Thursday 30 January 2020

On Sussing Out Supermarkets, Cholesterol & Meters

Since we moved, I have been investigating the local supermarkets.  Within a short driving distance we have a Lidl, Aldi and Morrisons as well as a Co-op in the village, so have plenty of choice.  Certain things are cheaper in each store so I need to remember which is which and shop accordingly.  There is about £35 left for food each week at the moment and I intend for us to eat well for that.  Morrisons is brilliant for yellow sticker reductions.  Already I have found things like 6 bread rolls for 20p, 2 giant crumpets for 18p ( lovely toasted for breakfast) a pack of 2 Naan bread for 25p, 4 cheesy muffins for 20p (a lovely quick lunch if toasted and a poached egg placed on top)  My freezer is getting fuller and I'm freezing some to give to DD too.  I just need to menu plan each week yet still make things flexible as G often wants us to go off somewhere at the drop of a hat, then I arrive home tired and not feeling in the least like cooking.

We have had to register with a local medical practice ( can never remember whether it should be a c or an s, so please forgive me) anyway, we had to go for a general health check.  Blood tests have revealed that I am perfectly healthy apart from a cholesterol level of 6.7 ...eeek!  I was offered statins but have refused them, deciding to try the diet route first.  The only enjoyable thing that I have in my life at the moment is food too.  We can't plan holidays, we don't have days out apart from errand days, and now I can't eat my favourite food, cheese, either.  Half fat cheddar just doesn't float my boat.  No chip shop cod and chips, no pastry, no cakes, no cheese on toast, no baked potatoes and cheese, the list goes on. B*gger :/   I might as well give up the ghost now......

Changing the subject, I thought having stairs again in the new house might be a bit of a problem and, indeed, the first week saw me huffing and puffing up and down them several times a day.  However, I am pleased to report that I don't think twice about navigating them now!  My breathing is normal, my calf muscles are firmer and I've lost 2 pounds in weight.  Use it or lose it, as the saying goes :) Now just need to get rid of some cholesterol....

When we moved in we were told that we had no water meter and no smart meters installed so that we were not tied to one supplier.  Lies! All lies!  On the pavement is a little metal flap. Lift it up and what have we here?  A WATER METER.  It was so mucky and so far down the hole that we had to kneel on the pavement and put a tentative arm down to clean it up then READ the blooming thing! How on earth can we do that twice a year at our age, never mind when we reach 80!



We also, as it turns out, have a smart meter for the electricity.  At least that is high enough up on the wall to read.  The same can't be said for the gas meter (which isn't smart or even slightly intelligent it seems) We have to read that every 3 months and it's at GROUND LEVEL!  It's a digital panel too so you have to lift the lid, press a button to activate the panel and READ the blooming thing on our hands and knees.  Oh, for goodness sake, give me strength....

Thank you everyone for your comments on my last post. Six of you, at least, would like to see more of the new house so I'll take some more photos when it's a bit lighter :)

That's all for now.
Stay safe wherever you happen to be in the world x

20 comments:

  1. I've got a water meter but have never read it so someone must come and do it

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    1. We had to submit a first reading, Sue, and will need to do it once a year. DD has a meter under the sink which is much easier to read.

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    2. having had numerous problems with Anglian water they eventually fitted a water meter ,, which ive been watching carefully , i noticed they say they read the meters but their readings which they say they have taken were much higher than those i had taken . But despite the actual readings being much lower suddenly i owed them an extra £180 that they wanted straight away ...im still arguing this

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    3. Golly, Kate, that's scary. As you can see, we had no choice in the matter...

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  2. My water meter at the last house was down a muddy hole too. Somebody came and read it now and then. When I moved they asked for a reading and I told them I couldn't so somebody came out and read it.

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  3. Did the diet and exercise route, but didn't seem to lower my cholesterol level enough to satisfy my physician. I am on a very low dose statin and I do so hope that works well. I hope it works for you.

    God bless.

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  4. how about just taking a photo of the meter so you dont have to get down? Liz

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    1. That's a good idea but, as you can see, the meter gets so filthy that the dial is illegible. You have to reach down to clean it first then, knowing me, I would probably drop my phone down the hole too! ;)

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  5. My cholesterol has gone up too recently, I don't want to take statins either, so I'm trying the diet route. Have read that a small handful of almonds and glass of soya milk daily, along with those cholesterol-lowering yogurt drinks, should help. I'll give it a go anyway.

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    1. Thanks for that, Sooze, I hadn't thought about the little drinks you can buy. I bought some ProActiv spread to start with so I'll suss out the drinks at the weekend. Good luck with lowering your level too x

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  6. We looked at a water meter and found we would not save much, and with our love of gardening we decided not to have one fitted, so if we have a drought we can still water the flowers.

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    1. We really didn't want one either, Poppy, but had no choice in the matter...

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  7. Our house was a new build when we bought it 26 years ago and water meters were compulsory here then. Our bills then were cheaper for two of us in semi detached house than when I lived on my own in a one bed flat with water rates. Obviously as our family grew, the bills did too and lessened again now that our daughter has her own house and our son is rarely here. But they’ve never been extortionate, even though South West Water is one of the most expensive water companies. Fortunately our meter isn’t very deep, unlike our daughter’s which is similar to yours.

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    1. Thank you for your comment, Ann, it's helpful to know that it might actually save us some money in the long run :)

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  8. Wow, I've missed a lot of your last posts. I wonder what happened. Your new home looks very neat and tidy. Maybe you can just eat less of your favorite foods. That's what I do. All or nothing is too depressing, I think. We all need our little treats.

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    1. How true, Stephanie. I am allowing myself a little cheese now and again because that's what I miss the most.

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  9. Did the doctor tell you your HDL and your LDL figures. My cholesterol is high but it is the HDL (good cholesterol) that brings the figure up, therefore no treatment necessary. My husband's was high quite a few years ago we brought it down by eating porridge oats in winter and using them in muesli in summer.

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  10. Oh no, Moira, she didn't tell me there could be two readings, just suggested I take Statins. I do eat muesli most days anyway and also porridge occasionally too. Perhaps I need more information. Thank you so much for your comment x

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It's OK.....

  Angie 💓 xx