I am a vulture

Well who would have thought it, people coming to blows over a bag of yellow sticker carrots, ha ha. Things are getting out of hand at Tesco in Slough, apparently. When the veg trolley is wheeled out into the shop there is a lot of pushing and shoving going on, and folks are knocked to the ground in a desperate bid to bag a few bargains. Read all about it here.

Thank goodness we are a bit more refined here in North Lincolnshire. I haven't seen any behaviour like this, a few of us gather in anticipation, we hover, we drift off and come back again, and we choose a few item for ourselves leaving stuff for others to pick up. An Asian woman who I see likes the peppers, chillies, and oranges which I don't buy, and she doesn't want the green salads and veg that I want. We don't annoy the assistant while waiting for our turn to get what we want, it's all quite civilised.

I can understand why people are getting in a scrum though. If you don't qualify to receive parcels from a food bank, and you have a lot of mouths to feed, or your income is very low, what else can you do. Normal prices are just too expensive.

I have skimmed through the comments in the news report, and some of them are quite scathing towards people who go yellow sticker shopping. Mind you, that's to be expected from those who have enough money to live on. They haven't a clue what it's like trying to live on a small income, and watching every penny you spend. I take their comments as a personal insult. According to some people, I am a scrounger, a loser, I am greedy, I have no respect and no manners, I am a scavenger, I lack morals, and I am a vulture. Well I don't give a stuff what anyone thinks. I have to make the most of the money I have.

Some of the comments in the paper suggested that shopping at Aldi and Lidl is a cheaper alternative to Tesco. Well I don't agree with that. When I can't get any yellow stickers I will go for the Value, Savers, and the Basics or whatever you like to call them. I get a few items from Aldi, but the majority of what I buy is cheaper in Tesco, with a Value label. Lidl is up the other end of town, I've had a look in there, but came out with nothing. It's not worth my while to make a detour to go there. I don't find anything in Farmfoods, too much convenience and processed food in there. I get a few things from B & M, and Home Bargains, the Cash and Carry, the market, and an Asian shop. I traipse around the different shops to make my money stretch that bit further. Carrying heavy bags, or wheeling my shopping trolley. I would absolutely love to be able to go to Tesco and buy anything I like, stuff the trolley full, get everything in one place. Wheel it to the car and bring it home, no hassle, but it ain't going to happen.

I am managing to keep my head above water, with just enough to pay for what I need, and a bit left for a few treats. I have no spare money to update my house. No money to replace broken or missing tiles on the roof, no money to replace one window, no money for a new door and window on my front porch. I have no spare sodding money, so I will carry on hunting for yellow stickers, because that's how I survive.
Toodle pip.