Savvy shopping

Thrifty tips, ideas, news & experiences on anything around the home to shopping to re-cycling etc.
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Meanqueen
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Re: Savvy shopping

Post by Meanqueen »

mortgagefreeme wrote:

How many circuits do you do? It always makes OH laugh because he will only do one circuit and if there are no bargains there tough. Whereas I'll sometimes do three laps in a hope for that holy grail of the third sticker. I can always spot the serious YS hunter by how many times I see them up and down the aisles. I also deliberately go out if the weather is foul, it seems to put of some of the competition. Who says grocery shopping is boring :-D .


I have been known to take three hours over my shopping, sheer determination pays off. Now I have it down to about an hour and a bit. My plan is to go straight to the chiller cabinet, rummage through there. Then the veg, then to the bread at the back of the shop, then check the dented tins. After this I stroll around picking up one or two other things, but keep going back to see if anything new has been brought out, or more stickers have been added.

I sometimes put stuff in my trolley with one or two stickers on, if I think someone else might take it. Then I go back and check if there are any more of that item which has been given a third sticker. If there is I swap it for the cheaper one.

They are tending to take the fruit and veg trolley out the back for re stickering, so I wait for it to emerge, to get the first choice.

Richard, I can't find a seperate clip of me shopping. The programme is no longer on channel 4 catch up, but there is a shorter version on yootoob, and all my bits are there.
http://youtu.be/2ImBJG_05wQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The shopping clip is at the 9.40min mark.
Ilona
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AL37
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Re: Savvy shopping

Post by AL37 »

I just did a search for Meanqueen in tesco,
I bet you didn't know you were in a book Ilona. yike* )run( )run(

http://m.tesco.com/mt/www.tesco.com/dir ... pageLevel=
[center]Relax, I could have been a twin.[/center]
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LittleBrownFrog
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Re: Savvy shopping

Post by LittleBrownFrog »

{rofwl}
"Happiness is like a butterfly; the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder..." Thoreau.
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saint-spoon
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Re: Savvy shopping

Post by saint-spoon »

{rofwl} {rofwl} {rofwl} {rofwl} {rofwl} Excellent post Alfonso.
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mortgagefreeme
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Re: Savvy shopping

Post by mortgagefreeme »

You're a pro MQ. In the video you are pushy but non threatening, you do it in a jovial way. I'm a little too polite and reserved, I guess I need to practice on that. I thought it was funny the way the lady commented that your shopping habits are extrordinary and you said "Really? I think its normal. Doesn't everyone shop like this?" Its funny because thats what its like when I talk about my obsession with getting cheap food. People look totally bewildered as though I've lost the plot. Yet I find it odd that anyone wouldn't want to find perfectly good food at a very cheap price. What's not to like :? . It becomes so normal that you forget other people just go shopping and stick stuff in their trolley without a moments thought. (Though I'm glad there are people like that as it means more bargains for us...)
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saint-spoon
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Re: Savvy shopping

Post by saint-spoon »

mortgagefreeme wrote:You're a pro MQ. In the video you are pushy but non threatening, you do it in a jovial way. I'm a little too polite and reserved, I guess I need to practice on that. I thought it was funny the way the lady commented that your shopping habits are extrordinary and you said "Really? I think its normal. Doesn't everyone shop like this?" Its funny because thats what its like when I talk about my obsession with getting cheap food. People look totally bewildered as though I've lost the plot. Yet I find it odd that anyone wouldn't want to find perfectly good food at a very cheap price. What's not to like :? . It becomes so normal that you forget other people just go shopping and stick stuff in their trolley without a moments thought. (Though I'm glad there are people like that as it means more bargains for us...)

You're not either related to or on the payroll of Ilona by any chance are you MFM? {rofwl}
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mortgagefreeme
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Re: Savvy shopping

Post by mortgagefreeme »

:-D Well this mortgage won't pay itself..
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saint-spoon
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Re: Savvy shopping

Post by saint-spoon »

mortgagefreeme wrote::-D Well this mortgage won't pay itself..

{rofwl}
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Richard
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Re: Savvy shopping

Post by Richard »

hehe. I'd stay as you are mortgagefreeme, I'd rather shop in relative comfort than to have people pushing me to one side like it's the first day of he Selfridges Sale, most rude :-D :-D
I often shop about the 7 - 8pm mark and never miss out on anything, there again I usually go for the Bread never the fruit (I get that for free from work, not nicked, just saving it going in a bin along with other things).

The other thing is to get to know someone who works there, they are offered stuff for 1p. They have to charge 1p as it cannot be seen as being given away and I believe they have to go through the security machine as well as.

Or just work there!

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ChrisG
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Re: Savvy shopping

Post by ChrisG »

I was reading last night about 1.4 million people in the world living on £1 a day. In May, there is the 'below the line' charity challenge where for five days, people in the UK (and other places) live on £1 a day (and they are not allowed to shop the week before and live off stores!) to raise money through sponsorship for charity to help those who live in poverty in the world. Now that is a tough challenge (though I do know someone who manages to live on £21 per week for three of them all the time - she grows a lot of her food, exchanges through LETS and buys from 'approved foods' etc)

Maybe next year, DTL could join the challenge?
Chris xx

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Richard
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Re: Savvy shopping

Post by Richard »

I feel a DTL challenge coming on Ruth !!

We'll avoid Christmas week :-D :-D

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Totally Scrambled
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Re: Savvy shopping

Post by Totally Scrambled »

Is that £1 per person per day or £1 per household per day?
Dom
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ChrisG
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Re: Savvy shopping

Post by ChrisG »

Per person. It's so much harder to do if there is only one of you.
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Richard
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Re: Savvy shopping

Post by Richard »

True Ruth although there's a fair scope with left overs. I think we could do a week in say Autumn. For those of us with Chickens and a veg patch - loads of Omelettes!! That would be after harvesting our vegetables from our Gardens (presuming we have one) and leading on to...

Ilona,

You mention your shopping is alike to foraging, do you actually forage for natures free gifts, especially you being a veggie.

Wild Garlic, strawberries, horseradish (lovely mixed with mashed potato), apples from rogue trees or disused Orchards, mushrooms (if you know what you're doing, I don't!) and of course the array of berries and currants through Autumn.
That can save you loads.

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saint-spoon
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Re: Savvy shopping

Post by saint-spoon »

Oh I do that when I am based off ship. Where I work at the mo there is a wonderful moat (I posted a picture somewhere). There are elderflowers, later to become the berries, blackberries, raspberries, sloes, mushrooms for those who know what they are doing (I don’t), crab apples, hazelnuts, rosehips… the list goes on. For me normally it’s just the blackberries as there are so many of them but I shall endeavour to try and make sloe gin this year and perhaps try to find some more free stuff.
Being near the sea there is also the stuff that can be thrown up from there although I am not sure about the water quality as we are sheltered by the Isle of Wight; I used to take my nephews out to look for wildlife and have found oysters, mussels, razor clams, whelks (yuk), cockles as well as all the seaweeds. Again worth looking into for water quality… not worth it if we are all going to get food poisoning. As a child I used to pick winkles from the shore, take them home and cook them with my Dad; happy days indeed.
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