Is money saving really worth the bother?

[*kate*]

In an attempt to drastically cut the amount I'm spending on shopping, I'm doing an online shop for the big and bulky items and stuff I can't be bothered to go to the supermarket for. But for veg and meat I decided to go to the greengrocer and butcher, despite that fact we live nowhere near either. I managed to cut the online shop by £30 this week.

So I load Josephine into the car, go to the cashpoint, fill the tank with £10 of petrol, tootle off to the greengrocer. Park the car 150 metres away as that's the nearest I can get. Drag the car seat out of the car through the driver's side as it's dangerous on the roadside. Walk 150 metres with back breakingly heavy car seat, stand in a queue with old biddies yakking about their pensions and moaning about the youth of today, get fruit and veg. Drag heavy car seat AND three massive bags of fruit etc back to the car, load car seat, dump bags in the back seat. Drive to butchers along a curvy road, apples and bananas all over the seat.

Get to butchers, park on double yellow lines as it's miles to the nearest legal place. Unload car seat, drag to butchers, get tangled up in those bloody chains they have at the door of butchers. Whack baby on the head with chains. Look a total fool. Get meat, negotiate the chains, drag bag and baby back to the car, reload baby, lose purse. Frantically chase around for purse containing £120, eventually find purse, sweating profusely by this time. Try to take my cardigan off in the car, tangle arms with steering wheel and seat belt (don't ask):zombie: . Eventually drive off and drive 5 miles back home. The car is now on "low fuel".

And I still spent £21, plus £10 petrol :angry: but I did get masses of fruit and veg.

IT'S NOT FECKING WORTH IT!!!!!!!!! (and the thought of dragging the older two plus baby there in the summer holidays fills me with cold cold fear :shock:)

[Jamtart]

I would stick to supermarket shopping! sounds like its not worth the hassle! I get everything from the supermarket as I just dont have the time to shop elsewhere, although I will do when baby arrives

[chicken.babe]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Sorry your story made me LOL, Just wondered why you didnt order the fruit and veg? everytime I've ordered them i get good stuff

[Teresa]

Awww it sounds like you had a lot of hassle there. Because of all the hassle and the fact that you didn't save any money, I'd stick to the supermarket.

I'm really lucky in that we have a great butcher at the end of our road and a green grocer right near by so I can walk there. If it wasn't so easy I would just get everything in the supermarket though.

[ChelseaHarvey]

Sounds like a lot of hassel and def not worth it, i get all mine at the supermarket if if i run out i can be doing nor have the time to go to a local vegie shop and get it all

[Dink]

I know it was hard on you, but that story really made me giggle! :teehee:

I would stick with the supermarket. It's what I'm doing right now. I prefer to spend my free time doing things other than running errands. (Things like :damsels:)

[shamu]

Sounds a mare Kate :hugs: Though it did make me chuckle :teehee: - sorry :oops:
Personally, I'd go for the delivered option - could you look into a local fruit and veg delivery box or something?
I still spend obscene amounts on our supermarket delivery even though I'm trying to reduce our outgoings.... And we visit the overpriced farmers market most weekends..... Ach, it's only money :rolleyes:
Shamu
:wink:

[Princess Fiona]

Sounds like an average trip to the shops for me.

I gave up trying to do shopping separately to save money, its far easier to just get it all at the supermarket once a week and then forget about it til the next week. The only thing i do separately is buy some cleaning stuff and catfood from Aldi because its really really cheap but everything else i get from Tesco/Sainsburys.

Sorry you had such a tough time, stick to the supermarket this week eh :nod:

[Cherrypie]

I'm just wondering why you didn't put Josephine in her pushchair, rather than lugging the car seat everywhere with you? That way you could have hooked the bags over the back, or chucked them in the basket underneath!
Or better still - stick to online shopping!!

[Crazyfool]

Sounds like an average trip to the shops for me.

The only thing i do separately is buy some cleaning stuff and catfood from Aldi because its really really cheap but everything else i get from Tesco/Sainsburys.



See I was gonna start shopping at separate shops , hmm not sure I will bother now. Mrs D When I can be bothered going to Aldi I always get some fruit and veg its always so much fresher than tescos ( in my local one anyway ) I am sick of buying fruit and the next day its mouldy , usually strawberries, peaches or nectarines . I think you get better quality meat from a butcher tho rather than a supermarket . I was intending to go to separate shops once the baby comes because I should be out and about with the pram ....watch this space

[August Girl]

I'd say look into getting a veg box, all that driving around must be a right mare. Can't advise about the meat though as I don't buy any but i presume the butchers would be better quality.

[*kate*]

I've looked into getting a veggie box, but there's nowhere in our area that does that.

I did the greengrocer/butcher trip again yesterday, only it was cooler than last week so I wasn't such a sweating wreck, and I treated it like a trip out rather than a chore. I also only bought half the amount of stuff and I'll go again on Tuesday when we run out of fruit and veg.

It is a huge faff, but I am saving absolutely loads on food shopping - I've had 2 tesco orders of £65ish and 2 trips to butchers/fruit man - spending £160, which is considerably less than I'd spent by this time last month, so I s'pose it's worth it.