? for BrummieOnTheRun

[zisforzebra]

Hello!

I saw your summer thread about giving up supermarkets and was wondering how you are getting on?

We've been trying to cut down (and have cut out tesco altogether) but DH is a SAHD and does 90% of our grocery shopping and he's not as on-board with the idea as I am.

He's happy to go to the butchers and fishmongers but runs back to Asda for bread, canned stuff, etc although do get a veg box delivery.

We're already using ecoballs and I'm a Mooncup devotee but do you have any other ideas as to how we can cut out supermarkets even more?

Hi! Well, I reckon my supermarket spend is about 10% of what it was, and that's mainly due to bad planning (Sundays, evening wine emergencies).

If I do need the supermarket I use the Co-op now, which is hilariously old fashioned (they have a 'carbonates' section, ha, ha!) but much more ethical than the big 4.

Since i started my experiment (in almost complete ignorance) I read Felicity Lawrence's book "Not on the label". There's no going back once you've read it. Leave a copy lying around for DH.

Thanks to the MNers who recommended it, by the way. You can also read her articles online on the guardian website.

It's about local research in the end. I've found a row of local shops (MNer, again!) where I can get bread, meat, fish, deli items and veg without taking the kids out of the car. It's actually much more convenient than hauling kids around a supermarket, as well as a much more enjoyable shopping experience! And a new food hall opened in the shadow of the large Tesco in our town offering loads of great products and TAKING CARDS!

I wish more councils would allow 20 minutes free parking near local shops and I wish more small shopkeepers would take cards because I have to park twice: once to get cash and once to shop in their store.