I read the gardening section on page 46 of the news Of The World dated 09 November. A comment reads
"And the good news is that the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners reckons you can save up to £1500 a year on food bills by growing your own"
I wonder if they have taken into account the cost of buying seeds, compost, paying rent.......and the weather. I do my allotmenteering as a hobby because I enjoy it although any savings on the food bills is an added bonus. I will calculate my expenses and offset against yields next year to try and work out my true cost.
Just wondered if anybody thinks they have come close to saving this amount.
Occasionally I find myself doing the sums - like when Lidls have 5 onions for 20p (cheaper than sets!) and spuds for £5 for 25kg at the side of the road.
Of course, if you compare locally grown soft fruit prices you can save quite a bit... but overall, for me, it's about getting fresher food or different varieties. Long beetroots, chard, yellow courgettes... oh, and of course tomatoes with a taste you can't buy!
We used to spend nearer £20 a week at the market, for the last 3 years it's been nearer a tenner, so I reckon we save about £500 at the most, minus about £100 of costs. If you factor in your time, it's probably around £1 an hour. So it has to be for fun!
if you're just interested in the money, better off with a paper round
I think we all do the sums from time to time but how many of us would buy 80 globe artichokes, umpteen wheelbarrows of broad beans, runner beans, peas etc, or purple sprouting broccoli piled high on the dinner plate daily for many weeks.
Undoubtedly we all spend less on veg as a result of our activities but anyone who is able to work could earn their grocery bill in 1-2 hours a week. That is the time I reckon it takes just to harvest the crops, never mind the cultivation, weeding, watering and general care.
I like to purchase my seeds from several suppliers over the winter period to hide the real costs of the event.
Quote from: Eristic on November 12, 2008, 10:18:42
I like to purchase my seeds from several suppliers over the winter period to hide the real costs of the event.
Haha! Addict!
I keep a record of what I haarvest and compare it to what I would have spend on veg at my local Asda. Last year I spent £123.00 on seed and compost rent etc, and my harvest was £1253.00, This year I spent £142.00 on the allotment and up to now I have had a harvest of £858.00
I have saved some money by growing my own but to my mind it is not a money thing, first and foremost its a hobby and love of growing things and knowing where and how it is grown.
Hi and welcome Powerspade, ;D
I agree it has to be the love of getting down and dirty, and eating fresh food with no chemicals. ;D
Down and dirty, right up my street. ;) ;D ;D ;D
;D
For me, this is a hard thing to calculate, because I eat what is available on the plot. That isnt necessarily what I would have bought if I didnt have a lottie, if you know what I mean ???
I certainly wouldnt have bought the amount of sweetcorn , raspberries , gooseberries, strawberries and blackcurrants that I get from the lottie.
cj :)
Quote :I have saved some money by growing my own but to my mind it is not a money thing, first and foremost its a hobby.
Howdy all, I'm new on here and find it an interesting site. For a change, growing by real allotment holders and in real English (if we can say that)
I have 3 half plots ,each 100 sq meters and all i can pick at the mo' is January King and Brussels but theres a lot to come next month and into the spring but the furthest thing from my mind is what it costs me. I just never let it enter my head. This new season i have already spent near £300 on seed potatoes, veg seeds, soil conditioner, glue bands a roll of fleece (bless ebay) and a nice new cold frame. There is still the plot rental to come next month. Due to age related i now only pay £15 per plot.
I hope the missus dont read this cos its beginning to sound costly now! I will say that we dont buy very much from the shops but i still think that no matter what the cost or savings may be, it is the best hobby i've got. Sad i know, but its just nice to grow stuff and know its not had gunge sprayed all over it in Africa or somewhere. This year i think i will scare myself and do a cost buying and cost saving exercise. Like in another thread using Lidls prices it could look like it may only be an excuse to get out of doing the back garden with 'er indoors supervising. Taste and enjoyment is what its about in my book
hiya, kingston boy, welcome to the site, watch out it's as addictive as seed buying ;D
Welcome to the forum Kingston boy ;D ;D
Taste and enjoyment.....................agreed ;D ;D ;)
3 plots eh?.........Busy lad you are :D
Hey Kingston boy & welcome.... Are we talking Kingston Jamaica, or the one a few miles up the road from me... My cousin has a lottie at the one in Surrey, just thought I'd ask...
This year with the exception of sweetcorn , parsnip, potatoes and gladioliosI plan on growing only plants from seed I have left over from previous years (I have quite a lot) or seeds from this years crops.
That should only leave me with compost, chicken feed and rent to find (possibly)
I may have to buy a new packet of chard - its entering its 6th year
When working out the costs, are people using the supermarket organic prices. :-\ ;D ;D ;D
[
Hey Kingston boy & welcome.... Are we talking Kingston Jamaica, or the one a few miles up the road from me... My cousin has a lottie at the one in Surrey, just thought I'd ask...
[/quote]
Yeah,i'm just up the road from Guildford but there are 23 sites in the Royal Borough. Which one does your cous' work on?
for me the cost dint come in to it ;D i have only had my plot since the end of march and turned it in to my kingdome i absolutely love it :P i am a cheeky chappie who loves to have a laugh and i have made some very good mates male and female young and old every time i go on to my plot within 10 Min's the kettles on and my shed or should i say tea room is full at the moment i am moving in to bigger premises just got to get the roof on one of the lads got me an old wood burning stove from an old train and i cant wait to get the bacon and eggs going for the crazy crew :D it means much more to me then saving a few quid now the wife lol she is not so keen she wont eat anything i grow and has only been down a few times she prefers the super market veg nice and clean all the same size and bland but i am determind to change her to a proper plotter ;)
hey there Shaun1
It seems that sustanance will cost a fortune in grub and tea.
Do your pals do any digging for their goodies?
Clean the veggies be4 you get home,it will make a difference
My mum's just as bad with dirty veggies. I get to have all my Dad's onions, carrots and parsnips, as she likes nice clean ones from the shop.
I wont suggest he cleans them, or my extra supply will dry up ;)
cj :)
For 9 months of the year, I don't buy (much) food at all. I don't treat veg as a side dish though - it's my entire meal. Beans for protein (homegrown), veggies in season, with a bit of pasta or rice. Porridge or toast for brekky, but I eat whatever is on the plot for lunch and dinner. So my food bill is next to nothing.
I also save gym money.
Bean_Queen,
so are you vegetarian?
What types of beans do you grow?
cj :)
Money doesnt come into it, its a hobby and a place to have a chat to friends and make new ones, you cant buy that :)
I spend loads on seeds ect and love it and swapping them is fun, and starting up new plot holders with seeds.
I dont drink, smoke ect and make-up and clothes dont float my boat so getting dirty and enjoying the fresh air are my fun.
Besides i cant be bothered to weigh all i pick and it would spoil the fun :)
I agree, just off to the allotment as it is sunny today, may get some spinach. I suppose if ones counts the rosemary, mint and oregano (which costs a bomb to buy in little packets) and the pounds and pounds of blackberries I picked all round the vacant plots (gave loads away) it could add up. Saw the lady in front of me yesterday with two tiny punnets of blackberries and they cost £3 for the two. Gave loads of courgettes, runner beans away. Also gave carrier bags of windfall apples away but my friend on the allotment gave them to me. Kept some for apple pies, blackberry and apple pies and apple sauce, so I suppose all these things would add up over the year. We did buy a motor mower and rotavator this year (twice as the first two were stolen) but apart from that have tools and don't spend too much on seeds.
It wold be nice if the article identified how they got to the cost that culd be saved on the food bill each year.
The cost would depend on the initial outlay that might need to be made, e.g. seed trays, tools, a shed (perhaps) and even a greenhouse.
Also I recon they did not take into account the time it takes, and this would depend what you class as your time costing. If it is a hobby, the cost should be very little or even free. I expect that most people with an allotment would class their time as being free.
Quote from: Borlotti on November 14, 2008, 10:35:11
and don't spend too much on seeds.
WHAT !!! ??? :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???
Never did the maths on this - but I don't have to buy any soft fruit or veg for most of the year (haven't got top or stone fruit sorted ........yet). I grow organically and also lay down chutneys and preserves which also become gifts for friends and family.
Also since having the lotties I stopped my gym membership (£500 plus pa) as I get enough exercise on the plot. If this is taken into account then I probably am up to £1500 pa..................I think. :-\
But I don't count the costs of seed adiction as it replaced a costlier shoe addiction ;D
Quote from: Suzanne on November 14, 2008, 12:28:50
But I don't count the costs of seed adiction as it replaced a costlier shoe addiction ;D
My seed addiction has created a shoe addiction - the boxes are ideal for keeping seeds in ::) ::) ::) ::)
do i count the price of all the asparagus we have eaten this year?
that isnt saved money realy, i would never have bought it.
lbb
well of I am going to save that much I can spend some more on seeds ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D without feeling guilty :-\
Guilty and seeds should never appear in the same sentence, except for demonstration purposes ;D ;D ;D
My husband is reluctant to cook and eat most of what I grow (we take turns to cook, one fortnight each). It got better once I learned to wash the veg, put it in a see through plastic box, and label it with name and date picked using a post-it note.
I'm afraid we've had a few rows about his love of the serried ranks of washed, international, perfectly formed season-free fruit and veg in Tescos, and he has learned that I won't eat this stuff now, so he's on his own if he buys it.
He's allowed to buy veg in local farm shops if it is something I don't grow...... He has also slowly, painfully learned that a couple of lettuce leaves or half a carrot is not enough for me; three different veg or a mountain of salad leaves is more the mark. He can't believe it.
It's difficult to know if we save money with just the two of us; but I am unwilling to spend much on the allotments apart from the rent and some seeds. One plus is that I like to give fruit and veg away to friends and relations who appreciate it, and there are three or four charities who ask me to donate things for stalls, so almost nothing is wasted.
Perhaps in the long run I will save money, but the initial outlay for the greenhouse, shed, tools, some timber, seeds etc has been quite costly. The ongoing costs as much less though. If I added up all the veg I crop from the allotment it could total a pretty high amount, but in balance I don't think I am saving money at the moment. I don't mind spending the money as it is our main hobby and as a hobby it is pretty cheap!