Food shopping

[Kaz]

I went through a phase of having home delivery and it did save money for the reasons you outlined Debih, but since I left my job I like to go myself - I quite enjoy a wander round the aisles, it gives me a good walk up there (I use a trolley) and it gets me out of the house - which is something I try to do every day I'm very conscious that it would be easy to just sit around the house posting on my lappy, reading or watching TV all day once the housework was done

So at least twice a week I trundle up there with my trolley, and on the other weekdays I always go for a long walk either to town or the Docks - even if it's just for a cuppa at the other end although usually there are errands to do, for myself or Mick or Becks. I try to keep busy I would still be working I think if my back and neck hadn't become an issue........

[Rodo]

I usually go to Sainsbury's - we have a massive one within walking distance - but I was in the Asda in town yesterday and I noticed just how much cheaper everything is there! I like Sainsbury's, I like their products, it has a calm atmosphere, I like having a cuppa in the café and a slow wander round the nice wide aisles - Asda is in a rough part of town, it would mean taking my trolley on the bus, and it is crowded with narrow aisles and very noisy, but I could probably save quite a lot of money every week....................Hmmmmm

You could brace yourself and go, say, once a month. You could stock buy all the cheaper things. I stock buy all the time now. I look up on line what is on a really special offer at some s/market or other and then buy loads of it. We have a large wardrobe bursting at the seams with bargains of my favourite products! I don't like cheap products, or the bargain ranges. I buy good stuff that we like, but lots of it when there are offers on.

[Kaz]

Funny you should say that Rodo, I suggested something along similar lines to Mick. It would mean going when he's around to drive me, ie evenings or weekends, but stocking up might be a good idea

[Rodo]

My favourite stock-ups are Andrex quilt toilet rolls, and Gold Blend coffee. The coffee particularly. The price can vary from somthing like £3.50 to £6.48 for the 200 gram jar. When I see a real bargain I swoooooooooooooop!

[Weka]

Fruit and veg from either the garden or the fruit and veg shop on the corner. There is a butcher there too, but I'm really not impressed by there quality. The chicken always seems off if I cook it the next day.
Now, my beef comes from my friends farm, and he's sourcing a pig for me. So that only leaves sheep and lamb to find. Had my first piece of my friends cow tonight for dinner, and if that's anything to go by, I'm never ever buying meat any other way again. Wow wee, it was good!

Cleaners I mostly make myself from soap or good old baking soda and vinegar. Ditto for bread, jam and sauces. Eggs from the chickens. (Which reminds me, really should make more soap soon)

Everything else unfortunately comes from the supermarket. Spent $375 there this morning. I'm trying to eventually never shop there again, though I know something's will just have to come from there, but I live in hope. I'm trying to hop off the commercial spend bandwagon, especially when it comes to groceries.

[debih]

How do you make your soap Weka?

[Diflower]

Rodo have you tried Lidl's coffee? I tried one and we weren't impressed but then someone recommended their GranArom Highland Gold, 100% arabica - I've copied that from the jar so I didn't get it wrong

We both really like it, and were previously buying things like Kenco Gold. It's about £1.49 for a 100g jar, so cheap enough to buy one to try it

[Rodo]

I'm afraid I can tell the difference and nothing else will do! It's the same with digestive biscuits, it has to be McVities.

[JoM]

I was an Asda shopper until we moved as it was just a few minutes walk up the road. Like Ossie said though, prices seem to have risen sharply there over the last 18 months or so (one I noticed recently was their cheapo washing up sponges which I use and throw - 13p one week, 19p the next). I tried Aldi one week and now I do most of my shopping there and just top up with a few bits from Asda and I also buy things from Home Bargains too and most of our fruit and veg comes from a greengrocers in town which is always well stocked with a lovely variety of items but is incredibly cheap. I've started using Tesco more often because we've recently had a new one open a couple of miles away, near to my parents, and I much prefer it to Asda, it seems much more civilised for some reason, plus it's built so that the car park is on the ground floor and the actual shop is on the first floor and there's a lovely view from the windows as you walk around. There's an Aldi opening just along from there in the Summer so once that's open I'll probably switch to doing my main shop at that one and then just top up in Tesco rather than Asda.

Our local Lidl has recently closed down.

[Weka]

Deb, basically from caustic soda and oils, blended, then thrown into something resembling a mould, leave to set overnight, remove mould, then leave bars to cure for roughly 6 months before use.

If your interested I can dig out some notes, scan them and email them to you.