I read online that Sainsburys are trialling cheap veg boxes. The box costs £2 and contains a random selection of fruit and veg which is all on it's 'sell by' date. Now this sounds good to me, mainly because you can see what you are getting before you buy, not like Too Good To Go which you have to take pot luck with. On Monday we had to drive to Kidderminster for something else ( a half hour drive away) and so took the opportunity to pop into the Sainsburys store there. They do the boxes! There was only one left and I didn't take it because I didn't need it at the time but took a peep in it out of curiosity. It contained loose potatoes, oranges, apples, a pack of limp leeks, a pack of very nice looking raspberries and an aubergine. Not bad for £2 and, I would guess, if you're lucky to have a few to choose from, brilliant value........
Whilst in Sainsbugs I spotted this grated cheese. As I've been cutting down on my dairy consumption, I tried Cathedral City's plant based cheese instead. It's a very tasty strong Lancashire cheese flavour which melts quite well on toast but is impossible to grate, it's so very crumbly. This ready grated is a good idea but at £2.30 for 150g is very expensive. I left it on the shelf for now. I do wonder too whether it has been coated with flour to keep it separate like they do with other grated cheeses. It would add gluten where it's not needed......
In other news:
Last week was very BORING 😞 G was in the worst pain with his neck and my back was very dodgy. The pain radiated around my hips and into my stomach muscles. I think it was the cold which exacerbated the pain for both of us so we didn't stray far after our trip out on Monday but layered up and pottered about at home; G with his heated neck wrap on, and me with a hot water bottle at my back. We make a right pair of wrinklies 😆
The frugal food shopping is still ongoing this month as we really, really need to stay within budget as the energy price cap is set to rise on April 1st and we can't rely on continued help from the Government. If help does continue, it will probably be more targeted and we might not qualify as we don't claim benefits of any kind.
We are still some way short of our emergency savings target so 'Sell and Save' will continue whenever possible. I need to have a good sort out to find things we don't need or use. I had one small sale today on eBay which will pay me £17.99 after fees. That will go into my savings tin.
March is a very expensive month as we have a lot of birthdays coming up. DD's birthday is towards the end of the month so I need to save a bit of cash to buy her gift ( I know what I'm going to buy her) There are 5 other birthdays as well but I'll pop a scratch card inside the adult ones and a small amount of cash in the children's ones.
Our existing savings have been juggled into accounts paying slightly higher interest than before. It's quite a novelty getting 3% when 0.25% has been the norm for so long. Now that we are both in our 70's we are trying to get everything into joint names just in case the worst happens and one of us is left alone. We don't want to risk accounts being frozen and not being able to get any cash from them. We have seen this happen twice already; to a family member and a friend. Not nice.....
If G pops his clogs first, his 2 pensions will cease to be and, of course, there will be no more income from his weekend job. My income will fall to just my basic pension, and that's the old State Pension not the new one. I've received a letter showing the new rate from April of £147.86 per week. There's no way that would be enough to keep body and soul together 👀
Have you thought of this scenario? Have you made contingency plans?
Thanks for popping in folks and stay safe wherever in the world you happen to be x
We too have sorted everything into joint names, just in case, I will get half of one of hubbies pension if the worse happens. Both our youngest grandchildren are dairy free, and they both love cheese, so I got Violife slices, I did try a slice and they taste good, both Molly and George loves them.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Marlene, I'll try Violife slices next time I shop.
DeleteIt's a long timesinceI saw any grated cheese where the flour was other than potato flour, which I think is gluten free.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that, so thank you :)
DeleteWe have been putting things in both our names and making sure the "survivor" portion is filled out on those we can't do so.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I feel we're at an age when we need to do this now. Glad I'm not the only one thinking that way!
DeleteI lost my husband at 58, I was 47. It is immensely important to sort your affairs at any age. The last thing that you want your grieving spouse to be additionally worried about, is cash flow. The ‘big stuff’ eventually flushes through, but be mindful about how you will cope over the first 3 to 6 months, sadly, sometimes longer. X
ReplyDeleteGosh, Julie, I'm so sorry to hear that. It must have been awful for you. The loss of a loved one is bad enough without worrying about finances isn't it. Thank you so much for sharing your experience on here x
DeleteThose reduced price produce boxes sound like a good deal! Hope your local store will have them available in the near future.
ReplyDeleteYour tea loaf looks great!
Hope you and G are feeling better now and all your aches and pains have gone away!
It's good that you are thinking ahead and planning for the future. Yes, my contingency plans have been made; there's only me to worry about, anyway. :)
Thank you, Bless, but we are still aching and paining! I'm not sleeping well at the moment. I put it down to pain and the stress of worrying about my Sister and about G, consequently I eventually drop off around 4am onwards and don't wake refreshed. I ache all the more for tossing and turning in bed too. C'est la vie :(
DeleteI thought I'd be stuck with just my State pension but I got some from my late husband's State pension. I have NO IDEA how it works but you might be pleasantly suprised if the worst happens. There appears to be nowhere where an 'estimate' can be found.
ReplyDeletePotty, I have tried to investigate what would happen but, you are right, I can't find an 'estimate' either. I do hope there will be something out there when the time comes :0/
DeleteThat tea bread would make Alan very happy. The new Cathedral City plant based cheese is really nice tasting isn't it, but yes I made the mistake of grating my block too and was left with a tub of cheesy sawdust. Oh well, it still tasted nice.
ReplyDeleteYes, we've both carefully considered what losing each other would mean financially. We have individual bank accounts and a joint one, Alan's Navy pension would halve for me and then last until my death. Our properties are in both names and we will both get full state pensions as I have paid a full stamp since I got my first job at 16. Fingers crossed we will be okay, but things change don't they and it's always worth keeping up to date.
Yes, Sue, things do change all the time. The 'goal posts' are constantly moving and not usually in good way. It sounds as if you and Alan have thought it through well and will be ok.
DeleteG thoroughly enjoyed the tea bread and has requested that I make another with the last of the out dated fruit once I get more eggs. Waste not want not! ;)
That's a beautiful bread. I did not marry, but I have stocks that pay me dividends, and I reinvest some of them for the future. It goes into my account quarterly. Your pain at night sounds like osteoarthritis. That's how I felt before having my hips replaced. Have you had an x-ray? Financial security is so important, especially as we age.
ReplyDeleteYou are very wise, Stephenie, and have made good provision for yourself all through your life, I think :0)
DeleteRegarding my joint pain: I'm sure you are quite right as it has been getting worse over the years. I've seen GPs at various points in the last 10 years but they have dismissed out of hand the idea of getting any X-rays done. They simply put it down to ageing and suggest painkillers. G and I don't have private medical insurance so cannot press the matter. And our NHS is so stretched that older people are moved down the priority list every time.
As you are both in your seventies, have you enquired about getting Pension Credit? This is a top-up to your pension There's every chance you are both entitled to it and it isn't affected if you have savings. Once you have that it entitles you to other benefits.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the suggestion, Rambler, but I don't think we would get it whilst G is still working 12 hours each weekend at B & Q.
DeleteIt's only a matter of time before his pain will be so bad that he has to give it up and we will investigate further then. It's so kind of you to point us in the right direction x
I am so sorry that you are both suffering at the moment with pain. Like you, I find a waterbottle can be comforting.
ReplyDeleteThose boxes look a really good idea to use up food instead of it going to waste.
We have put future financial plans in place and also how it will later effect our children as well. At the moment we are trotting along Ok but are also mindful of the surprises both good and bad that are always around the corner. Wishing you a better week healthwise Angie xx