I found a shopping list from 1969

[Trouthallgrapefruit]

Interesting isn’t it!

I worked on the till in the local co-op as a Saturday job in 1979 and had to count out 4 stamps per pound I think it was. No bar codes of course and things like sugar and bread weren’t priced so you had to remember the prices and key them in.

The co-op in our town had been there for years by then and had a Freezer Centre(anyone remember the advent of freezer centres?). I suppose it coincided with more people having cars too.

The supermarkets I remember in the late 60s were tiny.

I got married in 1971, aged 21, and my weekly food budget was £5 because we were broke students (rent was £5 a week too). I used to write everything down. We ate quite well though.

We had a Sainsbury's in the 1970s, it was quite exciting to go there! Generally we used the local shops though. When Bejam opened (1970s) my mum bought a chest freezer & we shopped there too.

I've just looked it up & the Sainsbury's was opened in 1968.

I had a job at Safeway when I was 16. I worked mainly on the checkout, and we were trained to use the 'keyboard' like touch typists. I can still tell you the finger combinations for a quarter of loose yea (9.5p) and a bag of sugar (21.5p)!

Late MiL was utterly devoted to her Be-Ro recipe book (and her Be-Ro flour and her Stork margarine). In fact, she had several copies dating back to palaeolithic times. When DH went to university, she packed him off with her newest edition. It's been our go-to for reliable foolproof baking ever since. A bit dog-eared, but much loved. {BTW I've just Googled and it is possibly from 1990.}

Tea. Not yea!

Looks like my mums handwriting!

And mine!

My late MIL had a Be-Ro cookbook, possibly from the 1930s when she got married.

You DM obviously was ahead of the game and I'm sure you appreciated it even if it wasn't entirely successful

Not entirely. DB did say London Bricks would prob appreciate them if they were running low on stock. She was a very good cook but bread and pastry eluded her.

I note the absence of fresh food, which I'm guessing would be bought at a greengrocers separate to all the tinned and dry goods? What would that shop be called?

The Grocer's

I remember my DM baking bread too and it was exactly as you describe! She used to put the dough in a polythene bag to rise on top of the electric oven.

I was born a year after they introduced decimalisation. I remember mum saying "old money " all the time!

In the 60s/70s, DF was a delivery driver for Corona pops! Then a milkman in the 70s/80s.

We lived in a rural area and I remember a van coming round selling groceries. I used to save my pocket money to buy a whole pack of Viscount choc mint biscuits!

I miss the "good old days"!

According to my late nan, in those days if you made a cake, pie or a quiche (flan to her) you'd often make a few at a time and give them to other family or even to your neighbour. Maybe thats why large quantities of eggs, butter and the other things 🙂

Your poor mum, at least she tried.

Love it! In 1971, we had a strict food budget of £5 pw for two adults and a toddler - it didn't include Tongue or finely ground coffee, though! From Fine Fare on a Friday night, fresh produce was from the greengrocer and bread was from the bakers.

I'd reckon 3lb lurpak has gone from 12 shillings then to £12 now (based on £4 for a 400g / lb ish tub)

It wouldn't be spreadable in a tub then, it would be block butter. That currently costs 2.15 for 200g at Morrisons (it's on offer at the moment but I took the full price), so 10.75 a kg.

10.75 x (454/1000) x 3 = £14.64 for 3lb of Lurpak now.

Trying to work out the money then realised it was £.s.d. so all that lurpak was £1.2s and 2 toilet rolls 1s11d (about 10p)

Mine too! Gave me a bit of a turn actually!

A grocer's.

Would that have been done on the basis of reciprocity though? In which case, how is that built into OP's list? Did one buy less some weeks knowing there might be a neighbourly apple pie forthcoming?

I get family, but with neighbours it would have been very occasional, charitable almost. Widows, ex-servicemen perhaps.

Love this x

Sainsburys etc used to sell everything in the 60’s but you’d have to queue and pay at each counter - ie meat counter, then buy your veggies, bread, tins, household etc. took forever.

That’s about 50p for two dozen eggs! Remember butcher and greengrocer used to deliver to ours once a week. They’d sit with my mum and have a chat and a cup of tea. I’d get sent to buy bread, aged eight. Was a long time ago 😍

I remember in the 70s you had to queue separately to get fruit/veg weighed and priced in Sainsburys.

We had cream soda in the 1950s from the delivery man that came round