To think a veg box could save me money?

[InMemoryOfSleep]

Sorry, I realise this isn't the most scintillating topic

However we've recently moved house, which means no more Ocado Food is our main monthly expenditure, although I try to economise and budget as much as possible, I don't compromise on meat etc - I'd rather not eat it than buy cheap. We're a good 10 miles away from the nearest decent supermarket, so a big shop costs quite a lot in petrol just to get there!

So AIBU to think I could do better with a weekly veg box from somewhere like Riverford, which would mean I could buy decent meat from there too? Are they just a rip off/significantly more expensive than supermarkets?

Does your nearest decent supermarket do on line delivery. If so that would be my choice.

Sorry, you probably mean Ocado and they don't deliver. 10 miles is not too onerous if you are doing it only once a week.

It depends how much kale and turnip you can eat in a week.

I had a Riverford veg box each week and a large meat box once a month until recently. I loved the meat box, because we ate less but it was better quality.

However, I regularly found myself with a veg box which simply didn't work around our meals. If we didn't order a "less roots" box, we would have potatoes, carrots & onions each week topped up with some fairly random stuff along with a lot of greens. I tried so many things which I wouldn't usually buy, but you do get to a point in the season when you are left with 2 corn on the cob, Jerusalem artichokes and a globe artichoke in the bottom of the fridge and you just long for a bag of Birds Eye peas. I was still topping the box up with veg we were actually going to eat each week, as well as having the Riverford "surprise".

The crunch point for me was broccoli. I realised that I was paying in the region of £2.50 for 2 small heads from Riverford, but the same thing would have cost me 45p in Tesco. Then I realised that my organic high fat mince made great cottage pies, but I could pay around £3 less for the 5% fat organic supermarket version as well. I reluctantly stopped my order, although I am going to really miss my Riverford chicken on Christmas Day.

you will not save money with a veg box
(unless there is soe low cost wonky veg option I haven't heard of)
the veg box schemes I've known have been more aimed at supporting local organic producers by giving them a more reliable income, so you are actually paying a premium for that.
If you want to save money on food I would suggest bulk buying staples (rice, pasta, pulses, oil, tinned stuff) and then buying whatever is cheapest that week veg wise.

I find I eat more healthily with a veg box. With time planning prep and a freezer you could definitely save money. If you are in their delivery area, have a look at Oddbox, which is amazing value. They rescue 'wonky' or over-ordered fruit and veg that supermarkets refuse for uniformity etc.

Cross post w newt re: wonky fruit n Veg boxes!

I've found veg boxes v expensive in the past, had not heard of Oddbox, will have a look but I live rurally so not sure if they deliver out there. Currently I pop into the Co-op on my way home from work, they always have loads of reduced veg. Means I can't meal plan as well but am sure it saves me money (e.g. 25p for a big bag of kale, 25p for a bag of mixed carrots/peas/sweetcorn which I just stick in the freezer). Plus frozen staples (more peas/sweetcorn etc) from Lidl. I find broccoli doesn't freeze well though and cauliflower goes horrible when frozen, unless I'm doing it wrong!

I have a weekly veg box from Riverford. I'm not sure it makes me save money but the quality is excellent and if you store the veg correctly it lasts much longer than the supermarket. They also give you recipe cards for the veg. I'm more adventurous now and definitely eat more veg. Haven't tried the meat but I like to buy that more frequently per week as I don't do much in the way of menu planning.

We have a weekly fruit and veg box from able and cole. Definitely does not save us money! However we definitely eat far more veg than we would do otherwise and the kids eat all the fruit.
Recently they've changed the system and it's easier to see what's coming and change it if you don't like it.

Every now and then we end up with a big veg backlog and cancel the box for a week so that we can use it up.

Who does the wonky ones? I remember seeing them somewhere.

You only save money with a veg box if you actually cook and eat it all.

They are crazy expensive for what they are. We found that particularly in winter you would get a few manky carrots and onions and not much else. Fruit boxes are just apples and bananas with one exotic thing (ie one mango). The salad leaves were always a bit dull as well. And the boxes cost more than I would spend on a normal weekly shop.

I think what's putting me off with Riverford is that you can't change what's in the box; we used to get Abel & Cole ages ago and they were fab as you could basically make a bespoke box, but they don't deliver to our area. I definitely would cook everything as I do a weekly meal plan so would just plan around what's in the box. But I'm thinking I'd end up spending more on top-up shops

Try a cheaper supermarket?

We get enough veg for our family of 4 for £12.50 a fortnight. We do top up with frozen stuff, or if we fancy cauliflower and it hasn't come for a while, or I want more carrots than we're getting, for a stew.
We get the list in advance so I can adjust the supermarket list, which is really helpful.

You don’t have to have the veg from riverford, minimum spend is £15 per delivery. You can have it weekly, fortnightly, monthly or just when you fancy.
We get milk, butter and cherry tomatoes every fortnight. I often get a box too but it depends what’s in them.

We get a weekly delivery from boxxfresh. We definitely spend less as what we order we really like and it keeps really well so lasts the whole week. It also means we plan our meals around veg rather than meat. It’s changed our eating habits for the better! My husband and I take it in turns to order it so that stops us from ordering the same every week. And they send you recipes too.

Have you looked in to veg and meat boxes from local farms? You may be able to get one more locally that works out cheaper than the bigger companies.

Used to use Abel & Cole ( whichnOP now can’t get). Yes, you can customise. Quite expensive after initial 4 week discount - but it certainly does get you,eating more vegetables and trying ones you haven’t eaten before!

Morrisons do a wonky veg box and other wonky fruit bits

I get my veg from Riverford and my meat/fish/dairy/eggs from Abel and Cole. It saves me money because I plan my meals around what is coming, can't bear to waste any of it because it is relatively expensive, and most importantly, keeps me out of the shops. I can't enter a bloody supermarket without spending about £75.

You don't have to have a box from Riverford, some weeks I just order £15 worth of veg instead.

I used to run a company the equivalent of Riverford. If you want to save money you need to bulk buy in season and freeze. Eating seasonally is challenging as it can get bloody boring. We eat mad levels of veg, pulses etc livened up with lidl spicy chorizo. We live in France and we glean onions and shallots for free. We grow a lot of veg too but we have 3 freezers and buy a lot of special offers. Entertaining is what’s expensive.

The organic pantry are good. Large veg box, raw milk and delivery for a family of 7 for £24.15 a week.