If you live in Central London and don't have a car...

[homeedregret]

How do you do a big shop? What about going to Home Bargains or B & M? (I always end up buying loads of stuff and can't imagine lugging it on public transport). Do you travel out to a Lidl or Aldi?
Or do you just shop in your local Tesco Express?
Sorry for the sort of TAAT, but I wondered this on my latest trip to London and the thread reminded me.

I live in zone 3 (yes I know, not central london) and within 5 minutes walk from my house I have an Aldi AND a B&M, so B&M is a London shop (just not a central London shop). However I'm obviously missing something as I've only got the odd thing from there - couldn't imagine going there for a big shop! Aldi on the other hand....

Loved 29 years in London without a car. Farringdon, Clapham, Brixton. Lived fairly close to big supermarkets but never really did a 'big shop' maybe once or twice I'd get a cab. Usually I would pick up a couple of bags of shopping from Canary Wharf Waitrose on the way home but I'd have to use a basket to check I could get it home on the tube. Several times I've gone overboard and lengthened my arms by a foot carrying too many bags home.
Occasionally I'd get a delivery and go mad on buying tins, bottles, fabric conditioner etc so it would last a few months.
Everything else we could pick up as a top up in the million Tesco/Sainburys/Waitrose locals/expresses near us or on the journey home.

Was also known to go to the big supermarket with my suitcase!

Shopping trolley and not doing big weekly shops would be the obvious solution. I see that they have been mentioned a few times on this thread, but I'm always surprised how rarely people see them as an option if they have a supermarket that's in walking distance but not when you've got heavy things to carry IYSWIM?

We don't live in London but never do a big shop, more like two small to medium shops a week, because most people need bread/milk/fresh fruit and veg and anything that's been forgotten, run out or needed at short notice, so you don't shop for the week, but shop for the next few days instead, meaning that your 'half weekly shop' will fit in a trolley.

Plus obviously there's online shopping and stocking up, but many people in central London might not have the space to keep a lot of stock in.

If I could live without a car for the rest of my life, I would. Unfortunately, I may have to move out of London when we retire.

There is an IKEA very near me and I think I have only been in once. I definitely don't need more stuff/tat/ things to dust.

Zone 3 & no car
Big food shop = ocado
Milk from milk & more
Meat from field & flower
Additional stuff from Tesco local or the polish shop
Furniture is all delivered
For shops like Wilko if I buy too much I just have to heft it back on the bus.

I’m in zone 2 and it’s a lot cheaper to get the odd taxi when needed than to keep a car on the road. I get virtually everything delivered anyway. Plus the bus stop is 1 minute walk away and the tube 5 minutes so it’s not far.

Do all the little local shops not add a whack to the monthly bill? Or is that just one of the accepted downsides of living in Central London?

@BarbaraofSeville

Shopping trolley and not doing big weekly shops would be the obvious solution. I see that they have been mentioned a few times on this thread, but I'm always surprised how rarely people see them as an option if they have a supermarket that's in walking distance but not when you've got heavy things to carry IYSWIM?

We don't live in London but never do a big shop, more like two small to medium shops a week, because most people need bread/milk/fresh fruit and veg and anything that's been forgotten, run out or needed at short notice, so you don't shop for the week, but shop for the next few days instead, meaning that your 'half weekly shop' will fit in a trolley.

Plus obviously there's online shopping and stocking up, but many people in central London might not have the space to keep a lot of stock in.

There's a silly prejudice against shopping trolleys, involving both ageist and sexist stereotypes. They're not just for grannies. They are a sensible and practical way of getting shopping home, even if you have to use public transport rather than walk, and they come in quite a wide range of styles.

@homeedregret

Do all the little local shops not add a whack to the monthly bill? Or is that just one of the accepted downsides of living in Central London?

My view is the cost of delivery and the odd taxi is more than matched by the huge saving of not having a car. The insurance alone would be eye-watering, I suspect. Parking a constant issue. When we did have one, decades ago, we had to park it on the street, as most people do in London, and there was a lot of casual vandalism.

When I'm car-less, the shop is delivered. It saves me a lot of money, as it makes me meal plan and limits impulse buys.

How often do you really need to buy other large stuff? Sometimes I get things delivered, but really, the less tat in my life, the better.

@homeedregret

Do all the little local shops not add a whack to the monthly bill? Or is that just one of the accepted downsides of living in Central London?

Im not even sure that a Sainsburys Metro in Brixton would charge more for a bag of pasta compared to a big out of town one in Nottingham? If they do it's probably pence.

Does owning a car not add heaps to the cost of your weekly shop? Petrol, share of actual car cost, insurance, MOT, VED etc. ever worked it out?

I doubt it's mthan

Sorry, I meant that the weekly grocery shop gets delivered.

We got a cab after a big shop, the supermarkets have a phone to a local company in them.

Metro shops are more expensive than full supermarkets and while it might be pence per item, it really adds up over a full shop. Independent convenience stores even more so.

I was in London last week and there was a great convenience store that I used for a few things, but my God, it was expensive. I paid 79 p for a pint of milk and they only had pints. At home we pay about £1.30 for 4 pints and that's not the cheapest because we get it from M&S, Co-op or Asda or Morrisons Farmer's milk, which is more expensive so extra money goes to the farmer.

Just getting everything from the local convenience store isn't going to be an affordable option for anyone on a budget, so then you'd need to look at getting bigger shops delivered or bus/walk to somewhere cheaper.

Obviously for most in central London, or the middle of other cities, a car is rarely an option or actually needed due to parking, insurance and the fact that you have better public transport.

In other places people generally have cars because in a lot of circumstances, public transport is impractical and takes far longer than the car, so it's worth it and makes life a lot easier to have a car instead.

For HB is not a place for tat how dare you but it keeps school lunches affordable. Crisps, bars, fruit winders etc are all much cheaper than supermarkets. If I'm having a party HB would be first on my list as I could get most non fresh stuff there for a fraction of the price. Cleaning stuff is much cheaper too, as are sanpro.

@homeedregret

Do all the little local shops not add a whack to the monthly bill? Or is that just one of the accepted downsides of living in Central London?

It depends how large your family is and whether you're on a tight budget. A half kilo bag of pasta from Tesco Metro will cost 1.40 a kilo. A three kilo bag from a bigger Tesco will cost 1.10 a kilo, so 27% more. Heinz baked beans will cost about 75p each for a packet of four tips. Tesco own brand are 44p, Stockwell brand basics are 22p. So yes if you did all your shopping at the smaller shops which don't carry "value" brands or bulk sizes then I reckon you'd end up paying at least 25% more than strictly necessary for food and cleaning products. Whether that's outweighed by the savings on not had a car depends on how many people you're shopping for and whether you'd buy Stockwell brand if you had the choice.

But if you're on a budget it's definitely worth shelling out one pound fifty for a bus back from a big supermarket/Lidl/Aldi every now and then.

@homeedregret

Do all the little local shops not add a whack to the monthly bill? Or is that just one of the accepted downsides of living in Central London?

I wouldn’t shop at a “little local shop”, though, even if it was a Metro-type shop, unless for a pint of milk-type stuff. I go to a proper supermarket, which is actually closer. To give you an idea, on my short stretch of high street, which is a minute walk from where I live, there is a large supermarket, plus three minisupermarkets, all the big brand shops.There’s also an Iceland and two independent grocery shops. In my area, there’s also another minisupermarket, but not on the high street.

Ocado for the main shop and top-ups from the Co-op, Waitrose & M&S which are within easy walking distance.

Haven't had a car for about 17 years - public transport is very good.

I've lived in zone 1 for about 30 years.
Before online shopping I had one of the trolley granny things and used public transport, brought back allsorts of things including paint a nd stuff from ikea.
Now everything is delivered
When the dc s had parties £1 shops took care of all the munchies, same for pack lunches.
Home bargains and b&m I go when I visit mates outside of London and bring back on the coach/train.

I either get deliveries or walk to the big Sainsbury's 20 minutes away and take a bus back.
No idea what Home Bargains is but in IKEA i'd get a cab back.

Tesco Express and Sainsbury's Local for the top ups of milk etc

@homeedregret

For HB is not a place for tat how dare you but it keeps school lunches affordable. Crisps, bars, fruit winders etc are all much cheaper than supermarkets. If I'm having a party HB would be first on my list as I could get most non fresh stuff there for a fraction of the price. Cleaning stuff is much cheaper too, as are sanpro.

I still think having a car would be way more expensive because I have a small family and don't really have crisps or sweets in the house. Small flat, no need for a ton of cleaning stuff.

Also, I believe that those of us who can do without cars, should.

I don't live in London but will answer anyway!
Food shopping - I get heavy stuff delivered once a month. In between I shop using Cobags on my bike.
Ikea - get it delivered
Other stuff - bus or taxi

Live super central. Mainly now online especially for supermarket. Local friends are brilliant budget shoppers and was much excitement when Lidl opened on Tottenham Court Road last year. Tend to do little and often shopping. And get over-excited about going to B&M when I visit a relative in the country

I lived in zone 1 and had two large supermarkets, two smaller ones and a street market all within 5 minutes walk of my house. Shopping was easy. I got one big monthly delivery with everything heavy and bulky stuff. The rest I picked up here and there. It was much more fun to shop there than in the suburb I live in now where I have to drive to the huge shop. I feel like I have less options now.

In terms of B&M and the likes, I have never been a fan and can't imagine what I would buy there that I can't get elsewhere.

@homeedregret

For HB is not a place for tat how dare you but it keeps school lunches affordable. Crisps, bars, fruit winders etc are all much cheaper than supermarkets. If I'm having a party HB would be first on my list as I could get most non fresh stuff there for a fraction of the price. Cleaning stuff is much cheaper too, as are sanpro.

I don't know what hb is, but I have a mooncup, so don't use Sanpro. I don't normally buy crisps or bars - for a party, I would probably get a delivery.