The ‘Rylan Rinder Grand Tour’ BBC programme is getting rave reviews and I can’t imagine why. Certainly it’s different, not the usual smarmy well rehearsed set up personality trivia. These two are genuinely thrilled with each other and it’s developing into a love fest but for me there are too many ‘babe’ references and the parade of badly dressed drag queens walking the streets of Venice was very unattractive. What I liked was Rylan being honestly impressed with the paintings Rinder introduced him to, the music he loved, the thrill of conducting Vivald’s Four Seasons and the joy experienced by Rylan when he first gazed on the work of Caravaggio. Following in the footsteps of Lord Byron as he enjoyed the hedonistic Grand Tour, I have a sneaking suspicion these two are going to grow on me and I too will be giving a rave review at the end of the series. I met Rob Rinder and I must say he is a delightful highly intelligent man, a joy to listen to him and his experiences. Rylan will learn a lot from a very special teacher.
LOOKING AFTER THE PENNIES
Have you noticed a subtle economy going on, not one on our behalf but on behalf of the supermarkets, seeded bread with fewer seeds, a cherry cake with cherries showing round the edges but not in the middle? Medium sized bread seems to have thicker slices so you go through a loaf more quickly, is the hole in washing up liquid bottle bigger than it used to be so you go through it more rapidly? And as for toilet paper and tissues!
My regular bunch of bananas is smaller than usual, perhaps more to do with what is available to the supermarkets. I remember in Rwanda driving back through hostile camps from Tanzania to Kigali when my driver asked if he could stop for a few moments to get some supplies for the family. I was scared as I sat on an empty dirt road waiting for Wenceslas to return. He’d walked into a dense forest of tall bushes only to reappear about 15 minutes later delighted with the huge stalk of bananas over his shoulder. “This will feed my family for one month,” he told me with a big smile. I’ve always had respect for bananas since.
It’s difficult to keep tabs on prices these days. I don’t remember what I paid for items two years ago I just know the weekly bill for groceries has risen on average by £10. And that’s not luxuries except for the chocolate fudge cake!
I now make a list. If there’s an offer on I might buy two of one thing if it stores well, I bring my own carrier bag and save 25 pence.
Every Little Helps.
When I was presenting a ‘consumer‘ spot on Gloria’s BBC Taste of Honey I dreamt I visited six shops, bought six tins of baked beans and in order to count the beans in each and estimate the sauce content, I tipped each one onto a snooker table and under the lights and wearing a green eye shield I counted the contents until I got the best value tin! I bet Denis Taylor never did that! I was so impressed with this dream that I actually re-created it on the kitchen table and then told listeners the results.
Patrica told me she has changed her method of shopping. “I no longer go round throwing things into the trolly, I look for ‘own brand’ which can make a big difference as can a club card, being able to buy a big butter sponge cake for £4 as against £7 means I can buy two, same cake just on offer for club members. Mind you,” she added, “I always check my receipt as sometimes I’ve found the offer isn’t reflected in the total.” I asked Pam if she had any suggestions: “Yes, I buy ugly fruit, wonky vegetables! Misshapen carrots can be a lot cheaper, at the end of the day it makes no difference except in my purse.”
When I found a ‘coupon’ in a newspaper, I was interested in the item so I took advantage of this free limited trial and was delighted. Why didn’t I think to buy half a dozen newspapers and have half a dozen coupons! It’s always easy to think clearly after the event but these days you have to be on the ball as supermarkets are up to all tricks to entice you to buy more. After all that’s why they are in business. Be cleverer than they are, don’t be enticed into reaching for things as you move round the shelves looking for what you actually want. Discipline is required if you are to save money or at least stick to your budget.
Learning At An Early Age
As a child I remember being sent to Burnett’s store in Whiteabbey for the groceries. A traditional store rather than a shop, wooden floor, wooden counter, loose tea packaged in a ‘poke’ made out of heavy paper, bacon sliced on the fascinating slicer, eggs stored in a big earthenware crock, cracked eggs for baking were cheaper, milk came in glass bottles which were scalded and returned and biscuits were served out of a big glass jar and there was a lot of craic. Even a child was treated as a valued customer and my basket was always packed for me to carry home. I still shudder at the lie I told my granny when she said I’d be a good housewife because I could organise a basket so neatly! I didn’t tell her it was packed by Mrs. Burnett.
So the message is – plan ahead, scrutinise the shelves, take notes and make sure offers are genuine, shopping is now a business not a pleasure but the more you research the better until you see a difference in your spending.
