smaller top-up ones and thought this was the way to go.
I now shop when I need to which can be 3 times a week or even more sometimes but I am 'time rich' as my kids are at school and I don't work. It can be a bit scary at first as the cupboards and fridge are not megga full all the time but this has cuts down on our waste thus saving us money. It does of course also depend if there are any local shops left to buy from!

I had to try several butchers before finding one I trusted and liked, same with the green grocery and fish mongers, I have a milkman who also delivers my 25kgs bag of spuds and big beautiful eggs, a general store for anything else which does some really good long term offers like, Nescalf coffee 200gs for £1.99, Andrex loo rolls 9+3 free for £2.99. The only product I really pay over the odds for is Cheese as I have to get it from a Deli. Even now I'm still finding new places to buy from, just before christmas we found a farm shop not too far from us which sells Yorkshire Venison.

When I go into say the butchers, I always ask for the amount of meat I want in money rather than in weight, ie, £2.00 of lamb mince, chicken about £6.00 so that I know how much it is going to cost and can still stick to within my budget.
I do still have to get some things from Asda which I can't find elsewhere and do it on-line about average every 3-4 months.

I really enjoy shopping this way and have got to know some lovely people along the way. I say go for it!!

Ice
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Icemaiden

piratess wrote: »

So ... if i was going to start doing this where would be the best place to start ? ........ weve got 2 farm shops near by who do meat fruit veg cakes cheese etc ... and then theres the market on a saturday

would i still need to use mr t for wash powders milk staples etc

I'd first visit the farm shops have a good look around, look to see if its clean are the staff helpful, what does the shop stock, does the produce look fresh? I know it sounds sad but I took a small note book with me and made notes about stuff/prices as I went along to refer to later, I'd maybe then buy a small amount to take home to try as you can always return another day to try other things.

Ice
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Icemaiden

Just a thought about your washing powder & cleaning stuff....Look around the local markets and there is usually someone that sells the stuff, I pay £9.99 for a 10kg sack not a box, which Iam informed by the stall holder its a famous brand, it does look like Daz, white with the little blue bits in. This last me about six months which is a really good saving.

Ice
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Frugalmum_2

I now avoid the supermarkets as much as possible. I use the local market for my fruit and veg, local butcher for my meat, milkman delivers my milk. I make the majority of my own cleaning/beauty products. I bake bread, cakes, cookies etc... for the kids, make wine for me :beer: I even make my own clothes. I'm planning on growing some of my own veg this year too. If I had room I'd have chickens but sadly I don't :-(

I do shop in Lidl once a month or so to stock up on flour, butter and things like that.

I guess I'm lucky that I enjoy shopping this way, I hate supermarkets, people always seem to be in a rush and the food never tastes as good as that I buy from my usual suppliers.

I'm time rich which is a bonus as it gives me time to do all that I do, but I certainly don't have loads of money, I know I do save quite a lot each week on my shop and we eat well.

I wouldn't swap my life for the world :j