My rear without supermarkets

Okay I've done the (slightly more) glamorous stuff - I've bought the quirky olive oil from Spanish farmers and visited the local florist for a housewarming gift. 

But now it's time to strip things back and deal with a pressing issue - namely where do I go to get my toilet tissue?

It's all very well experimenting with farmers' markets and delis to find some fantastic food but when it comes to the household basics like loo roll and kitchen cleaners I'm a bit stumped without Tesco.

Following my chat with 93-year-old grandma (see yesterday's blog) I've decided that keeping an eye on the old folk is a smart tactic for my challenge. After all, you don't successfully negotiate your way through seven, eight or even nine decades without picking up a few tricks, and these guys remember what life was like before the supermarkets so they know of other places to shop.

With this in mind I decided to have a look in Wilkinsons. This well-known hardware chain is beloved of OAPs everywhere; they flock to the familiar red storefronts like wasps to a pint of beer on a hot summer's day. The mere mention of the word 'Wilkos' used to send my granddad into a hot flush of excitement. So it's got to be worth seeing what all the fuss is about.

Plus with the news today that HMV is going into administration it's a timely reminder that high street chains need our support too. They provide local jobs, and a structure and familiarity to our town centres. So many people grew misty-eyed at the closure of Woolworths a few years ago, but without support from customers these chains will continue to struggle.

After battling my way through the army of tartan trollies in the Chesterfield branch of Wilkinsons yesterday I have to say, hand on heart, that I'm a complete convert.

I, Jade Beecroft, effing LOVE Wilkos.

Anyone who hasn't been in there recently quite frankly hasn't lived. My granddad was right. It's brilliant.

First of all, it's just full of life-enhancingly practical stuff - pretty much all you could ever need to oil the cogs of your household. I needed a packet of washing up scourers and found myself stood in front of a huge display of the things, literally gob-smacked at the scouring choice before me. I've never seen such a vast array of scourers in my life. There were big ones, little ones, multi-packs, multi-multi-packs, wire ones, ones with special grips, budget ones and even flower-shaped scourers in a choice of cheerful colours.

And that's one of the most wonderful things about Wilkos - you can just walk around marvelling at things...

"My goodness, is that a pink, flower-shaped washing up scourer?" you think as you saunter past.

"God, there's a huge plastic greenhouse for just £39.99. And look at those lovely shelf brackets. And over here there's a unisex urine bottle. A unisex what....?" (at which point you either drop your basket or walk straight into a pyramid of toilet rolls).

It is honestly the most entertainment you can possible have out shopping.

I even found a dedicated reptile aisle catering to absolutely all your reptile needs. It's hard to imagine the pensioners of north Derbyshire having a lot of reptile needs, but never-the-less there it was.

And the price! We all know that old folk love a bargain, which is presumably another reason why Wilkos gets their juices flowing, but these prices were almost too good to be true.

I walked out of the shop with a pack of eight decent quality quilted loo rolls (I really don't approve of going overboard on something you're going to use to wipe your bum but my other half likes a soft ply), a pack of kitchen rolls, an Ecover kitchen cleaner spray (usually quite pricey) and a pack of scourers (the handy grip ones - not the flowers) and the whole thing only came to a fiver.

I thought I'd misheard when the cashier rang it through. You can pay nearly a fiver for a pack of decent quality loo rolls alone in many other places.

The old chap behind me in the queue gave me a satisfied smile and a wink as I pocketed my change, probably delighted to find that at least one young whippersnapper had finally seen the light. Who knows, maybe I'll be getting myself one of those tartan shopping trollies next, they do look very handy....