tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post6812735801657072788..comments2024-03-28T15:55:53.792+10:00Comments on down to earth: Grocery shopping choicesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-73306563985835025852012-09-28T11:13:02.940+10:002012-09-28T11:13:02.940+10:00I've been browsing on-line more than three hou...I've been browsing on-line more than three hours nowadays, yet I never discovered any fascinating article like yours. It is beautiful worth sufficient for me. In my opinion, if all web owners and bloggers made excellent content material as you probably did, the internet will be a lot more useful than ever before.<br /><i>Also visit my web-site</i> :: <b><a href="http://rollito.eu/ZaraBie" rel="nofollow">online grocery shopping, grocery stores, printable grocery coupons no sign up, coupons online</a></b>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-73231399924650647002012-09-28T07:11:36.338+10:002012-09-28T07:11:36.338+10:00Wow, this paragraph is fastidious, my younger sist...Wow, this paragraph is fastidious, my younger sister is analyzing these kinds of things, so <br />I am going to let know her.<br /><i>My webpage</i>: <b><a href="http://gashka.com/index.php?do=/profile-895/info/" rel="nofollow">buying groceries with coupons</a></b>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-68827674553016995642012-04-08T08:33:52.684+10:002012-04-08T08:33:52.684+10:00We have an Aldi's very close to our home in mi...We have an Aldi's very close to our home in military housing. I am always shocked at the number of wives that have no clue what Aldi's is or if they do know they still just make the one trip to the military commissary and don't go to Aldi. While it is true that the commissary does carry the top name brands for cheaper, it is by no means a less costly place to shop than an Aldi. I spend almost 50% less on tomatoes alone.autumnesfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04519475352289814754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-34492052523038440812012-04-05T21:13:38.682+10:002012-04-05T21:13:38.682+10:00I buy bulk meat from Bannackbrae, a wonderful, on...I buy bulk meat from Bannackbrae, a wonderful, on the farm supplier of beef, lamb and pork. Fresh fruit and veges are from the vege shop and all the rest from IGA/Woolies. One problem I have with Aldi is they don't supply everything so you need to make another trip to another supermarket and in the end I find I then buy more stuff!! Thats just me not sticking to the list though :) I much rather prefer to do a single shop rather than a double especially with small children in tow! Just another thought on major supermarkets....I personally know of a grower for a major supermarket and this is a big business that supports him and his children and obviously employs Australians, so thats also good for this country too! Thank you Rhonda for your blog.....you are always inspiring to read and have a very happy Easter :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-65148671259043425672012-04-03T22:03:33.620+10:002012-04-03T22:03:33.620+10:00We are a family of 5(3 teenagers) and there are al...We are a family of 5(3 teenagers) and there are always people coming in and out of our house. I make the grocery every two weeks and it cost me $250 ($125/week). I do most of my groceries at No-Frills (Canadian) and I save a lot. When the flyers come out, I sit down for an hour or two and compare all the prices and check the coupons. We live in a small town so it's cheap for me to shop for the specials at the 3 main grocery stores. I have a stocking pantry and I try to stock the best I can.<br />Can't wait to start our garden! In the summer, we have a lot of fresh veggies. This year, we will also have our own sheep, pork and turkey meat. I also try to make our own bread, yogourt, cereal, soap, lip balm, cream and washing detergent when I can find the time.nabibiddihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02583612800220292881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-41306277612988310642012-04-03T22:00:32.687+10:002012-04-03T22:00:32.687+10:00The only thing I buy in a can or bottle is tinned ...The only thing I buy in a can or bottle is tinned beetroot and that is sold in the little 7-day a week shop down the road. They survive being opposite a giant Woollies by stocking more expensive, but better quality, food.<br /><br />Cheap isn't necessarily cheap - The West Australian newspaper recently had some people taste test a variety of hot-cross buns: the Coles and Woollies scored miserably while the more expensive 'boutique' ones were rated highly. Why would you buy the cheap ones when you wouldn't want to eat them? (Of course if they're really good you might be tempted to buy the French butter to put on them!)<br /><br />Same is true for fruit and veg - fruit that was picked unripe and has been trucked around the country isn't going to be eaten, so it's not cheap at any price.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-57078123281374574502012-04-03T10:22:04.395+10:002012-04-03T10:22:04.395+10:00This was a really interesting post and I also love...This was a really interesting post and I also loved reading the comments because I am joining in with tricia's supermarket challenge and documenting it on my blog . We have made the choice to bypass the big supermarkets and use the local IGA , Aldi when we need it and the local organic shop (plus supply as much of our own food as we can).Of course this is not without faltering to things like budget...which for a family of 4 can affect us greatly. You can do your head in once you start shopping ethically and also keep your head above water financially- so I think the way to do it is do 'what feels right' , shop wisely and fairly and if enough people shop this way, the shops themselves will change to suit a new market . The market of ethical, budgetwise shoppers. A very timely post .Kimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09958193502828236814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-8146147680018442992012-04-03T08:51:33.417+10:002012-04-03T08:51:33.417+10:00I was thrilled to read so many comments about cons...I was thrilled to read so many comments about conscious choices others are making. We all have different values, budgets, access to supplies etc but discussions like this raise awareness at a deeper level and provide new ideas for making little improvements in what we buy and how we shop. Personally we grow most of our fruit and veggie needs but buy direct local produce from an organic farmer who can tell me the story of the food he sells, we support our local IGA that sells a lot of organic lines (consumer demand puts it on the shelves), support local artisans and farmers markets and only when necessary (about once a month now) visit a supermarket for items we can't source elsewhere. <br />I have also just blogged about sustainable shopping and for Aussie readers, we have some excellent resources available to us to make more informed choices on what we buy. These include http://www.ethical.org.au, http://www.localharvest.org.au and http://www.ausbuy.com.au but others are listed at http://tinyurl.com/shop-sustainably. <br />Thanks Rhonda for laying this important subject on the table.Anne, The Micro Gardenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13254551269858854321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-44779292688831664512012-04-03T02:10:18.674+10:002012-04-03T02:10:18.674+10:00Right now, my focus is on trying to make almost ev...Right now, my focus is on trying to make almost everything we eat from scratch. I bake all our own bread and make our yogurt and am now going to start making cheese and sausage at home. In about a month, our local CSA will start deliveries, and I've been volunteering at the coop that's just starting up here. I'm unemployed right now and will soon be going back to school, so I need to keep costs down as much as I can.STHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-61935949175343509182012-04-02T23:01:48.843+10:002012-04-02T23:01:48.843+10:00No ALDI here in South Australia yet, so cant reall...No ALDI here in South Australia yet, so cant really comment on that. I did have a look in one when we were in Queensland 18 months ago so I knew what was in them...just had to because Rhonda shops there lol!<br /><br />Not much organic products here either hence why we have opted to grow our own...the veggie garden is doing really well although I am still having trouble growing tomatoes, need to do some more research there, I think I may be over-watering them. I try to buy most of our meat from the local butcher but sometimes buy reduced items at Woollies. I have been thinking of doing my shopping at IGA in a nearby town once a month rather than make Woollies richer. I have been very disappointed with the quality of fruit and veg lately at WW's and refuse to pay top dollar for stuff that is of poor quality.<br /><br />I do try to buy Australian when I can, but what I find annoying is that Australian fish is so hard to get hold of. With all the fish caught here in Australia it would be nice to see it in the supermarkets not just the imported stuff they have there...cant seem to buy rabbit or goat meat either, yet there are plenty of them around where we live.<br /><br />Some interesting comments to this one :)Taniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10176661940614462611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-60876185083191254852012-04-02T19:52:52.089+10:002012-04-02T19:52:52.089+10:00Hi Rhonda
Our shopping habits must be very simila...Hi Rhonda<br /><br />Our shopping habits must be very similar.<br /><br />We have eggs from our own chickens plus some fruit and vegetables from our garden. I do as much as I can while combining it with full-time paid work.<br /><br />I buy most of the groceries at Aldi, meat from the local butcher in Maleny, most of the dry goods from Simply Good and a few things from IGA. I usually buy any extra fruit and vegetables from the fruit stall on the Beerwah-Kilcoy Road.<br /><br />I do buy some organic items but generally my priority is produced as locally as possible and minimal packaging.<br /><br />My one exception was rice. I do not believe that irrigation should be used for growing rice here in Austalia so I used to actively seek imported organic rice from the co-op. However, they have recently started stocking Rain-Fed rice which is grown near Kyogle in northern NSW, entirely using natural rainfall and is processed on farm so no extra transportation. It is also biodynamic and I can buy it in bulk using my own bags. It ticks all the boxes and I am happy.Fairy from Organised Castlenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-17054045573675304792012-04-02T19:35:38.895+10:002012-04-02T19:35:38.895+10:00Moving to Sweden after living in the Netherlands h...Moving to Sweden after living in the Netherlands has been sad for us, foodwise. Co-ops don't exist here in the same form, even though one of the largest chains is called "Coop" and carries many organic products. It's so hard to find local products. We've actually gone back to a more vegetarian diet due to the lack of organic, well-fed and well-treated animals for meat products. I miss my local shop with meat and vegetables from surrounding towns. <br /><br />The other way we are combating this problem is by growing as much as possible of our own vegetables. We are growing around 100 different things this season on 200 sq. meters of land. I have really high hopes for the garden. <br /><br />I'm also hoping that a farmer's market will appear in the summer...Jessicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10936027979999135776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-33454376093626342012-04-02T19:21:21.719+10:002012-04-02T19:21:21.719+10:00Hi Rhonda,
here in The Netherlands we also have L...Hi Rhonda, <br />here in The Netherlands we also have Lidl, that is a German based supermarket too and this supermarket is even cheaper than Aldi sometimes. Their veggie and fruit was given a prize for best fresh produce. They get a lot of prizes, also for their laundry detergent. It is cheap and very good. We always go to Lidl and after that to AH ( Albert Heijn), because you can't get everrything at Lidl.<br />I always look if fruit and veggies are from The Netherlands and buy those. With strawberries you get the cheap ones from Spain, but I always wait for the Dutch ones. We can also buy strawberries in the neighbourhood and I do that too.<br />Sometimes it's hard to stay within the budget, but we have to. We are living of my husband's disability. That is our only income, so we have to watch the budget closely. We are saving for our 25th wedding anniversary now. We want to celebrate this with a buffet etc., so we need to watch our spending to have a big party on the 16th of June. Our anniversary is the 27th of May, but we will wait until the school exams are over. Our daughter is in her final year ; )<br />Thank you so much for all the lovely tips and stories. I so enjoy reading your blog !!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-78593367420779982342012-04-02T16:34:32.658+10:002012-04-02T16:34:32.658+10:00I am trying to produce as much of my food as possi...I am trying to produce as much of my food as possible so I have less of these decisions to make!<br />There always seems to be a trade off between local, organic, affordable and minimal packaging and what I choose seems to vary from shopping trip to shopping trip.<br />I do use our local farmers market and butchers as much as possible, and get flour delivered in 16kg or 25kg sacks (I'm in the UK so I choose British flour ground in a mill about 50 miles away) but I can't avoid the supermarket completely yet unfortunately.Hazelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05388175819512214533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-35342970612774259252012-04-02T15:27:49.148+10:002012-04-02T15:27:49.148+10:00I buy meat (beef, chicken, pork and turkey) eggs a...I buy meat (beef, chicken, pork and turkey) eggs and milk from a local farm. The meat purchase is once a year and we keep it in our deep freezers. Bulk foods like wheat berries, some organic produce, honey, etc. from a once a month co-op that delivers to a local home; all of my purchase is already sorted and marked with my name on the box. I keep a 'running' cart open on-line. If my order is over $50, there is no shipping charge .. and no sales tax because it comes from one state away. I buy a few items at Walmart and make a trip once month to Costco (warehouse type of store) for Irish (Kerrygold cheese) .. it's an import, but as far as I know, Ireland is a GMO free country .. and I'm allergic to GMO's and most all food additives.<br />And .. there's the local health food store where I buy some bulk items, spices and Kerrygold pastured butter (again due to GMO's). My shopping strategy is to visit the farm once a week for fresh milk and eggs. Once a month I make my errand run to the above mentioned shops and get the shopping done in one sweep. I garden, can, freeze, preserve our own foods during the summer/fall from our garden and a u-pick local farm. 99% of our food is cooked fresh and at home.Mrs. Machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06644129213141875138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-30047320883066025362012-04-02T14:47:33.779+10:002012-04-02T14:47:33.779+10:00So many dilemmas with grocery shopping and there a...So many dilemmas with grocery shopping and there are many considerations - including the price and purpose of your purchase. For products I use a lot of such as olive oil I want quality Australian grown olive oil at a reasonable price and Aldi offers this. I also use organic coconut oil and pay a lot more for it at a wholefoods store that is very conscious of where it sources products from but I use this sparingly, mainly in smoothies and muesli. Its health benefits in this case justify the cost for me. Same goes for unsulphured apricots and the celtic sea salt but have to remember to continue to buy a cheap homebrand tub after finding a child sprinkling the organic sea salt on leeches!<br />The yeast I purchase that gives me the best results for bread is from France but I mainly use sourdough rather than baker's yeast so don't feel too guilty about this. In this instance, it was about ensuring a good result from something I make at home with flour milled from organic and Australian grown wheat purchased locally at a great price. I love it when that can happen. If only that were the case for everything I use.<br />But what about personal preference and taste? I can buy locally grown and roasted coffee. I've tried it and it is good but not quite as good as the locally roasted coffee made from imported Fair Trade beans. In time, we hope to have enough of our own beans and the quest to begin processing our own coffee will begin.<br />For me knowing something is fresh and locally grown is not enough information. I want to know how they farm, what chemicals they are using. If they say they are not certified organic but don't spray I may buy but I'm still wary, especially with hydroponic produce as I don't know enough about what is in the 'nutrients' they add to the water. For this reason I've been buying Aldi's organic tinned tomatoes. I know they are from Italy but I prefer them for making pasta sauce to the watery, tasteless, hydroponic ones sold bagged in plastic at the farmers market even though they are grown locally. Then I read the health concerns over the linings of tins used for tomatoes and other acidic foods! Another dilemma - packaging! Ideally, my homegrown tomatoes from summer would be preserved and last through the winter and the plan is to set up a greenhouse to enable this to happen. Have not reached that stage yet but little by little we are taking the steps to reduce our reliance on the supermarket even if that means buying fruit trees from there which is what we did on the weekend when Aldi had citrus trees on special. I bought fruit trees but no fruit as it's raining passionfruit here and until they are all used up (already made jam!) no fruit will be bought. Thankfully, my children love them!<br />I enjoyed this post Rhonda, made me think about where I buy and why.Ann at eightacresofedenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15524581927752695509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-4940281581599653632012-04-02T13:58:45.724+10:002012-04-02T13:58:45.724+10:00Hi rhonda, I just thought I would share this with ...Hi rhonda, I just thought I would share this with you, you might like to try and see what happens. I live in melbourne and just used yellow pages on line and typed in food co-op and my suburb, what came up was frightening. So many options, but no co-ops.<br />BrendaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-86856031802877216902012-04-02T12:15:27.563+10:002012-04-02T12:15:27.563+10:00This is a very interesting topic. I too have opted...This is a very interesting topic. I too have opted for local conventional over organic from goodness-knows-where.<br />I did a bulk shop at Aldi the other day (first time I've been there in about 6 months) and stocked up on organic pastas, bottled tomatoes (Italian, admittedly) extra virgin olive oil in the tin, organic butter and their organic milk for yoghurt making ( I don't like that it's ultra heat treated for ordinary drinking). So, yes, it is great for stocking up the pantry with basics.Taniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00123593037593548003noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-22197174640602498022012-04-02T11:58:58.257+10:002012-04-02T11:58:58.257+10:00Melinda, they'll give you the prices if you ph...Melinda, they'll give you the prices if you phone them. I haven't bought bulk flour for a while because we've been away. We're due to get some soon and I expect the price to have increased.rhonda jeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08962112306968959985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-21808097206459566202012-04-02T11:48:11.675+10:002012-04-02T11:48:11.675+10:00Melinda again,
Rhonda I looked up the store you bu...Melinda again,<br />Rhonda I looked up the store you buy your bulk flour from found a catalogue but no prices and wondered what you pay for the bulk flour. I buy my wholemeal flour in bulk when I can get it from a Deli in West End (inner suburb of Brisbane) and wondered if yours was any cheaper. I live on southside and wonder if the prices compare. I also purchase all my nuts olives lentils chick peas in simple kilograms bags.<br />ThanksAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-2760359263502188852012-04-02T11:32:20.738+10:002012-04-02T11:32:20.738+10:00I never shop at ALDI as I can't bring myself t...I never shop at ALDI as I can't bring myself to! All the profits (of which there must be squllions!)go offshore (Germany) and they do not employ teenagers/students etc which the other supermarkets do very well. There are scant staff employed who often have several roles therefore stopping someone else having a job too, so they may start the day as the manager then end up packing shelves ( I sat next to an aldi staff member at dinner and found that out). They have no 'quick' aisle i.e. 12 items or less. it's just not for me and I hope I've educated others.<br />I mostly shop at a local greengrocer and IGA, with occasional woollies/coles for unusaual fruit/veg,and I can live with that. I buy from australian owned companies despite the cost. I think I'm making my small contribution to the survival of Australian jobs, companies etc. Maybe you could join me???? Jelly.<br />P.S I am an avid fan of your site Rhonda, just disagree on this *one* point.....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-57326120390524082722012-04-02T11:30:57.327+10:002012-04-02T11:30:57.327+10:00Melinda says
Great topic, it is one I have been th...Melinda says<br />Great topic, it is one I have been thinking about lately. I wish I could give Woollies the flick but I do rely on them for things I can't get elsewhere for eg baking powder vanilla essence (when I don't have homemade from vanilla beans and a few other things. My closest grocery store is an Aldis' and every Sunday I go to my local 'flea market' and buy my fruit and vegetables, so local and many the growers from nearby. I also looking through all the other stalls and buy much of what I need like clothing manchester all second hand for very little. My daughter has clothed her two young children in often very stylish outfits for a fraction of the new cost. Once we bought a box of handmade soap non scented from a stall that was selling out old stock for $20 for the whole box and it can be used for nearly everything. If I were to give two good tips for reducing the shopping bill it would always be used powdered milk at least for cooking and always go to your local market in my case flea market for fruit and vegetables. I am never alone at the markets as it is always packed. I also like asking them where their produce is grown. Hope this is not too long but it is a subject near to my heartAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-44329331245527109492012-04-02T10:53:32.907+10:002012-04-02T10:53:32.907+10:00We need to start a campaign TO GET ALDI HERE IN WA...We need to start a campaign TO GET ALDI HERE IN WA. I am so envious of people in the East who can access this store. We don't even have good farmers' markets near us, so have to rely on IGA, and the other two. However, I don't buy very much processed food these days, so the things I buy are hardly ever on special :(<br />Jill.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-64376253194578498292012-04-02T10:46:11.406+10:002012-04-02T10:46:11.406+10:00Such a timely post Rhonda, yet again. I was given ...Such a timely post Rhonda, yet again. I was given the Frugavore book for my birthday and am putting some of her suggestions to the test eg using the local markets rather than supermarket for fresh stuff. Not any more expensive and much more nutrients I believe. And I also use Aldi.<br /><br />A note on Aldi for the person who finds the prices the same as Woolies - they are, but I have found the quality much better. And getting out of the store in half an hour beats the hour it takes to go around the huge Woolies and the long lines! But that might just be me.<br /><br />A note on organic. I totally hear everyone's interest in it for health and environmental reasons, but do get concerned about the decrease in productivity. I know this seems like an awful thing to say on a simply living blog, but if we were all to buy organic, we would be dramatically reducing the food available to those in poorer nations, or those less advantaged in our own. I do still buy organic, but I try to be mindful of this fact.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-12908121749034499562012-04-02T10:45:49.022+10:002012-04-02T10:45:49.022+10:00Oh how I miss Aldi! Here we don't have one, an...Oh how I miss Aldi! Here we don't have one, and what we have been doing for over a year now is having our groceries delivered from Coles. You order online, so no tempting chocolate an biscuit isles to be avoided, and instead of us driving to the shop, the little truck comes to us, and a whole lot of other people, which is probably a reduction of petrol use.<br />We get our fruit and veg (what we don't have growing in the garden yet) from a local weekend market and our meat (the little we eat of it) is from a butcher who sources from local farmers. Just this weekend we have hatched a plan with a friend who's a vet with no room for chickens, when we get ours (spring), he can 'park' some chickens with us, in return he will butcher some of our chickens for us when they're ready. (I guess we won't be naming them!)<br />We also eat a lot of kangaroo, very very healthy, and there's an over supply. You just need to know where to get it! I can't wait for the government regulations to change to make this easier.<br />AnnAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com