Finally Debt Free After 34 Years, But Still Need to Live Frugally

greenbee

Interestingly my mum doesn't know how they know - she couldn't get hold of them to tell them she was old, so maybe the govt discussions with the supermarkets are about sharing data to help them prioritise?

badmemory

Does she have a loyalty card?  I would expect that to be the answer.

teafor2

HairyHandofDartmoor said:

DS1 had a horrendous visit to the supermarket today (as I described in an earlier post) with people getting far too close to him 😡 so it's not ideal but what can we do?

I think supermarkets are  one of most likely places to pick something up but as you say what can we do. It's not just who you're stood next to or passing but also how many people have picked something up and then put it back on the shelves only for somebody else to possibly touch it up a few minutes later. It's just so hard isn't it. xx

[Deleted User]

HairyHandofDartmoor said:

I've come across this Clinical Frailty Scale on the NHS website https://www.scfn.org.uk/clinical-frailty-scale

But I can't work out where I would be on the list as I have asthma, but I'm slim and very physically fit and active for my age. What number would I be? 

I think DH would be a 3 as he has diabetes and is not very fit, but he can do everything for himself without needing help.

That looks a useful link, HHOD.  I'll have a good look when I get a minute.

You say you have asthma but has it been diagnosed by a medical professional?  I know lots of people who say they are asthmatic but they've never been to a GP about it, just suffer breathing difficulties occasionally such as at hayfever time.  Is your condition being monitored by someone at your GP surgery (ours has a specific asthma clinic one day a week).  Do you need to carry and use  inhalers?  Sorry, didn't mean to give you the 3rd degree but maybe you could rule yourself out of the asthmatic group.  DH 'had'it a few years ago.  He was seeing the GP about something else and it was mentioned.  He was prescribed an inhaler ( the blue one, can't remember it's name) on repeat prescription but rarely collected it as he didn't need to use it much.  Years later he went for a check-up for something else and the GP told him he wasn't asthmatic after all and he's never used an inhaler since.  He occasional has a slight breathing problem when they are harvesting all around us but takes that as one of the 'joys' of living in the countryside.  

[Deleted User]

teafor2 said:

HairyHandofDartmoor said:

DS1 had a horrendous visit to the supermarket today (as I described in an earlier post) with people getting far too close to him 😡 so it's not ideal but what can we do?

I think supermarkets are  one of most likely places to pick something up but as you say what can we do. It's not just who you're stood next to or passing but also how many people have picked something up and then put it back on the shelves only for somebody else to possibly touch it up a few minutes later. It's just so hard isn't it. xx

Good point, teafor2.

DH had to go to the petrol station yesterday.  Living in such a rural area we need to make sure at least one car is fuelled up 'just in case', even though we aren't planning any travel that isn't absolutely necessary.  My car would probably have to run on fumes at the moment so I'll leave the tank empty and save my money.  We're making sure we can get out if there's an emergency though hence his trip for the petrol. Plus. he needed to fill some cans for the petrol mower.  He came home pleased that he'd managed to avoid touching 'anything' in the attached shop but I reminded him that he still needed to touch the pumps, the door handles into the shop  to pay, the card machine as the petrol cost more than the cashless limit (which happily will be going up from £30 to £45 from April 1st), goodness know what else that was unavoidable!    I think he was just chuffed that he'd resisted the temptation to browse the snack shelves, a major habit change in itself!.  At least there wasn't a queue there, that place is normally heaving whenever we go.  People must be obeying the instruction to stay at home.

[Deleted User]

HairyHandofDartmoor said:

DH drove DS1 to the supermarket early to get a couple of items. Whilst DS1 tried to keep away from people, other people didn't seem to be getting the message and were coming too close to him 😱. Because the aisles were narrow it was hard to keep as far away from people as he would have liked. At the checkout he had to wait at the end of the conveyor belt, but there was nothing to stop people standing directly behind him or walking past him very closely 😱.

I feel worried and I really hope that DS1 hasn't been exposed to infection just by one trip to the supermarket 😟. We have plenty of food now so I hope that we can leave it at least a week before we go to a food shop again. People still don't get it 😡.

I'm sure DS will be OK. HHOD.  Unless someone actually coughed in his face he should be OK.  He wouldn't have caught anything by someone just brushing past him.  It's the 'droplets' that do it.  I'm sure he also knows the rule about not touching his face after touching things (such as stuff he handled at the supermarket etc) until he had a chance to wash his hands.  I pity the poor till ladies having to spend hours every day  face to face with so many people and handling cash.  We try to pay with our contactless debit cards whenever possible but with a limit of £30 it's not enough to cover a trolley full of shopping at a supermarket.  The limit is going up to £45 on April 1st, probably to encourage more people to pay that way and avoid cash or having to key in numbers into the card machine during the current situation. Even that's still not enough for most people's supermarket shop unless they go often and buy less each time which is definitely to be avoided at the moment.

I think people will be varying their usual diets in the coming weeks and eating some weird and wonderful food combinations (like we did when I had a moneysaving idea one January of living just off everything we already had in the freezer and cupboards).  I unearthed all sorts of interesting things that I'd completely forgotten I had even though I've never been a stockpiler in the true sense.  Living far from civilisation I've always had to make sure we had enough to keep us going in an emergency but. I was embarrassed to discover some  overbuying issues with the strangest things!

Willowtree222

You sound much more positive (despite the tummy bug). Glad you have got a rota and can now work to that. We are operating something similar, but on a two week basis. My week is next week. x

Sunshine_girl2

I hope the tummy bug has settled down for you to enjoy the day 😀x

beanielou

Hope your day goes well 😊🌈

HairyHandofDartmoor

Delichon said:

HairyHandofDartmoor said:

I've come across this Clinical Frailty Scale on the NHS website https://www.scfn.org.uk/clinical-frailty-scale

But I can't work out where I would be on the list as I have asthma, but I'm slim and very physically fit and active for my age. What number would I be? 

I think DH would be a 3 as he has diabetes and is not very fit, but he can do everything for himself without needing help.

That looks a useful link, HHOD.  I'll have a good look when I get a minute.

You say you have asthma but has it been diagnosed by a medical professional?  I know lots of people who say they are asthmatic but they've never been to a GP about it, just suffer breathing difficulties occasionally such as at hayfever time.  Is your condition being monitored by someone at your GP surgery (ours has a specific asthma clinic one day a week).  Do you need to carry and use  inhalers?  Sorry, didn't mean to give you the 3rd degree but maybe you could rule yourself out of the asthmatic group.  DH 'had'it a few years ago.  He was seeing the GP about something else and it was mentioned.  He was prescribed an inhaler ( the blue one, can't remember it's name) on repeat prescription but rarely collected it as he didn't need to use it much.  Years later he went for a check-up for something else and the GP told him he wasn't asthmatic after all and he's never used an inhaler since.  He occasional has a slight breathing problem when they are harvesting all around us but takes that as one of the 'joys' of living in the countryside.  

Thanks Delichon . I was diagnosed with asthma by a doctor when I was eighteen years old. I use a brown steroid preventer inhaler twice a day, as well as a blue reliever inhaler as required.