tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270442039937122804.post4119569762818174054..comments2023-12-22T10:13:10.227+00:00Comments on Mrs Thomasina Tittlemouse: Shopping - No Small ChangeThomasina Tittlemousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01574272724724663796noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270442039937122804.post-65659581114967993192017-05-25T10:37:26.349+01:002017-05-25T10:37:26.349+01:00How lovely! Sounds a bit like the life described i...How lovely! Sounds a bit like the life described in Laura Ingalls Wilder's stories or Lois Lenski's "Prairie School" - so evocative! Yes, I know what you mean - there's a whole big difference between food-shopping and fabric-shopping! E xThomasina Tittlemousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01574272724724663796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270442039937122804.post-48797470711061238002017-05-22T07:47:03.209+01:002017-05-22T07:47:03.209+01:00I too remember shopping with Mother, however I gre...I too remember shopping with Mother, however I grew up on a farm quite a ways out of town and we only went to the grocery store once a month and then just for sugar flour etc.. We had dairy cattle and a huge garden and feeder cattle that we sold or butchered. The only fun shopping was when Daddy had to go to town for a tractor part as he would pick up a root beer or a candy bar! I guess I never developed a taste for shopping then as I am a "make a list, check it off and get out" type of shopper! Oh, and it all takes place at Walmart or Winco! Unless you are talking about the fabric and yarn shops...that is a different story!Kathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18209722078916803400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270442039937122804.post-22475163257671273862017-05-18T15:00:40.165+01:002017-05-18T15:00:40.165+01:00Is this where my mental arithmetic went down a hol...Is this where my mental arithmetic went down a hole, I wonder?! Not enough trips to Pratts to get in the practice! Yes, I agree about being stuck with bulk purchases that turn out to be disappointing. Not good economics. The oatmeal is a safe bet though, as far as I can tell! E xThomasina Tittlemousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01574272724724663796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270442039937122804.post-23708860642765343902017-05-18T14:49:21.426+01:002017-05-18T14:49:21.426+01:00Yes, sorry, I should have been more precise. Mea ...Yes, sorry, I should have been more precise. Mea culpa! E xThomasina Tittlemousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01574272724724663796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270442039937122804.post-61198621409392590362017-05-18T14:45:22.394+01:002017-05-18T14:45:22.394+01:00I do sometimes hanker after those "Shopping w...I do sometimes hanker after those "Shopping with Mother" days and though I was never very keen accompanying my own mother, I loved going with my grandmother who seemed to visit far more interesting shops. Our weekend treat was to cycle into the village to spend a shilling on sweets at the baker's and I'm sure it did my mental arithmetic good to work out exactly what I could get for my money.<br /><br />Buying in bulk is good in theory but the downside (apart from the initial outlay) is that if you don't like it then you're rather stuck. Incidentally, I buy dried beans, cook them and freeze them. Also, of the opinion that flour is flour and never buy branded flour. <br /><br />Another interesting post to make us think before we buy.Annehttp://www.annewheaton.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270442039937122804.post-38253106952800133502017-05-18T14:21:00.581+01:002017-05-18T14:21:00.581+01:00"I don't have time to shop as my non-work..."I don't have time to shop as my non-working mother did." Your mother was a stay-at-home mom not a non-working mother! Reading about your childhood shopping was enjoyable and so different from growing up in the States where we had grocery stores. The one my family frequented was called "Jumbo" so that gives you an idea of the scale even then. Your analysis of shopping in the present is the same here in Virginia and it's just as easy to get into a rut! Thanks for posting! Ksunshine52https://www.blogger.com/profile/14157111429570804613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270442039937122804.post-60018470734119000462017-05-18T13:04:07.499+01:002017-05-18T13:04:07.499+01:00You're so right Ellie - shopping becomes a hab...You're so right Ellie - shopping becomes a habit one doesn't even think about most of the time! I'm pleased quark is becoming more available - I find it very useful especially in Polish or other Eastern European cooking where that sort of cheese is used a lot but can be difficult to track down in the UK. Enjoy your experimenting! E xThomasina Tittlemousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01574272724724663796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270442039937122804.post-58243036637886902862017-05-18T10:09:29.073+01:002017-05-18T10:09:29.073+01:00Dear Mrs TT
We had also got into shopping in one p...Dear Mrs TT<br />We had also got into shopping in one place because it was easier. We have also discovered the joys of Aldi fruit and vegetables. We have also embraced a new to us product called Quark, which (for anyone who hasn't heard of it) is a fat free soft cheese which can be eaten as savoury or sweet depending what is added to it and is high protein, so really good for those vegetarians amongst us. It is very easy to get into a habit of buying the same things at the same places, so it is good to experiment, isn't it?<br />Best wishes<br />Ellie Ellie Fosterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12437259693600577503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270442039937122804.post-7954729009539282322017-05-17T21:38:13.385+01:002017-05-17T21:38:13.385+01:00Thank you! "Shopping with Mother" is so ...Thank you! "Shopping with Mother" is so evocative isn't it? Nice to know it resonated with you too! I envy you the childhood plaits! My mother thought curly hair was much better short and so I was never allowed to grow it. My longing for plaits was so great, I even made a pair of brown wool ones that I pinned in place with a hair-grip! You made me laugh about the olive oil - been there and done that myself, if not with olive oil then with tinned chopped tomatoes which I just seem to stockpile on auto-pilot. I dread to think how many there are in the larder as I write! Interesting that you are thinking of reverting to shopping on a daily basis for each day's meals. I'd definitely do that if I could juggle other stuff and if I lived within walking distance of the supermarket. E xThomasina Tittlemousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01574272724724663796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270442039937122804.post-55099486793786437822017-05-17T21:28:11.253+01:002017-05-17T21:28:11.253+01:00Thank you so much Christina! It's nice to be b...Thank you so much Christina! It's nice to be back writing again, I have to say. Yes, the conundrum that bulk purchases are far more economical but when money is tight, they are often beyond the reach of available cash for purchasing seems most unfair. I guess this is where the answer is probably to link up with others wanting the same product and pooling resources but on a practical level that poses all sorts of logistical problems. There's also the issue of storage - I had to buy some very large air-tight containers to store the oatmeal in as I simply didn't have anything large enough other than a dustbin! Like you, I prefer things packaged in cardboard not awful plastic. I also like those American-style thick brown paper grocery bags - Safeway, when it was still in the land of the living, offered them for a while but they didn't seem to catch on. I love your comment about enjoying "the chat and advice that comes with the mince" - absolutely! E xThomasina Tittlemousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01574272724724663796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270442039937122804.post-37713913778859247522017-05-17T18:50:44.411+01:002017-05-17T18:50:44.411+01:00What a lovely post - those gorgeous Ladybird illus...What a lovely post - those gorgeous Ladybird illustrations took me right back. I too shopped with my mother on a daily basis (I had the plaits but, sadly, not the basket!). I fear that my larder may resemble your mother's cupboards - I tend to buy extra virgin olive oil when it's on offer and last year, during a tidy up, I was horrified to discover that I had 14 bottles (yes, 14!) in my larder. Needless to say I won't be buying anymore any time soon! I am temporarily without a car and am having my supermarket shop delivered. It's not nearly as much fun and I think I may revert to my mother's method of picking up things for the evening meal on a daily basis. Our local farmers' market is good fun too and it's always nice to eat seasonally. Good luck with your challenge. xxVeggieMummyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17467026136649574350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270442039937122804.post-25470827020816579542017-05-17T18:24:31.762+01:002017-05-17T18:24:31.762+01:00What an interesting post, I really enjoy reading a...What an interesting post, I really enjoy reading about your challenge. What struck me most was your last section, to benefit the cheapest deals you need to have cash up front. We are not cash poor but find bulk buying is stretching our budget quite considerably at the time of shopping. I can only imagine how difficult it would be for people with small income, or people living on their own. I guess it would need to be a long term project and a well planned one at that, if ready cash is a problem. I can see a need for someone to go into communities and teach how to plan and shop! <br />I love your account of shopping when you were little, it appeals to me even though it would be hugely unpractical for us. We enjoy shopping like that during holidays though, it feels like a treat then. I have a dislike for all supermarkets expect maybe Waitrose, which doesn't seem to market so aggressively and has only got small sections for non grocery items. Our (Richard's) usual shop has recently replaced three aisles worth of food with a party corner, where you can buy glitter balloons and other nonsense (I am not joking). I personally can't stand Aldi but only ours and because it is so so busy. Sometimes there is a queue for the apples! The meat by the way will not live up to your standards, we have tried it. Funny enough, I am rather fond of Lidl, which is a little further away but more quiet. They sell a lot of fruit and veg in cardboard containers rather than plastic, which I like. I also have a fondness for their cold meats (ham etc). Luckily, Richard does our grocery shopping so I don't need to worry so much. He happily shops were things are good value. I go to the butchers, I enjoy the chat and the advice that comes with the mince. Better stop here. I am already looking forward to your next post, thanks for sharing your challenge journey. Before I leave, it is so lovely to see you blogging again, I missed your presence in blog land. xChristinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11883091348839145603noreply@blogger.com