09/10/2006

the tesco value experiment

although i've been paid now, i had to spend over a month (nearly two...) waiting on my first cheque (actually, BACS) during which time i had to economise. there happens to be a large, 24-hour, tesco near the halls of residence i stay in, since they claim that every little helps, i decided to shop there. my problem - how to make no money (or very close to none) last a week and provide me with food? the answer - tesco value food!

chicken noodles @ 8pfour teacakes @ 27pbaked beans @ 17p
36 wheat biscuits @ 64pgolden savoury rice meal @ 25pplain chocolate digestives @ 34p



and, there's more where they come from. since they all cost so little, my expectations were naturally low, and i can fairly say they were met, and possibly even exceeded. in particular, those teacakes are an amazing purchase and last for ages without going stale, as are the digestives. even the savoury rice and tomato pasta meals (not pictured) which are bags of rice/pasta with powdered sauce that require boiling in water/milk for 5-10 minues to cook are not overly dreadful. now, i know people are going to say why didn't i get vegetables and meat and so on - ingredients basically! and make my own meals? well, i'm pretty lazy, and also, i still think the 'value way' is cheaper.

another thing i noticed is that the value brand now extends way past food. you can buy value pens, pencils and paper, cameras, telephones, crockery, shampoo, irons, microwaves - i could go on... my experiment has thankfully ended, but i am convinced that although man may not live on bread alone, he could do it with tesc's value range, even on the dole...