Where does everyone do their shopping.

[Pamela1]

During the past few years food prices have not just risen in the UK but in Spain also. Nowadays i get to the end of the till in Mercadona and i am gobsmacked when it comes to the final amount. I look at what i have bought and tend to think this wouldn't have cost me this in the UK. What is going on? I buy mostly fresh foods, lots of salad, veg, meat etc ...The salad and veg is grown in Spain, no transportation costs to another country. I can not fathom it ...I don't do all my shop in Mercadona, they tend to stock their shelves with their own brand and don't have everything i am looking for but even for their own brand the prices are expensive.

[costakid]

We have used Carrefour for 20 years but they are so expensive. We have started to have a dabble in Lidl as they seem quite a bit cheaper. Almost cheaper to eat out these days.

[Free at Last]

We shop mainly at Mercadona, supplemented by occasional visits to Lidl, Carrefour smaller supermarkets and our nearest British shop a couple of times a year. Mercadona is only a 5 minute walk from home, the nearest Carrefour is at the other end of town a good 30 minute walk away and Lidl is out of town a 45 minute walk or a bus ride away. Prices have certainly gone up and we have been disappointed that Mercadona have suddenly stopped selling a few different things we have always bought over the last year (quiches, no whole plum tomatoes in 400g cans, and a couple more). But the other supermarkets don't sell those things either and as we don't have a car we'll be continuing to use Mercadona.

I've just come back from a short visit to the UK and it seemed to me that prices had gone up quite a lot just since my previous visit in April this year, especially for eating out and drinks. Some restaurants had increased the price of the same main course I'd had before by 20% (compared to 6 months ago) and are now charging over 10 pounds for a 250ml glass of wine (and not for high quality wines). I paid 3.45 for a tonic water in Browns, and coffees were at least 3.50, more often over 4 pounds. I was in Manchester city centre so prices might be lower elsewhere. I didn't buy much in supermarkets but what I did buy seemed expensive. 4 pounds for small, individual size quiches in Marks and Spencer (yes, I know, M&S but I do like their food).

With the coming increases in the minimum wage and employers' national insurance contributions I can only see prices going one way, and it isn't down. And that will be the case in Spain too, as the minimum wage will increase again next year, and the devastation in Valencia and in parts of Andalucia too will lead to shortages particularly of fruit and vegetables so prices will invevitably rise. At least the price of olive oil has dropped back quite a bit from the peaks seen earlier this year.

[Wicksey]

Similar to others here, we shop in Mercadona and Lidl, often on alternate weeks as we like different things from the two shops. Very occasionally we go to Aldi. It just doesn't have what we need for a week's shopping as the local one is quite small. I think our bills have reduced slightly, as it wasn't unusual to spend around 100€ in Mercadona at times. We usually shop once a week but some weeks the bills have been only 60€ as I always have a good store of food (lots of cupboard basics and two freezers full) and as we eat a lot of veg it's usually that we run out of (plus we have to buy bottled water all the time). That does not include cat food as we buy that elsewhere. According to my accounts, we average around 83€ pw over the year which does seem expensive compared to the old days when food was much cheaper here than the UK (a bit like fuel, but then I am going back 20 years or more). Food shopping is by far our biggest household expense.

However, we hardly ever eat out now. We used to frequent the local family run menu del dia restaurants but many have shut down. We have the occasional Indian but our favourite has put their prices up so much that it is looking expensive now. When on holiday we'll eat at a few of our favourite places, and they are very Spanish restaurants away from the tourist areas but even then, in a week's holiday we'll spend about 120€ on eating out (being used to a 12€ all included menu del dia, this seems quite a lot on meals out ..... we never have been 'fine diners' as someone once pointed out to us!).

[Free at Last]

Similar to others here, we shop in Mercadona and Lidl, often on alternate weeks as we like different things from the two shops. Very occasionally we go to Aldi. It just doesn't have what we need for a week's shopping as the local one is quite small. I think our bills have reduced slightly, as it wasn't unusual to spend around 100€ in Mercadona at times. We usually shop once a week but some weeks the bills have been only 60€ as I always have a good store of food (lots of cupboard basics and two freezers full) and as we eat a lot of veg it's usually that we run out of (plus we have to buy bottled water all the time). That does not include cat food as we buy that elsewhere. According to my accounts, we average around 83€ pw over the year which does seem expensive compared to the old days when food was much cheaper here than the UK (a bit like fuel, but then I am going back 20 years or more). Food shopping is by far our biggest household expense.

However, we hardly ever eat out now. We used to frequent the local family run menu del dia restaurants but many have shut down. We have the occasional Indian but our favourite has put their prices up so much that it is looking expensive now. When on holiday we'll eat at a few of our favourite places, and they are very Spanish restaurants away from the tourist areas but even then, in a week's holiday we'll spend about 120€ on eating out (being used to a 12€ all included menu del dia, this seems quite a lot on meals out ..... we never have been 'fine diners' as someone once pointed out to us!).

For 16 years after we moved here we drew €70 in cash from the bank every week to pay for our food shopping (including laundry and cleaning products, shampoo etc. but not alcohol) and some weeks we had as much as €20 left at the end of the week. 2 years ago we increased that to €80 as the surplus at the end of the week was shrinking and sometimes non existent, now we are finding ourselves with money left over at the end of the week again.

We do eat out at least once a week, still. We have found that prices locally and in Málaga city have increased a lot, and in some cases the quality has gone down as well. We stopped using one Italian restaurant in Torre del Mar we used to go to regularly as the prices had gone up beyond what we considered reasonable, although the food was always good. The price of a glass of their Spanish wines went up to €4 (€5 for the Italian ones) and for some time they had been charging extra for a small dish of Gran Padano cheese to put on pasta dishes (not even Parmesan!) and that went up from €0.50 to €1.50. Their "gourmet· bruschettas as starters went up to €9.50 and the toppings became less generous. That seems too much to pay to me for basically a slice of toasted bread with a topping, there isn't much cooking involved in that! The best value we have found for eating out on holiday this year, strangely enough, was in Madrid. We had two really good menu del dia meals there which cost €14.95 each including an appetiser in one and bread in the other, 3 courses and either wine, beer or a soft drink and the food was very good and the portions generous. We can't find anything near to home to match that and both in the UK and Italy where we've been this year it was much more expensive. It would be a tall order indeed for us to spend €120 on food and drink in a week's holiday, it is usually that much per day for us if we are eating 3 meals a day out, plus having drinks in between, and we are not "faine diners" either and don't go mad with the alcohol.

[olive]

Mostly Mercadona, Lidl and an independent supermarket between them. Truly excellent fruit and veg plus own locally sourced butcher.

Sometimes go to Consum as their fruit and veg is good quality

Have been in the UK for a few months, some things are pricy but the offers are often amazing. My top tip is pick up a loyalty card as the big supermarkets have two tier pricing on many products. Eg 10 without 7 with.

For the life of me, I cannot see how fruit and veg is generally less in the uk when much of the produce has food miles including coming from Spain.

[Free at Last]

Have been in the UK for a few months, some things are pricy but the offers are often amazing. My top tip is pick up a loyalty card as the big supermarkets have two tier pricing on many products. Eg 10 without 7 with.

I used to have a Tesco credit card which also functioned as a Clubcard, but after the end of the Brexit transition period they wrote to me saying that I was no longer entitled to one as I wasn't a UK resident. As I don't have a UK address I think it would be difficult for me to have any supermarket loyalty card now, and I certainly notice the two tier pricing that is used in the supermarkets there.

[olive]

You dont need an address! I have a picked up at customer services Nectar card for Sainsburys. Not registered. I get the discounts just by scanning it in at checkout

[markwilding]

I have most UK loyalty cards as these days it is important to have them to get the deals, which are only available to card holders. It is not easy but possible to get them.

Mercadona is our first choice for day to day shopping as well as occasional visits to all the others mentioned and Eroski.The products I buy in the Uk tend to be expensive in Spain but on the whole I would still say Spain is a little cheaper.

I have to point out though the high inflation period coincided with my son buying his house and moving out so I am actually paying less for food.

[Pamela1]

Lots of food miles and not great quality when it gets here, lasts a couple of days max. Gone are the days when tomatoes came in nice and hard and still orange, nowadays they are over ripe and way past their best. Same goes for most produce brought in from over seas. I miss the quality of salad items and veggies in Spain. Also miss the big campo tomato's, here it's all uniform size and tasteless.
I rarely eat out in the UK, just having a coffee and a scone or a cake is extortion, need a mortgage for a 3 course meal. When in Spain we sometimes eat out if we are away from our property when spending a few nights by the coast. Other than that we go out regularly when we are there at our house but never order a meal, don't need to, the tapas just keep on coming and the portion sizes seem to have grown over the years, maybe something to do with competition. Not cheap food either, fish, meat etc...I honestly don't know how they do it but it's not hard to work out that without the tapas many bars would be shut.
I have gone into Lidl in Spain and UK, some items are ok and much cheaper, depends what you wish to buy..The packs of fruit like grapes and strawberry's do not have a best before date on them, so i don't buy those items. A lot of things like cucumbers have been forced, prefer to go to a fruit and veg stand alone shop if i can...As i said i cant get everything i want in Mercadona so i tend to shop around, i hate Spanish butter and Danni stock Irish Kerrygold butter so i buy a few items there. Mercadona have stopped stocking things like Lays crisps and tbh it's all about their own brand which is ok but i prefer a choice.Just like the UK, it is now worth shopping around more so than ever.

[gavilan]

I find this thread about where you go shopping weird ... parts of Spain have had life threatening floodss and immense damage to lives and livlihoods ... and across the pond they have just elected as president a convicted rapist, inveterate liar, an anti aborrtionist, anti immigrant, a failed businessman ,,, and all we can talk about is where we go shopping!!!!

[markwilding]

That’s because life goes on. Obviously, most of us feel for those and some might have tried to help. Some in my family have gone down to help in the clean up, others have set up aid and are asking for practical things such as dried food. Personally, this is my contribution but the reason they drove down to help was because they were told manpower to unload and clean up was most needed.

[Free at Last]

I find this thread about where you go shopping weird ... parts of Spain have had life threatening floodss and immense damage to lives and livlihoods ... and across the pond they have just elected as president a convicted rapist, inveterate liar, an anti aborrtionist, anti immigrant, a failed businessman ,,, and all we can talk about is where we go shopping!!!!

I must have missed the new forum rule that requires us to run any prospective new thread (however innocuous the subject) past you to ensure it meets your standards, before posting it.

It was only a couple of weeks ago that people were lamenting the dearth of contributions to the forum and it is hardly going to help ensure the survival of the forum if those who do post are to be met with this kind of sanctimonious preaching at them. Plus there are threads about both the floods and the result of the US election already so those subjects are not being ignored.

[gavilan]

sanctimonious preaching? ... so many people are finding it difficult to say life goes on ... not only in Spain but there must be many millions in USA who are now in fear of what life is going to be like in the near future ... never mind, let's make a nice cup of tea and calm down

[Free at Last]

sanctimonious preaching? ... so many people are finding it difficult to say life goes on ... not only in Spain but there must be many millions in USA who are now in fear of what life is going to be like in the near future ... never mind, let's make a nice cup of tea and calm down

And who are you to assume that because people may not be commenting on this particular forum about these issues that they do not care or are ignorant of them? Personally I am reading and commenting on threads regarding the flooding disaster on two Span wide forums where people who actually live in the affected areas and have first hand knowledge of what is going on are contributing, as i find that more useful than a forum about Andalucia where about all we can say is "isn't it just awful, those poor people". And on Trump's election victory I prefer to post in a more political forum.

[gavilan]

Free at Last ... I would be interested if you would send a link to that 'more political forum' you mentioned ..tvm

[Pamela1]

Oh well, it was interesting while it lasted.

[Pamela1]

Free at Last ... I would be interested if you would send a link to that 'more political forum' you mentioned ..tvm

Start a new subject if that is the kind of info you are looking for...This thread ( whether you like it or not) was about shopping until you jumped on...

[Wicksey]

I find it best not to get embroiled in politics on here as we all vote differently and have differing views. If you are on opposing sides, you can argue 'til you're blue in the face, but people won't change from Labour to Tory voters so there's no point in getting wound up by it.

I can't get excited about US politics as I have no say over what happens and who gets voted in. I do not agree with some of Trump's policies, but what can I do and as I am not a voting American? Like it or not, he was democratically voted in. The same applies to UK politics, as I also have no vote and no influence over who get voted in. There's no point in getting upset about who gets in.

Yes of course the flooding has been devastating and I'm sure many here will support the collections of goods to help out. I can't imagine where you start to clear up when everything is thick in mud, when you whole life has been washed away, and when many have lost loved ones. There are often dreadful disasters around the world, but life does carry on, as Mark said. There are threads on here to join the discussion on those subjects. I'm not being hard hearted, but our life here is carrying on. We are still talking about where we may end up moving to, where our next holiday may be, however that may sound to you gavilan.

Back on topic, I was in Mercadona today and the mangoes at 3€ a kilo were from South America. There's thousands of trees surrounding our property and the farmers have only just finished taking them to the local co-operative. Why can't I buy local stuff in the supermarket?

Freeatlast I also have found Madrid well priced, and we try to find where the locals eat when we go away, which are usually better value. We always stay in Airbnbs so eat most meals 'at home' and just go out a few times in the week. Our trip to Fuerteventura the other week ended up with us spending almost the same in Mercadona as on meals out, almost 120€. Although there was oil at the house, we do end up buying the sort of basic things we usually have in stock at home, so that pushes up the food bill. That includes us taking sandwiches out with us for lunch some days and also to eat on the plane journeys.

On previous visits to the UK we have found the supermarket offers very good, and when using loyalty cards. Also, the amount of food very much reduced as it approaches its sell by dates. We had an excellent and huge meal deal from M&S, that was spring last year so maybe that's changed, but it seemed brilliant value. Also the vast choice of ready meals. We wouldn't usually eat them but on the odd occasion I am out for the night or away on holiday by myself, my OH cannot find anything very tempting that he can treat himself to as an easy ready meal.

[Wicksey]

Talking of loyalty cards, I've just now received an email from Tesco about expiring vouchers. I never had a physical card, but seemed to sign up online for food orders I'd arranged for my father in law when he was alive.