shopping?

Recently I have been trying to cut back on shopping, all aspects. The amount I shop for, the amount I spend, the amount of packaging there is.
​Its difficult especially when everything tells you should be spend, spend, spending! Not just on food or clothes or beauty products but every second advert is for a new sofa, a new car. So where do we stop? when do we say 'I don't need that'?
So my weekly shop ...how can I spend less but guarantee a heathy nutritious meal for all my family. Thankfully I love to cook, NOT Nigella style or even Jamie Oliver style, although both are amazing and have some great cook books out there if you are looking for inspiration.
So with just my own style, cooking from scratch seems to be the best way.
I LOVE fresh ingredients.
Fresh ingredients are cheaper and healthier than prepared foods.
Fresh ingredients have less packaging, and lets be honest some packaging is so ridiculous 3 layers of plastic with an outer package of compostable card doesn't make it environmentally sound especially when most food worthy plastics are still not able to be recycled. 
​Fresh Ingredients are easier to use up in soups, stews at end of week instead of ending up in the bin.
Fresh ingredients are easier to compost.
​Any supermarket can now provide you with local produce and there are some great farmers markets going on.
​You don't need to cook anything fancy,  try starting  a '3 ingredient' recipe? 
For my family its usually something like Potato Broccoli Cheese Bake or Creamy Mushroom Pasta adding sides of chicken or bacon  for the meat eaters when they are around. 
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Don't get me wrong we still have the odd pizza but usually add our own toppings and we definitely love a takeaway  and supporting our small local eateries but since we started we are all feeling a lot healthier with our change to fresh foods and at the same time we are dong our bit for the environment. 

​Have you changed how you shop? Where you shop?
​Do you cook fresh? Or are you ready meal mad?
​Who do you think should be responsible for the excessive packaging on food?