Plastic Free July Week 1 Day 4.
The first week of Plastic Free July is for me to notice what plastic I buy. I’m trying to act normally and do what I usually do. Next week I can start to think about changes.
Last night, with a spare 10 minutes before I collected my son, I nipped into Tescos to check out the reduced section. I don’t menu plan down to the last detail but I do roughly plan around protein sources. I eat almost everything so protein for me can be meat, fish, cheese, eggs, tofu, nuts or pulses. I always look at the short dated reduced food first and I change my shopping list according to what I find there. These mighty fine 97% meat sausages reduced from £2 to 58p for six jumped into my hands in the blink of an eye. I noticed the non recyclable black plastic, had a 1 second pang of land fill guilt then looked again at the price and bought them.
Sausages are not usually on my shopping list, if I really want some I’ll get them from the butcher where I can take my own Tupperware. These are good quality ones, reduced to nearly a quarter of their original price and for £1.16 I have got 6 portions of food sorted out.
Feeling conflicted about saving money v saving the planet
Apples are growing nicely on trees round here but money isn’t. If I can see a good saving on decent food I need to grab the opportunity. I don’t need to eat meat at all but I like the taste of dead things when properly cooked (apologies to my vegan mum, it is probably a form of rebellion!). My shopping habits have a solid pattern to them: Reduced section first, other protein sources next, fill up the trolley with seasonal veg if I’m not growing it at home and don’t forget the ice cream.
I may need to break my shopping pattern to stop using so much plastic.
