Saturday 26 November 2011

It went a sort of murky green

Look what came through the letter box this morning with the free paper, I hope the delivery person got paid extra for carrying all this weight. What a waste of paper. I had a quick glance through them to see if there was any bargains in the food departments that I should rush out and buy. There wasn't.

I wonder if people read them and then decide to go and buy something they have seen advertised. I wonder if they do boost sales, and are worth the cost of printing and distributing them. How can the shops tell if their leaflets are bringing in extra revenue. I suppose some of it must work or they wouldn't cough up the money for it. I could use them for wrapping paper, it's so colourful, but I won't be buying any presents, so I'll put it in the recycling box.

My lunch today, two boiled eggs, pasta, sweetcorn, and peas, in Mayo on a bed of lettuce. Very healthy.


Bobo has gone into a pen at Sue's today, he seemed quite happy. It will be much better for him, he will be able to look around the garden. He was getting a bit sad and a bit fed up at being in a little room by himself. At least he has some pals now.

I have at last finished the week long stew. I added a tin of mushy peas tonight and it went a sort of murky green. All I can say is that's it's a good job I live alone :0)

I went to Tesco tonight to get some food in, stocks are running quite low again. I was shocked at how expensive everything is, even I am struggling to find bargains now, and I'm a flippin expert. My usual six yogurts have gone from 90p to £1.12, so I bought another brand in a big tub for 89p. Just have to make sure I get six servings out of it and not scoff it all in one go, ha ha. It's all quite depressing really, just when I think I have got the frugal shopping sussed, the items I normally buy have gone up, so I have to look for cheaper alternatives again. It's all about keeping ahead of the game, but each week it gets more difficult. I can see a time when we won't be able to afford to eat at all.

I am usually quite a fighter, I have always said that they will not beat me, but it does start to worry me when I see prices rise on a daily basis. Anyway, I did my usual trick of pestering the woman with the ticket machine as she was marking things down. At least I managed to get a few bargains. I live to fight another day. I'll update my food diary tomorrow.

16 comments:

  1. Same price hikes here in the US, it's depressing. More and more things get scratched off our list, substitutions are selected, alternatives sought. It is a game.

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  2. have you tried making yogurt ? It isnt quite the same as store bought ( I like it much better) but it is less expensive to make and contrary to popular belief you dont need any fancy equipment.
    I do not buy any fruit juices; they are a real waste of money as far as I am concerned and not that good for you. This time of year oranges from the market are fresh and good value, eat one every other day and there is no need for extra vitamin C or juice.

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  3. I have had a free yogurt maker for about three years. It came from freecycle. I finally made my own yogurt and it was a great feeling. Other people make yogurt without a contraption made for it. If you look on the internet, there are all sorts of methods. Just don't put any flavoring in it until it is done.

    You could buy more now and have stock for later when the prices will surely have risen more. Have you ever thought of growing a couple of pots of greens for salads in your house? I know it is winter, but do you ever grow anything outside to feed yourself? You don't have to be brilliant, a gardener or spend lots to grow a few things in buckets.

    I don't know how you feel about having hens, but they are free for me to feed, so the eggs are a bonus. They eat eggshells instead of oyster shells, scraps I scrounge from lots of places, only whole wheat bread, meat scraps (fat and gristle) for protein. When I have to be away, a neighbor or friend can feed them. It works!

    Two eggs is what I eat at one time in the morning when I do have eggs. I am thinking of cutting back to one scrambled egg since my hens are off laying this winter. I get about 10 eggs each week, not enough for baking and eating! Maybe your protein intake could be filled with one egg once in awhile.

    Make sure your alternatives are healthy ones. The prices rise here, too. Don't despair, thinking you are alone. It may be easier for me because I just joined with a friend to lose weight. So, maybe I can save on food that I should not eat...lol. You do not need to cut down on food!

    However, tonight, Ijust had to buy a cabbage. I got one for $.69/lb. That was a $1.25 cabbage. I am going to eat it over four meals. Plus, I have a ham given to me. So, ham and cabbage and free green beans and free sweet potatoes will make four fine meals=$0,60/meal....still high. I guess that would be $60.00 each month, eating that cheaply every meal.

    Just curious, how much do you think you spend each month on food? I can convert it to American dollars.

    I particularly worry about my daughter in New York City with two children to feed. With the price of food, a mother worries.

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  4. Gollie, yes. The prices go up constantly and I also have noticed that certain items I had come to like have been taken off the shelves altogether. I miss the nice goats cheese I used to get from Tesco`s deli counter. My favourite Davistow cheddar has been discontinued as well.
    The list goes on. I`m having to search for other items to replace what I`ve lost. It`s a misery.
    Just like the others that have commented here, I`ve bought a yoghurt maker and I make my own from now on in. I sometimes make two lots and use one part to make ceam cheese, too. I then add chopped celery, spring onions, cucumber and grated carrots to that and have a special cheese with lots of healthy bits added. It`s really nice on some crackers or rice cakes. The home made cheese will last up to a week in the fridge.
    It tastes far better than shop bought, less tart.
    The same goes for the yoghurt I now make. I love it, as I can add whatever I like to it, fresh fruit, just a banana and honey, or I can eat it with banana and allbran as breakfast. All it costs is a little more milk per week.

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  5. Buying big tubs of yogurt was a mistake for me. Once I opened one I couldn't stop eating it and the most it would last me is two days - and the second day would be very disappointing as I'd find I'd only left a couple of spoonfuls!

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  6. Food prices are getting ridiculous! I noticed whilst at uni that every time I went back after the summer it would be more expensive to buy the same old stuff I always bought!

    Guess that's just the joys of the recession, although the supermarkets put a lot of effort into keeping all the junk food at sale prices!!

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  7. I am noticing an increase in food prices on a weekly basis. Some items up 10p each some more some less yet my money doesn't increase each week. I am better off that some as OH has a good job but even so we have to pay attention!!

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  8. You better not be getting down about things..you're my inspiration!

    Seriously that dinner looks delicious and I bet was a frugal cost.

    Looking forward to hearing about your food diary.

    Sft x

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  9. Yeh, the stew pot lasted one whole week, well done. Pesky Tesky play about with food prices all the time. It pays to read the labels really carefully especially when items come in large and small sizes.
    Love from Mum
    xx

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  10. I know, food prices are quite ridiculous. You are so very resourceful so I know you will be alright and if anyone can figure out how to rebound and still save money, my bet's on you!

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  11. Yerp, it's inevitable that food prices only go one way. It's particularly annoying when they increase the price, but decrease the product size also.

    I guess for the average person that doesn't take any note of the price, they'll keep buying. I however simply buy a different brand (where possible) or go without.

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  12. just been reading your food diary page and have a couple of suggestions for you, hope you don't mind? Don't know if you ever pass a lidl but there bran flakes (in the one local to me) are 69p a box and excellent, i don't pass often so get 3 or 4 boxes when i do go near. only a small saving but they are lovely, taste just like mr kellogs. also regarding the yogurt have you tried the basics/value ones? I got some basics ones from sainsburys (its closest to me) for 32p (they were on saturday) for 4, and they are really really nice. i was very surprised. lovely over a banana or any fruit, now i buy them for packed lunch to take to work.

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  13. Ilona

    Could you say exactly what you mean by "I did my usual trick of pestering the woman with the ticket machine" please? You've also referred to "hassling" before.

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  14. Hi lizp. Sorry for confusing you. Sometime in the middle of the afternoon the shelves in the fresh food departments gets date checked. Anything that is on it's last date is removed and put into a different section, and the price is marked down. The lady with the ticket machine does this. She scans the bar code and it spits a ticket out with a new lower price.

    The first mark down is not very much, only 20p or so, it's best to wait for the lady to come again an hour later, when she scans and marks down again.

    This goes on till about 8pm, when anything that is left is marked down really cheap. So the later it is the cheaper it is, but you take a chance if there is anything left. When I say hassle the lady, I mean give her a bit of chat, urging her to mark down even more, but in reality her hands are tied as the computer decides how much it is going to be. So hassle is the same as pestering.

    I do it more for fun, and to beat the other shoppers as sometimes the items are grabbed by many hands. If I want a particular item which is about to go down in price again I will pick it up and hand it to the lady, so that no one else can get it, staking my claim on it. It gets quite competitive at times.

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  15. Hmm, perhaps "chat up the lady with the ticket machine"? I do know all about the reductions etc - I'm in East Anglia - but I also know that some shop staff feel unduly pressurised by shoppers. I always try to imagine what the shop assistant feels about it. Although I'm also very fond of a whoopsie and I have a friend who goes to his local Asda (not 24hr) half an hour before it closes and picks up stuff like sea bass for 30p a go!

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