I used to blog a lot about Approved Foods and get all excited when my latest order arrived, photographing what I had just unpacked before cramming it into already full cupboards.
I had an email from Approved Foods the other day and just as I was about to delete it I decided to unsubscribe from the emails they send so regularly to stop them bouncing unwelcomed into my email box. Then I had a sudden thought ... "I wonder if there is any money in my Friends Recommendations account", so I went over to check ..... and there was!!
A whole £16 to be exact, plus I had £6.97 of unused credit (I can't remember why I got that). So while I was on the site I decided to spend this money. I thought I would spend it wisely on things that we needed and things that would last.
Although why I thought we needed 5kg of Tagliatelle I have no idea!!
And it's in a HUGE box, the only place for it for the moment was on top of the larder unit, where it is now looking down at me very reproachfully. If I sort out the gardening bits and pieces and kitchen stuff that is on the top shelf it will fit in thank goodness.
I started this post off with the paragraph 'I used to blog a lot about Approved Foods and get all excited when my latest order arrived, photographing what I had just unpacked before cramming it into already full cupboards.' because while I was in the process of lining up all the food on the worktop, my heart was sinking. It didn't look right, possibly because it didn't fit in with the way we eat now, too many wrappers and processed foods, too much color that isn't in the form of home grown natural goodness, and ..... well just too much!!
Yes I have bought some treats, the crisps, the Twixes, the salted peanuts to sprinkle on Lovely Hubby's salad, the Poppodums that will go with the curry sauces that still linger in the kitchen cupboard. There is nothing there that is not what we will at some point eat (and Lovely Hubby will love the cakes and custard), but seeing it all together it just looks so wrong.
The only thing I was even half way excited about opening was this, the 'Lucky Box'. I couldn't resist adding one to my order.
I loved 'Lucky Bags' when I was little, the big gaudy colourful paper bag that always contained a tiny toy, a few dried up almost inedible sweets and sometimes a mini comic. Even as a child I knew these were not worth the large percentage of my spending money that it involved laying out to get one, but it was the unknown that you were paying for. The surprise of purchasing something that you could run home with and slowly savour pulling out item after item that your hadn't chosen yourself. The disappointment afterwards as you tried not to break your wobbly little teeth on the rock hard 'chew' did not outweigh the excitment you had felt on that ten minute journey home.
As it happens on this occasion I did quite well with my 'Lucky Box'. For the outlay of just a single pound this is what I got. a large bag of foreign crisps, reading the ingredients list they appear to be cheese and onion flavour, the instant noodles will be handy to be added to soups, the drinks have gone straight into the fridge and no doubt will be consumed by Lovely Hubby when he comes in with a desperate thirst from working outside. And the little pack of Dill dried herbs is actually the only herb I have missing from my collection that we do use.
If anyone is interested in what I bought and for how much this is the breakdown.
Hovis Flour 2 for £1 saving £2.40 - in date.
Sharwoods Plain Puppodums 9 packs for £2.97 saving £13.14 - in date
Lucky Box £1 - saving £3.99 - all bar one item in date
Cake Mix 6 for £1.98 saving£6.96 - just out of date
Ready Popped Popcorn 6 for £1 saving £1.10 - in date
5kg!! Tagliatelle £2.99 saving £4.00 - in date
Custard Mix 12 for £2 saving £2.80 - just out of date
Seabrook Crisps 18 for £3 saving £4.20 out of date
McCoys Crisps 10 for £2 saving £5.50 - just out of date
Nobby's Nuts 12 for £2 saving £6.40 - out of date
Twix 12 for £3.96 saving £3.24 - in date
So I 'spent' £16 worth of recommendation money, £6.97 of unused credit and £6.92 cash and I got food (and drinks) to the value of £77.63. Not a bad little shop. It all fitted easily into the cupboards now that I don't store as much, but still I doubt I will be shopping with them again on a regular basis.
From now on there will be no more money dropping into my Friends Recommended account to tempt me to spend with them because I have deleted the link to it. If you want to shop with them yourself simply Google 'Approved Foods' and you will find them easily. They are still a good site for so many people to use with good products at very good prices as you can see above, and I do highly recommend their service.
But things have changed a lot round here food wise.
Sue xx
