Vicky spends 200 euros a month on groceries: “I avoid giving my money to large retailers”

Name or nickname: Vicky

Age : 25 years old

Residence : Montréuil (93)

People living under the same roof and their age: 0

Family income : €1700 net per month + €210 restaurant vouchers

Monthly grocery budget : around €200

Food specifications : Nobody

My running routine? Every week I buy more or less the same things: lots of fruit and vegetables (which vary depending on the season), legumes (chickpeas or lentils), eggs, cheese and bread. I eat a lot of pastabut I buy them in quantity, so I don’t have to restock them every week. I buy very little meat or fish, but sometimes I consume it. I generally go shopping twice a week: once at the market on Sunday and again during the week.

Vicky’s favorite brands

I try to encourage as much as possible my local traders : I have my own bakery, my own butcher’s shop, my own cheese shop, my own organic and shortcut food shop and my own Sunday market. Otherwise I shop at Biocoop and prefer bulk products as much as possible. The biocoop allows me to use the money credited to my meal cardt, since other companies do not accept it.

I find it very pleasant to meet the traders in my neighborhood, to be able to ask their advice, to see their stalls change according to the seasons and arrivals, it allows me to discover new products!

I have enough time and money to choose not to shop at the supermarket.

Vicky, 25 years old

Vicki consume organic and local

I try to consume as much organic, local, seasonal and bulk as possible, as I told you. Not so much for health reasons, but rather for ethical and ecological reasons. I avoid giving my money to large retailers as much as possible. Living alone, I am lucky enough to be able to organize myself as I wish. I have enough time and money to choose not to shop at the supermarket.

I try to get out of it as cheaply as possible. Everything in these brands is very expensive so I always opt for the least expensive alternative, such as the “Price Engaged” products.

I eat little meat and fish. I always keep a can of tuna in the pantry in case I'm really lazy, and I only buy meat when I have a specific recipe in mind that requires it (a Bolognese, a carbonara, a savory dish with lentils, etc.). I'm trying more and more to resort to vegetarian alternatives like fake bacon or veggie steaks.

Shopping is so much more enjoyable since I started shopping this way.

Cooking, above all a pleasure

I'm alone so I cook all the time and I love it! It's really a pleasure for me come home after a day of work and make myself dinner and a Tupperware for lunch the next day.

Sometimes I have to admit that I run out of recipe ideas, which is why I keep a list of all the new recipes I try so I can come back to them if I run out of inspiration! And for the rest, the internet is full of recipes that I often twist according to my tastes.

When I'm at home I never order. I find the prices crazy and I live in an area where restaurants are rare and delivery times are therefore very long. Also, since I like it, I'm almost never too lazy to cook. I usually make large portions, so there's always enough left over to make a meal.

I very rarely eat out. At lunchtime in the office, I almost always have a Tupperware with me, which makes my trips to the restaurant rarer and therefore more pleasant!

His latest food crack

My latest failure was simply last night: I prepared a huge gratin of pasta with ham and cheese with a nice béchamel sauce to tie it all together. I think I'll have it for the next 5 days.

The food I can't live without: pasta. My mother is Italian and I have eaten it every day since I was old enough to eat solid foods. It's my favorite dish, the combinations are endless, I continue to learn (or invent) sauce recipes and I think I will do so for the rest of my life!

Inflation confirmed his desire to consume differently

When prices started to rise, I realized itthere was no longer such a big difference between the supermarket and the local shops in the Paris region. This is how I started dedicating myself to this way of consumption: even if it means paying a lot, you might as well buy good products.

In an era when inflation was a ubiquitous topic in the media, I read many in-depth articles about economic actors profiting from inflation. This strengthened my decision to change my habits.

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