Tuesday 6 January 2009

Putting a Lid-l on Spending

WAITING for me, when I got home from work last night, was the latest edition of Delicious magazine.
Always guaranteed to brighten my day, as ever, it has loads of mouthwatering recipes and, this month, a supplement of 'Thinner Dinners' for those (me included) needing to shed the Christmas bulge without sacrificing flavour.
However, the article which particularly caught my eye was one about the way people's food shopping habits have changed over the last 12 months with the onset of the credit crunch.
I know the way I shop has certainly changed and it was refreshing to read that other people were in the same boat.
The 'professional couple' featured were Londoners who'd bought their home near to the glorious Borough Market because they loved food so much.
However, just like my bloke and I, they'd seen their food shopping bills sky rocket over recent months so had started to explore ways of cutting costs.
Similarly, we were overspending at the supermarket and also adding another twenty quid to our bill picking up gourmet goodies at farmers' markets and specialist food shops.
But when the future of our jobs didn't look as secure as we'd like, we decided it was time to cut back and like this couple we've began to frequent budget supermarkets (shock, horror).
It was refreshing to read how another couple had put their food snobbery aside and hit Lidl and Aldi in an effort to spend more sensibly.
I've recently started to shop at Lidl and have to admit I have been both surprised and delighted at the quality of the food.
Sure, there's no fancy displays or in-store music, and there's not quite the choice of goods you'd expect at Tesco, Waitrose or Asda. But the savings it has made to our pocket has been astronomical.
I'd never sacrifice quality; I'd rather cut back in other areas of spending than eat cheap but tasteless food. But nine out of 10 items we've bought at Lidl have hit the mark.
I would say that shopping at stores such as Lidl are worthwhile if you cook from scratch, rather than eat convenience foods.
Besides, the more we save on our weekly shop, the more cash we have to save, or alternatively spend in our favourite restaurants!
What's your view.... Let me know.

4 comments:

Jim said...

I totally agree about Lidl, I like the freshness of their Veg and I also like the continental flavour of their wares. I stop there most Friday night on the way home, probably not the best time as many of the shelves are empty by then.

Emily said...

Glad you agree. We have found their food really good so far and will continue to shop there for the time being. We went to Brum fruit and veg market on Saturday for a mooch round and the prices are good there too, although not so economical if you are just cooking for two people.
Emily

Jim said...

"We went to Brum fruit and veg market on Saturday for a mooch round and the prices are good there too, although not so economical if you are just cooking for two people."

That and the cost of parking, it's shocking.

Emily said...

Absolutely! We walked down, but that's not wise if you intend on buying five pounds of carrots and a kilo of potatoes. If we do intend of stocking up there, we usually park in the Arcadian, but it's not cheap. Although, in the walkway between the market and the car park (opposite the original Cafe Soya), there is the lovely Wah Kee Chinese Bakery. We rarely resist popping in there for a sweet treat.