It's getting tough out there. Feeling the pinch?

YoungBlueEyes

Same here re the rain Longwalker, it's been weeks since we had any. We've had a bit of fog overnight these last few nights but that's all the natural moisture my garden's been getting. Thank god I'm not on a water meter! 

Plants are dear here too I think. I've picked up all sorts from Lidl/Aldi B+M etc and most of them are great. We moved to this house last summer so I've been slowly doing the garden. I'm learning to be a gardener as I go along cos I've never had a decent sized garden before... The prices in garden centers seem steep to me too but I don't have anything to compare it to. Maybe the NI Protocol is making your prices worse?

Floss

Longwalker said:

 

Anybody been buying plants this year? We took a run out to the garden centre we used in the past, and OMG, talk about price rises Im not 100% sure but I think theres really weird protocol rules around plants so a great excuse to hike up the prices. So Ive been buying from Home Bargains and Lidl and very impressed with the quality . Think Ive spent about £40 this year and have filled all my pots and planters and had some spare to fill gaps in the flower beds , garden is looking very colourful, although Im having to water - cant mind when we last had rain - 3 weeks ago maybe

I think a lot of price increases will be due to Brexit & import costs from the growers in Europe 😕 B&M are good for plants too, if you can find one with a garden shop.

New_in_the_fens

We have a local farm shop who sell huge amounts of plants. I recently picked up three packs of six bedding plants and a hanging basket - all for £11. I’ve never spent so little on plants as I’ve always gone to big garden centres - lesson learned!

elsien

I like an independent smaller garden centre although many of them were driven out of business over Covid.
I'd rather pay slightly more to keep them going because they tend to have more choice and variety and keep local growers going as well. Although having said that, my preferred one is cheaper than a lot of other places\, and they do locally sourced fruit and veg.
If pennies were really tight I might not be able to afford it, but for me at the moment keeping small local businesses going is a priority. We will miss them if they do all go.

KxMx

I had to wait until this month to find decent sized bedding plants for the garden- I prefer jumbo/super ready.
Previous years i've had no problems buying that size in April.
£2.99 for 6 in Home Bargains this week, last week a local greengrocers had single pots of bedding plants for £1.99 each. I bought 6 but they insisted on giving me one free as it was very dry and not in bud, despite my protests that it would soon perk up once planted out and watered.

As for eggs, I tend to buy mine from the Butcher or greengrocer who get them direct from local farms. We are very lucky locally to have very high quality and affordable businesses like that.

YoungBlueEyes

Speaking of plants. I was in Lidl this morning and picked up a few (still trying to build my garden...) The cheap enough prices were even cheaper at the till  

So if anyone's after an £8.99 hydrangea for £4.99 or some £3.99 "assorted perennials" for £2.49, get em while they're there! 

YoungBlueEyes

Ooh sorry about the size of the pic  

I do wish our greengrocer and tiny garden center were cheaper cos then I could afford to support them. I nipped in to our gg for 2 carrots and a pepper (stirfry for dinner) and they cost me £3.12  Yes their stuff is nicer than bagged sm stuff but it sure ain't that much nicer.  They sell plants and bits too but I'd be scared to look at the prices

Siebrie

DDs have African hair and very sensitive heads, so it's been a struggle to find a hairdresser to do their hair. I have tried to do it myself, but I really don't have the skill. The hairdresser we found is patient; it takes at least 6 hours to do dds' hair, every 10 weeks, and they cry during the untangling. It's unbraiding, washing, removing tangles and knots, brushing, rebraiding. She used to ask about €130 every time, then last year that went up to €160, and yesterday she asked €215! We even took the braids out ourselves, and brought the fake hair. Husband called her to ask her to lower her price, because she didn't announce it before she started, and she has agreed. Now we have to look for a different hairdresser

Longwalker

@siebrie, OUCH. I shall never complain about my hairdressers going to £20 from £14 again

I think we tend to forget that African hair takes a lot more effort. Have you looked at specialist Afro/Caribbean websites, training schools?I mean Afro/caribbean hairdressers have to learn as well, do they not look for models for half price?

I could not sit for that long,I really couldn't. I was getting my hair coloured at my hairdresser but after a 6 hour appointment , I called it a day and now do it myself again. No wonder so many wear wigs if that what they have to endure

Bluegreen143

Oooft that is steep @Siebrie. All I can suggest is also finding a trainee who will do it cheaper. But appreciate a trainee may not have the skill to make it easy on your DDs. Unless there would be a different style which would be lower maintenance? 

I currently cut all family members hair, inc my own, but not sure how long my kids will be up for this as they get older and more stylish 😆 I’ve not been to the hairdresser in approx 6 years.