Improbable economics

[inulro]

In the epic stew-making process I had going yesterday, a very heavy pan got dropped on my 20-year-old cafetiere. While it's possible to just replace the glass, the metal parts had started to rust a while back so I declared it a write-off and went to Debenham's to get a new one.

The Debenham's brand ones were really cheap and nasty (surprising, because Debenham's is pretty up market), so I looked at the Bodum cafetieres. Until I saw the price. I almost had a heart attack.

I've been coveting a filter drip coffee maker for years but we don't really have space. The most basic model was on sale for £10, less than the cheap and nasty cafetiere.

That has got to be completely Bad and Wrong (yes I know the filter machine was probably made in China by child slaves). How can the electrical unit be cheaper?

Anyway, I have a new toy, although the kettle now has to live somewhere stupid.


Speaking of economics, last week's grocery bill also left me gasping for breath - my comment was "I either have to start buying ingredients and cooking[1] or shopping at Aldi.

Yesterday, we did both. I can be not too miserable if I make up a huge batch of something and freeze it in individual portions, so I cooked up a veggie stew (9 meals worth!). This week's experiment is whether Aldi shredded wheat is edible - it's 100% whole wheat so I don't see how it can go wrong, but in my student days I tried knock-off corn flakes and it wasn't pretty. I'll keep you posted.



[1] This may sound logical, but I loathe cooking to the point that it's a quality of life thing.

Comments

[cybermule.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I just try the Lidl own brands one at a time. That way, you're not lumbered with a cupboard full of crap. I think my friend said aldi cereal was ok. Where do you normally shop?

[inulro.livejournal.com]

Usually Morrisons and once a month or so we treat ourselves to Sainsburys.

[cybermule.livejournal.com]

Yeah - Morrisons is getting more expensive. We've got a fruit and veg stall in Yate - to be honest, I just go to that and Morrisons and buy whatever's on cheap, plan round that. Stew is for the win, though :)

[cybermule.livejournal.com]

We should start a bibgoth buying collective for bulk purchase and bargain exchange.

[mimmimmim.livejournal.com]

I haven't really noticed a rise in food prices I pay, but then Pete and I have been shopping at the high end of the market anyhow - organic vegbox/ local butcher on the whole.

Not looking forward to Npower putting their prices up, mind. They haven't done so far, but it's going to happen for sure.

[inulro.livejournal.com]

I gave up on the veg boxes a while ago.

While I can and will eat anything, I've found that if I want to stay motivated to make my salad for lunch and eat it every day, I'm quite picky about what goes into it, and that's not always in the veg box.

Cheese still mostly comes from the deli, as does pasta and salad dressing. I'm not sure how long that's going to last.

I'm dreading power prices going up, given that I've been overdrawn since the prices of utilities doubled in 2008.

[aoakley.livejournal.com]

We do a bulk Aldi shop at the start of each month, buying 4 weeks worth of the things they do well, and leaving the things they don't do well to weekly shops at Tesco, Morrisons or Sainsburys.

Things Aldi do well:

* All breakfast cereal. Not Kellogs quality but well at Nestle quality. We buy 5-6 boxes of cereal in one go; shredded wheat, wheatabix, rice crispies etc.

* Crisps. Not Walkers quality but acceptable.

* Nappies. Not Pampers/Huggies quality but equal to Tesco own-brand.

* Washing up liquid

* Quarter pound beef burgers. Very impressed with these.

* Processed cheese e.g. cheese spread for children's lunches

* Vegetables

Things Aldi do badly:

* Washing powder (for clothes) - Got very itchy even with their non-bio

* All other meat and fish except quarter pound beef burgers. Just dreadful, avoid.

* Fruit. Tends to lack any discernable flavour and goes off quickly.

[aoakley.livejournal.com]

If you have a Lidl nearby, they're good for Cadburys chocolate (buy a huge slab in bulk and chop off bits as you require, instead of buying individual bars) and also for frozen pizza (not a huge fan of frozen pizza, but it is an easy bulk meal for 6 people in my weekly Dungeons and Dragons sessions).

[inulro.livejournal.com]

I've grown quite fond of Aldi's chocolate, but next time I want my Cadbury's fix I know where to go.

I've successfully managed to keep frozen pizza out of the house for some time now...

[aoakley.livejournal.com]

Strangely enough Waitrose are very cheap for some very specific things too; notably coffee beans (i.e. for a grinder) and unscented/unbleached cosmetic products (e.g. unbleached sensitive skin nappies, for when the twins have got poorly bums). Other than that, though, Waitrose is out of our price bracket - we do our Christmas shop there and that's that!

[inulro.livejournal.com]

There's no Waitrose anywhere near East Bristol. We do our Christmas shop at M&S. And even then, over my dead body do we spend what they want for potatoes and other veg.

[aoakley.livejournal.com]

Other top money-saving supermarket tips, whilst I remember, are: 1) Make a list. Ideally make a meal plan too. 2) Shop at a medium-sized supermarket which does not have homewares, electricals, DVDs etc. We find that shopping in Morrisons saves us money over shopping at Tesco, not because Morrisons are cheaper item-by-item, but because when we shop at Tesco they have a huge range of other things that we get tempted by. Our local Morrisons has quite a middle-of-the-road traditional supermarket range, it isn't a big hypermarket that sells computer bits, cameras, phones, bedlinen etc. too.

[inulro.livejournal.com]

I shop at Morrisons for that exact reason.

Lists and meal plans are the kind of thing that make me crazy. I only use lists if I'm planning to bake and need something out of the ordinary. I go to the supermarket and impulse shop.

I'm not completely stupid - I know that isn't cost effective but up till now I've been able to afford it.

[inulro.livejournal.com]

We buy all our crisps at Aldi. I think they're excellent.

I had a bad experience with Aldi lettuce and tomatoes, for the same reason you outline under fruit. I haven't bought anything fresh from them since, but after I got spring onions from the Tesco next door I discovered that they're 35p a bunch at Aldi so will be giving those a go next time I need any.