Shopping!

---

Prices

I have written about shopping in Spain before; now that I have been living here a while, I thought I would write an update.  My shopping habits have changed greatly, since moving to Gran Alacant; they had too.  In The UK, I spent far too much money anyway. Not only of groceries, but everything else inbetween.  My habits were wasteful and not something I wish to repeat in future.

Roughing it is good for the soul.  The lack of money or access to credit, takes one back to an altogether simpler time.  Spain still hasn't caught up with the rest of the world, where shopping is concerned.  The majority of shops, do not take credit or debit cards; everybody here uses cash! There is a distinct lack of choice, not only in supermarkets, but also other shops.  Shops do not compete against one another, so equally, prices of items vary dramatically. So as people, with time on our hands, we tend to shop around, for the best deals!

Myself and Katie purchased the shopping in Lidl on Sunday, as we usually do, but due to the lack of British products, we also went to Dialprix, where they have an abundance of products from The UK, all at inflated prices of course.  There are obviously certain items from home that I just can't live without.  Marmite is the main one, although at 3.29€ for the smallest jar, it isn't cheap.  I also love my gravy;  gravy really does seem to be a difficult thing to get hold of here.  You can always find it in the exotic British food section of Dialprix.  Bisto is expensive, at 2.15€, but like Marmite, I just can't live without it!

Baked Beans, another British staple.  I used to eat loads of them in The UK, but in Spain I literally can't afford them.  At 2.19€ for a can of Heinz, they can keep it. Everything British is expensive to be honest, from chocolate to sauces, PG Tips and Robinsons Barley water.  So when you are on a limited income, you tend to avoid most of them and concentrate on eating as The Spanish do!

Most other things are a lot cheaper in Spain.  Bread for example, which Jamie eats like it's gone out of fashion, can cost as little as 70c a loaf.  The bread is different to that back home;  it is smaller and has a slightly sweeter taste.  Anything locally produced is unquestionably cheaper.  I have brought 8 litres of locally produced wine, for 7€, and it tastes wonderful.  12 eggs cost 1.25€, probably about half the price it is in Britain. 

Meat does seem to be exceptionally cheap in Spain, up to half the price, we would pay in the UK.  Two large pork chops in Dialprix cost 1.40€.  Dialprix does seem to be much better value for meat and bread anyway.  Some supermarkets are cheaper than others, for different things.  Dialprix, also has the best range of British products, catering, as it does, for a large expat community.  Unide, my local supermarket, also has a large range of items from the home country, although prices  are much more expensive.
​

Wastage

I wanted to say a few short paragraphs about wastage. For the first time in my life, I have learned to waste nothing.  This is the Spanish way; everything is used, all leftovers are frozen and reheated at a later date.

I have of course had to change my cooking and eating habits; no bad thing to be honest.  I cook up far more than myself and Jamie eat and freeze down everything else that is left. I have not thrown food away since I  first moved to GA.

Money is tight, as a consequence you do learn to adapt to your new circumstances.  You often live hand to mouth; not something I am used too, but something I am embracing. It is a learning curve for me, a new experience and a worthwhile exercise in life building skills.  Britain has forgotten, much of what we practice here and that is a shame.

​You have to remember that, as an expat, you have no access to public funds.  There are no benefits for the likes of me, so you have to either work or starve.  Since wages are much lower, than those of the UK; jobs are few and far between and we are now heading into the winter, money is tight.  You have to make do with what you have and do your best with very little.  Actually, it's all a very uplifting experience!

---

Spanish Ways

​I was talking to a friend of mine at Sierra Mar Square last week, about shopping and they said what every other person says in Spain.  As long as you shop as the Spanish do, you can't go wrong.  Shop locally and seasonally, use the local markets and above all shop around for the best deals.  There is a lot less choice in Gran Alacant, the luxuries you take for granted in Britain are very expensive here.  The shelves are stacked with far healthier products and prices are generally cheaper.  My grocery bill in the UK was about 160€ a week, now I spend about 60€.  I have made radical changes, not only to my budget, but also the things I buy.  I still haven't mastered, everything  to do with shopping, but I am getting there.  In time I will be as economical as my Spanish friends, until then I'll just keep persevering!

---

---