My day of shopping

Since starting our year we have often been asked “What exactly are you buying now?” “What is different?” So this blog is trying to explain where we are up to – we are not totally there yet – wherever there is! Mark keeps complaining the fridge is empty and it is definitely emptier from the unsustainable days but we are not starving for sure!

On Wednesday I had the day off work and started in Plympton at the health food shop where I bought some spices (in a cardboard box), teabags and essential oils to make my laundry smell nice as the Ecoegg cleans well but you don’t always get a fresh smell and people suggest lavender oil to add the smell! I then went next door to Gribbles for my meat box all in paper bags (see previous blog).

Next I went into the city centre, about 4 miles away, to the ethical superstore for a refill of my washing up liquid (see photo) and some Eco dishwasher tablets. I could have bought more from this shop but it is quite pricey as it is all vegan so I went to Morrisions on the way home after a quick trip to Wilkos for toothpaste.

This was my first trip to a large supermarket in about two months and it felt like I had been on holiday to a different country and just come back with a new set of eyes – all I could see was fruit and veg in plastic bags everywhere! I bought some wholegrain flour and some white bread flour for our breadmaking and some tins of tomatoes and beans along with some sauces like sweet chili and salad dressing. I also bought some cheese sauce granules – I know I could make it myself but….

Whilst I was out shopping our fruit, veg and eggs were delivered so at least when Mark came home the fridge was full.

Summary – My day of shopping took about 4 hours, I went to five different shops and drove about 8 miles. I tried hard to get things that were sustainable, local and responsibly packaged. I had some lovely chats in three of the shops and a cup of coffee on the way – all in all I enjoyed it!