Prolapsed vent - am I getting it right?

[kazaddress]

Thought it might be interesting to see what people end up buying each week. My weekly shoping list has been significantly reduced since turning organic and staying clear of supermarkets. So I thought it might be nice to exchange ideas!

 

This is my weeks shopping list (i dont spend more then £50 a week for the whole family including food / cometics / cleaning products. So

 

http://www.organicall-speaking.co.uk

Salmon Fillets 400g

Cheese - Cheddar

Ecover Cleaner - spray refill

Ecover Fabric Softener - refill

Thick Double Cream

Garlic 3

Soya Chocolate Drink

Basmati Rice (brown)

Bulghur Wheat

Onions - brown 500g

bananas

butter

 

and from http://www.riverford.co.uk

courgettes,

cucumber,

red batavia lettuce,

mushrooms,

red pepper,

mixed sprouts,

butternut squash,

bunched onions,

summer greens,

vine tomatoes

3litres skimmed milk

 

Which comes to £42 so i am going to defrost £8 worth of meat from my organic meat delivery (http://www.devonrose.com) to supliement it.

 

(just wondering how much everyone else spends.. and if people end up spending more eating organic from local shops or tesco's)

[melcotton]

I spend about £350 a month on all 5 of us and try and cook everything myself from scratch. This includes 2 egg meals a week (quiche and omlettes). I keep trying to bring the bill down but it doesn't seem to be working. A local farm shop produces their own meat and you can buy whole pigs, lambs etc already diced/sliced so I wonder whether this would be cheaper in the long run. I think it is this expensive as I do try and buy local produce and it isn't as cheap as tesco etc but gives me a clearer conscience!

 

Each week I buy mostly veggies and fruit in addition to this as we don't eat that much meat (I'm veggie but the boys aren't!) and I'm thinking of buying a sausage and burger maker for them.

 

The other large purchase is flour as I seem to go through a ton (making bread, pizza bases, pastry) but a local miller will let you buy by the sack so I must investigate further!

 

We have started making our own cleaners (thanks Kate ) and buy refill ecover washing up liquid.

 

The only significant differences in my bills were noticed when we tried to revert to eating seasonally but I think the cost doesn't go down because there is always something new and scrummy to try.

 

Anyway, I'll stop babbling now - be interesting to see what everyone else does.

 

Mel

[Cookie]

This is a really interesting thread!

 

I spend approx £25 a week on Abel & Cole things - a fruit & veg box, plus cheese, creme fraiche and Yeo Valley yogurts and Ecover cleaning products.

 

And I spend approx £75 a fortnight at Waitrose for everything else.

I only buy fresh produce if its from the UK, so all very seasonal. Meat is usually organic, although we'd only eat meat a couple of times a week.

 

This is for me, OH and our two children. Many of my friends say they spend £100 a week for a family of 4 and I honestly don't see how! I think we live like kings - I don't feel I'm scrimping in any way.

 

I've always cooked everything from scratch and I make packed lunch for me and DS three days a week, so maybe that helps to save money. I also bake my own bread & cakes and I top up our amazing yogurt consumption from Abel & Cole with lots of home made natural yogurt, so that will keep costs down too.

 

I'd love to be able to buy flour in bulk too, but can't think where I would store it. Our former hidey holes now contain sacks of layers pellets, bales of straw and tubs of oysters shell!!

 

Cookie. xx

[kazaddress]

How interesting

 

I have gotten used to making things from scratch (I always make more at dinner time to cover the next days lunch.

 

from the stuff I am buying this week i will make

 

 

-BBq'd Salmon topped with a honey mustard glaze served with new pots

and salad

 

-salmon and redpepper quiche

 

-chinese veg in oyster sauce with brown special fried rice

 

-butternut squash risotto (left overs for a rice salad the next day)

 

-mushroom stroganoff

 

-lamb meat balls (with the bulgar wheat)

 

-vegetable kebabs (tonight)

 

-roasted vegetables plonked in a quiche

 

-left over roasted vegetables in a pasta bake topped with cheddar and crispy bacon or gazpacho

 

-spanish tortilla

[PurpleHen]

I'm not sure what I spend but more than I should. So I am goping to start keeping track.

 

I do now buy my meat from a local butcher who sources everything locally (apart from Danish Bacon which is clearly marked, but also does British Bacon) and only stocks free range chicken. So far the prices have been comparable, if not cheaper than super markets. We don't eat meat more than 3 times a week.

 

I try to buy most of my fruit and veg from a local grocer who also sources 90% of their produce locally.

 

Things like Ecover I buy from my local health food shop, but wish I had the room to buy in bulk and store - about to move house so this should help

 

Then what remains I buy from the dreaded super market - so toilet roll, yoghurt (although just bought a yoghurt maker so drastic reduction of yoghurt buying), milk (am going to switch to milk man when we move), cheese, bread, and such things as soy sauce. Hoping the milk man will be able to provide some things once we move though.

 

(And of course, soap from lush )

[melcotton]

soap from lush is a necessity is it not ??????

 

Mel

[Cookie]

I reckon we should draw the line firmly around food and drink products....

 

 

...if I included my monthly spending on bubble bath, moisturiser, essential oils and shampoo I wouldn't seem nearly as virtuous

 

Cookie. xx

[kazaddress]

lol. i have a £50 budget for all shopping (cosmetics n all)

 

[sarahjm]

Hi Kazaddress, I'd love to see some of the recipes for your weeks meals - they look great! I keep meaning to cook more from scratch but just seems so much hassle... and I know that's wrong! So if you've got some quick and lovely recipes that would be great!!

[kazaddress]

this is my recipe site http://www.the-billingtons.co.uk/meals.asp

[sarahjm]

Brilliant, thanks!

[One Man Banned]

I cooked a butternut squash risotto for christmas dinner, had to make a tiny tweak if I remeber as I was cooking for Joe, his brother and his brother's partner who's vegan.

 

I love going to theirs too as we always eat something really good although Joe's cod creole was lovely tonight (finished off with some G&B choc and orange Ice Cream).

 

As to what we spend - on just the two of us about £75-80 per week - we buy cartons and cartons of juice though (the stuff that's not concentrated) so that bumps up the bill but we recycle the cartons!

 

(that said it was £125 in waitrose the other day and that was "just popping in for a look" kind of visit!)

[Mel (& Paul)]

:

 

(that said it was £125 in waitrose the other day and that was "just popping in for a look" kind of visit!)

 

 

Oh, we do that too

I get my fruit / veg from the farmers market. We also get out meat from there - we buy half a lamb, ready jointed for £40 - a bargain if you see how much wonderful fab quality meat you get - and it all comes from a farm about 5 miles away

We spend about £45 - £50 a week on shopping (but that is excluding alchohol (

[Cate in NZ]

Normally I would join in this thread with great enthusiasm, I try to avoid supermarkets and make a virtue of shopping locally, or at places where I have to be anyway (rice & spices for example bought in bulk from the ethnic supermarkets close to work- what a bargain )

Organic veg & fruit boxes from a farm in Gravesend, they deliver to those very local to them, sadly I have to drive out to collect mine, but well worth it, fantastic quality, although it does help to have a lot of beetroot recipes to hand come the winter

But yesterday I did a quick visit to Waitrose, didn't need very much really but since hubby was going to Wickes nearby I decided to go along and pick up a few "essentials".

£90 later I left the store

(But that did include a couple of very nice bottles of wine and lots of drinks because of the heat )

[Mel (& Paul)]

Glad we are not alone

[AnnieP]

I work 5 minutes walk away from Waitrose.. Its deadly!

[Cookie]

Ah, now I've read some more replies I see another flaw in my virtuous calculations of a low weekly food spend ...I wasn't counting a big trip to Majestics every 6 weeks or so to buy a case of wine and a case of organic beer.

 

It won't surprise any of you I'm sure to know that I trained as an accountant - we have a very 'fluid' way of working out bills

 

Cookie. xx

[Hellcat]

Oh lordy!! I feel like the worlds biggest spender now!

 

We buy meat from the local sources, a farm a mile away that does half a lamb (or hoggit if its later in the season) for about £40.

 

Theres a farm outside Yeovil which does water buffalo (gorgeous, but so's the price! thats our treat meat)

 

Somersetmeatonline has a shop about 10 miles away where I get chicken and pork (you can see the chickens out one window and the pigs out the other, gloucester old spot, yum yum).

 

Sadly, I still spend about £90 a week in the supermarket BUT, that does include nappies (yes, I know I should have washable ones but... ), wipes, shampoo, toothpaste loo roll, washing tabs, etc etc, and also normally an item or two of clothing as it is cheap, cheerful, washes well and I don't care if it gets ruined at that price. I would shop around but just dont have time.

 

And before you ask, apart from oven chips and the occasional takeaway, I do cook from scratch.

 

I think I am the opposite of vegetarian. I love meat and fish and simply couldnt imagine only having it 3 times a week. That said, since turning free range local we eat less because it costs more but is better quality.

 

Oh, and we order from Laithwaites once a month too

[Boris70]

We spend anything from £40 - £100 on food at Tesco - but hopefully no more......

 

I've found a great local butcher - 2 chickens quatered and de boned for £10. The best steak (for OH - I only eat chicken / turkey and fish).

 

Veggie and fruit box being delivered on friday - £15 for both).

 

Wine - a great website www.privatecellar.co.uk as tesco were rubbish, and this is local for us.

 

So that leaves all the washing powder, bread and milk from Tesco - until I can find a new supplier. I hate Tesco - the fresh fruit and veg has been getting worse and worse in quality over the past 3 months - hence the veggie box.

[Mrs Frugal]

We spend about £60 on absolute basics like flour, sugar, coffee, cereals etc at Tescos, £20 at the local butchers on meat, £4 a week on milk from the milkman and anything from £4 to £7 a week on fruit and vegetables from the local market. I also buy a tray or two of eggs from my farmer friend once a fortnight for a bargain £3 and a bag of homemade cookies! I'd love to stop Tescos altogether. I suppose we could buy most things locally but we leave the boys with my parents while we go round the shop and Mum looks forward to that all week - can't deny her that.

[Lesley]

I don't know how much we spend - I ought to really - too much time looking after other people's money

 

We grow our own fruit and veg, and supplement it with produce from the local Farm Shop.

 

Carl brews his own beer and makes all the bread. I make jams, chutneys, cordials, butter etc.

 

We grow our own meat or buy from the Farm Shop.

 

We buy honey, cold smoked trout, cider, lamb, cheese, wine and fruit from the Farmers' Market

 

Toiletries we buy from Lush or the wholefood shop or Goodness Direct

 

I bulk buy tissues, toilet roll and kitchen roll from Goodness Direct - we use Cotton Soft, which is made from organic cotton, not paper (I changed from Nouvelle)

 

We try to use the Co op for anything we need from a supermarket.

 

but................ one thing I prefer from Tesco - Avocados I eat avocado most days and find the Finest from Tesco are the nicest. I do buy their organic ones if they look good.

 

One area of spending I need to look at is clothing. I buy footwear from Ethical Wares but I hate buying clothes in the size I am at the moment so I buy cheap stuff from Matalan. I think Matalan don't fare too badly in the 'environmentally friendly' stakes but I should think about it more

[bunee1]

 

One area of spending I need to look at is clothing.

 

Try seasalt they are a cornish clothing that use organic cotton, lovely bright colours just a bit different from the other organic stuff available.

 

 

www.seasaltorganic.co.uk

[Lesley]

Thanks Hannah

[PurpleHen]

As we are all aware - Kaz makes us very jealous with her weekly shopping & cooking regime . Back in June when this thread started I was determined to try and get myself sorted to buy away from supermarkets, support local producers and make more effort with organic products.

 

The way to do this seemed to be to try and get as organised as Kaz! But I found it quite dis-heartening as there just didn't seem to be the same choice up here for local deliveries etc.

 

So initially I just started shopping where I could buy locally produced meat & veg and continued going to the supermarket for staples. This was all very time consuming so I have recently been investigating deliveries again.

 

This week I get my first delivery from: http://www.northernharvest.co.uk

 

They aim to supply as much as possible from North West producers and then supplement were they can't. I am getting a fruit & veg box plus some extras (eg Ecover Laundry liquid).

 

If it goes well I aim to buy more and more from them as I know although some of the prices are high, it will stop me spending on stuff I don't need that we all inevitable get when out shopping.

 

I'm also hoping the inclusion of a fruit & veg box with boost our intake of these and make me try more interesting recipes

 

So - fingers crossed for Thursday and I'll let you know how it goes.

And thanks Kaz - for being an inspiration...

[theherd123]

Good on ya!!

 

Let us know how you get along.