A Move To Morrisons

Since moving to a new, more rural location last year, my shopping habits have changed somewhat.

At my old home, I did my main grocery shopping at the local Tesco Extra, with smaller top-up shops at Sainsburys’ and the Co-op, but all that has changed since the move.

My current nearest Tesco is rather smaller than the Extra at which I once shopped, with far fewer product lines on the shelves, making it impossible to replicate all my most common buys. Although the store can meet a lot of my needs, it falls short on others.

Similarly, I have neither a Sainsburys’ or Co-op within easy reach, so have needed to look elsewhere. Attempts at buying groceries in Aldi failed dismally, I couldn’t get on with their products at all, and although I like Lidl better, the journey to the nearest branch is too far to justify any savings. And when it comes to grocery shopping, I’m not a fan of doing it online, as I like to scrutinise the meat, carefully select the fruit and veg and take the time to mull over relevant offers.

Therefore, my weekly shop now tends to be divided between the smaller Tesco, and Morrisons’, as there is a large branch of this store near to said Tesco.

On my first few visits to Morrisons I tentatively tried a selection of own brand products, as well as selecting some well-known labels that were on offer. I decided that many of the products were of good quality and therefore represented good value, an opinion further enhanced by the introduction of the Match and More card. This loyalty card price-matches your purchases not only with other leading supermarkets, but also with Aldi and Lidl, converting any extra money that you have paid on your comparable Morrisons’ shop to points, which then accumulate until you have sufficient to be awarded a £5 voucher. Despite targeting many own brand and offer items in my shop, I always seem to earn points, and have received several £5 vouchers, further reducing my shopping bill.

In addition to this, Morrisons have been sending me a variety of additional money-off vouchers through the post – they’re really making an effort to gain custom!

I’ve now also become a fan of certain of their own brand products. Here are a few of my favourites:

Morrisons Laundry Gel (Bio) 540ml (up to 18 washes) for just £1.75 – just as good as the Ariel version in my opinion and much cheaper!

Morrisons Pure Fabric Conditioner £1.50 (up to 42 washes) is a great bargain buy that leaves my laundry really fresh.

Morrisons Bolognese Sauce 725g for 99p, we actually preferred this to many other makes that we have tried.

Morrisons Chilled 100% Fruit Juices, 1-litre bottles, 3 for £3 (£1.29 each), not only are these really tasty, but there is such a great range of flavours. In addition to the normal apple, orange and pineapple, I love the apple and mango, Clementine, apple and pear and red grape and berries.

I’m also a big fan of their deli items, such as vegetable samosas and olive selections, and am pleased to see that their meat tends to be sourced from British farmers.

It would definitely seem that I’ll be doing much more of my weekly shopping in Morrisons in the future.

Free Gifts

I love a free gift – who doesn’t? But in these times of austerity genuine freebies are not as forthcoming as they used to be.

There are still some nice little gift packages available with make-up purchases in shops such as Boots and Debenhams and of course the proverbial ‘Bogofs’ in supermarkets, but some of the little freebies that I used to love have all but disappeared.

Years ago, it was possible to accumulate a wealth of free items purely by purchasing modestly priced magazines. I’m not just talking glossies and dearer monthly publications (some of which do still sometimes appear with the odd gift), which often came with cosmetics, bags, paperback books, etc, but even weekly mags sometimes came up with interesting offerings.

Favourite publications such as ‘Woman’ and ‘Woman’s Weekly’ (of Victoria Wood bottom beating fame) on occasions came with spatulas or stitch holders – not glamorous gifts I admit, but freebies just the same!

And I seemed to acquire a huge selection of holdalls of varying sizes, assorted clocks and the odd radio just by placing a small order with a mail order catalogue from time to time. Remember those days?

Today prices of much of what we buy continue to rise (except for food items in the current supermarket wars) but gifts are less forthcoming. It’s true that we can get reward points, which are much appreciated, at certain supermarkets and enter various prize draws, but there’s something magical about an instant free gift in your hand. Not something that you may or may not get by entering a draw, but a guaranteed, on-the-spot, thank-you-here-and-now gift.

Are there certain free gifts that you miss?

A Year In Supermarkets

With only weeks left of the present year, I thought it was time that I started looking back at some of my shopping experiences for the year, and in particular, what has been happening with the supermarkets.

Tesco were in the news this year for dodgy accounting, which has resulted in a criminal investigation. Now whilst this is serious stuff, and we should theoretically be concerned, as a shopper, I’m more interested in what is actually happening at ‘ground level’ so to speak. All the while I can go into a Tesco store, find what I want at a reasonable price, get good service from the staff and earn valuable Clubcard points I will continue to shop with the chain. They certainly operate the best loyalty scheme around, with points amounting to four times their value when exchanged for days out and Clubcard send out a regular supply of relevant money-off and extra points vouchers too.

Sainsbury’s, on the other hand, announced that they are set to cut the number of Nectar points that you earn on your weekly shop. (Loyalty cards) With their loyalty scheme already offering a poorer deal than the likes of Tesco I don’t think this is a very clever move. They are, however, pledging to cut more prices, so we’ll have to see how all this works out in practice.

Morrisons launched their new ‘Match & More’ card this year, (I want more) an interesting twist on a loyalty card, whereby you earn points on items that you would have been able to buy cheaper elsewhere – a price comparison that includes the likes of Aldi and Lidl as well as the other major supermarkets. What pleased me about this card was that Morrisons offered three options when it came to registering the card – online, by post or in store – a refreshing change from companies that expect you to do everything online!

Asda has never been one of my favourite supermarkets, but they’ve certainly put themselves in the doghouse recently. My daughter placed an online grocery order with them, but the goods never actually materialised (Oh dear Asda) and despite phone calls, completion of an online form, a blog post and a Twitter conversation (which reaps results in most cases) the company failed to properly apologise for the inconvenience, or offer any explanation as to what went wrong. Needless to say it’s not an experience she has rushed to repeat. In fact, my prize for “The Worst Customer Service of 2014” is hereby awarded to Asda. Perhaps they’d care to take note!

Whilst I continue to give Aldi a wide berth, having rated previous shopping experiences with them at 2/10, I have become a bit of a fan of Lidl. For me, Lidl have been one of the great emerging retailers of 2014. Most recently I’ve found them a great place to stock up with Christmas spirits – port, cream liqueur and cherry brandy all costing around the £5 mark, and tasting delicious – and I love their Stilton too! I’m sure that I’ll have much more to say about them in 2015.

So wherever you shop, I hope you’ve had good experiences this year – if not, let me know, I’m always keen to hear your shopping stories too!

I Want More!

When it comes to loyalty cards, I’m a serial collector, as many a blog post has demonstrated. It’s little surprise then, that when I heard about the Morrisons’ Match & More card, I just had to grab one and find out, well more.

Strictly speaking, this is not so much of a loyalty card as a price match tool. When shoppers get their card swiped at the checkout, the grocery spend is compared with Tesco, Sainsburys’, Asda, Aldi and Lidl – a selection of supermarkets that just sent the automatic spellchecker on my computer into meltdown!

Always looking to save valuable pounds!

If you would have spent less at these stores, then the difference (with an added zero) is converted to points and put on your card. My first shop with the card could have theoretically been 54p cheaper elsewhere (despite the fact that I targeted offers), and so earned me 540 points. Once I have accumulated 5000 points I will qualify for a £5 voucher.

When I first heard the details about the card, I was unsure whether the benefits would be worthwhile, but considering I’m already a tenth of the way to getting my first £5 following a relatively small grocery shop, it could prove quite handy.

In addition to the ‘match’ points, I’ve spotted a few items in store for which extra points are awarded and you also get 10 points for every litre of fuel that you buy at a Morrisons’ garage.

But what really struck me when I picked up my new temporary card and accompanying leaflet, was that Morrisons actually provide customers with a choice of ways to register – either online, by post (postage paid) or by dropping off the completed form to a box in store. Following previous posts bemoaning companies that only expect customers to communicate with them online, this was a breath of fresh air. After all, there are still people (some of my more elderly relatives included) that either do not have or cannot use the Internet. Well done Morrisons!

Say No To Plastic Carrier Bags

There’s no doubt about it, we’ve become a nation of plastic carrier bag dependent shoppers. Why are so many people so reluctant to make use of more permanent, reusable shopping bags?

When I was a child, everyone seemed to go shopping armed with a collection of bags in which to stow their groceries. For those who preferred not to use this option, supermarkets tended to keep a healthy supply of cardboard boxes close to the checkouts, which were certainly handy to transport heavier, bulkier items.

Over the years, however, it has become more the norm for shoppers to expect plastic carrier bags to not only be supplied, but to be provided free of charge.

In my teens I had a Saturday job at Fine Fare (there’s a blast from the past) who at that time made bags available (some early bags were paper) but at a cost. But as time went on, supermarkets introduced a limitless supply of plastic carrier bags – and all for free!

Some supermarkets do offer incentives to reuse bags, in the form of points for loyalty card holders, but this it would seem is not sufficient encouragement to induce shoppers to break the habit.

Now there are calls to charge for all plastic carrier bags in shops, a move with which I wholeheartedly agree. What’s wrong with reusing bags, which can be bought very cheaply in the first place, thus reducing the impact that all of this surplus plastic is making on the environment.

The proposed charge is 5p per single use plastic carrier bag, thus mirroring a system already employed in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Hopefully, this will discourage their use at least to some degree, reducing the estimated 60,000 tonnes of plastic carrier bags used per year. For those who still opt to use the bags despite this move, the hope is that the money raised can at least be diverted to ‘good causes’. Ideally, I would hope, more environmentally friendly incentives.

Cloth bags are a stronger option, which are not too bulky or heavy, and prove no hardship to take with you on a shopping trip. Yes, you do have to remember to take them in the first place, but it’s just a question of learning a new habit!

Where do you stand on the plastic carrier bag debate?

A New Chapter

It's been a busy few weeks, packing up the last remnants of our 'old life' and moving on to pastures new - quite literally as I am writing this in my new setting, surrounded by green fields!

Shopping, as so much else, has taken a bit of a back seat at the moment, finding homes for all that we already have, has left little time (or need) to accumulate more. We are still in the early stages of a multi-layered move, currently living in a building not really designed for family life, but which has lots of, what an estate agent would call, potential. The fact that we are living a semi-camping existence is quite forgiven, when we look at the views of rolling hills, picturesque countryside and a tranquil river.

We are now starting to embrace our new rural, village life. It was certainly a different experience to hear the sound of bell ringing practice at the village church as opposed to the traffic noise and sirens of busy town life. Indeed there is no traffic passing our front door (or our home at all) except for boats, which are restricted as to when they pass by the tides.

The first view that I saw when I got up yesterday morning was the sight of cormorants diving for food - makes a change from just seeing the odd sparrow in the garden.

Of course, I will still be venturing to supermarkets for the weekly shop (supplemented by visits to our local village store) and to High Street shops for the odd browse and purchase, but I feel my life is about to become far more village-based - and not just because there is only an hourly (sometimes two-hourly) bus service.

This is indeed a whole new chapter of my life!

Re-usable Shopping Bags

There has been talk of late about placing a charge on carrier bags that are issued by shops, as if this is some new innovation. However, this has been done before, and quite honestly I don’t really know why it was stopped in the first place.

When I was a child, people tended to take their own bags when they went to do their weekly shop. I remember my mother gathering together her sturdy bags without giving it a second thought. Once in a while, if she bought an extra lot of shopping that wouldn’t quite fit in the bags, she would select a cardboard box from the pile provided by the supermarket for customer use.

By the time I got a Saturday job in Fine Fare (whatever happened to them?) carrier bags were much more in evidence – but customers were charged for them. Rival supermarket Safeways (another blast from the past) provided large paper sacks, which although were more environmentally friendly, were hard to carry as they had no handles.

Re-usable bags don't have to be boring!

So basically, there were generations of shoppers who were quite prepared to provide their own shopping bags, or at least pay for the ones available in the shops.

More recently, customers have come to expect that stores will provide bags for free. Many shoppers bear little regard to the number of plastic bags that they stuff their shopping into, or give much thought to the impact on the environment.

Carrier bags have almost become a habit, they are taken for granted as part of an average shopping trip.

Supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsburys have long offered an incentive, in the form of extra loyalty points, awarded for every reusable bag used by the customer. I have often thought incentives (points) work better than punishments (charges) but sadly in this case many customers have not been persuaded to kick the carrier bag habit.

I would quite happily see as much as 5p charged per carrier bag, with proceeds going to good causes if possible, to hopefully reduce the amount of bags used and see a return to shoppers providing reusable bags of their own. This is definitely a good habit that we should all get into.

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Say No To Thai Chicken!

OK, so I’ve mentioned before how fed up I am that so many chicken products are made using poultry that isn’t British. (Read the most recent of these rants here) But I struggle to understand why so much chicken from sources such as Thailand and Brazil is still used in food manufacture.

Supermarkets rallied a little following last year’s horsemeat scandal. The amount of fresh meat sourced from the UK rose, be it somewhat slowly in some stores, and many beef products, such as lasagne and pies started to be made using British Beef.

However, many chicken dishes sold in supermarkets are still not produced using British chicken, or even chicken sourced within the EU. Sainsburys’ fresh kievs, goujons etc are all made from British chicken, which is clearly stated on the label. However their frozen ready meals use chicken from Thailand (even their roast dinners that include a whole chicken breast) and Tesco frozen ready meals also use chicken from Thailand and Brazil.

Of course, you wouldn’t notice this at a glance. The chances are that you have been buying these products without even realising the source of the chicken, as the finished meals are actually produced in the UK. To check what you are buying you have to read the small print on the back of the box, where the country of origin is stated.

But at least supermarket own brands are honest and state their sources, even if not in the most obvious place. Some of the big brand names that manufacture frozen meals and meat products do not state the country of origin at all. I have studied boxes produced by Sharwoods, Heinz Weightwatchers and the like, but can find no mention of where their chicken has been sourced. In order for us to make an informed choice as shoppers, we have a right to be provided with all this information, and I therefore believe that it should be law to clearly state the origin of a product’s main ingredients.

In the meantime if I read that the chicken in a product is from Thailand or Brazil, then I don’t buy it. If a product does not state its country of origin, then I still don’t buy it. I want to know that all meat and poultry that I buy in any way, shape or form is British, not only so that it conforms with food safety standards, but I don’t feel we should be importing such items from halfway across the world. Think of the global footprint!

What do you think?

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Sifting Through The Sales

Although the sales started in the shops some time ago, it’s not too late to pick up a bargain or two. In fact, some of my best ever bargains have been bought during the closing stages of sales.

You may have heard me talk about the £3 pair of boots that I picked up in Marks and Spencer or the £5 pair of jeans that I bought on another occasion. This January I’m scouring the stores as usual for last minute finds.

There are still a number of toiletry, make-up and perfume sets on sale in places such as Boots (currently 50% discount, but usually changes to 75% or even 90% as sales progress), Superdrug and some supermarkets. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that these sets are only useful as gifts, as they are handy to just stock up your general supplies of cosmetics and toiletries if bought for the right price.

I’ve purchased a Nivea set containing Express Hydration Body Lotion (250ml), Express Hydration Hand Lotion (100ml) and Hydro Care Lip (4.8g) for just over £2. The usual retail price for these items individually is £3.75, £3.39 and £1.99 respectively, so this was a fantastic saving. This kind of gift set offer allows you to stock up with cosmetics and toiletries for some time to come at a bargain price.

Of course, a big rule of sale shopping is to only buy things that you are really going to use – don’t let a ridiculously low price tempt you into buying something that you wouldn’t normally consider purchasing!

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and trawl those last minute sale bargains.

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So That Was 2013

“What have you done, another year over and a new one just begun…” to quote John Lennon. Indeed another year seems to have whizzed by, and now is the time to look back on its highs and lows and think what we would like to do differently, or perhaps more of next year.

Collectively we welcomed the new Pope and the newest addition to the Royal Family, Prince George, and said goodbye to the legend that was Nelson Mandela. Goodbyes were also said to Lady Thatcher amongst much controversy: I may not have loved her politics, but at the end of the day, I held on to the thought that she was a mother too, much missed by her family.

Across the world there was cause for sadness and shocks, as we witnessed some awful human acts and natural disasters that sometimes claimed lives. However, as is often the case in these situations, we must take comfort from the way ordinary people pull together, raising funds and supporting aid charities to help where possible.

On a personal level I celebrated a ‘milestone’ birthday, saw the birth of my first grandchild (a gorgeous little boy), questioned Ofsted and complained at the loss of Hypermobility classes from my local NHS physiotherapy department.

My blog looked at a range of products and services including make-up, cleaning products, toiletries, DS games and supermarket cafés. I looked at the whole issue of supermarkets using meat from sources other than the UK or even the EU, something that I’m still keeping an eye on.

Next year I’ll be reviewing a whole new set of products and services, continuing my ‘Random Thoughts’ and generally offering up my opinion on shopping and consumer issues.

But for now here are some of my winners and losers for 2013:

A Shoppers’ Joy thumbs up for: Tesco Clubcard, EDF Complaints Resolutions Manager, Max Factor Eye Brightening Mascara, the staff at the Morrisons café Cambourne, Avon Solutions Ageless Bloom Neck and Chest Treatment SPF15, the staff at Travelodge Middlewich, the Tower of London and the Nutmeg clothing range at Morrisons.

A Shoppers’ Joy thumbs down for: ‘Which?’ magazine’s subscription department (and the magazine come to that), Aldi, companies that make money from your PPI claim (you can do it for free yourself), Ofsted, people who speak loudly on their phones on public transport and the poor service I received at the Marks and Spencer café at Hempstead Valley.

Who will be in my good and bad books for 2014?

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Christmas On A Budget

Christmas can be a magical time of year, but it can also be a drain on already struggling finances. More than ever we’re having to watch our shopping bills and budget as much as we can to get by, in view of rising prices and static wages.

But it’s important to remember that whilst we want to celebrate the festive season with our loved ones, it’s not the amount of money that we spend that counts, it’s the time that we actually spend with our family and friends.

Christmas is a very commercial affair, but there are ways to enjoy the celebrations without spending a fortune.

Now is a good time to check your points’ balances on any loyalty cards that you may have, and make use of these if you can. I recently bought a host of Christmas goodies from Sainsburys using my Nectar points to buy items such as crackers, drinks and chocolate, after discovering I had a balance worth almost £30.

If you’re a Tesco Clubcard holder, then you can use their current points boost promotion to double your points’ value. Just exchange your Clubcard vouchers for coupons to spend in specific areas of the store, to get twice their face value. Categories include Finest Wines, toys, clothing and electricals. You can exchange vouchers up until 20^th December and redeem the new vouchers until 31^st December. I’ve made use of the Finest Wines offer to get a few good bottles in for Christmas dinner – prices in the range start from just £5.99.

You may also have points on cards such as Boots Advantage Card and Superdrug Beautycard that can be exchanged for last minute gifts.

If you don’t own a loyalty card (and why not?) then you can still find some bargain offers around. Here are a few recommended buys:

O’Gradys Irish Cream Liqueur – A great (more creamy, I think) alternative to Baileys at just £5.50 a bottle from Sainsburys.

If you like Archers Peach Schnapps, then a great budget alternative is Peaches, costing just £5.50 at Iceland. You can also find lower cost supermarket versions of other drinks such as ‘Malibu’ as ‘Pimms’.

Love liqueur chocolates? I recommend The Co-Operative Loved By Us Brandy Liqueurs costing just £1 per box! Lovely! Most supermarkets also stock boxes of tasty after dinner mints, that I enjoy much more than the famous After Eights, for just £1 a box.

Enjoy your Christmas without too much expense!

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Supermarket Updates

Over the course of this year, I’ve been blogging about the amount (often not enough) of British meat stocked in our supermarkets (see here) that fortunately has seen improvement over time. Many supermarkets have increased the amount of fresh British meat available on their shelves, reducing that sourced from overseas, but have not always carried the trend through to meat products and ready meals.

Back in May I reported that Tesco fresh lasagne was at least now being made with British beef (read here) although many of their other products still were and are using meat and poultry from across the world. More recently I have bought their frozen Chicken, Cheese and Bacon Bakes, which have been made using British chicken and pork. However, when I considered buying their Creamy Chicken Bakes in the same range, perversely I found the chicken for these was sourced from Thailand and Brazil – where’s the logic in that?

 

Similarly all of the own brand frozen ready meals that I recently looked at in Sainsburys used chicken from Thailand and beef from some vague sources, whilst their fresh ready meals all appeared to be made using British ingredients.

The key here is to read the country of origin very carefully, which on the case of frozen foods and ready meals, is often placed very discreetly on the back of the packaging.

In August I told you some ‘Tales Of a Set Down Point’, stories of how customers used (or misused) the set down point at my local Tesco (the story so far) and I now have another somewhat worrying use to add to the list.

On my last visit to the store, I noticed that a woman had left her children sitting in the car at the set down point, whilst she did her full weekly shop. The eldest didn’t look more than about nine or ten, so can I remind this woman (or those of a similar mind) that the set down point is not a crèche in any way, shape or form?

These are just some of my current supermarket whinges, what are yours?

October’s Random Thoughts

Whilst out clothes shopping recently, I’ve been aware that so many shops and clothing departments seem to have reduced the number of mirrors in store. I find myself traipsing halfway round the shop in search of a decent mirror to stand in front of ‘umming and aahing’ about the garment draped across me. I know I can go into the changing rooms, and ultimately I do if a garment looks worth it, but I don’t want to spend my time vying for a cubicle if the colour of a garment is going to make my skin look yellow! To reach that conclusion all I need is a simple mirror.

The only problem I’ve found with my son’s Marks and Spencer ‘Ultimate Non-iron School Shirts’ is that ultimately they need ironing!

My award for ‘staying power’ has to go to Virgin Media who have consistently sent promotional literature to me about every three weeks for years on end, despite me resolutely ignoring them. I’m never going to be tempted by their services, and I’m sure I have made this known to them in the past, but still they soldier on, bless them (she says through gritted teeth).

Yes, I know it’s barely two months until Christmas, but I really don’t want to start buying all the food now, even if I’m starting to look at gifts. So why do supermarkets insist on stocking all the Christmas fayre now, clearing some of the things that I really want to buy off the shelves to make room for festive food far too early?

Get Crafting!

Crafting products and publications have become big business in recent times, not that the crafts involved are anything new.

The emergence of shops such as Hobbycraft (too pricey for my liking, I prefer little independent craft shops) has further boosted the trend for home-crafted items. In supermarkets and newsagents the shelves are lined with magazines featuring knitting, crochet, cross-stitch and paper crafts.

There has definitely been an increase in popularity in crafting, but for me, some form of handiwork has nearly always been a part of my life.

When I was at infants’ school, our entire class was taught how to knit – boys included! The girls made hats for their dolls, whilst the boys knitted ties in the school colours, then we all went on to make dishcloths for our mums, using both plain and purl stitches – and all at the age of just six!

At junior school, we continued the crafting theme, this time working on weaving projects, raffia work and stitching simple items. It’s true that many primary schools participate in at least a little craft work today, but not, I feel, quite on the scale that we did.

As I grew older I added crochet to my skills, then cross-stitch and tapestry and I even attempted a few minor sewing projects. Paper crafting, however, is not an area that particularly interests me, though I admire people who make stunning, individual greetings cards.

If you’ve not previously tried any of the many craft forms available, it couldn’t be easier to start learning a new skill right now. Many retailers sell starter kits for the various crafts, hobby magazines have pages aimed at beginners, teaching simple stitches etc, and the chances are that amongst your friends and relatives there will be someone who is able to pass on a valuable skill to you.

So what are you waiting for? Get crafting!

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Buy British Meat

I’ve always ensured that any meat that I buy is British and diligently seek out the British Red Tractor mark (which assures the supply chain is legitimate and British), double-checking the stated country of origin if this can’t be found.

Buying British meat from supermarkets used to be straight-forward, but more recently I’ve had to scrutinise the fresh meat counters more carefully, as meat and poultry sourced from other countries has become more common.

On a recent trip to my local Tesco Metro, I endeavoured to buy some chicken pieces and pork chops, which in the past were always easy to find of British origin. However, the chicken pieces were all from Holland and Germany, and the pork chops from Denmark and Holland. I have noticed similar tendencies in other supermarkets too.

It’s not that I have any particular problem with these other countries specifically, It’s just that I don’t see why when there is perfectly good British meat available, we should turn our backs on our native farmers and import meat at a cost to the environment.

As the recent horsemeat scandal has shown, there is obviously a flaw in the regulation of meat from certain sources. I like to know the authenticity of the meat and poultry that I buy, to be assured of the correct rearing of the livestock and the appropriate standards with regard to handling of the products.

Whilst it’s often easy enough to see the country of origin listed on most fresh meat packaging, it’s not so obvious to read that for frozen meat (or associated meat products such as ready meals, but that’s another story). The last time I picked up a bag of frozen chicken breasts, I noted that the country of origin (in very small print on the back) was Argentina! I now tend to buy fresh meat and freeze it myself if needs be.

Of course, another way to buy your meat is from a respected, local butcher, whose credentials you can trust and who tends to stock more local produce.

Wherever and however you buy your meat and poultry, strive to buy British. Support our farmers, support our economy and rest assured of high standards buy looking for the Red Tractor Mark.

Stop Press! Just after I had written this blog post, Tesco announced that they are aiming to source their meat “closer to home”, with their stores only stocking British chicken from July. Don’t wait for July; make sure you only buy British as of now!

What are your thoughts on the subject? comments@shoppersjoy.co.uk

This March Why Not…?

Remember Mum on 10^th March (Mothers’ Day) and show your appreciation for all that she does. Why not make a personal gift this year, instead of just giving the usual chocs and flowers? Cross stitch a card or bookmark, take a special family photo and put it in an eye-catching frame, make mum’s favourite meal or take her out somewhere that she’s always wanted to go. Note: When I tried looking up events for Mothers’ Day I found very little, except for restaurant offers, however there seemed to be a fair bit going on for Fathers’ Day. So what’s that about?

Clear out the junk. With the advent of spring, now’s the time to have a really good clear out of all those things that you tend to hold on to, but never get round to using. Remember the rule: if you haven’t worn/used/looked at an item during the past 12 months, then it’s time it went (with a few sentimental exceptions). Once you’ve cleared out all your unwanted items (good quality ones can go to charity, car boot sales or eBay), then invest in some clever storage, to neatly stow away and file all the things that you do need. Supermarkets and shops such as Wilkinson and The Range, stock a great selection of hard-wearing, colourful, storage boxes, with and without lids, that can be arranged neatly in cupboards or on shelving. They’re great for craft items, toys, stationery, keepsakes etc. For paperwork I use A4 clear pocket files, which display letters and bills in a way that are easy to find.

Enjoy the great outdoors. With some warm, spring weather hopefully round the corner, get out and about in some of the lovely parks, woodland areas and country parks around the UK. Many are free to visit, or charge parking fees only. I can recommend:

• Knowle Park, Sevenoaks, Kent – great for a walk amongst the deer!
• Bedgebury Pinetum, Goudhurst, Kent – great for wooded walks and adventure play
• Moors Valley Country Park and Forest, Nr Ringwood, Dorset – great for play and tree top trails
• Dalby Forest, Pickering, North Yorkshire – great for walking and bike-riding

Remember the ‘spring forward’ rule! British Summertime begins on 31^st March, so remember to put the clocks forward one hour to avoid running late.

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Rising Prices

When I write my blog posts I often try to include product prices, but with the current rate of price increases, these sometimes change in the time it takes for me to write and post the details.

On several occasions recently, I have bought a product, noted the price and blogged it, only to find a totally different (higher) price tag on display on my next shopping trip.

Over recent months some individual products have had their prices increased by 40-50p – or even more! I used to buy Tesco Drinking Chocolate 500g for £1.89, but it now costs £2.48 (at the time of writing, of course). I now buy Cadburys, which I can often find on offer for £2 for 500g.

The trend for sharp price rises spans a huge number of products across many shops and supermarkets. The increases are blamed on rising fuel costs (tell me about it!), large overheads (nice, loose term) and rising costs throughout the supply chain (whilst actually paying some producers mere peanuts). This reasoning can sometimes be hard to follow, especially when some companies go on to announce huge profits.

OK. The good thing about supermarkets thriving is that is means sustained employment, but as with many large organisations, running costs can be reduced by dispensing with superfluous ‘management’ tiers, whilst keeping ‘hands on’ staff employed, without the sharp price increases.

So whilst I endeavour to quote relevant prices in my blog, there are times when keeping up with the rises becomes a losing battle.

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Book Bargains

I’m an avid reader and especially enjoy books with mystery, crime and historical themes, although I do like to try books of all genres. This is why I’m a big fan of shops that offer great deals on books, allowing me to try titles that I might not otherwise consider if I had to pay top price for them.

One of my favourite book stores is The Works, where I often buy paperback books on a ‘3 for £5’ deal, but have also found deals there for ‘2 for £3’ and ‘3 for £4’. It’s always worth taking a look at current offers, you may be inspired to try something new.

Supermarkets also offer some good book deals. Tesco sell current paperbacks ‘2 for £7’ with some older titles on a ‘3 for £5’ offer. Sainsbury’s paperback chart includes books for £2.99, £3.49 and £3.99 each, with a selection of older titles sold at 2 for £3. So why not give a new book a go with your weekly shop?

If you prefer to order your books by post or online, then try The Book People http://www.thebookpeople.co.uk They have some great value fiction and non-fiction books at very reasonable prices and there is free delivery on orders over £25. They also offer a Points Passport loyalty scheme whereby you earn Book Points, which you can save and exchange for chosen books.

And of course, don't forget a trip to your local library, where reading really is accessible to all! Many libraries have been closing of late, so let's support the ones we still have.

There’s no excuse for not trying a new book today!

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Please Buy Free Range

I am quite disturbed that supermarkets are stocking an increased number of eggs collected from caged hens. I think this practice is totally unnecessary and as consumers we need to act responsibly and insist on free range.

There will now be those of you who are arguing that it costs more to buy free range, but this needn’t necessarily be the case. Iceland sell free range eggs for £1 for half a dozen: Sainsburys stock Ella Valentine Baking Eggs, which are a good size for £1.50 for half dozen; Tesco are selling 18 Farm Pride free range eggs for just £3.09! You can also often find reasonably priced local, free range eggs in greengrocers, butchers and farm shops.

Maybe it is just lack of thought that makes customers reach for the eggs from caged hens, as opposed to a cost issue. If this applies to you, do please stop and think about the life thousands of caged hens are experiencing due to the careless shopping habits of so many.

If you’re still jumping up and down, ranting about it being a matter of choice, remember: a choice is a privilege which should be used wisely – the hens don’t get one!

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5 Ways To Cut Your Shopping Bills

We all have budgets to stick to, but we don’t necessarily want to compromise on the quality of what we buy. By remembering a few simple points, it’s possible to trim pounds off your shopping bill, whilst still buying the items you want.

1. Read labels carefully. Don’t always assume that a bigger pack of something will save you money. Sometimes two smaller packs can work out cheaper than one large one, even when the larger one is supposedly on offer. I recently saw a bag of oven chips marked ‘bigger pack, better value’, although by buying two smaller ones I definitely got a better deal. The trick is to read the label on the shelf where it states the price per 100g/100ml – the maths is done for you – it soon becomes obvious which is the cheaper option.
2. If you find a big pack of an item which does work out cheaper, don’t be put off from buying it because it’s too large to handle e.g. huge bottles of fabric softener that can be quite weighty to pour. Be sure to keep smaller, empty containers for such items to decant a small amount into at a time. I have done this with squash, coffee and washing liquid too.
3. Make the most of the ‘3 for £10’ meat and poultry deals offered by some supermarkets. Tesco and Sainsburys both offer good quality meat in their £10 deals, including steak mince, pork chops, casserole steak, chicken pieces and sometimes whole chickens too. All the meat that I have bought from these deals has been of really good quality, whilst feeding the family for a little over £3 per meal. You can always stock up on a few of these deals at a time to fill the freezer.
4. Stock up on goods on offer. Make the most of half price offers etc when they arise, providing the items have a reasonably long shelf life. Short on kitchen cupboard space? Then find a handy storage space elsewhere to keep stocks, e.g. a cellar, understairs cupboard, spare room or dry shed. Some items come on offer fairly regularly, so by buying these at offer times and storing them, you need never pay full price for them again. In my case, I find this applies to products such as packs of Branston Beans and Heinz Soups, various cereals, Ariel Excel Gel, fabric softeners and tea bags, to name a few.
5. Look to the floor! Confused? Allow me to explain. Less expensive product ranges tend to be placed on the lower shelves in supermarkets, as stores tend to place premium ranges at eye-level to grab your attention. Budget ranges are often found on the lowest shelf, where they are not as instantly noticeable. So remember – the lower the price, the lower the shelf!

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