Canny shopping.

All’s good Jaberwok no apology needed. ?

I've spotted that trick too, Beautful. My Mother taught me to buy the largest size I could afford as it was always cheaper; not so now. Like you, I always look at the price per unit on the label as quite often it is cheaper, as you say, to buy smaller sizes. I did post on here some weeks ago my surprise at seeing a tube of quite ordinary toothpaste costing five pounds. My Grandmother was poor and cleaned her teeth with salt - they were lovely, white and even. I might start trying that myself!

I'd be really interested to know, from those of you who go food shopping on foot, how you bring your purchases home. I recently bought a shopping caddy (quite an upmarket one!) because I can't carry more than a couple of items from our local supermarket. But some of my relatives and friends have laughingly mocked my "granny trolley" and I feel a bit conspicuous using it now. I've just turned 70 so maybe I shouldn't care what others think!

I have switched going to Waitrose to going to Lidl. Both are only 5 minutes drive away. Its amazing how much cheaper Lidl is than Waitrose. Even so, I have noticed Lidl is more expensive than it used to be. So I am buying fewer biscuits now, and getting plain ones instead of chocolate ones.

Iceberg lettuce 45p last week in Aldi. 53p today. That's quite a hike.

Remember when a glut meant that price of fresh fruit and vegetables meant cheaper prices?

Urm. ???

Wheel your shopping caddy with pride, Grandmagrewit. Better a caddy than a strained arm, shoulder, back... Lots of shopping caddies round here, some quite swish and trendy. DH and I share shopping - he with a rucksack on his back, me with a couple of canvas tote bags. We rarely have very large loads as we live close to the shops and our shopping pattern tends to be little and often. When the time comes that I have to do all the shopping on my own I shan't hesitate to get a caddy.

Grandmagrewit ... ignor others ... I have used my shopping trolley ever since my hubby passed away almost 6 years ago ... I used to have a friend who was going to buy one, never did ... I may be wrong, I do feel at times it is pride that's the reason won't have one ... in the end us shopping trolley dolly's will have the last laugh ... no struggling , get more stuff in one go , saves keep going out especially if weather is bad, also sure must be better for your back that struggling with 2 or 3 bags ... Shopping Trolley Dolly's YEAH !

I don't drive and my husband didn't learn until he was 40. We had a shopping trolley in our 20s and 30s. They're not just for grannies!

Urmstongran

We live in an apartment above commercial so shopping here is easy. Down in the lift to our ‘larder’ (Sainsbury’s). Also in the square is a new Aldi, Boots, Quality Save and Iceland. Other shops are independents. A nice mix really and very handy.

I write a small list most days. We don’t have a freezer, no need. We shop by deciding each day what we fancy. Himself is in his element down there and has become a canny shopper! Today - Aldi strawberries from Fife were 70p cheaper (and looked nicer) than the Spanish ones in Sainsbury’s. Milk was 25p cheaper and a bag of frozen peas 80p cheaper! So a saving of almost £2 today alone.

He says prices have soared recently post-pandemic. He notices all the prices now as he shops so regularly. He says marketing ploys are very clever these days. One food item was a whole £1 dearer yesterday in Sainsbury’s yet was then promoted as an ‘offer’ with 50p off the price - doubtless to be returned to the new ‘normal’ expensive price on Monday!

He said our jar of freeze dried coffee had gone up by a whopping £1.50 so he nipped into Iceland to buy it. There are such huge differences in prices these days it pays (if time and location allow) to shop around.

What about your grocery shop? Are you on-line ordering? Local farm shops (lucky you) or buy in bulk for toiletries at Costco? What trends are you noticing?

But do you pop into Lily's for lunch ?

Pre- pandemic I used to drive to Morrisons about every 5-6 weeks, and DH went to the cash and carry, plus local independent shops as required.
During the pandemic we tried various deliveries, veg boxes etc, and now have settled into a pattern of an online Morrisons or Sainsbury’s shop every 2-3 weeks for heavy and bulky items( and anything else we need if it is on offer).
I go to Aldi on foot twice a week for milk, fruit, some veg and other top ups. DH cannot walk but drives into our small town to the Co-op, and we get a delivery from the local independent butcher about every 3-4 weeks.
Just occasionally I fancy a change and drive to the farm shop but it is expensive. Or M& S Food, but I feel overwhelmed by too much choice and too high prices. I haven’t been to Waitrose for a long time.

I pop into morrisons at the end of my 10 hour shift and see what is reduced if I feel up to it. Usually fresh bread/cakes are reduced. May explain the obesity crisis

REgular things that are good value in morrisons are ready cooked rice (35p or 59p a pouch) sardines in sauces (49p or mackerel 99p) value sauces and biscuits and dry pasta. They do frozen mince etc which is good value too and seasonal vegetables and fruit (fresh) on offer

Yes I do have lunch in ‘Lily’s’ sometimes - or take the grandchildren there after school sometimes for their tea! Very enjoyable it is too. Is there a reason for you asking only I’m puzzled?
?

Grandmagrewit

I'd be really interested to know, from those of you who go food shopping on foot, how you bring your purchases home. I recently bought a shopping caddy (quite an upmarket one!) because I can't carry more than a couple of items from our local supermarket. But some of my relatives and friends have laughingly mocked my "granny trolley" and I feel a bit conspicuous using it now. I've just turned 70 so maybe I shouldn't care what others think!

I carry a bag of cat litter on my back in a backpack. I choose to see it as a workout, rather than a chore.

We live over two miles from the nearest co op, so I get in the car once a week to our local community hub shop. This costs £4 for one or two bags of shopping including veg, fruit, yoghurt, bread etc which is saved from landfill. I also get a veg box of locally grown veg every fortnight. Sometimes it’s like Ready, Steady Cook which makes for a fun challenge!

We have a local weekly market but I don't know if its cheaper than Tesco because you hand your stuff over and then pay what they ask. So who knows .... It's OK for 1 or 2 individually priced items but not for items priced by the kilo. Mostly I shop online with Tesco, paying the delivery saver with Tesco vouchers or occasional top up at Lidl if I'm passing near one. Then there's my M&S extravaganzas.

I shop once a week at Sainsbury's and I use their Smart Shop App on my phone. I scan the bar codes, bag my shopping, pay and go. Using the app gets me savings on things I buy regularly. The best one yesterday was 80 Redbush Teabags, shelf price £2.40, smart price £1.70 so I saved 70p. There's no limit to how many boxes I can buy at that price. I had one already in the cupboard so I only bought one.

We just buy as we need it. We walk to Aldi or Lidl to get what we fancy and can easily eat well for less than £10 a day.
Those British Aldi strawberries (Favori from Staffordshire this week) are good value and delicious. I try to shop British and in season.

I use the Smart shop app for the few items I buy in Sainsbury's (things you can't get in Aldi or Lidl) and like the surprise of the discounts.
Today I needed a few toiletry items. I always look at the bottom shelf in Savers and buy the £1 versions of creams, cleansers etc. Savers is the same company as Superdrug and sometimes has the same items much cheaper.
Shops often put their cheaper items on the bottom shelf....always look down!

I noticed that a four tin pack of tomatoes was actually more expensive than buying the same brand singly in Tesco’s. You need to be savvy and look at unit prices to compare properly.

At the moment, Waitrose’ app individualised offers are very good and they are always for things you have bought before so actually want.

Otherwise, I shop around, look for yellow sticker knockdowns for the freezer and bulk buy imperishables when they are on offer.

Has anyone tried Olio?
It’s an app, and has sections for food and non-food. Basically, people post photos of the free food or whatever that’s available/that they want rid of. I’ve never gone for any of it, unfortunately the food posts usually appear late evening, none have been close to me and as a non car owner, I’m not prepared to walk two or three miles in each direction at that time of night.

I just get a delivery from Sainsburies. Checking prices would be heavy on petrol since the various supermarkets are quite well spread around the outskirts of the town. But we do take the car out once a week to keep the tyres from weary and the battery roped up, so we generally stop at either Aldi or Lidl for extras!

I emptied my fridge/freezer and switched it off, to save on running costs before going to Australia for 3 months. I also used up, or gave away, part used jars and bottles.
I will have to do a large restock when I get home in a few weeks time. I think I may need a second mortgage!