Travelling On

themadvix

No wonder you have fatigue issues with all that gadding about KC (I am joking, of course - I know that the CF really limits you). What a lovely selection of hols to look forward to though. I'm very envious as we're severely restraining ourselves this year to get rid of the pesky mortgage. Next year though, the world is our oyster (another pandemic notwithstanding!).

Karmacat

The hols are the main thing, absolutely, madvix (and I hear you on the fatigue 😁).  I'm a bit hesitant about the cruise: I've only gone on them with my sister, whereas *all* my holidays pre-cruise were taken alone, which I confess I prefer.  But on a ship (a cheap ship, at that), at the tail-end of the pandemic (hopefully) ... it feels quite dodgy.  I'm certainly going to have to hide as we usually do, either in the cabin or on the open deck - everyone seems to drink like fishes on these things 👀  But if I don't do it, I won't get away.  I'll phone them, probably over the weekend, and we'll see.

rtandon27

Hi KC - a random thought on shopping - did you know that !celand does delivery as well & stock both dried chickpeas & red lentils as well as every frozen veg imaginable! - they deliver from the local shop & I believe there is one located near you

Karmacat

Hi there I must say, I've been ignoring Iceland, you're right, but you're *also* right when you say there's one very near me.  I see that you can also book a delivery too, nowadays - I think I started ignoring them because you had to go into the shop to buy, and then it would be delivered later.  Useless for me at the time, and I still wouldn't want it.

Shock horror!

Iceland, frozen broccoli, 700g for £1.50
Asda, frozen broccoli 1kg for £1.30

Iceland frozen sweetcorn 700g for £1 (kg price, £1.67).
Asda frozen sweetcorn 1kg for £1.60

Iceland frozen mixed veg £1.38 per kg
Asda frozen mixed veg £1.10.

Wow!  I did *not* expect that!

Dried chick peas are the same per kilo price.  I usually buy them from Healthy Supplies, but they don't have a stock in just now, only organic, and flour, which are massively more expensive, of course.

For the mix - Hmm, Iceland have carrot and swede mash, Asda has okra and edamame beans, (oh, looking at iceland's "methi", found their okra, methi is fenugreek).  But otherwise, there's a lot of processing creeping in.

Dried lentils:
Iceland £2 per kilo
Asda £2.25 per kilo.

Sorry RT!  I really wanted them to be useful/cheaper, and they're not, except for a few things, and I don't want to start using two supermarkets regularly if I can help it.  But thank you for mentioning, that was very interesting to compare.  

Right, I'm going to get a life  

rtandon27

Karmacat said:

...very interesting to compare....

Wow - that was shocking!  I would have thought they would be more comparable!

TBH - I was comparing chicken prices online when I saw the veg & pulses - for meat on special they can be cheaper than the others in our town.  ATM we are spoiled for choice as part of my physio is to walk everyday & with the outdoors as dire as it currently is, we have been combining a walk in any one of the 7 large grocery stores near us, with picking up only the bits that are cheapest at each one (along with some pretty bargainous yellow sticker fruit & veg)

Karmacat

Ah, that makes sense!   I'm sure there's stuff where they're the cheapest, absolutely, but I don't currently scan supermarkets to find the cheap deals: I use Asda mostly, I use Waitrose for tea bags, and Healthy Supplies online for bulk veggie purchases.  And that's it 😌  If I manage to buy and use a car regularly, that may well change, as the next town along has an Aldi and a Lidl.  We'll see!

Suffolk_lass

The other factor is availability - I keep seeing you report missing items KC - it's no good being cheaper if they are MIA...

I like that you are using a relatively local company for pulses and nuts 

Karmacat

Suffolk_lass said:

The other factor is availability - I keep seeing you report missing items KC - it's no good being cheaper if they are MIA...

So true! This time, it was mostly my interdental brushes - I tried to start using wooden ones, found them advertised somewhere or other, but they don't actually fit between my teeth (TMI, I know 🤣).  Plus floss.  And I overorder, quite frankly, because that MIA percentage is pretty steady 🤣

Today:
- finish off getting the seedlings repotted.
- washing machine on.
- change bed before long weekend away.
- bit of weeding - haven't managed *any* in the last fortnight.
- final consult on long weekend, clear the decks for packing.

rtandon27

Suffolk_lass said:

The other factor is availability - I keep seeing you report missing items KC - it's no good being cheaper if they are MIA...

Good point SL! - we've found exactly that with eggs - they are always sold out at the closest of the stores, so we buy the max allowed at a slightly higher price at a further out store.  It is of course frustrating & an inconvenience, BUT we are thankful that they are still to be had.  OH & I feel awfully lucky to have stores & a freezer and not have to buy or forage or pick fresh or small amounts every day!

Karmacat

So, my to-do list went nicely, except I didn't do any weeding - but potting up seedlings, washing on, changing bed and a few other bits and pieces all good.

Today, lots of finance admin bits done so far:
- baby HWs aren't doing well, and I'm nearly at the point where I can bring home some money, so that's quite frustrating 🤣 
- But I've emailed my Saturday person and exchanged mobile numbers
- shut the WhatsApp group as I said I'd do after a week where no one popped up to take it on
- bought a ticket for Chatham Dockyard (woo! had to do it separately from sister, she pays tax and I don't)
- brought some French money over here, which also fulfils my UK bank account details.  Downloaded monthly statements too, will back up the "downloads" file on the laptop, just in case.
- tidying some bookmarks up, which sounds stupid, but its an easy thing to do in advert breaks when I'm watching advert-ridden tv over breakfast 👀
- booked an optometrist for a week on Friday.  This was a big deal.  Local people would do a 75 minute appointment with a 3D scan for £95.  Vision Express do a 25 minute appointment on a free NHS rating, with an upgrade to a 3D scan costing .... £10.  So I booked Vision Express.

Very pleased I've got that lot out of the way.  For today:
- a bit of a break after all that concerted internet malarkey  
- been discussing a 'lightbox' for seedlings growing inside the house, mine are a bit leggy.  I'm going to leave them on the windowsill where they are, but also tape some reflective foil at the back of them, and find a way to dangle my single solitary foot-long growlight over them, then figure out a way to use the timer on said growlight.
- go a walk, a short *local* one, as it looks like the heavens are about to open 🤣
- clean the kitchen table and start stashing food for the Airbnb weekend.