We are not even 3 weeks into our quest to live a normal family life on only British goods and services, but there has been one reoccurring question we get asked – Is it not going to be really expensive?
If you would have asked us just after our first supermarket shop we would have replied to this with a positive yes. However, things are starting to change. The more research we put in the more bargains we find.
Our weekly grocery shopping is now back to it’s usual average of about £100 per week. This is because we found Kent Veg Box who supply all of our fruit, veg, milk, bread and eggs. The variety, quality and cost is significantly better then the supermarkets and as such our weekly bills are going down.
But it is not just groceries. Small plastic items like Rainbow Trugs and Kent combs & toothbrushes are comparative in price to those manufactured abroad and, in our view, far better quality.
Unique Kids fleece range – funky and affordable
Clothes are indeed an area of difficultly as much of what is produced is very high-end, but we are actually finding great value items of clothing too. Take for instance Unique Kid. The Bradshaws have another photoshoot today with the Daily Mail and I wanted something British for Lucan to wear for the photos. Like most parents, Emily and I are cost consious when buying kids clothes. For day to day wear, we don’t want to pay designer prices for clothes that will be used & abused and be grown out of in a couple of months. This is why Unique Kids was a fantastic find. All of their fleeces, hats, gloves and scarves are made in Wales at a price comparative to, dare I say, Primark. However, the quality is still exceptional! Plus Dr Jo, who owns this brand, is really passionate about what she is doing!
Now when someone asks me if living British is more expensive I would still have to answer yes. But now the reason is not that we cannot find the things we need at a great price but more that we are finding most of what we see utterly irresistible!
-James
I am fascinated by your finds and will try to do my best to buy British. Please continue with your good work
Michelle
Basingstoke
Have you tried Hotter shoes, they are made in Skelmersdale and are so good it’s hard to wear them out. There are some Hotter retail outlets but plenty of on-line bargains on their web site
I agree. They are great shoes and very comfy if you’re on you feet all day.
Super excited to hear about your plans to buy British, this is such a brilliant challenge and I love that your blog not only raises awareness of your cause but also helps to generate new customers for any British business you find. On a personal level, I’ve been keen to support more local business but never been aware of what was available, and since I live in Kent, I will be reading your blog every day. I am excited to hear you mention Kent Veg Box as I was just talking in pub today about wanting to start ordering a veg box – perfect! Looking forward to hearing about many more British companies that I can support and how you overcome any challenges you find along the way.
Sorry these unique kid cloths are much more expensive than primark children’s cloths. granted the quality is more than likely much better, they are the sort of thing I would buy for my granddaughter. but not a good price comparison to use.
Hi there, Unique-Kids is my company and it would sadly not be possible to produce clothing in the UK which is comparable in price to Primark. The minimum wage alone makes that impossible. However, I think you will agree that we are comparable to other high street stores which is where have tried to pitch ourselves…at £15 for a fleece for a children aged 2-13 years that’s not bad value for money. I am delighted that it is the kind of clothing that you would buy for your family, many thanks.
Hi, Jo Williams, you have said what I was trying to say better than I did. I think your cloths look lovely, and will we trying them for my Granddaughter. Are family have been shopping local and from small business for some time now, and think this blog is great.
We too thought that British Made products would be more expensive, but we don’t think they are either. In fact we stock sports items which are actually cheaper than some well known sports brands. One which jumps to mind is the compression shorts from 010 Gear. They sell for £25 and for anyone who knows a bit technical sports clothing, knows you would be lucky to buy compression shorts for under £35.
The tricky part is finding the products; you do have to search hard. We hope we are helping with that in the sports world at least.
Just to be open, I am the owner of an online sports retailer milesstronger.co.uk
I am loving this thread. (Gag!) I have two young sons and an an older daughter and children’s clothing is a particular issue for me; especially the boys. “Better to spend a little more and get a lot more than to spend a little less and get a lot less” I once read.
I shall be treating myself to some Marco John socks and shall give Unique-Kids a go. All I ever look for is good value which means reasonable wear without unreasonable maintenance.
It excites me reading about everybody getting excited about British made goods and services. It pleases me that more and more British manufacturers and service providers are revealing themselves to us here!