Week 4 arrived and my cupboards and fridge were empty.
This meant one thing only…
The dreaded food shop.
I’m not an avid shopper, I get bored and lethargic quickly. Undoubtedly a Zero Wasters shopping time involves a lot of browsing and walking.
Ugh.
This is how my first official Zero Waste shopping day turned out…
ZERO WASTE SHOPPING
MONDAY
A 40-minute pointless journey to my local market location.
The local market was not open, however, a sign in the market area read the market was open 9.30am until 1.30pm every week day…
TUESDAY
A 40-minute pointless journey to my local market location again. No stalls were set up, complete emptiness.
WEDNESDAY
Another 40-minute walk. Maybe with an extra 10 minutes on top- I developed blisters on my feet from the previous two days of walking. I ended up walking slower and walking like Captain Jack Sparrow in the hope to avoid pressure on the blisters. Once again no market stalls were set up, I was surrounded my complete nothingness. Though I am pretty sure I saw a tumbleweed roll past…
THURSDAY
I had a day of rest. I risked a day of sitting in at home hoping the market stalls would be set up for the following day.
FRIDAY
Another 40-minute walk that turned out to be worthwhile. The local market stalls were set up in all of their glory and I skipped around like a kid on Christmas morning.
£10 LATER I GOT THE GOODS
Cauliflower, 660g carrots, 493g mushrooms, x3 courgettes, x8 kiwis, garlic bulb, x6 pears, broccoli, 500g beetroot, 150g blueberries, 150g raspberries purchased for £10
I had my Zero Waste shopping list at the ready and purchased everything fresh I usually would from my current supermarket of choice- Aldi.
To fulfill my financial curiosity, I visited Aldi straight after my market purchase to compare their prices. The total I would have spent at Aldi was £11.34.
So I saved £1.34 by shopping at my local market. That doesn’t seem like much but over the year, I would save £34.84 if I purchased the same items every 2 weeks.
I was pretty happy with myself. I purchased fresh produce without any plastic packaging. The blackberries, raspberries, and mushrooms were protected in a brown paper bag, unfortunately I forgot to take smaller bags with me.
DOWNSIDE
My shopping bag was very heavy and I struggled to walk home. I could use public transport to travel, however, my muscle mass should start to increase after every market purchase so that is a bonus.
UPSIDE
I saved £1.34 and I didn’t purchase anything wrapped in plastic packaging. I can gladly say I have found a Zero Waste shopping location, if you are still trying to find yours [click here] to read my blog post of Zero Waste shopping in the UK.
Have you saved money since your Zero Waste journey? Tell me in the comments below.
