Odd One

The petrol station at our local Tesco has been closed for refurbishment for several weeks. This has been a bit of a pain, given my usual practice of filling up while doing the Big Shop, but fair enough. It reopened last week, and so today was the first time I used it.

And I just can't actually see what's different? It's the same arrangement, it's the same pumps, they haven't even really been cleaned up all that much. All in all, it seems like a whole load of effort and nuisance for, essentially, nothing.

Oh well. It doesn't matter... just odd enough to be worth remarking on.

 #7: "The Crimson Campaign", by Brian McClennan

No, Tesco, Nobody Said "Christmas"

Doing the weekly shop this morning I noticed that Tesco now have their first Christmas displays up, bearing the legend "Did somebody say Christmas". Given that it is the 15th of September, and indeed we were enjoying our belated Summer only a week ago, this is frankly absurd.

Hang your heads in shame, Tesco.

Back to School?

Funsize finishes up P1 next Friday, which is fun and exciting - her first ever Summer holidays!

Meanwhile, Tesco's seasonal aisle has, for the past four weeks, been festooned with their "Back to School" range - lots of new and exciting school uniforms that we should buy now to beat the rush (in nice time for her to thoroughly outgrow them for actually going back).

Much as the creeping advancement of Christmas through the calendar annoys me, in truth this is significantly worse. Not only do kinds not even get to enjoy getting to their holidays before being reminded that they're going back soon, but the items on sale become increasingly useless the earlier they are purchased!

Multipacks

A couple of yeas ago, Tesco decided to do away with as much plastic packaging in their stores as they could. Amongst other things, this meant getting rid of packs of four tins of beans and/or soup, and instead running a permanent "four for..." offer. Which was a good step.

I've noticed that they've now brought back the packs of four, but now wrapped in cardboard, and at a cheaper price point than the "four for..." offer.

Which is a shame on two counts.

Firstly, while cardboard wrapping is better than plastic, it's still an extra bit of wrapping that gets used, and then recycled. That's considerably worse than nothing - it would just be better to leave these things unwrapped.

The other problem concerns the nature of the "four for..." deal in the first place, which ties into issues with poverty, and the Vimes "Boots" Theory of Economic Unfairness - people on the very poorest end of the scale can't afford to pay £2.50 for four tins of soup, and must instead pay 80p for a single tin each week. Over the course of four weeks, then, they pay £3.20 on the same soup - the (slightly) richer person ends up paying less. (And, yes, it's 'only' a matter of 17.5p per week. But multiply that by 52 weeks in the year, and however many different offers the richer person can use but the poorer cannot, not to mention the potential to "stock up" as and when very good deals happen to crop up, and it turns into a not insubstantial chunk of money.)

The upshot: Tesco, could you please get rid of these cardboard packages again? And could you also review whether these "four for..." deals are really appropriate - can you not instead reduce the unit price across the board?

#5: "The Wandering Fire", by Guy Gavriel Kay

#6: "Sly Flourish's Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master", by Michael E. Shea

Seriously, Why Would You Do That?

In Tesco today I bumped into someone from my band, which was nice - good to get a wee catch up, even if only briefly before we both needed to move on. Except that at one point he stuck out a fist expecting to receive a bump.

Gah!

Seriously, why would you do that? Yes, the risk is now very low, and the proposed contact fleeting. But we're still in the midst of a pandemic, and we still need to eliminate those non-essential contacts. And I had my daughter with me, and so have an additional obligation to show a good example. Yet now I have a choice to make.

Actually, it's quite surprising just how quickly attitudes change - eighteen months ago I wouldn't have thought twice about a fist-bump, a high five, or a handshake. Or even, with closer friends, a hug (in a strictly manly way, you understand). And yet suddenly the prospect of even a fleeting contact becomes a huge issue, provoking instant dread and in the longer term a blog post. It's funny.

But hopefully it won't be too long before the vaccine has this thing beaten, and things will go back. This absence of physical contact, while necessary, isn't really a good thing.

#19: "The Poisonwood Bible", by Barbera Kingsolver (a book from The List - fifteen to go)

The Big Shop

For the past few months, the Tesco shop has been first thing on a Friday morning - I would drop Funsize at nursery, head to Tesco, get it done, and then start work for the day. This has the big advantage of getting to the store when it's really quiet, and also doesn't take away from any of my 'good' time - that is, evenings or weekends.

Unfortunately, yesterday I was booked in meetings from 8.30 right through the whole day, which meant that I couldn't do the weekly shop. And, of course, the next two Fridays are unavailable due to the store being closed. This meant that the weekly shop this week had to be pushed back to today, and had to get enough supplies in to last us well past Christmas.

And, to add to the fun, I discovered this morning when assembling the list that many of our stocks had run out, so that needed added. The upshot of that was that today's list was going to be a big one - and to be done on a Saturday which is, of course, the worst possible day of the week to go for.

In the event, it wasn't too bad. Although I just couldn't face getting up at 6am this morning, I did get ready reasonably early, and so got there before the big rush. And thanks to a carefully-constructed list, I was able to get around reasonably quickly. The only real annoyance was in the few occasions when I really wanted to get past someone - which is normally fine, but not an option in these days.

I'm now very hopeful that I've got everything to cover us until the Monday after Christmas. I really don't want to have to head out again before the big day - each day is just going to be that bit worse, and the only day I'm not working is Christmas Eve. But if there's a need...

But with that, and all being well, that's all my preparation for Christmas done.

Living Dangerously

Been a while since I did a post about the weekly shop...

It's a strange thing, that we're now at the point where the most dangerous thing I do is to go for the weekly shop each Friday. Honestly, there was never much risk - just the commute to and from work, but now the trip to Tesco means risking exposure to the virus. It's not likely, but unfortunately it is possible - and it's also the one vector for infection I have left.

As a consequence of the lockdown, we've taken steps to minimise contact, and that has included avoiding takeaway food. Which sucks - the local Dominos are still delivering, and I'd really quite like to order... but really don't think I can justify it. And likewise, we're trying really hard to only go shopping once for the week. The upshot is that we're both having to be quite careful in putting together the list, and also having to order more, both than we usually ordered, and also than we perhaps think we need. That has meant, of course, that the cost is higher than it has generally been. But since it's now our only big expenditure, it works out well.

The other thing that has been noticeable is a big win. It has been my practice when putting the list together to write everything down and then carefully re-order it to match the order of items in the store. (Naturally, I have the store layout memorised. Doesn't everyone?) This has occasioned a certain amount of bemusement on the part of LC, for reasons that I'm sure are obvious.

But in light of the virus, Tesco have now introduced a one-way system. This is intended to minimise contact between customers, of course - if everyone moves through in a fixed order, that will aid with that.

And, of course, that suits me perfectly - I was already following the system anyway, so the upshot is that now pretty much everyone else was already. Basically, I had pre-optimised for these days. Huzzah!

The only remaining downside is that my preference now is to hit Tesco just after opening on Friday (8am), but they can't start selling alcohol until 10am. Under the circumstances, it would be really useful if the government would relax the relevant licensing laws accordingly. In the absence of that, my pattern is to go at 10am once every few weeks, and to buy a fairly considerable amount of wine at that time. We won't be consuming any more than previously - just combining the purchases for several weeks into one bigger shop. But that's all just a minor quibble.

#19: "I, Strahd: The War Against Azalin", by P.N. Elrod (unfortunately, a likely candidate for the weakest book of the year.)

The Banana Wrapping Rant

The problems with excess use of plastic have been well documented recently. Further, it has recently been highlighted that even plastics that can be recycled, and indeed in some cases even plastics that do get sent for recycling, still end up causing big problems.

That being the case, surely it makes sense for us to see if there are sensible steps we can take to stop using plastics where it is sensible and reasonable to do so? I mean, I'm not asking for us to go to crazy lengths here - but where there's something that doesn't need an additional layer, we could maybe not go to the time, effort, and cost of adding that layer and then adding the time and effort of me (or in this case LC) removing that same layer before sending it for recycling.

In short: bananas already come with a perfectly good skin to protect them against the elements. Maybe they don't need to come wrapped in a plastic bag?

The Coffee Penance Ends

A couple of years ago, in a bid to distract me from my Irn Bru problem, I started drinking coffee at work (with the consequence that I now have both an Irn Bru problem and a coffee problem). After a few weeks of trying out various types and brands of coffee, I settled on Kenco's "Columbian" coffee as my drink of choice. Which is mostly fine and uncontroversial.

Unfortunately, Tesco in Falkirk have decided to become rubbish, and seem to be intent on reducing the range of things that they carry or, worse, stocking them only erratically. This has already had the terrible ordeal of forcing me to to buy green! mouthwash on one occasion (and, horribly, they've also sometimes had the green! and red! mouthwash on offer but not the blue stuff, provoking the most terrible of dilemmas). And the same has applied to coffee - naturally, they've retained a fairly extensive range but become erratic in stocking the one I actually want.

So, the last time I found myself running out of coffee, Tesco were of course out of stock. So, rather than go a week without, I was forced to try an alternative. After much careful consideration, I plumped for Nescafe's "Blend 37", that being one I hadn't had before. (Nescafe also have a "Columbian" coffee, but I've learned in the past that this is a cruel trick.)

So, I picked up a jar of "Blend 37", and that should have been the end of it. It was horrible, but it was just one jar and so just three weeks of bad coffee - not a disaster. And, indeed, had it been one jar I might even have been tempted to throw it away as soon as I could get an alternative. A waste, to be sure, but one I could blame on Tesco and so move on.

But I made a terrible, stupid mistake. See, I'd run out of coffee both at home and at work (because I'd run out at work and so taken the jar from home to work, and then run out again). So, having decided to try "Blend 37", just as I was about to move on... I picked up a second jar for the flat!

Naturally, this was a total disaster. I don't even drink coffee at home all that much, and could have easily managed without for a week. But, no, I grabbed the second jar of granulated horribleness, took it home, and then discovered my mistake (whereupon I didn't drink any coffee at home for weeks).

This of course created a bigger problem - it wasn't one jar but two, and it wasn't Tesco's fault but my own stupid mistake that caused the problem. Consequently, just throwing the coffee away wasn't an option. It had to be drunk.

(Plus, in another cruel irony, the coffee went from "dire" to merely "horrible" by switching from a heaped tablespoon per mug to two-thirds of that... meaning it lasted even longer. Gah!)

The upshot of that is that today is a day of celebration - I finally finished the last of "Blend 37"! And since I picked up some more as soon as it came back into stock, I can resume Kenco's "Columbian" on Monday. Huzzah!

Kingdom of the Self-Service Checkout

Unlike a lot of people, I'm actually a fan of self-service checkouts. They're faster, more efficient, and they therefore cut down on queues. Provided, that is:

1. You don't have anything that doesn't have a barcode
2. You don't have anything that needs weighed
3. You don't have anything that needs authorisation or other assistance (DVDs, wine, scissors, medicines...)
4. You only have a very few items in total.

If any of those conditions don't apply, they're much harder to use, and the whole process slows right down. So while having self-service checkouts in addition to the regular ones is a good thing, we really can't switch to them as the sole means of checkout.

As we know, Monday is Tesco night, just after band practice. Unfortunately, what wasn't quite so well known is that the shift change in Tesco occurs at 10pm, at which point all regular checkouts close for ten minutes or so until the new shift can take over.

As it happened, items #1 and #'2 from my list were still true. Item #3 should have been true, but unfortunately the system fails when item #4 doesn't hold - the bagging area wasn't big enough for all the bags I needed, which meant things kept needing moved around, that kept triggering the "please seek assistance" prompt.

Now, I do understand that they need that prompt, because the self-service checkouts have to work according to the weight of items. Fair enough. And I also get that supermarkets really don't want to pay for checkout staff to do nothing. That's also fair enough.

But as a practical matter the weekly shop cannot be sensibly put through on a self-service checkout. It just doesn't work - too much hassle, too much need for intervention from the staff, and too much annoyance. It would have been better, for all concerned, for them to open up a checkout, run through that shop, and then close the checkout again.

Gah!

(On another topic, and for those keeping track of my arithmetic woes: 4 - 1 = still 4. My car is now fixed, and LC's car is booked in to be fixed. And, if I'm really lucky, the flat electrics are in the process of being fixed now. However, one of the bulbs in the kitchen light has blown, and it appears that the fitting has been damaged such that the bulb can't be replaced - I'll need to replace the entire light. Sometimes, this all feels like the trials of Sisyphus.)

Dear Tesco...

I appreciate what you're trying to do with your "Price Promise". I quite like the fact that you care enough to check whether my shopping would be cheaper elsewhere, and give me a voucher back for the difference.

However, there's a small problem.

See, what you're actually doing is reminding me, week after week, that I would be better off shopping elsewhere. It hasn't escaped my attention that I have received several vouchers for money back and very few indicating that I actually saved. And while it doesn't matter so much as long as the Price Promise holds (since we get the vouchers), there will no doubt come a day when you'll stop this promotion. Knowing that, and putting those two facts together, what do you think I'll do?

So I'm sorry, but this particular move was not your best. You've gone and shone a great big spotlight on one of your key weaknesses, and in doing so have created discontent where before there was none.

Of course, there is a way out. And it's probably your only way out at this point. Basically, you need to lower your prices, right across the board of your "comparable items". That way, where just now I get a voucher back almost every week, instead I'll get more and more notifications that I've saved.

But good luck with that - Asda are rightly proud of their "lowest priced supermarket" tag, and I'd wager they will fight to keep them.

Follow-up to my Previous Post

Obviously, if I'm doing a calculation based on the circumstances, and those circumstances change, the outcome will change also.

Both this week and next week, for example, the Tesco shop has moved to Sunday, as I have a limited-time voucher that is good for £5 off my bill. Likewise, I will be attempting to handle the cleaning of the bathroom this Sunday, as Tuesday is Valentine's Day. (And while I could readily move it back to Wednesday, moving it forward to Sunday will make for a much more pleasant Tuesday, will it not?)

And, of course, after April anything and everything may change.

Why Monday is Tesco-day

Each week, I go to Tesco on Monday evening, on my way home from band. I clean some section of the appartment on Tuesday evening (on a four-week cycle, so it all gets done once a month). And I do my washing on a Thursday.

Contrary to popular belief, I don't do these things at those times each week because I am "set in my ways". There is, in fact, a good reason why these tasks get done when they do.

The reason for doing the weekly shop when I do is a simple matter of geography. Tesco lies rather neatly between the appartment and the school where practice takes place. It is open 24 hours, and is nice and quiet later in the evenings. So, I can go in, do what needs to be done nice and quickly, and get out. And, since it's en route, I can do this without expending any more petrol than I already would. It's just efficient, in terms of time, money, and environmental impact. Genius!

My thinking on the other two tasks is slightly more involved, but bluntly it comes down to this: I don't want to have to do these chores on the weekend. I want to spend my weekends doing things I'll actually enjoy, and that list does not include washing, ironing, or cleaning. So, since they're not going to be done at the weekend, this leaves four possible times, being Monday through Thursday evenings. (Friday evening is part of the weekend, so is discounted.)

Monday is unavailable, of course, since I'm at band and then doing the Tesco shop.

Thursday evening is likewise mostly tied up with band, giving just a little time before and a bit more time after. But after band I definitely don't want to be getting in to any big tasks, nor do I want to be generating a lot of noise. So, cleaning is not an option, both for the effort required and because of the hoovering (on three of the four weeks). But doing the washing is actually an ideal task for this time, since it involves a few small bits of work with lots of waiting before. So, I put one load on before I head out to work or between work and band, then a second load immediately after getting home for band, and then the third load after I've made ready for bed. It all fits very, very neatly into the allocated time. (And, on those weeks where there is ironing to do, this also fits neatly into the time when the second load is washing - ironing lags behind the washing by a week, but that's fine since I have plenty of clothes.)

That leaves the cleaning, and both Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. In truth, either would be absolutely fine for this purpose. And, indeed, when I have a game on on Tuesdays the cleaning is moved to another day. But when it is not, Tuesday gets the preference. Why? Well, for one simple reason: Lady Chocolat is otherwise engaged on Tuesday but we frequently see one another on Wednesdays. So, I make use of the 'dead' time to dispatch a task that needs to be done.

(Also, the band committee meetings take place on one Tuesday of the month. These last just long enough to render the evening not much fun, but also leave just enough time to fit the cleaning in to what remains. Again, very neat.)

Yes, this means that it's a routine, and it means that I can rattle off what I'm doing on any given day some months in advance. But so what? This way, all the tasks that must be done get done, and they're timed so that they have the absolute minimum impact on the things that I want to do. I'm at something of a loss as to how that could possibly be described as a bad thing.

The Grand Experiment Concludes

This week was the fourth and final for shopping at Asda, and also marked the first at which I actually made it to the Asda in Falkirk, as opposed to making the trek to Grangemouth. I managed to get all but one item from my list (no chicory, which will impact in this week's salad), but otherwise did okay. I did buy a couple of things that weren't on the list, but these are deducted below.

Unfortunately, the receipt for this week is almost illegible. Consequently, I only think these prices are correct. I know the total is correct, but since I'm discounting a couple of items, there isn't a guarantee that the total is 100% accurate.

The list is as follows:

• Sandwich meat, £2.47
  
• Smoked Salmon, £2.64
  
• Yoghurts (12), £5
  
• Poppadums (20), £2
  
• Mouthwash (2, blue), £3
  
• Milk (4), £1.53
  
• Almonds (300g), £2.96
  
• Ice Creams (8), £3
  
• Carrot (1), £0.08
  
• Dill, £0.68
  
• Fennel (1 bulb), £0.78
  
• Bananas (8), £1.26
  
• Tomatoes (6), £0.88
  
• Radishes, £0.57
  
• Gem Lettuces (2), £0.88
  

From this, I am discounting the ice creams, half the mouthwash, and half the poppadums. The latter two items were on 2-for-£X offers, and so I bought twice the quantity that was on the list. The total was £27.73, but the deductions come to £5.50, which reduces this to £22.23.

Plugging this total in my spreadsheet (which has neatly highlighted all the failures in my math thus far), Asda gets a revised figure of £147.21 for four weeks, which actually comes out as the most expensive of the three supermarkets.

The revised totals for the three supermarkets are as follows: Tesco £133.63, Morrisons £142.30, and Asda £147.21. Given that Asda have been "Lowest Price Supermarket" for twelve years, this is something of a shock.

So, what happened?

Well, a large part of the difference is to do with specific quantities and specific purchases. For example, I had to purchase washing liquid from Asda, which I didn't deduct as it was a 'standard' expense, but it turns out my previous purchase had been just before the Grand Experiment started (or, perhaps, in the week between Tesco and Morrisons). Conversely, I had to buy dishwasher tablets from both Tesco and Morrisons, but not Asda. And, similarly, I bought 48 cans of Irn Bru each from Asda and Morrisons, but only 24 from Tesco - this represents a difference of £6 or so.

But it is probably lunch that does the most damage to Asda (and, to a much lesser extent, Morrisons). Two items that I purchase every week are on a continuous offer from Tesco, but are much more expensive at the other supermarkets. The yoghurts I buy are always £5 for 12 from Tesco, but it was only this week that Asda matched that price. Similarly, a week's worth of sandwich meat is £1.80 from Tesco, but much much more expensive elsewhere. (This week's sandwich meat is only half a week, and is £2.47!)

But ultimately, this exercise has shown that each supermarket is the cheapest on some things and the most expensive on others (and also that the amounts may well vary with time). A loaf of bread from Tesco averaged £1.30, while at Morrisons it came to £0.85 and Asda was £0.78. A can of Irn Bru was 28.25 pence at Tesco, 20.17 pence at Morrisons and 26.625 pence at Asda. And a banana averaged 12.4 pence, 14.3 pence or 14.76 pence respectively.

(By the way, bananas turned out to be cheaper than apples, at 12.4 pence vs 33.625 pence at Tesco. This was something of a surprise, as my previous recollection had been that they were more expensive. Of course, said recollection was forged two summers ago, when the crop failed.)

The end result of all of this is that I'm off back to Tesco, which means that in twelve weeks I have determined that the best thing to do is "what I was doing anyway". However, it is at least now based on numbers, rather than just random guesswork.

Some other conclusions:

1) I am using the wrong brand of toothpaste. It seems that MacLeans costs £1.95 per tube, while Colgate is a mere £0.95.

2) I suspect that there are significant benefits from going to the biggest local supermarket, rather than looking for a specific chain. I say this because of my experience with buying soap from Asda recently. At Tesco, I paid 19 pence for a bar of soap. At Asda, it was 40 pence. (I didn't buy soap at Morrisons.) That's a massive difference. However, it's not a like-for-like comparison: at Tesco I bought own-brand soap, while at Asda I bought Imperial Leather, purely because it was the only soap they had and I had reached the point where I couldn't really delay any longer. Bigger stores would seem to have better stock levels, and certainly have a greater range of options, which means that cheaper options are available.

3) Buy (non-perishable) things when they're on offer, and buy in bulk where possible. That's not exactly a revelation, of course.

4) Always buy the cheap option where you won't notice any difference, but consider spending more where you will. The afore-mentioned soap is a good example - in the shower in the morning I'm rarely conscious enough to spot the difference between no-name soap and the premium brand. Likewise with rice, tinned tomatoes, and the like. However, the same is not true of cuts of meat, for example, where a more expensive cut is likely to be considerably better.

And that's about it, really. I hope it hasn't been too boring these last three months.

The Grand Experiment: Week Eleven

Another week, another trip to Asda. This week, my only complaint was that they didn't have my preferred brand of toothpaste. Oh no, how will I survive?!

The list:

• Irn Bru (24 cans), £6.00
• Shredded Wheat (16), £1.60
• Rolls (12), £1.00
• Yoghurts (6), £2.88
• Bread (2 loaves), £1.74
• Lamb Fillet, £6.95
• Fruit Juice, £2.50
• Shampoo (2), £3.36
• Basil, £0.68
• Peanut Butter, £1.57
• Onions (3), £0.81
• Tinned Tomatoes (4), £2.00
• Garlic, £0.68
• Cress, £0.24
• Avocado (2), £1.38
• Spring Onions, £0.64
• Tomatoes (6), £0.88
• Lettuce, £0.50
• Toothpaste, £0.94
• Yoghurt, £0.78
• Cheese (200g), £1.66

There was nothing on the list that I couldn't get, and there was nothing that I got that wasn't on my list. Additionally, there are no deductions to make from the total this week, which stood at £38.79.

This brings the total for Asda to 120.52. Given that the total for Tesco came to £123.36, I think it's fair to say that Asda won't be coming out as the cheapest supermarket.

I must say, I'm more than a little surprised by this result; not so much that Tesco came out on top, but rather that there's going to be quite a significant difference once the totals are tallied. I'll going to have to go through and make sure there hasn't been a mistake here - Asda have just won the award of being Britain's cheapest supermarket for the twelth year running, so it seems odd that they've just been thrashed mercilessly by their rival. I'll do that analysis next week.

The Grand Experiment: Week Ten

Two weeks to go, and the Grand Experiment will be complete. I was surprised at the size of the bill this week. However, many of the things on the list are restocks of things that I need once in a great while, and so won't be counted (they just happened to all run out at once).

However, this week has shown up one more quirk in this experiment, and that was the price of soap. Asda had only one brand of soap in stock, that being the very expensive Imperial Leather. By contrast, the local Tesco has always had several brands. Now, it is likely that Adsa are cheaper for the specific brand in question... but it doesn't help them if I was intent on buying the cheap own brand soap at 30p for four bars.

Anyway, the list is as follows:

• Yoghurts (12), £5.92
• Crisps (12 bags), £3
• Milk (4 pints), £1.53
• Bananas, £1.25
• Coconut Milk, £1.10
• Soup (4 mixed tins), £3.28
• Chicken, £7
• Baked Beas (4 tins), £2.36
• Soap, £1.60
• Snickers Ice Cream (8), £3
• Olive Oil, £1.85
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil, £3.98
• Chocolate, £2.40
• Chicken Pies (4), £1.50
• Yoghurt, £0.78
• Bin Bags, £2.50
• Salt, £0.40
• Ginger, £0.30
• Gem Lettuce, £0.88
• Red Chillies, £0.54
• Peanut Butter, £1.57
• Mouthwash (blue), £2.93
• Rice, £3.36
• Almonds (2 x 150g), £2.96
• Tomatoes (6), £0.88
• Sandwich Meat, £6.54
• Celery, £0.68
• Lemons, £0.68
• Card, £1.46
• Magazine, £3.95

Annoyingly, I wasn't able to get Dijon Mustard. Apparently, that store doesn't even stock it; I would have to go elsewhere to get it. I find that very disappointing.

The total came to £70.08.

However, there are many things to be taken off that total: the crisps, chocolate, magazine, card, olive oil (and extra virgin olive oil), ice cream and rice. This gives a total deduction of £23 exactly, reducing the total to £47.08. Combined with last week's total, Asda currently stands at £81.73.

To be honest, I'm surprised at how poor the showing from Adsa has been. It is fair to say that the bill should come down in the next two weeks, since I won't have many main meals to purchase, but they are still somewhat behind Tesco. And given that the store isn't terribly well stocked (and this is the bigger Asda in Grangemouth!), this isn't exactly a selling point. Anyway, next week I'll be using the Asda in Falkirk; perhaps that will be better.

The Grand Experiment: Week Nine

And so, we reach the third and final leg of the Grand Experiment, and the first of four trips to Asda. Despite their being an Asda within a mile of my flat, I instead elected to travel to the larger store in Grangemouth. The primary reason for this was actually parking - Asda Falkirk charge £2 for parking, which is refunded in-store, and I don't have a single coin in my wallet.

In theory, the larger store should have had a better selection, but this proved questionable at best. Despite the relative sizes, the stores in Falkirk do seem to do a better job of stocking things than the larger stores in Cumbernauld and now Grangemouth. Strange. That said, the only thing I simply couldn't get was binbags, which I actually was going to discount (as the stock would have lasted me six months), and I'm not urgent for them at this point. I was also unable to get Asda's own rolls, so had to get some more expensive Warburton's ones - the price of which will be reflected below.

Anyway, the list is as follows:

• Bread (3 loaves), £2.16
• Poppadums (10), £1.00
• Mars Ice Cream (8), £3.00
• Rolls (6), £1.00
• Yoghurts (12), £5.92
• Sandwich Meat, £0.42 (there was also a pack that refused to scan. Surprisingly, I ended up getting that for free!)
• Pizza (3), £5.00
• Clementines, £0.62
• Tomatoes (12), £1.76
• Coriander, £1.17
• Lettuce, £0.50
• Chicken Burgers, £2.74
• Washing Liquid, £3.85
• Irn Bru (24 cans), £6.78
• Carrots (3), £0.29
• Apples (7), £1.44

The total came to £37.65. From this, I'm going to deduct the £3 for the ice creams, taking it to £34.65. This is slightly more than the average for a week from Tesco, but there are several items on the list that represent 'stocking up', so I don't think this will be too bad.

The one item that might swing it is the yoghurts, which I buy every week, and which is consistently cheaper from Tesco than either Morrisons or Asda. Still, we shall see what happens over the next three weeks.

The Grand Experiment: Week Eight

This was the fourth and final week at Morrisons, and provided a bit of a dilemma: should I buy just enough to get me through until Monday (and thus back to my normal shopping day, but leave them with only three and a half weeks), a full week (giving the right time, but leaving the annoyance of another week of shopping on a Thursday), or until the following Monday?

In the end, I decided to go for the longest option. This means there are quite a few things to discount from the list.

Anyway, this week's list:

• Shredded Wheat (30), £2.32
• Fruit Juice (2 x 1 litre), £2.46
• Milk (2 x 2 pints), £1.72
• Cheddar, £1.87
• Rolls (6), £0.95
• Yoghurts (18), £8.88
• Peanut Butter, £1.57
• Cooked Meat (3 packs), £5.00
• Almonds (300g), £3.00
• Chillies, £0.50
• Tomatoes (6), £0.88
• Pizza (2), £3.29
• Shampoo (2), £1.69
• Bananas (9), £1.29
• Lettuce, £0.50
• Cucumber, £0.70
• Mouthwash (boaky green flavour), £2.93
• Yoghurt, £0.78
• Cotton Buds, £0.35
• Mint (fresh), £0.75

The total for the week came to a mighty £43.12 (ouch!). However, from that I am going to deduct one of the packs of yoghurts (£2.96), one carton of milk (£0.86), two of the packs of sandwich meat (£3.34) and the cotton buds (£0.35). This reduces the total for the week to £35.61, which is considerably higher than the target of £13.30. Indeed, the total for four weeks of shopping at Morrisons now comes to £145.67. The total for Tesco was £123.36. As I'm not consciously aware of shopping for more, or for more expensive things (and, indeed, the salads should be less on average than the various curries), this fairly clearly indicates that Morrisons is not the winner. Given that I really didn't enjoy shopping there too much, I'm not too disappointed by this.

A week on Monday, I'll be off to Asda for the third and final leg of the Grand Experiment. In theory, they should work out to be the cheapest of the three. We'll see.

The Grand Experiment: Week Seven

Most of the bananas I bought last week collapsed in a mushy heap very quickly. I was most disappointed in that. And a lot of the sandwich meat I bought likewise had to be thrown away, having gone off. This dismayed me more than a little.

This week saw me purchasing a fair amount of frozen fruit (for smoothies), and some bottled water. I know: bottled water is an abomination, especially when living in a region where the tap water is indistinguishable from the bottled. However, I feel justified in this action: after six months of refilling, my previous three bottles had turned brown, and therefore needed replaced. It wasn't the water that I needed; it was the bottles.

In any event, neither of these two will be charged to the total. Conversely, I will be charging some milk to the total - I ran out on Tuesday, just after the store closed, and so had to make an alternate arrangement.

It's safe to say that Morrisons won't be winning this one: not only are they not the cheapest supermarket, but they really aren't convenient either.

Anyway, the list was as follows:

• Frozen Pineapple, £2.49
• Frozen Summerfruits, £2.00
• Frozen Black Forest Fruit, £2.00
• Irn Bru (24 cans), £4.82
• Sandwich Meat, £5.00
• Tinned Tuna (4), £2.69
• Cannellini Beans (1 tin), £0.40
• Yoghurts (6), £2.96
• Basil, £0.69
• Olives, £1.49
• Salad Tomatoes (12), £1.76
• Water (3 x 1.5l), £1.56
• Cherry Tomatoes, £0.74
• Vine-ripened Tomatoes, £1.39
• Almonds (300g), £3.00
• Lettuce, £0.50
• Apples (6), £1.59
• Dishwasher Tablets (42), £4.89

The total for the week came to £39.97. From this, I have to subtract £6.49 for the frozen fruit and £1.56 for the water, but add £1.86 for the milk. This gives a revised total of £33.78.

This brings the running total for Morrisons to £110.06, leaving £13.30 for next week's shop. Somehow, I doubt that that is a reasonable target. And then, it's off to Asda, to see if they can do better.

The Grand Experiment, Week Six

I appear to have found the best time for visiting Morrisons, and it is on Thursday after band (rather than Monday after band, which I would have preferred). With that in mind, here is the list:

• Yoghurts (12), £5.92
• Fruit Juice (2 x 1 litre), 2.46
• Bread (3), £2.55
• Cheddar & Onion cheese, £1.28
• Wensleydale cheese, £1.05
• Chocolate, £2.50
• Shampoo (2), £3.38
• Mixed Nuts (400g), £1.99
• Potatoes (1.5kg), £1.29
• Lettuce, £1.09
• Onions (10), £1.29
• Lemons (3), £0.43
• Bananas (9), £1.29
• Cooked Meat (3 x 10 slices), £2.50
• Tomatoes (6), £0.88
• Chives, £0.69
• Mouthwash (blue), £1.46

The total for the week was £32.05. However, I'm going to discount both the chocolate (as this was an unusual expense) and the Wensleydale (due to the increased price due to having to go to the Moon to get it). This brings the total for the week down to £28.50, and brings the total for Morrisons to date to £76.28. This leaves £47.08 for the next two weeks, to break even with Tesco. It doesn't look good.

Oh, and also: I resolved my yoghurt crisis! On Friday morning, I ate an Orange and Chocolate yoghurt, thus neatly side-stepping the issue. Huzzah for lateral thinking!