Every Lidl bit helps!!

Now we have got the Newark Election out of the way, the discussions will resume.........usual topics on economy, cost of living and austerity.

None of us are immune to the impact of things which seem beyond our control.  However do we have any way of improving our positions?

Well we were very surprised to see just what you can do if you are prepared to change habits of a lifetime!

For years we have been going to Sainsburys to do our weekly shop.  Its convenient, staff are pleasant, the store is well laid out and roomy.  We also occasionally use other big name supermarkets.  Over the past few weeks we have noticed that our weekly shop on regular items has increased.  The total spend has been increasing steadily despite taking advantage of offers.  We reckoned we are now spending about £120 per week on average.
This seems to be too high considering what we have bought on staple items and not being extravagant.

The papers have been full of comments about smaller outfits such as Aldi and Lidl making inroads into the big names business. There has also been extensive marketing of Lidl and Aldi demonstrating what you can save.  So we decided to check out our local Lidl.

Certainly the shop is smaller, the aisles cramped and presentation of products is quite rudimentary. You do not get many alternatives or brand names for same product. There is good choice of meat, chicken, fruit and veg and freshly baked bread.

We have done our weekly shop here over the past 3 weeks and we have been pleasantly surprised.  The quality of the products has been excellent - there are only a few items which we couldn't obtain here..........and ............we have saved £50 per week!!!  Now this is certainly worth having!!

Okay the shopping experience may not be quite as pleasant but we have concluded that this is small cheese compared with the considerable savings.

I am only annoyed we didn't consider this alternative before!!

When we mention our little shopping project we have noticed that some people are quite snobbish about where they shop and say that you can't get the quality.......well you can  - and well more fool them!!

We can do something about our cost of living!!!

Energy Practical Solutions!!

I was brought up in a small mining village called Maltby in South Yorkshire , UK.  As a baby boomer in the 1950's we had an enjoyable yet a hardy upbringing.  This aspect wasn't obvious to us growing up - we were just  living through what was commonplace and not at all challenging.  We didn't have central heating or double glazing.  We often huddled around a coal lit fire for warmth in a loving environment. I can remember waking up in at the morning and my head felt so cold,  and having glanced at the icicle patterns on the window would pull the sheets over my head to savour the cosiness and warmth of the under blanket.

So these days with so many modern amenities keeping us warm - are we getting too soft?  I listen to people complaining about the high cost of energy ( which is certainly the case) but often they don't want to take any common-sense advice.  Almost that constant warmth is their right.  

I remember an elderly friend of my mother who had cheaper gas - I think it was called StayWarm and was provided for those who fell into the vulnerable category.  She enjoyed temperatures which would not have been out of place in the south of France.  When she was too warm she would open a window!

One of the chiefs of the energy companies commented that the cheapest unit of energy is the one you don't use.  He was met with a torrent of abuse and criticism - but he is right!  If you examine the number of appliances which are on standby and the rooms you are heating which are not in use you could probably cut the bills.

In discussions with family and friends as to how we we could make some savings and keep warm we collectively came up with these suggestions…..

• Fix tariff with UK energy suppliers before 1st December 2013. Most are increasing charges by up to 10% from this date
• Turn down the temperature of central heating - apparently one degree less and you can save on average £131 per year. 
• Wear more clothes!  This again was ridiculed but something we were always told by our parents.
• Check items on standby….switch them off.
• Exercise for an hour a day.  If you are retired or work from home - going for a brisk walk will get the circulation going and will make you feel so much warmer and you won't need the heat on during this time.  
• Clean the house…using the hoover certainly makes me feel warm!
• keep busy don't fall into the trap of being a "couch potato"
• Use the warmth of the oven!  By cooking nourishing meals in a batch - you have hot food and the incidental heat from the oven to raise the temperature in the kitchen
• Visit friends and have a coffee
• Invest in a couple of clothes racks.  I have found that using a clothes drier is very expensive - get used to hanging out clothes again where practical 
• Switch off unnecessary lights

The elderly are often depicted as some little old dear wrapped in a shawl suffering from the cold. Don't let this stereotype prevent you from taking matters into your own hands and give a more positive spin. Most people are quite resourceful - certainly we baby boomers are! No one says its easy to manage but we can still use our brains despite what some people think!  We also have the advantage of having lived through real austerity which was far worse than anything that we face now!

Do you have any energy tips??

austerity solution!

I have listened to to people talking about austerity and food banks  I have  in the past have had a time when you do feel moments of despair trying to make ends meet. The lessons of my mum and cooking from basics helped in overcoming many of the challenges. It is a myth to think that people who have little money need to be less healthy. What is needed today is basic cooking.

I often feel that in the supermarkets they provide a range of products which match the needs but do not address the versatility and thriftiness of local markets.

Today we went to St Albans Market and bought these items which were far cheaper than the supermarkerts and they will be more cost effective for those who cook and freeze leftovers

cost £1.00

enormous cabbage £1.00

                         

Why am I highlighting this today ..... today we were  pleasantly surprised by the range of products of the market and also how much cheaper than the supermarkets.
If you are prepared to invest just a little time and energy you can provide a good meal at reasonable costs.

Here is a flavour of things we bought.....above and below!!!

one bunch bought in supermarket last week £1.00 ....market 5 bunches £1.00

Enormous cabbage £1.00 last week supermarket very small cabbage £0.95



shop wisely, have basic skills , care enough to have enthusiasm to make a difference !!! Do not rely on convenience!!! Eating  healthily has nothing to do with having more money it is to do with a will to do things differently and not rely on taking easy option!

Holiday Hits and Misses - costs! (2)

As I mentioned cruising holidays are not a cheap option no matter how they are advertised in the press. Cabin costs depend on where it is in the ship, if it is an internal or external, whether it has a balcony, whether you opt for one of the even more expensive mini suites or full suite with your own butler!

Brisbane - Koala

Additionally there is the cost of the bar bill for alcoholic drinks and for soft drinks (not provided in dispensers) and for wine with evening meals.  For a couple on a  3 week holiday it is not unusual for this to amount to £1000+

There is also a daily charge per person to cover tips for the really hard working cabin steward and the waiters on your evening table.

When you visit places where you have never been before most people choose to join organised excursions rather than doing their own thing. The cost depends on whether the trips are half day or full day. You can sometimes also opt for "off piste" excursions which can last several days and involve visiting places not on the usual itinerary or  involve specialist interest activities and then rejoin the ship at the next port..  Costs per person vary from approx £70 to about £200. The "off piste" activities can be hundreds if not thousands of pounds.

Brisbane - Emu

Visas in some countries can be quite punitive e.g. China charges £250 per head, others much less - Japan is approximately £38 per head.
So the costs mount up. There were 1800 passengers on board of which a third were going round the world and then the rest of us who were completing just a "leg" of the cruise. Some of the round the worlders talked about the number of times they had completed this long cruise. Many had already booked their next holiday.  One couple in their 50s told us that they had been on 5 cruises in 5 months.

I must say that even with the most expensive extras available on the cruise,  they were not short of takers.

Which brings me back to the question I posed on the last post - how can people afford this? This question is even more poignant today having watched the Budget and listened to the talk of hard times particularly for "ordinary" people and how badly austerity measures were affecting them. . It certainly wasn't evident on the ship.  Many having thrown caution to the wind. Clearly people have their priorities and they must be quite creative when it comes to managing their own budgets.

Although my husband and I enjoyed our holiday we are always say we couldn't spend any longer than the 3.5 weeks - we don't have the stamina and......we couldn't afford the time or extra costs including.... the bar bill :)

More holiday talk on next post......

Brisbane Kangaroo