Grocery Shopping: When Budget vs Ethics

[Indadhanu]

We're on a really tight TIGHT budget at the moment, and where we'd normally buy Australian Made, and ethical, fair trade etc products, I've had to start looking at price instead. Mostly my dollars are going to home brand or store brand items, and a whole lot going to Nestle and it's related brandings. I've even resorted to a storebrand eggs and I actually had a dream about a cage farm a few nights back My conscience is bearing down on me ARGH! lol

I don't feel good about it, but I don't know what the alternative is...? What do you do when you have to decide on 12 cage eggs that will last at least 9-10 days, or 6 free range eggs that might do two or three meals...? I know the answer would be to not use as many eggs in the week (we don't its just an example lol) but really it comes down to EVERYTHING in my shopping trolley, things like cheese, milk, flour, pasta, bread, breakfast cereals etc.

(Not really sure what answer I'm looking for... I guess it'd be nice to hear that its ok but I'd also love to know how others stay ethical AND on budget AND be able to feed their family for the fortnight? I'm sure it can be done but... I find ethical shopping can really add up sometimes...)

[Pandora]

Just my experience here, but budget wins out.
Id love to be able to buy Australian made, fair trade, organic all the time, but ATM its just impossible.
We all do the best we can, and your family has to come first. In our case this means buying the most and best we can afford within our budget.

[Trillian]

I think you can only do the best you can. You know that you would buy different brands if you were able to, but for the time being you can't. I'm sure that there are other areas of your life where you make up for what you can't do in the shopping trolley kwim?

[Ryatha]

Yep - budget is beating wanting to buy ethical as well. I want to buy with my conscience but we just don't have the $$ at the moment to do so. I'm just keeping thinking as soon as the finances look a bit better we'll be able to go back to buying what we used too.

I'm also trying to shop at the local markets (we live semi-rural) so we get our fruit and veges locally (reduce transport costs) and I am trying to make a lot of things we would normally buy, like pencil cases, nappies, clothes for the girls etc.

I guess we can try to make a difference as best we can...

[Oorki Galoorki]

can you make your own bread with decent flour?
do you have a local farmers market?

some times it it better to by OS food then our own.. such as rice(rice shouldnt be grown in aus as it takes water that is needed for others)

yes it is ok to stick to your budget.

[Trillian]

[QUOTE=Oorki Galoorki;2171139]some times it it better to by OS food then our own.. such as rice(rice shouldnt be grown in aus as it takes water that is needed for others)
[QUOTE]

sorry to go OT, but that is a common misconception of the rice industry. It's not the rice that takes away the water from others, it is Governments who oversold the water in the first place. There are also many areas where rice can be grown under natural rainfall such as Katherine and Darwin where rice was orginally intended to grow, but other pests such as Magpie geese and other water birds are in large enough populations that they eat all the seed and decimate the crops, so that is why rice growing was taken to the Riverina because the bird populations were not as large so the crops had half a chance to grow and there was a ready water supply and climate conditions were right. It was only when the industry outgrew the area and other industries took off that it became a problem when Govt after Govt sold too much water because they could see the $$ to be made.

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

I do what I can. Shop's own cheapest brand for most things. But I always buy non-caged eggs. Yes, a little bit more pricey, but that's one of the few things I won't skimp on any more. I home-bake as much as I can. Well, I have to - DS is allergic to most shop-bought treats. I organise recipes in advance, cost them out then see what I can cut down on within the recipe. What I can make stretch further. If I buy XYZ for this recipe, I can use X and Y the next day for another...

We also grow our own veggies in the summer: we only ran out of home-grown potatoes at Christmas time and still have some pumpkins to eat!

[Trillian]

Leasha, I read somewhere the other day about someone having to budget and they found that having a set weekly meal planner saved them loads of money because they were only buying what they needed for the set meals for that week and she reckoned that it cut $100 off their grocery bill - would is be possible for you to try that and see how it goes or do you think it would be too hard to stick to a set meal each week? I know I couldn't do it LOL,

[Indadhanu]

Thanks everyone

OG: we buy usually buy Australian made, but go fair trade where Australian made maynot be possible (I'd always thought rice shouldn't be grown in Australia because of the water so Thanks Trillian, I hadn't read about that before ).

We do homebake, because Jazz and I both have intolerances to some major preservatives and flavours. We have been pretty lax with out meal planning/menu since I've been at work, Shel's just getting into the hang of things. We'll have to really get back into it, might make it easier to work out where we can buy ethically and still feed ourselves for the week.

Gonna have to get my butt into gear and work this out. We do a lot, local butcher which buys local meat and the green grocer attached to it buys local and Australian grown produce, both of which is important to us. I'm sure it can be done though. I worry about it a lot, especially when am talking to someone and start to go on about, for example, Nestle, and then realise "aw crap, my trolley looks like a home brand and Nestle advert"

ETA: NAAAWWW snuggley, you gave me warm and fuzzies

[Liviam]

I'm the same as so any on here. I would love to be able to buy australian made, organic, free range etc but our budget just doens't stretch to cover it. I do go to the farmers markets/fairs so guess that helps a little bit. Unfortunately at the moment I'm choosing food for my family over moral/ethical choices and I don't feel guilty about it at all - my family has to come first!

[sconeonamission]

Just my experience here, but budget wins out.
Id love to be able to buy Australian made, fair trade, organic all the time, but ATM its just impossible.
We all do the best we can, and your family has to come first. In our case this means buying the most and best we can afford within our budget.

I totally agree. IF and I stress IF there are markdown free range eggs, by golly they're mine! I'll use them first mind.

But I try and get the best bang for my buck that I can when shopping, as we are on an extreeeeeeemly tight budget

I used to go to the Chandler Markets, but now my payday is a few days before the weekend I work I'm now in the process of trying to stretch out what I have and saving my grocery shopping til my off weekend.. which is this weekend.. hmm can I do it?

[sconeonamission]

whats this about Nestle?

[Visitor7]

Well I for one am going to say that it's ok. As you said, you are on a tight budget at the moment, and that has got to come first. You are still providing food for your family and that is the foremost important thing. Trust me, it sucks big time to be on such a tight budget, but you gotta do what you gotta do.