Healthy eating on the cheap.

Good morning. I invested two hours of my time last night in Tesco, to gain a saving of £46.77, the difference between the £5.43 I paid for this lot, and the £52.20 it should have cost. My goodness, isn't fruit and veg an astronomical price now, shock horror.

Here is a breakdown. Real price in brackets.

Mushrooms x 6 = 52p  (£5.20)

Spinach x 1 = 20p  (£2.00)

Salad leaves x 2 = 20p  (£2.00)

Brocolli x 4 = 72p  (£7.00)

Brussel sprouts x 5 = 90p  (£8.75)

Brocolli and carrots x 1 = 13p  (£1.25)

Mixed veg stewpack x 1 = 9p  (90p)

Prepared fruit x 4 = 56p  (£5.60)

Prepared fruit x 2 = 30p  (£3.00)

Raspberries x 4 = 80p  (£8.00)

Melon portion x 1 = 13p  (£1.25)

Advocado pears (2pack) x 2 = 40p  (£4.00)

Iceberg lettuce x 1 = 10p  (£1.00)

Bread x 1 = 25p  (£1.00)

Spicy dip x 1 = 13p  (£1.25)

My total shop came to £23.10, which included a couple of items for the cats. I had two money off vouchers for a box of Felix pouches, and when I got to the till I handed all the vouchers over to the assistant so she could scan them. I knew some of them wouldn't be accepted, but was surprised to see that it did accept the two vouchers for £1.90 off a single box of Felix. On the other hand it didn't accept the 25p voucher off the bag of sultanas, so I went to customer service to query this. I was handed the 25p and an apology for the mistake. It pays to ask.

I needed a few other items apart from the yellow stickers. A bag of walnuts and a bag of almonds, must eat more nuts. I went for a slightly cheaper cheese this time, as I need to reduce my cheese consumption. I got Gouda slices and Edam slices, and a tub of cottage cheese for a change. Something I thought I would try, bags of corn for popping are on offer at 49p, so I will give that a go.

There was very little reduced bread, but no matter, I have enough in the freezer to keep me going, I don't eat loads of bread anyway. Thank goodness there was no cakes, so no giving in to temptation there. I did get a free Cadbury's Cream Egg however, with a voucher they sent me.

So, my breakfast this morning.....The raspberries will have to be eaten quite quickly, I am sure I can manage that, ha ha. Crunchy nut flakes from my bulk buy cereals from the Cash and Carry, a banana from a bag of reduced, on their way out bananas, from Asda, diluted evaporated milk from the bulk buy reduced at Tesco, 30p a tin. Still got a few left, this has saved me loads of money on milk for cereals.

I shall give away some mushrooms and sprouts, as they don't freeze too well. The brocolli will be eaten quickly, and the two bags of prepared veg will be turned into veggie stew and frozen in portions. My shopping is an example of Time Rich, Cash Poor. I don't have much money to live on, but I have the time to invest in searching out the best buys. I wish I had retired earlier, knowing what I know now.

Talking of poor pensioners feeling the cold, take a look at this clip. It's a good larf for a Thursday.



Toodle pip.