Avoiding Supermarkets....

[Green Aura]

I have a similar problem.
Apart from our local Foodlink stall, which only operates during the summer, and has a very limited range of produce (mainly excess from locals' gardens) my options for shopping are the local Spar - limited range and quite expensive, or driving 100+ miles, each way, to T***o, whom I loathe, but where I can buy everything I want. We also have a weekly fish stall and fortnightly butchers delivery, which I haven't tried yet (only found out about them just before christmas).

I've been trying to work out, over the last couple of months, which is cheaper (on the soul as well as the pocket) - once a month at T***o, or weekly at the Spar.

The plus points of the Spar are the fruit and veg are mainly loose, although sometimes need using straight away, and I have to go once a week anyway to order/pay for my coal. I can also buy fresh milk, instead of the horrid UHT stuff.

The plus of the other place is that I only have to go once a month, which I treat as a day out, and the prices are much cheaper - not, of course including petrol.

Oh the dilemma!

[Annpan]

I think it was Ina who said she hadn't been to a supermarket for years - she is part of the neeps food co-op, in Aberdeenshire. They buy most of their things wholesale from SUMA, meaning they can buy things at a comparable price (they do a fab range of flour and all kinds of household items)

We go to the supermarket about once a month in the summer, and once a fortnight in winter, but I know our spend is much less than most families.

I use wee wipes so don't need so much loo roll,
LO is in re-usables (when she is asleep... yay for potty training)
I buy vinegar, bicarb, borax, EOs for cleaning from summernaturals online
grow much of our own fruit and veg,
Make our own jams, spreads, chutneys, sauces.
Try to get our meat from the local farmers market.
Washing up liquid is Ecover, bought in bulk, refillable containers from a green store in Glasgow
Bulk bullion powder (rather than oxo cubes) also from green store
Milk delivered by a local dairy

So the only supermarket things are Pasta, Flour, rice, pulses, tinned tuna, toothpaste, cat litter, cat food, washing powder and a few other bits - As you say, it is the prices of these item that keep us shopping in supermarkets. We just can't afford to shop in local stores for these things.

[red]

we have a small co-op in the village and I use that for everything I can't get at the butchers, grocers, garden etc

I'm fine with the co-op as they have a fairly ethical stance, as supermarkets go, definately employ local people, is walking distance, and although the prices are higher in some places, we just pop in for what we need - so end up spending a hell of a lot less than before.

[MuddyWitch]

we use Goodness foods, who deliver in environmentally packaging, for quite a bit, from washing-up liquid to their gorgeous carab-covered raisins (which we buy in 3k sacks!)

http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-loc ... /home.html

MW

[hetty]

I use goodness direct for specialist foods for my son (dairy and gluten free) but I have just looked at their bulk packs of things like lentils and they are rather expensive, even when compared to Waitrose prices which is what I just did. Red lentils cost nearly twice as much so I think I will be cautious about buying things from them that I can easily get elsewhere.

Susan

[bigkev]

Interesting topic can i say that there are many natural caleaning products in your home today
Baking soda will clean cup plates and many other vessels with food stains on them
Vinigar is also a greater provider than many people think as it is dirived from alcohol (soured wine ) it is a great anti freeze ) i use it one the carwindows and mirrow and laugh when the others around me are using kettles off hot water
just bought a juicer so no more highly expensive shop bought juices
Going off to fruit and veggie shop to get their left overs so cheap fruit juices in the big kev house hold from now on
Interesting point bananna and passion fruit juice is beautiful as is orange and bananna
have you ever considered making your own pasta costly for equiptment However worth it in the end if you eat a lot off pasta
Interesting also to see that a small amount off lemon juice will preserve my fruit juices not chemicals but a natural ingrediant
hoping that the farmers market will get its act together this year and colloberate allowing prices to come down dramatically i certianly will buy from them
Hope this adds something to the debate chow for now

[Penny Lane]

Before we had a million cats we went supermarket free for about six months. We found small healthfood shops where cleaning products could be found aswell as most of our dry food (flour, cereals, lentils etc) and used the local shops.

Now we have a million cats and a dog so get a T***o delivery of litter and food every fortnight. Going to try to do as little shopping from SM's as possible but having a million cats and a dog (and a son!) mean healthfood shop prices can be a bit too dear for us! But try we will

[Uller]

I've just been looking at the Ethical Superstore website - I haven't used them, but was looking for somewhere to buy bulk flour. They have bulk options on most of their food/cleaning products, which offer some savings and also mean that you wouldn't have to place an order too often. My problem would be storage though.

I have a weekly delivery from Riverford which covers fruit, veg & dairy. I also buy organic meat online - I fill the freezer occasionally so only order every 2/3 months or so. I also go to a food co-operative in Reading (True Food Co-op for anyone local and interested) where I can buy just about everything else - including loo roll, Bio-D or Ecover cleaning products. I go there every 4 weeks.

I haven't done a full shop at a supermarket for several months - only the occasional item that I have run out of and I am between co-op shops. If I run out of cleaning stuff, I buy it at Robert Dyas or somewhere like that - far few temptations than in the supermarket.

I find supermarkets quite stressful now - even Waitrose which is where I used to shop. I'm working hard to give them up altogether!

[pureportugal]

have you ever considered making your own pasta costly for equiptment However worth it in the end if you eat a lot off pasta

manual pasta machines are about £20, so not that costly.
some on ebay at the moment from 99p

i gave mine away years ago when we moved into a truck, i really want to get another but postage to portugal would be stupid expensive

[Annpan]

have you ever considered making your own pasta costly for equiptment However worth it in the end if you eat a lot off pasta

manual pasta machines are about £20, so not that costly.
some on ebay at the moment from 99p

i gave mine away years ago when we moved into a truck, i really want to get another but postage to portugal would be stupid expensive

But to make pasta you need flour, eggs, three hands and time *which is great if you don't have young kids and have some chooks but most of us still need to buy in huge amounts of flour - I found making my own pasta a false economy but hoping to bring my maker back into action when I have my own hens and when LO is old enough to help.

[Big Al]

have you ever considered making your own pasta costly for equiptment However worth it in the end if you eat a lot off pasta

manual pasta machines are about £20, so not that costly.
some on ebay at the moment from 99p

i gave mine away years ago when we moved into a truck, i really want to get another but postage to portugal would be stupid expensive

But to make pasta you need flour, eggs, three hands and time *which is great if you don't have young kids and have some chooks but most of us still need to buy in huge amounts of flour - I found making my own pasta a false economy but hoping to bring my maker back into action when I have my own hens and when LO is old enough to help.

I make my own pasta all the time. 250g flour make a well in the middle, crack in a large egg and mix with fingers to a dough. Role out with floured rolling pin as thin as possible ( it swells to doublr size in the water) then let to dry on the ironing board for about an hour. Cut as you want I.E. lasagne sheets, ribbons, ravioli squares etc. Cook in boiling salted water for about 4 minutes.

sorted..... at least that's how I do it.

[bigkev]

Another little thought on the ignore the supermarkets
Dog and cat and rabbit litter can be made using recycled newspapaer and when soilded threw into the composter unit to encourage the microbial bacteria to breed

what about setting up a co op to encourage the cost reduction needed I make pasta you make fruit juices i swop my pasta for your fruit juices or a small payment is made to cover costs
I bake bread you bake savouries
This is a great way off getting a village to come together

For those having animals and you all seem to have some What about making compost using the poo
Sorry if i am preaching to the converted but i have a lot off ideas I will also be posting on the renewable energy thread to show how easy it is to generate your own lecky
i hope i am not preching to the converted
Please tell me if i am
take care bigkev

[JulieSherris]

Kev,
I could be wrong, but I don't think you can use dog or cat poo in the composter if they are meat eaters, because of the harmful & sometimes toxic bacteria.
This could be especially dangerous for children & pregnant women, so be careful around this topic.... human urine, however is great for the compost heap & helps immensely!

Julie

[Flo]

Correct - dog and cat poo DO NOT go on the compost heap - they are one of the big things not to do. Have a look here to see what to add and not - it's a good guide this one and it works

But back on topic. Buying cheap for food and cleaning does no good. Been there, tried that. Being virtually vegan, my supermarket food shopping is lentils, dried beans (tinned for those that take ages to cook), dried mixes for soups and similar in the pulses/seeds line. It looks as if the larger sizes of most of these are cheaper in the supermarket than on the wholefood sites. My state pension says there is no need to pay more for the same items.

Most of the vegetables this year have come off the allotment up to the middle of November and with a bit of planning, I should be able to preserve and thereby have a longer supply of my own products.

The only cleaning item I get in the supermarket is soda crystals. Everything else comes in bulk sizes either through a wholefood co-op or off the net (shampoo, conditioner, bath gel, washing up liquid, toilet cleaner, distilled vinegar, soda bicarbonate). It means I can buy better standard at no greater cost as well as being environmentally friendly.

But no - there is a place for the supermarket for those of us who don't have the means to provide for most of our own needs (down to spinning our own wool even ) off a small holding or similar.

[bigkev]

Hi there
If you can gaurantee proper sanitation at tempatures in access of 45 degrees then it is totally safe to put the material into an in vessel composter However if it is the heap at the bottom off the garden then no Sorry about that Composting releases pathogens and bioorcals so care is needed when turning such heaps so again caution is needed

My composter is heated by a renewable source off hot water

So apologies all round for being wrong while i might add right in my case
Chow for now
Big kev