As The Workhouse Approaches....How To Do Everything To Avoid It, the Old Style Way

redlady_1

Well, I shall be tasting the meat at the weekend so will report back. Don't get me wrong, there were some things that made me nearly pass out, but their general stuff seems pretty good value. I think if you are going to still cook the same way and eat the same things then this cant be a bad deal. I also have the veg boxes delivered when I dont grow my own and although they are not especially cheap (I dont have a market nearby I can source) I plan my meals around it and the veg generally lasts about 3 week before it looks a bit ropey.

Oh and their mozzarella was 99p! Now I know that is cheap. Mrswive - now that was a bargain!!!

Tescos just seems to be increasing all the time but luckily I only go there once in a blue moon.

I wish I had a coal bunker as I have to buy all mine in bags but I too, still buy in the summer - as I will with the logs.

jackieglasgow

Hugs for hippechiq for the trouble with the horrible neighbours. xxx

Happy 7th Birthday to Ben, hope he's had a great day, Sammy! :bdaycake:

ceridwen

Thanks for the comments re garlic and my leafminers.

I shall give that straight garlic powder right on the earth a go - sounds about "simple" enough for me:)

TudorRose

I usually go to the local Waitrose in a neighbouring town once a week.
Used to think they were expensive but think the prices are now equaling out.
The meat offers can be good & the quality of a lot of their own products is high.
They have a big selection of bread flours which are nice if you mix with cheap white bread flour to make a fancier loaf. I often treat myself to some (sad like that).
Never spend very much in there but it's a far nicer shop than Mr T's which is only a couple of minutes walk from me & buying little things from there, even though it's nothing fancy, makes shopping seem a bit more fun.

redlady_1

Well, the OH shops there all the time (he is a typical bloke and also doesnt have to watch the pennies) but I have always refused to go in on the basis that my £15 budget a week (as it was at the time) would not go very far beyond a piece of meat and an orange!!! However, things change and I am now thinking that once Waitrose is open, if I combine it with Lidl I will be ok. I still cant get over the meat. It actually looks like proper meat!

Definitely prices are evening out and I think Tescos is actually dearer in some areas.

maryb

I did my usual circuit of Lidls'/Waitrose today but deviated to take in Aldi as well and cleaned up.

Lidl's have sets of cereal storers which are PERFECT for stacking in my cupboards so bought several (and will go back for more). They come in sets of 3, one large and two small and the two small stacked together are the same height as the large one. So all my dry goods can go in those and it makes really good use of the space in my kitchen cupboards. I really recommend them, it makes it much easier to cook veggie meals if you don't have half open packets spilling out of the cupboard every time you open it.

Then Aldi had micro irrigation sets for £5.99 and irrigation timers for £19.99 which is the cheapest I've ever seen it. So bought everything needed to be able to do the garden and the allotment - not all of it, of course, but the bits that need regular watering. Of course, that then jinxed the weather so I've been dodging thunderstorms ever since - but, oh boy, did we need the rain.

Unfortunately I then had to go to an appointment with the consultant at the eye clinic and couldn't drive because she might have wanted to put drops in my eyes which would make them blurry. So I got a bit wet at the bus stop.

However I had fantastic news - I had a visual field test yesterday and it's BETTER than last year - she says she has only seen that happen twice in 20 years and it must be because they caught my glaucoma just as the cells in the optic nerve were dying but not yet dead. Because once the cells in the optic nerve die they can't regenerate. And it wasn't a one-off because both the tests I had last year were consistent with each other and both tests this year were also consistent with each other - so it's a genuine improvement.

She was very interested that I had been taking Ginkgo biloba which she suggested to me. She and the other consultant in the unit think it definitely makes a difference to my type of glaucoma where it's not the pressure in the eye that is too high, but the blood pressure that is too low so the circulation isn't getting to the optic nerve. There has never been a controlled study carried out so it's not allowed to be prescribed but it certainly looks as if it hasn't hurt and may well have helped. Of course I still have to keep taking the eye drops every day but there's grounds for optimism that they'll be able to keep it from progressing.

So who hasn't had an eye test recently, then? (Go on, you know who you are!) If you are over 40 it really really matters to get your eyes checked regularly even if you don't need new glasses. Glaucoma is COMPLETELY symptomless until half the cells in the optic nerve have died - and then it's too late to regain the sight you have lost. Even if money is tight, try and find a deal for a free eye test. And remember, if you work at a computer your employer must pay for regular eye tests - and if you need your prescription adjusting for middle distance work, they must cover the costs - which usually means you get a voucher towards a new pair of glasses. If you go to somewhere like Tesco opticians' that would cover most of the cost of a reasonable pair of glasses.

redlady_1

Er, that be me then!! My mum, who works in an optician, keeps telling me to go but I just dont get round to it.

I am really pleased there has been an improvement for you. Time to celebrate me thinks. And anything that helps, proven or otherwise, has to be good. x

maryb

I certainly am celebrating. Fortunately it doesn't stop me enjoying a glass of wine - and I shall!!

hex2

maryb, pleased for you, and thanks for the heads up on the cereal things. Will look for those at the w/end. DS1 likes to have four packets on the go and they all go soft which is such a waste.

I have 24 eggs to use up, but I dont want to make cakes. Time to have a good think about what else needs using up. Not urgent as they have been laid since 20th - so fresh by supermarket standards. I usually give them out at work but no one brings the boxes back so I am not this time.

Terry Pratchett advises those who want to keep strange cats of your garden to get your own. They defend it, but they also go elsewhere to do their business. Win-win apparently.

Charis

maryb wrote: »

So who hasn't had an eye test recently, then? (Go on, you know who you are!) If you are over 40 it really really matters to get your eyes checked regularly even if you don't need new glasses.

Opticians can tell a lot about the state of your general health, and the condition of your blood vessels, from testing your eyes.
Quite a lot of people are entitled to free basic eye tests including those over 40 who have a close relative with glaucoma and those who have been told by an optician that they are at risk of glaucoma.

I can stop feeling guilty about shopping in Waitrose now I know how many others do so. Ours is on the side of a very high hill and the view from the cafe is wonderful. It must have one of the best views from a supermarket car park in the whole of Britain.