SUPERMARKET SWEEP
When I saw a tin of organic tinned tomatoes in Somerfield priced at £1.49, but two of the same on sale in (dread word) Tesco for £1 I had a difficult decision to make. Having been a refuser since the store opened in 2004 (or was it 2005?), suddenly I became a customer. It does not sit easily.
So what has happened? Well, it’s down to simple economics. Financially, Mrs Nails and I are a great deal worse off than we ever have been and in these hard times the power of the pennies in your purse or pocket is persuasive. Unless you’re in the happy position of being able to fritter dosh without thinking, budgeting is an essential survival tool in this day and age.
So what I do is go to Tesco and purchase a basket of selected items, the things I know I’m saving money on. Soya milk, for instance, is another grocery which has compromised me. I could go to Lidl and get it even cheaper but to be honest their offering tastes horrible. Tesco’s own-brand organic unsweetened retails at over 50 pence a litre less than the High Street alternative. What would you do?
Some of my friends are appalled, others more understanding (or is that realistic?). Personally, I’m not happy about being held to ransom by the supermarkets but sadly, being screwed for money is a fact of 2010 life. As Mrs Nails said only last night, she can’t remember the last time we treated ourselves to a trolley-load from Waitrose.
Copyright, Joe Hashman www.dirtynails.co.uk
Tags: january, mrs nails, supermarket, tomato