Thrifty Thursday | surviving the recession

I went to Aldi yesterday in search of a few bargains. I particularly wanted fruit and veg, I had run out after the long Bank Holiday. Recent research has implicated infections as the cause of even more serious diseases and so it’s important to get vitamins and minerals. I think antioxidants like vitamin C are important. I  managed to get broccoli, for 49p; that’s usually on offer. I also have the grapes, 1.29 for 500 grams. I find that there isn’t a great choice of meat and often the shelves need restocking. I do pass Asda on the way back though and so could pop in there too. I have a few things from Asda, because I follow a gluten free diet. The price of food continues to go up and if the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee decide on more QE today, we can expect more price rises.

The state of the economy in general affects us all. The powers that be would have us believe that the whole of Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the UK are all up to their necks in debt to the Chinese. Not true…

When money flows from the poor to the rich, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, until the poor can afford no more. Now the rich can only take from each other, the poor have no more to give; despite the best efforts of the rich. They can buy their Prada, Gucci, Ferrari and private jets, but they could have problems fooling ordinary people that the recession is their fault.

The less we mere mortals buy, by being thrifty, the harder it is for the parasites and empire builders who always want bigger companies, bigger councils and bigger, more lavish projects. In the UK we have just seen some lavish spending on the Jubilee with a concerts and champagne for the privileged and a bit of charity for many others. What did you get? A cupcake and a flag to wave?

You can also help yourself by eating out less, if not at all and cooking more. You can cook better food, make it look nice, taste nice and make it healthy. You can also save money by making your own wine, I wrote another blog about how to become an expert wine maker over on a zillion ideas today. Check it out!

I wrote a while ago about buying shares in Premier Foods for 4p each and they went up to 12p just as I hope for and beyond to 18p briefly. Then they did a share swap, 1 new share for 10 old ones, they have been dropping ever since. They are less than a pound now, but seem more expensive. There is a lesson there, if it ain’t broke; don’t fix it. They were seen as ‘death or glory’ shares before they meddled and people were buying. I think they are still worth buying, but they are being sold nevertheless. They also lost their chairman, someone is always first off a sinking ship. Royal Bank of Scotland have also done a 1 for 10 swap to make their shares look expensive; they too have been dropping. It does make me wonder if the experts, bureaucrats and politicians really know what they are doing…

There are more amazing blogs on the Home Page to amuse, entertain and possibly inform.. Meanwhile, check out your local supermarket in the last hour before closing; they might sell off some fresh stuff.

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