Watching the Pennies hopefully to increase the £'s

We have been to the Cash and Carry this afternoon as OH needed to get some cans of drink for his Department's Tuck Shop.  It is a while since we have been to it but for the best part today I just wanted to have a good look around.  Some prices are a bit out there but if you have a business and a mark up there is quite a bit of profit to be made.  I have used a Cash and Carry off and on over 40 or so years.

We have had a lot of flies this year - not quite sure why but we have and as a consequence have used a bit of fly spray.  At £3 a tin from our local Co-Op it is pricey and we are soon going through a tin.  So at £3  a can x 6 tins - £18.  We have just purchased six tins for £8.99 plus £2.49 VAT so for £11.50 I have six cans and I have saved £6.50 in the process.  Better in my purse I think and will go towards something else that we use.  I have traditionally used the Co-Op a lot for shopping but I have noticed of late that there is a disparency between prices between them and other stores.  £0.60 per jar of pasta sauce or sweet and sour would go towards another jar of things.  So wherever you shop think before you buy and make sure that the price is right for you.

As I have indicated previously I am looking to stock the freezers up again. We usually do this little by little over several months to ensure that we have a good selection of items to eat and also at the best price we can achieve.  I was particularly looking at the meat section this afternoon.  We used to get some very good offers on chicken which is what we had initially gone to look at today but they did not have any.

There were several good offers on bulk buys of beef produce and we shall be going back however there are a couple of other places we need to check out to see what they have and then make a selection of the items we wish to stock up on for this month.  Even when I have stocked up on items I am careful with how I use them and endeavour to make the produce go as far as it can.  

When bringing fresh produce home from a Butchers or the Cash and Carry we have a sort it out session.  I re-package the meat into quantities for two and then pop it into the freezer.  I keep a log of what I have put in as well so that I have an idea of what I have available for meals.

However you have to remember in a Cash and Carry that the VAT is not included in the price on the label so you do have to allow for that.  Some items are incredibly pricey others very reasonable. So you have to have your wits about you as you are going around.

I use the Hyperama Cash and Carry in Peterborough. It is a card member venue. One thing I have noticed is that a lot of the Eastern Europeans, Chinese and Asians use the warehouse to feed their families cheaper.  Some of them are in business a lot are not but they seem to club together and choose what they are going to buy and then split it between them.

I was looking at chunks of Topside and Silverside from between £25 to £32 today out of which chunk I would probably get three decent sized joints.  I have decent cutting knives so this is not a problem.

However we are going to look at a couple of other shops as well to see what they have at this particular stage.

After out little trip out and because it has been so horribly hot again OH took me to the pub to save me cooking.  It was nice and cool and we have had fish to eat.  I went for scampi oh went for battered fish.  Cheap and cheerful but a good meal and reasonable.

We then came home and walked Missy. OH and Missy are now crashed out under the fan!

I am off to try and cool down a bit.  Last part of Poldark tonight.  Shall miss that a lot.  Lets just hope they decide to do another one soon.

Right off to flop.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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