Thursday 27 June 2013

Enough to tempt me?

A leaflet came through the door today, Postie delivered it with a couple of real letters. At one time junk mail used to be delivered with the free newspaper, but we don't get that any more, so now it comes with Royal Mail. Annoying that it is, I can see the logic of the work being taken on by a national company which delivers to every home in the UK. If it means that thousands get to keep their jobs, even though sending stuff by snail mail is in decline, then so be it. 
I always flick through the leaflets to see if there are any bargains that I should be taking advantage of, but nine times out of ten, there is nothing to tempt me to take a trip across town to stock up on one solitary item. I thought I would go through this Morrisons leaflet to see if I should be waiting at the door on the morning of July the 1st, ready to join the stampede at opening time. I was intending to mark each item with a tick or cross indicating a yes or a no, but the paper is so flimsy the first cross went through to the other side. For those interested in food shopping prices, and why I would or wouldn't buy these items, read on. By the way, this is not a sponsored advert for Morrisons, in fact I don't very often visit their store, it is the other side of town, and I am not impressed by the quality of their fresh fruit and veg. On the occasions that I have bought it, it starts to look tired a day or two after getting it home.
On the front cover, Pizza, I never buy pizzas. What are they, baked dough with a topping, usually cheese and tomato. Filling maybe, but not good for you, too much stodge. Coca cola, I never buy it, rots your teeth, good for cleaning toilets apparently, God knows what it does to your insides. Magnum ice cream, you all know I love Magnums, but I do not buy them in a box of three at the supermarket because I would get them home and scoff the lot. I like them as an occasional treat when I am out and about.

Free range eggs, yes I would buy them at 97p. White bread, I don't buy it, always has to be wholemeal, or wholegrain, or seeded. White is tasteless and like cotton wool. Tin of tomatoes, own brand for 31p. I have some tomatoes in my cupboard which cost me 25p, so this is not cheap enough for me. Tuna chunks, I have given up buying tinned fish, the price has gone through the roof. White French stick bread, 75p. No thanks, too expensive. and tasteless.
Bananas, yes, good price. Sausages, no meat in this house apart from cat food. 2 litres of milk, no, I don't buy plastic bottles of milk. I have soya milk on my cereals, and Coffee Mate powder in my coffee.
I wouldn't buy anything on this page. Mulitpacks encourages binge eating and drinking, and it's all crap. If I am going to indulge in chocolate I will get a small bar very occasionally as a treat. I never buy fizzy drinks. The price of crisps is ridiculous, I don't buy expensive brands, if I indulge it will be cheap supermarket label, and then only once in a while.  
The only alcohol I have in the house is a bottle of wine now and again for a treat, I buy one when I fancy it, never stockpile booze. I sometimes buy a fourpack of the cheapest cider. The Robinsons orange squash is a no, it's too dear. I can get it at the cash and carry for 50p.
I always buy mature cheddar cheese, the mild stuff is tasteless. This 350 gram Pilgrims is an ok price but you have to watch the pack sizes, they are reducing, but the price is increasing. I don't buy Philly sof cheese, I get Tesco own brand, a lot cheaper and just as good. Six pack Muller Corner, a definate no. I put my own tinned fruit in cheap plain yogurt. No to breaded ham, Rappor coffee, Uncle Bens rice, teabags, Uncle Bens sauce, Takeaway Feasts whatever they are, and Haagen Dazs ice cream. All too expensive, I don't drink tea, and like Nescafe.  
More sweet junk. Petits no thanks Munch Bunch puddings, no no no. Innocent juice a good price and nice juice, but still more expensive than the cartons I get. Utterly Butterly, I might buy this if it is cheaper than the  olive spreads that I buy. No to fish fingers, I've given up with them, hardly any fish, mostly breadcrumbs. No to McCains oven chips. I don't use the oven, and don't eat chips at home. Scampi bites, no, at £4 a packet.
Yes to fruit and veg, though I only buy British tomatoes when in season, foreign ones have hard skins and are tasteless. Cherries are generally out of my price range, but I will buy a treat if they are on offer. I don't buy baby new potatoes, I get the cheapest own label ordinary potatoes. Don't care if they are old or new. Look at the price of meat and fish, even if I wanted to eat it I couldn't afford it. Best without it.
Aha, toiletries, what have we here. Body spray, anti perspirent, Radox bath muscle soak, moisturising shower cream, shampoo conditioner, all good names, all big prices. Don't need them, cheaper toiletries do the job for me, Tesco Everyday Value. The Colgate toothpaste is expensive, supposed to whiten your teeth. I look for the offers, don't mind which brand, even the Value toothpaste is ok. Blimey isn't it expensive to shave, 5 Wilkinson Sword £4.49, don't think I will be taking that up.
So, maybe not Morrisons, though there is something which might tempt me. They have a £3 voucher off a £30 spend, I might look into it further when I need to go shopping.
Toodle pip

13 comments:

  1. Hi Ilona, i drive for the post office now and then and as the letters decline its being replaced by on-line shopping. We shop at Morrisons which is only 1 mile away. We buy multipacks and BOGOF's and stockpile the extra which tides us over til the offer is on again. The £3coupon is good and we go twice to get 2, my wife gets the shopping to just over £30.
    Dave.

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  2. Wooof food is really horribly expensive here in Norway...prices are at least the double of those on that leaflet, even the cheap brands. Fishing our own fish and growing some of our own fruit and vegetables helps keep costs down a little during Summer. Finding my postbox full of advertising every day is beyond annoying. Pam

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  3. I'm with you. There is little advertised on sale each week at the local grocery chains that I buy. I'm on a restricted salt diet so hardly any processed foods are on my radar...even canned tomatoes can have salt added to them. Fresh veggies, fruits, some condiments, spices, dairy, whole grain breads and meat/fish and a bit of rice and pasta.
    The big food manufacturers make very little off of my business. ;-)

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  4. You are pricelss, Ilona. Thanks for the great post again!
    Nancy from Northern California

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  5. I shop a Morrison's and those tinned tomatoes are not a bargain they're normally 31p in my store on the North West coast of UK.
    Carolx

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  6. You def told them @ Morrisons :)From Housefairy.

    Some items push the food bill higher than we all wish to pay. If we all stopped buying the processed foods life would change considerably. The shop would be much smaller and less profit made. We would be slimmer and healthier.

    A big mouse lives here! spend £5 on cheddar cheese most weeks.

    I like to think I play the game with vouchers and freebies. Jump for joy at getting a price reduction or something for free.
    I have x2 500g clover tubs this week. FREE :) for just handing over printed off paper from my computer (vouchers).

    Do you coupon shop Ilona?

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  7. HI Ilona. Not much to tempt me either. Milks ok and eggs are too, the kids like fishfingers (and they are a good price) but I've converted them to veggie burgers and falafels once in a while which work out a lot cheaper. I shop mainly at Aldi, farmfoods and homebargains now. Please may I ask where you get tinned tomatoes for 25p, and also where do you buy your chickpeas from - are they tinned or dry? Thank you in advance. BTW if you like the odd bottle of wine for a treat, Aldi do a very good one for £3.59, very drinkable and I think it has won awards (Toro Loco). My fussy OH will happily drink it. Debbie.

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  8. Funny you should mention the cheese packets getting smaller but dearer, I was just complaining about that to Mr.T the other day. Same as the offers on the end of the veg bit, £1 bags with such a small amount in them.
    We are not fooled are we Ilona...
    Briony
    x

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  9. The last time I read a supermarket sales flyer I didn't make it past the first page - so many products I've never even heard of, probably because I don't watch television and "miss out" on all the advertising LOL!
    Most of my grocery shopping is now being done at a farmstand a few miles away. I am SO glad fresh local veg is finally available again! And for a special treat, I arranged with the farmer for several quarts of strawberries that will be picked for me on Sunday morning, fresh for freezing. (Used to pick them myself, but my knees and back aren't up to it at the moment.) It's been so very, very rainy here for the past several weeks, I was afraid there would be no strawberries at all...what luck that there are some after all!

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  10. Hi Ilona,

    I loved this post! I've recently become much stricter on our grocery costs, and I pore over the supermarket flyers to find the truly good deals and then try to base our meals on those items. :) I'm based in Canada, so seeing the prices of products in the UK was pretty neat.

    Thanks, as always, for your amazing blog.
    Christina - the Happy slob

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  11. great post savvy shoopper!

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  12. Our Morrisons store is a good one, excellent for the freshness of fruit and veg. I've tried all the stores but none of them come near Morrisons on freshness. I'm particular about freshness and I've never had anything to complain about with their stuff.

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  13. The Scampi bites seem a good deal to me. They are 4 each but the ad says buy 1 get 2 FREE, so you're really getting 3 for the price of one or 1.30 @ - just saying - if you like scampi. BTW we never see buy one get 2 free here in America! Now it's almost always buy 1 get one 1/2 price! LOL!

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