How long does your "big shop" last?

[Maydup]

We live in a area which is popular with tourists, so to avoid the traffic at peak times we do a big shop at the begining of the school holidays and then just pick up a few odds and ends locally for a few weeks.

With the vegetables and salad we grow in the garden and some local bread and milk, we are into our third week now without having been to a supermarket.

I looked in the cupbaords this weekend and feel fairly confident we can make it though until September unless we get withdrawal symptons of course! How long could you manage without a trip to the supermarket?

[boxtops]

I do a big shop every month when I get paid, soap powder, toilet rolls and the like, then top up with food every week. We have lots of small supermarkets round here - I couldn't manage without shopping to buy meat etc.

[Prudie]

1 week

[Buenchico]

I shop on a 'day by day' basis, so I never do a 'big shop'. However I've always got enough cans, packets, and frozen items in the house to last me (in an emergency) for at least a couple of weeks. (I've not got a fridge and I've only got a 'table top' freezer, so I've not the capacity to have months of food in stock).

[Prudie]

No fridge? where do you put milk? And beer?

[boxtops]

Chris, how do you manage for milk etc? We never had a fridge when I was little, but we had a very cool pantry, and the milkman called every day in those days.

[Mamyalynne]

I do a big shop online about once every 6 weeks - heavy and bulky stuff. I like to then shop 3/4 times a week to top up as it gets me out of the house.

[Maydup]

No fridge Chris? Thats interesting.

We have a small freezer but I can't seem to get into the swing of using it much. Like you, most of my long term items are dry goods and tins etc.

[Buenchico]

Boxtops:
I've got one of those little insulated 'picnic bags' (£1, on Southwold market), plus 8 cheapo ice packs. Four of them are in the picnic bag, with the other four in the freezer. I swap them round every day. (The bag is big enough to hold a pint of milk, a pack of butter and a few other things as well).

[boxtops]

well done, Chris - that's creative.

[Athley]

I have a Tesco/Waitrose delivery every Wednesday - but still usually pick up the odd bits and bobs from M&S inbetween. I never seem to have an empty cupboard, fridge or freezer though so I probably could manage for longer.

[Maydup]

And mind if I ask if you do that out of choice Chris or for lack of space/money for a fridge?

[Buenchico]

Maidup:
My fridge packed up ages ago. I could probably find the money to buy a secondhand one but I can't remove the old one - to put the new one in - without taking out the gas cooker first, which would involve paying a gas fitter! Further, the fridge's location is underneath where the water comes through the ceiling if I turn the stop-tap on for any length of time, so I'd need to get a plumber in to fix that problem as well!

[boxtops]

250 toilet rolls? - where do you keep them, eddie? I have trouble enough storing 12!

[Barmaid]

I tend to do one big shop once a month for stuff like loo rolls, cat food, washing powder and store cupboard stuff. Then I nip to the local market for meat, fish and veg (if I haven't got it in the garden) as and when. I cook all our meals from fresh and the number of times my OH looks in the fridge and says "there's nothing to eat", but actually, there is loads to eat if you can actually cook. (I'm always making fresh bread, scones, cakes, desserts, pies, quiches etc).

If it wasn't for stuff like loo rolls etc I reckon I could go months without going to the supermarket. ALthough given todays events, I won't be going there anytime soon.

Plus I get 2 lovely fresh eggs a day from my girlies so it has completely changed the way we eat.

[Buenchico]

How many people are there in your house, Eddie51? If you're getting through 250 toilet rolls per year, that's around 5 per week!

[Maydup]

No wonder you found a £1 solution Chris!

[Maydup]

I don't think 5 loo rolls per week is particularly excessive. But I too would love to know where they're kept.

Also - how do you go about getting a cash and carry card?