Savvy Spring Shopping or Not
Today I met a family member for a chat over a pot of tea during her office lunch break. I paid for the tea with vouchers I had received through the post, opening the envelope and placing the vouchers in my purse for use on such an occasion. That's not really difficult planning is it? How often during our working lives, however, do we even bin apparent junk envelopes without exploring their contents or, if we do open them, let any such vouchers lie around for weeks until they are lost or else out of date. Family member was impressed enough to comment on this fact.
After she left I browsed around the clothing department of a local store in search of a couple of T-shirts, now that the sun is finally shining. There were several sale rails but nothing of any appeal upon them, so instead I picked up two from the newly arrived stock but got them for the equivalent of the sale price with, you've guessed, another voucher.
Then I headed for the supermarket, shopping list in hand. The mad days of the trolley dash around the aisles, where throwing in and counting the cost only at the check-out have receded and grocery shopping, like most things in retirement, is conducted at a more measured pace. I haven't quite reached the stage where I have so much surplus time that
I go from store to store comparing food item prices before I buy. I do,
however, now actually examine the in-store displays and
pricing, carefully calculating where a bulk buy is a saving and where it
is not.
So today I spotted that washing powder capsules were £4 for 19 washloads or £9 for 38 washloads. One of those occasions where, contrary to instinct, the smaller pack is actually better value. Smugly I placed a pack from the shelf in my trolley. It was only later after I had left the shop that I realised that someone (I'd hate to think it was the store itself) must have misplaced larger packs in the smaller pack area of the shelf and I had, of course, picked up the wrong one.
Retirement may be bliss but it doesn't stop you winning some and losing others!
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