As a second follow-up, after getting a male perspective on the frugal egg post, I wanted to get a female opinion as well. I have two colleagues who work in the front office at benevolent company J. As it's an international company, both have exposure to many people of other lands, and while both have visited other countres, neither has lived abroad. I wouldn't try to guess ages, but the one's oldest child is 30, while the other's oldest child is 20.
H: Hi ladies, I need a UK female perspective. (I regularly do this sort of thing to them--is this dress correct to wear to this UK occasion, is this the correct response to x here, etc.)
What do you think of this egg carton? (Bringing out the now famous one.)
C1: HA!
C2: Hold on, I need to get out my reading glasses...tsk! Naughty! (smirk)
C1: Is this from the US?
H: No, it's from here.
C1: No! How funny.
C2: They were clever.
C1: Fab!
H: So would you purposely buy or not buy these eggs?
C2: If the price was right, I'd buy them, it wouldn't sway me either way, it's just advertising. How much did you pay?
H: 61 p, marked down as they were at the 'best buy' date.
C1: good deal, 10 p an egg.
H: I know!
C2: (pondering) You know....this was created by a man.
C1: Oooooh, definitely.
H: How do you know?
C2: A female wouldn't come up with this way to market eggs.
C1: Don't you know it!
H: Really?
C2: (Now holding the box) Where are these from? Suffolk. Do they have a website H?
H: None that I could find.
C2: Hmmm.
H: So what would a female have said instead?
C2: Something more subtle, still with a double-meaning, but not so forward.
C1: Yes.
C2: Like 'we're fresh' or 'fresh today' or something like that.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Bad translation at the D'dorf airport
When I have to write something official in German (which thankfully is almost never now), I ask my native German speaking colleagues to proofread it for me, to make sure I'm saying 100% what I want to be saying. They then do the same in return, when they want to be sure that their English is in top form, I will review their text for them.
Apparently, at the D'dorf Airport, they don't have native English speaking colleagues or they think their English is super just the way it is:
Apparently, at the D'dorf Airport, they don't have native English speaking colleagues or they think their English is super just the way it is:
(If you want to see this fine sign yourself, this photo was taken in the car rental parking structure, on the 4th floor next to the elevators.)
However, we failed to find the so named 'confidence tricksters'.
(Yes, I realize I'm in Germany so I should be grateful that I'm seeing a sign in English. And if I was at a non-profit institution with a shoestring budget or a government office where all activities were conducted in German, I'd be a little more forgiving. However, this English is amazingly poor for an international airport when you consider that other airports are able to produce correct signage in four or five languages.)
Monday, February 22, 2010
An update on the Orthokeratology adventure
A little while back, I mentioned that I was trying orthokeratology. Since a few asked for an update I thought I'd give one here as well as answer the comments people left on the first post. As of tomorrow, it will be three weeks since this experiment started.
From G in Berlin: Is it new, or Europe based, or perhaps my severe astigmatism and near-sightedness did not make it an option? Did you need to fall into a certain range to do it?
It's been around since the 1960's although my UK eye guy was saying that it has had recent increased popularity here in the UK due to some newer lenses on the UK market and as well it had received approval from the US FDA which increased its profile internationally in the eye world. There was a range one had to be within on both the vision and astigmatism, something like -6.00 and -1.50, but don't quote me on that.
And do the hard lenses hurt and is there any issue of oxygen starvation to the eye?
The eye guy mentioned that the older version of lenses did have some issues, but that the current ones on the market are much improved so that oxygen starvation is not an issue in his book.
When I first put them in, it was more irritation than hurt, and my eyes started to tear up, almost like I had a bit of dust or something in them. After the second night, however it wasn't so noticeable, and I figured out to go right to bed, where they were ok when I wasn't looking all around.
This morning, I had a minor moment of freaking out when I thought that I had forgotten to put them in, they are now that unnoticed.
From J: Aren't the hard lenses uncomfortable when you're sleeping?
I had done the overnight soft lenses before so maybe I'm biased based on already having that experience, but I would say no, they're not uncomfortable for sleeping. Not sure what I would say if I didn't go through that learning experience with the soft ones. if anything, it was a bigger deal for me to be able to get them in and out, it's such a different experience than soft lenses.
From Jen: Let us know how it works. I can recommend Lasik.
(cringe!) Just the very thought of that freaks me out, the idea that one must be awake for that. But everyone whom has done it has made a similar comment as yours. I realize it's a nice solution, but give me a few glasses of wine before you tell me how they did yours.
Overall, only three weeks into it and I've been pleasantly pleased. I had a few really short nights in DE last week, going to bed at 1 and getting up at 7, so I wasn't sure how that would work, if I would be under-corrected or if it wouldn't last as long or anything like that...I didn't notice any difference than when I am in the UK getting eight or more hours of sleep.
I've gotten half decent at taking the lenses in and out. It's under a minute in either direction, so that is ok. There was some 'star-bursting' or 'ghosting' as they call it, at night, in that lighting would not be sharp or crisp, this has gradually diminished to a less noticeable point.
If I had it to do over would I do it again? Yes, definitely. As long as it continues in this direction, I will continue to carry on with it.
From G in Berlin: Is it new, or Europe based, or perhaps my severe astigmatism and near-sightedness did not make it an option? Did you need to fall into a certain range to do it?
It's been around since the 1960's although my UK eye guy was saying that it has had recent increased popularity here in the UK due to some newer lenses on the UK market and as well it had received approval from the US FDA which increased its profile internationally in the eye world. There was a range one had to be within on both the vision and astigmatism, something like -6.00 and -1.50, but don't quote me on that.
And do the hard lenses hurt and is there any issue of oxygen starvation to the eye?
The eye guy mentioned that the older version of lenses did have some issues, but that the current ones on the market are much improved so that oxygen starvation is not an issue in his book.
When I first put them in, it was more irritation than hurt, and my eyes started to tear up, almost like I had a bit of dust or something in them. After the second night, however it wasn't so noticeable, and I figured out to go right to bed, where they were ok when I wasn't looking all around.
This morning, I had a minor moment of freaking out when I thought that I had forgotten to put them in, they are now that unnoticed.
From J: Aren't the hard lenses uncomfortable when you're sleeping?
I had done the overnight soft lenses before so maybe I'm biased based on already having that experience, but I would say no, they're not uncomfortable for sleeping. Not sure what I would say if I didn't go through that learning experience with the soft ones. if anything, it was a bigger deal for me to be able to get them in and out, it's such a different experience than soft lenses.
From Jen: Let us know how it works. I can recommend Lasik.
(cringe!) Just the very thought of that freaks me out, the idea that one must be awake for that. But everyone whom has done it has made a similar comment as yours. I realize it's a nice solution, but give me a few glasses of wine before you tell me how they did yours.
Overall, only three weeks into it and I've been pleasantly pleased. I had a few really short nights in DE last week, going to bed at 1 and getting up at 7, so I wasn't sure how that would work, if I would be under-corrected or if it wouldn't last as long or anything like that...I didn't notice any difference than when I am in the UK getting eight or more hours of sleep.
I've gotten half decent at taking the lenses in and out. It's under a minute in either direction, so that is ok. There was some 'star-bursting' or 'ghosting' as they call it, at night, in that lighting would not be sharp or crisp, this has gradually diminished to a less noticeable point.
If I had it to do over would I do it again? Yes, definitely. As long as it continues in this direction, I will continue to carry on with it.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Follow-up on British humor and frugal eggs - a 38 year old British male
Following up on British humor and frugal eggs, as a bit of cultural investigation, I took the opportunity to ask D his opinions on this topic as a British person. Granted, he's a little bit more international than the average Brit on the street as he worked in the US for two years, in Australia for two years and Germany for seven years. However, I was curious as to what a late 30's British male would say on this topic.
H: What do you think about the egg post and the comments on it?
D: I think you have a bunch of Americans reading and posting on your blog who never lived in the UK.
H: Well sure, some of them are Americans in America and others are Americans in Germany, and others are to/from elsewhere but my UK readers living in the UK are few and far between. Did you see any reason to be offended by this egg cartoon, as a Brit?
D: I think it's advertising or marketing. It's not intended to offend, it's meant to sell eggs in a way which is different from its competitors.
H: Yeah, you're a male, would a female British person perhaps be offended? Your sister or mother?
D: I can see if you are a mother with young children, that you wouldn't want to have to explain the slang of 'to get laid' to a five year old in the supermarket. But in that case you're using the basic explanation that the chickens laid the eggs recently, so what's the problem?
To explain further, the point you're missing H...'to be laid' isn't such a commonly used phrase over here like it is in the US. Sure, we know what it means, mainly from American movies or television, but I would never say, 'I got laid last night', nor would I hear that phrase from any of my friends. You would said 'I had sex last night' and that would be that. So it doesn't have as much force or such a negative connotation to me, because I never use the phrase.
So I would be curious, in particular of the people who were offended, as to who has ever lived in the UK? I would think none, because this type of humor is normal in the UK and wouldn't be cause for offence. Similar to how when I lived in Germany slapstick humor was quite popular there so one saw lots of this type of humor. I can see this egg box wouldn't have made it to the shelves in the US because the definition of humor is different and the culture is different.
H: So would this advertising impact whether or not you'd buy these eggs?
D: Nah. I do buy only free range eggs, which these are, so perhaps I'd buy them, perhaps not depending on the price and expiration date. Normally I buy happy eggs as that is what Asda carries in free range at a good price.
H: Thanks for the info.
So there we have an initial opinion. My population to survey is a little bit small in that anyone whom I interact with is usually a little more international than the average Brit (so working in international company J, for example). However, I will be surveying a female from there next to get another opinion on this topic.
H: What do you think about the egg post and the comments on it?
D: I think you have a bunch of Americans reading and posting on your blog who never lived in the UK.
H: Well sure, some of them are Americans in America and others are Americans in Germany, and others are to/from elsewhere but my UK readers living in the UK are few and far between. Did you see any reason to be offended by this egg cartoon, as a Brit?
D: I think it's advertising or marketing. It's not intended to offend, it's meant to sell eggs in a way which is different from its competitors.
H: Yeah, you're a male, would a female British person perhaps be offended? Your sister or mother?
D: I can see if you are a mother with young children, that you wouldn't want to have to explain the slang of 'to get laid' to a five year old in the supermarket. But in that case you're using the basic explanation that the chickens laid the eggs recently, so what's the problem?
To explain further, the point you're missing H...'to be laid' isn't such a commonly used phrase over here like it is in the US. Sure, we know what it means, mainly from American movies or television, but I would never say, 'I got laid last night', nor would I hear that phrase from any of my friends. You would said 'I had sex last night' and that would be that. So it doesn't have as much force or such a negative connotation to me, because I never use the phrase.
So I would be curious, in particular of the people who were offended, as to who has ever lived in the UK? I would think none, because this type of humor is normal in the UK and wouldn't be cause for offence. Similar to how when I lived in Germany slapstick humor was quite popular there so one saw lots of this type of humor. I can see this egg box wouldn't have made it to the shelves in the US because the definition of humor is different and the culture is different.
H: So would this advertising impact whether or not you'd buy these eggs?
D: Nah. I do buy only free range eggs, which these are, so perhaps I'd buy them, perhaps not depending on the price and expiration date. Normally I buy happy eggs as that is what Asda carries in free range at a good price.
H: Thanks for the info.
So there we have an initial opinion. My population to survey is a little bit small in that anyone whom I interact with is usually a little more international than the average Brit (so working in international company J, for example). However, I will be surveying a female from there next to get another opinion on this topic.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Cosmic irony
In my early university years, I studied literature (English and Spanish). One of my favorite literary terms was 'cosmic irony', which according to Wikipedia is
'the notion that the gods (or the Fates) are amusing themselves by toying with the minds of mortals with deliberate ironic intent'
An example of cosmic irony:
Last year on February 14th, Heather was done packing and was celebrating the sweet feeling of freedom that was coming from knowing it was her last night as a resident in Germany and was so terribly looking forward to starting life in the UK.
this year on Febrary 14th, Heather is packing to catch a flight in four hours--from the UK to Germany for a week of working there.
'the notion that the gods (or the Fates) are amusing themselves by toying with the minds of mortals with deliberate ironic intent'
An example of cosmic irony:
Last year on February 14th, Heather was done packing and was celebrating the sweet feeling of freedom that was coming from knowing it was her last night as a resident in Germany and was so terribly looking forward to starting life in the UK.
this year on Febrary 14th, Heather is packing to catch a flight in four hours--from the UK to Germany for a week of working there.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
My new nickname
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Orthokeratology
I am now one week into my Orthokeratology adventure.
This adventure involves putting in hard contacts each night at bedtime and taking them out first thing in the morning. Then, the eye retains the shape from overnight, so I'm not wearing any sort of contacts or glasses during the day.
It's been a fascinating week.
First, I've never worn hard contacts, only soft, so that has been a learning experience, getting them in, taking them out, and just having them in at all.
Second, I started to wear glasses when I was around 16 and starting to drive. Over the years I've held steady with a low prescription, but I need them for generally walking around and driving, movies, classes, etc, anything that requires distance vision.
Later I switched to daily contacts and alternated with glasses, then weeklies, then in DE I changed to the 'keep them in 14 days/nights', but would swap back to glasses then for a few days.
So at this point I've amost had some type of eye correction for almost half of my life, every single day. This is the first time I've been able to walk/drive around without anything in/on my eyes and it's vaguely unnerving as I've forgotten what that's like.
In case you're curious about the details:
-I am nearsighted, albeit mildly so. I have moved slowly through glasses/contacts until my most recent prescription of -2.25.
-I have astigmatism
Costs:
-Not sure what this will run you in various countries. In the UK I got set up for 200 GBP from my eye guy for all eye photos, office visits and the initial set of contacts plus solution etc. In theory, assuming I do not manage to lose, mangle, etc. the contacts, they should last for about 10 years he suggests, before I might need reading glasses or some other change to the eye landscape requiring a new purchase.
I would normally pay around 200 GBP+/year on a new pair of glasses + disposable contacts. (Yeah, I'm not so frugal on this point.) So changing to this method should be a more frugal option in the long-run, assuming I do it for more than one year.
Pros:
My vision at the end of today (working for 8 hours in front of a pc, and then walking an hour to reach the eye office) was better than 20/20, 10 hours after taking out the hard contacts.
Cons:
The right eye (with the stronger astigmatism) is correcting a little more slowly than the left so at the end of the day it's a tiny bit weaker. This may correct out in another week or two, or it may require a different nightly contact to sort it out.
This adventure involves putting in hard contacts each night at bedtime and taking them out first thing in the morning. Then, the eye retains the shape from overnight, so I'm not wearing any sort of contacts or glasses during the day.
It's been a fascinating week.
First, I've never worn hard contacts, only soft, so that has been a learning experience, getting them in, taking them out, and just having them in at all.
Second, I started to wear glasses when I was around 16 and starting to drive. Over the years I've held steady with a low prescription, but I need them for generally walking around and driving, movies, classes, etc, anything that requires distance vision.
Later I switched to daily contacts and alternated with glasses, then weeklies, then in DE I changed to the 'keep them in 14 days/nights', but would swap back to glasses then for a few days.
So at this point I've amost had some type of eye correction for almost half of my life, every single day. This is the first time I've been able to walk/drive around without anything in/on my eyes and it's vaguely unnerving as I've forgotten what that's like.
In case you're curious about the details:
-I am nearsighted, albeit mildly so. I have moved slowly through glasses/contacts until my most recent prescription of -2.25.
-I have astigmatism
Costs:
-Not sure what this will run you in various countries. In the UK I got set up for 200 GBP from my eye guy for all eye photos, office visits and the initial set of contacts plus solution etc. In theory, assuming I do not manage to lose, mangle, etc. the contacts, they should last for about 10 years he suggests, before I might need reading glasses or some other change to the eye landscape requiring a new purchase.
I would normally pay around 200 GBP+/year on a new pair of glasses + disposable contacts. (Yeah, I'm not so frugal on this point.) So changing to this method should be a more frugal option in the long-run, assuming I do it for more than one year.
Pros:
My vision at the end of today (working for 8 hours in front of a pc, and then walking an hour to reach the eye office) was better than 20/20, 10 hours after taking out the hard contacts.
Cons:
The right eye (with the stronger astigmatism) is correcting a little more slowly than the left so at the end of the day it's a tiny bit weaker. This may correct out in another week or two, or it may require a different nightly contact to sort it out.
British humor and frugal eggs
Or should that be 'humour'? Can you imagine this cartoon egg making the same statement in an American supermarket?
I rarely buy full price eggs anymore. I had purchased these on Feb 2nd in the morning and they were down to half price. If one waits longer, they'll go to 75 or 90% off. My only requirement is that I only do free range eggs anymore. These have the added bonus of being produced in Suffolk, a neighboring area near to Essex.
When I get a great egg deal I usually fry and then freeze them on the day of purchase, although others put them raw in an ice cube tray and freeze. Then I carry on with my egg stock when the deals aren't coming.
Monday, February 08, 2010
Behold, the breakfast bar
After much research and hemming and hawing on the room layout and then losing auctions on ebay, we are finally here:
My flat has one living room, one kichen and one bedroom. The kitchen is too tiny for eating, so that left only the living room.
The clever idea was to get the seats above the window, so as to enjoy the downtown Essex view and the morning coffee with the sunshine. The difficult part was finding a table and seats which were tall enough.
The height of the window to the floor is 115 cm, which is pretty tall. Many breakfast bars are around 90 cm, too short. This one is 105 cm which works out pretty well.
This is a standard Ikea set. I couldn't bring myself to schlep over to Ikea (45 min away), and trundle through the big store. So I bought this one on ebay for a fraction of the cost, and closer.
Ikea sells the table for 99 GBP and the stools are on sale for 10.99 each. Instead, I got all three pieces for 35 GBP, the only bidder in the auction.
So far, so good. We'll see what the cat thinks when she comes home from visiting The House of Treats as this has been 'her' window.
My flat has one living room, one kichen and one bedroom. The kitchen is too tiny for eating, so that left only the living room.
The clever idea was to get the seats above the window, so as to enjoy the downtown Essex view and the morning coffee with the sunshine. The difficult part was finding a table and seats which were tall enough.
The height of the window to the floor is 115 cm, which is pretty tall. Many breakfast bars are around 90 cm, too short. This one is 105 cm which works out pretty well.
This is a standard Ikea set. I couldn't bring myself to schlep over to Ikea (45 min away), and trundle through the big store. So I bought this one on ebay for a fraction of the cost, and closer.
Ikea sells the table for 99 GBP and the stools are on sale for 10.99 each. Instead, I got all three pieces for 35 GBP, the only bidder in the auction.
So far, so good. We'll see what the cat thinks when she comes home from visiting The House of Treats as this has been 'her' window.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Pre-spring gardening adventures
Over the weekend the air while cold was bright and fresh and gardening season is just around the corner, so I thought it would be a nice time to get cracking on some outside tasks in New Friend Ian's back garden.
One task I had on my 'to do' list was to go after a giant heap of a makeshift compost pile now that the council distributes free 'vegetation' wheelie bins and picks them up each week. In particular, this pile has been home to bramble cuttings and they are vicious in attempting to re-root themselves so out they go. My gift to Ian a few months back was a reduced price compost bin, subsidized by the council so that he would be able to compost properly, even more reason to get rid of this pile. In addition, I have my eye on the dirt beneath for a potato patch. ;-)
A few months back I was vigorously hacking at the pile to get out the dried branches so that we could burn some of them in the fall while they were dry. As I hacked at the pile, elements from within it started to scurry. We suspected rats. Ian warned me that he would be off like lightning if any rats emerged. As I was yielding the hoe I was holding my ground. We burned all the dry stuff in the burn barrel but couldn't get to the bottom of the scurrying activity.
Over the weekend the wheelie bin was brought to the back garden to get a helping of the never ending pile of branches and brambles. While down there, we finally got to the lower levels of the pile, which actually looked like nice mulch, perfect for preparing the other garden beds, to get some nutrients into the soil in advance. I hacked at the pile to break it down while Ian shoveled it along. Nothing moved within the pile, so my hacking away was really moving along at a good clip.
Until I hacked right next to a hedgehog who was in the middle of enjoying his winter sleep. I screamed because another inch or two over and I would have hacked into him. Ian took off running suspecting that I finally found the rats.
We gently covered up the hedgehog who seemed undisturbed by the whole affair in the middle of his winter hibernation.
After he wakes up in March or so we can resume our attack on the pile. In the meantime I'm researching 'hedgehog houses' for next year when the pile is gone, assuming Hoggy wants to stick around after all this ruckous, he'll need a nice place to stay. I'd love for him to stick around, our garden needs all the free pest control it can get. And don't tell, but I think I know what someone will be getting for Valentine's Day!
One task I had on my 'to do' list was to go after a giant heap of a makeshift compost pile now that the council distributes free 'vegetation' wheelie bins and picks them up each week. In particular, this pile has been home to bramble cuttings and they are vicious in attempting to re-root themselves so out they go. My gift to Ian a few months back was a reduced price compost bin, subsidized by the council so that he would be able to compost properly, even more reason to get rid of this pile. In addition, I have my eye on the dirt beneath for a potato patch. ;-)
A few months back I was vigorously hacking at the pile to get out the dried branches so that we could burn some of them in the fall while they were dry. As I hacked at the pile, elements from within it started to scurry. We suspected rats. Ian warned me that he would be off like lightning if any rats emerged. As I was yielding the hoe I was holding my ground. We burned all the dry stuff in the burn barrel but couldn't get to the bottom of the scurrying activity.
Over the weekend the wheelie bin was brought to the back garden to get a helping of the never ending pile of branches and brambles. While down there, we finally got to the lower levels of the pile, which actually looked like nice mulch, perfect for preparing the other garden beds, to get some nutrients into the soil in advance. I hacked at the pile to break it down while Ian shoveled it along. Nothing moved within the pile, so my hacking away was really moving along at a good clip.
Until I hacked right next to a hedgehog who was in the middle of enjoying his winter sleep. I screamed because another inch or two over and I would have hacked into him. Ian took off running suspecting that I finally found the rats.
We gently covered up the hedgehog who seemed undisturbed by the whole affair in the middle of his winter hibernation.
After he wakes up in March or so we can resume our attack on the pile. In the meantime I'm researching 'hedgehog houses' for next year when the pile is gone, assuming Hoggy wants to stick around after all this ruckous, he'll need a nice place to stay. I'd love for him to stick around, our garden needs all the free pest control it can get. And don't tell, but I think I know what someone will be getting for Valentine's Day!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Frugal dinner for the cat (or people!) in the UK
When I moved back to the UK, one of the things I liked here was that food in the supermarkets is marked down as it gets closer to its 'best buy' date. Where I lived in Germany, food was never marked down, although it would perhaps be on a weekly sale. I find that to be a difference between the UK and Germany: Germany won't have any food to mark down, because they'll under order potentially and the customer might not get what they want (at full price) because its all been sold, while in the UK they will over order and have to mark things down because they have too much but the customer will never be left without their items.
Slocombe the cat has a healthy appetite and during her month at the 'House of Treats' she came to appreciate eating a meal a day of actual meat rather than the '4-8% meat content' cat food which she enjoys from the mid-range cat food section. In addition, she absolutely love variety in her meals. Serving the same rotation of cat food breeds discontent. What to do?
Enter Tesco's markdown section, stage left. Each day the Tesco which is a 10 minute walk from me will mark down meat, bread, veg, cakes, etc. which is reaching the sell by in the next day or so. The starting markdown is 25% off. As it nears closing time on the expiration day, the markdowns increase to 50% off, then 75% and finally 90% off in the last hour or two. This Tesco is on my way to/from places, so easy to pop round.
Slocombe isn't so particular, she adores poultry and isn't so fond of lamb, anything else in between is acceptable. Tesco uses these opaque bags for fish and items from the meat counter so you can't really see what you're buying...it's like a surprise in a Cracker Jack box. So what do we have here? Salmon with lemon cracked black pepper, originally priced at 8.00 GBP, down to .50 p on a mid-afternoon Sunday when they close at 5 PM. I give all purchases a sniff test in the store, but beyond that, it's anybody's guess:
Upon getting it home...not looking too bad, four servings of salmon. It's really a nice meal for a person actually rather than a cat. Too bad I'm a vegetarian, so on with the example:
As Slocombe gets easily bored with repeating meals, I separate and bag the pieces, so that she can have a meal or two out of each section before moving on to a different item and coming back to another piece from the freezer at a later date.
All wrapped and bagged and into the freezer they go, 12.5 p per bag, which I estimate 2 meals from each bag, so 6 p per meal:
My tips on the above:
Slocombe the cat has a healthy appetite and during her month at the 'House of Treats' she came to appreciate eating a meal a day of actual meat rather than the '4-8% meat content' cat food which she enjoys from the mid-range cat food section. In addition, she absolutely love variety in her meals. Serving the same rotation of cat food breeds discontent. What to do?
Enter Tesco's markdown section, stage left. Each day the Tesco which is a 10 minute walk from me will mark down meat, bread, veg, cakes, etc. which is reaching the sell by in the next day or so. The starting markdown is 25% off. As it nears closing time on the expiration day, the markdowns increase to 50% off, then 75% and finally 90% off in the last hour or two. This Tesco is on my way to/from places, so easy to pop round.
Slocombe isn't so particular, she adores poultry and isn't so fond of lamb, anything else in between is acceptable. Tesco uses these opaque bags for fish and items from the meat counter so you can't really see what you're buying...it's like a surprise in a Cracker Jack box. So what do we have here? Salmon with lemon cracked black pepper, originally priced at 8.00 GBP, down to .50 p on a mid-afternoon Sunday when they close at 5 PM. I give all purchases a sniff test in the store, but beyond that, it's anybody's guess:
Upon getting it home...not looking too bad, four servings of salmon. It's really a nice meal for a person actually rather than a cat. Too bad I'm a vegetarian, so on with the example:
As Slocombe gets easily bored with repeating meals, I separate and bag the pieces, so that she can have a meal or two out of each section before moving on to a different item and coming back to another piece from the freezer at a later date.
All wrapped and bagged and into the freezer they go, 12.5 p per bag, which I estimate 2 meals from each bag, so 6 p per meal:
My tips on the above:
- Give everything the sniff test and eyeball or feel for weight as much as possible. It's being marked down as it nears the sell by date, but often it's perfectly useable.
- Freeze right away if you're not eating that night.
- It's not much of a bargain if you don't like it. There was a super deal on lamb but SC could care less so I skipped it.
- SC isn't brand specific or coming to the food bowl with any pre-set notions, she gets whatever is on sale and fresh enough and she seems happy enough by this concept.
I am lucky in that Slocombe's chefs (from the House of Treats and New Friend Ian) take care of all meat cooking for me, so I only need to de-thaw and serve. That being said, I will avoid whole fish and having to take out the bones due to the extra work (SC doesn't have much patience to wait!)
Sunday, January 24, 2010
pardon me, Germany
After years of griping while living there about having to go down to the cellar to do a load of laundry (I always lived 2 or more floors upwards), i can now see a bit of a benefit.
Last week the washing machine connection had a slow leak and the girl downstairs is away a lot and came home to a leaked upon ceiling (in three places spread over two rooms). Thankfully, building insurance will cover anything over the 250 GBP deductible.
Oh how I know miss the subterranean dungeon of washing machines/dryers with concrete floors slanted toward a central drainage point where leaks happened with some frequency but the only issue was a soapy wet floor...
Praktisch!
Logisch!
Last week the washing machine connection had a slow leak and the girl downstairs is away a lot and came home to a leaked upon ceiling (in three places spread over two rooms). Thankfully, building insurance will cover anything over the 250 GBP deductible.
Oh how I know miss the subterranean dungeon of washing machines/dryers with concrete floors slanted toward a central drainage point where leaks happened with some frequency but the only issue was a soapy wet floor...
Praktisch!
Logisch!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Tappity tap - January updates
Dear Internet readers,
Slocombe the cat here. The lazy human who owns this blog hasn't been writing here, so I've taken it into my own paws to catch you up on things...
December was an exciting month, I spent most of it with Uncle Dean at the 'House of Treats'. In January I returned to the 'House of Stress'. Someone had her fall semester law exam on Monday. Then, in big news, she passed her practical (on the road) driving test on Wednesday. I heard her mutter....one less piece of Germany as she put her German license away.
In addition, January is the month where she gives up alcohol (her and the Irish). Personally, I enjoy when we sit here with a glass of wine and surf the internet, so I think this alcohol abstinence is for the birds, but who am I to complain...alcohol is more expensive in the UK than in Germany, so maybe this means she can save spend her alcohol savings on more catfood for me!
Speaking of Germany, she'll be back there next month for a week. I shall again be a week away on vacation, this time to New Friend Ian's. Such a busy cat life I lead!
Regards from Essex,
Slocombe the cat
Slocombe the cat here. The lazy human who owns this blog hasn't been writing here, so I've taken it into my own paws to catch you up on things...
December was an exciting month, I spent most of it with Uncle Dean at the 'House of Treats'. In January I returned to the 'House of Stress'. Someone had her fall semester law exam on Monday. Then, in big news, she passed her practical (on the road) driving test on Wednesday. I heard her mutter....one less piece of Germany as she put her German license away.
In addition, January is the month where she gives up alcohol (her and the Irish). Personally, I enjoy when we sit here with a glass of wine and surf the internet, so I think this alcohol abstinence is for the birds, but who am I to complain...alcohol is more expensive in the UK than in Germany, so maybe this means she can save spend her alcohol savings on more catfood for me!
Speaking of Germany, she'll be back there next month for a week. I shall again be a week away on vacation, this time to New Friend Ian's. Such a busy cat life I lead!
Regards from Essex,
Slocombe the cat
Saturday, January 09, 2010
The arrival of the pumpkins in the UK!
A few months ago I was terribly disappointed, I couldn't find a pumpkin for the life of me. As we know, I like to cook pumpkins, use them in stir fries, and especially to make pumpkin soup. I searched far and wide in the days in October leading up to Halloween, but I could only find a few large decorative pumpkins, nothing edible. My UK friends and colleagues tried to explain that UK people don't really eat pumpkin...
Therefore, I was pleasantly suprised when wandering around Asda this week to find these:
I was downright amazed that their source country was the UK. The green squash in the back had hit their best buy date so they were down to .50 pence each, the orange fellows didn't expire until later in the month, so they were regular priced at 1.64 GBP each. They were stored under the herbs in a hidden place well out of site, so no wonder no one bought them.
When I was in Germany in the fall I did manage to buy one there to cook, it had cost me 1.99 at Lidl. (1.64 GBP = 1.82 EUR = 2.62 USD as of today)
I did actually buy a third one, that already became soup. :-) Pumpkins in January though, usually I'd be well into my German stockpile by now and the stores wouldn't have any for sale, so this turned out to be a pleasant surprise for me this week.
Therefore, I was pleasantly suprised when wandering around Asda this week to find these:
I was downright amazed that their source country was the UK. The green squash in the back had hit their best buy date so they were down to .50 pence each, the orange fellows didn't expire until later in the month, so they were regular priced at 1.64 GBP each. They were stored under the herbs in a hidden place well out of site, so no wonder no one bought them.
When I was in Germany in the fall I did manage to buy one there to cook, it had cost me 1.99 at Lidl. (1.64 GBP = 1.82 EUR = 2.62 USD as of today)
I did actually buy a third one, that already became soup. :-) Pumpkins in January though, usually I'd be well into my German stockpile by now and the stores wouldn't have any for sale, so this turned out to be a pleasant surprise for me this week.
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Yet another reason I enjoy having the roof terrace
Without overhead cover, there's enough snow for a front balcony snowman:
And a back balcony snowman too:
And a back balcony snowman too:
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
noch einmal?
To recap, i took the overnight buses to get to Heathrow, then the 6 AM down to Portugal, and then a connecting flight to Newark. I was lucky on the long flight over, as there was an empty seat next to me, I was able to sleep almost the whole time.
So I arrived into Newark relatively refreshed in the grant scheme of things and managed to hold off until 21.30 to go to sleep.
It was a little surprising then when I woke up dreaming in German.
I have no idea where that one came from.
So I arrived into Newark relatively refreshed in the grant scheme of things and managed to hold off until 21.30 to go to sleep.
It was a little surprising then when I woke up dreaming in German.
I have no idea where that one came from.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Frugal travels - taking food to the airport
So I got my cheap ticket back to the US, what else...
My flight leaves at 0600 (weather willing)--yeah, there was a reason it was so cheap. ;-) However, 0600 actually makes it easier for me, because I'm out of Heathrow in this go round, so I have a quiet overnight of travel, starting at 23.40 from my corner of Essex, with two overnight buses which will deposit me at the door of Heathrow. In some ways it's a lot easier than traveling during the day when everyone is out and about...
One of my biggest frugal irritations is the cost of food in the airport, and that you're a bored and captive audience. How do I combat this issue?
I bring my own food. I pack along food on the assumption that I won't be fed on the plane, or that I'll be stuck at the airport for 12+ hours.
To start, I eat before leaving the house. Tonight I'm out the door at 23.40, so I had dinner and then an additional little meal, along with a beer to boot. So the below rations are what will get me through the next 12+ hours.
Starting at the top right:
-a leftover salad from lunch at Nosh today. They make a nice vegetarian spinach and cous cous with feta cheese and advocado salad. I wasn't overly hungry today, so half of it comes along.
-bottom right - two fried egg whites. Sometimes I boil eggs, other times I fry them. I like a little protein to carry along.
-bottom center - two granola bars. If all goes well, I won't touch these. I carry these along as insurance, in case there is suddenly a freak snowstorm grounding all planes or if the airline somehow doesn't have my veg meal.
-bottom left and center top - marked down goodies from Marks & Spencer. I find M&S's veg options to be top of the line but too expensive for daily use. However, they do great markdowns when items are nearing their best buy as these were. Left is a salad with lots of vitamin goodness for 1.50 GBP, top is a melon mix for 1 GBP. Both were more than half off their regular prices and fit my needs as I will consume them within 24 hours.
-top left - a bottle for water - i've yet to have a problem with taking an empty bottle through security and refilling it from the water fountain on the other side. plus, i don't usually travel beyond the industrialized countries of Europe and the US, so I've not so exposed to water which may cause issues with different bacteria, etc.
What else? Yeah, I carry along a spork and napkins always.
What will I buy at the airport?
Coffee. A black coffee is usually one of the cheapest items anywhere, and I loathe instant.
Back when I lived in Germany, I would tote along a beer or two as that was socially acceptable if you were on the train or stuck waiting at the airport, etc. One could carry along a beer for a fraction of the airport cost and only lose the .08 cents deposit. Now that I'm in the UK I've modified my behavior back to the US style. I may have a beer or two on the way out but I won't carry further and will probably wait until I'm on the (Euro carrier) airplane to (freely) indulge.
My flight leaves at 0600 (weather willing)--yeah, there was a reason it was so cheap. ;-) However, 0600 actually makes it easier for me, because I'm out of Heathrow in this go round, so I have a quiet overnight of travel, starting at 23.40 from my corner of Essex, with two overnight buses which will deposit me at the door of Heathrow. In some ways it's a lot easier than traveling during the day when everyone is out and about...
One of my biggest frugal irritations is the cost of food in the airport, and that you're a bored and captive audience. How do I combat this issue?
I bring my own food. I pack along food on the assumption that I won't be fed on the plane, or that I'll be stuck at the airport for 12+ hours.
To start, I eat before leaving the house. Tonight I'm out the door at 23.40, so I had dinner and then an additional little meal, along with a beer to boot. So the below rations are what will get me through the next 12+ hours.
Starting at the top right:
-a leftover salad from lunch at Nosh today. They make a nice vegetarian spinach and cous cous with feta cheese and advocado salad. I wasn't overly hungry today, so half of it comes along.
-bottom right - two fried egg whites. Sometimes I boil eggs, other times I fry them. I like a little protein to carry along.
-bottom center - two granola bars. If all goes well, I won't touch these. I carry these along as insurance, in case there is suddenly a freak snowstorm grounding all planes or if the airline somehow doesn't have my veg meal.
-bottom left and center top - marked down goodies from Marks & Spencer. I find M&S's veg options to be top of the line but too expensive for daily use. However, they do great markdowns when items are nearing their best buy as these were. Left is a salad with lots of vitamin goodness for 1.50 GBP, top is a melon mix for 1 GBP. Both were more than half off their regular prices and fit my needs as I will consume them within 24 hours.
-top left - a bottle for water - i've yet to have a problem with taking an empty bottle through security and refilling it from the water fountain on the other side. plus, i don't usually travel beyond the industrialized countries of Europe and the US, so I've not so exposed to water which may cause issues with different bacteria, etc.
What else? Yeah, I carry along a spork and napkins always.
What will I buy at the airport?
Coffee. A black coffee is usually one of the cheapest items anywhere, and I loathe instant.
Back when I lived in Germany, I would tote along a beer or two as that was socially acceptable if you were on the train or stuck waiting at the airport, etc. One could carry along a beer for a fraction of the airport cost and only lose the .08 cents deposit. Now that I'm in the UK I've modified my behavior back to the US style. I may have a beer or two on the way out but I won't carry further and will probably wait until I'm on the (Euro carrier) airplane to (freely) indulge.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
The UK snowman
Thursday night into Friday we got pummeled in the UK with snow:
Saturday the Phillyland area got pounded with 20 inches.
Heathrow is still recovering today from snow delays earlier this week and facing new ones.
With any luck, all of these issues will be cleared by 6 AM tomorrow UK time. :-)
I've left you a few pre-postings as I'm in the air.
Saturday the Phillyland area got pounded with 20 inches.
Heathrow is still recovering today from snow delays earlier this week and facing new ones.
With any luck, all of these issues will be cleared by 6 AM tomorrow UK time. :-)
I've left you a few pre-postings as I'm in the air.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
To the House of Treats!
Everyone's favorite cat has her bags packed and ready by the door. In less than 24 hours she will be deposited at her home away from home where she will spend the next few weeks being spoiled, including her own portion of freshly cooked meat each evening of whatever is being served. She's not so choosy there, but she does seem to favor poultry...
Countdown to flight time: 4 days
Countdown to flight time: 4 days
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
More Christmas shopping - homemade bags
In my quest to remain homemade this year, I bought a few of these homemade bags from the same charity who was selling the sweaters. I imagine they are made with donated materials, the price was three for 5 GBP. The are well-made and lined and one of a kind so they fit the bill.
Sidenote: When I was home two years ago for the holidays I was still in the autopilot 'I live in Germany therefore I take my shopping bags with me' mode. Most of my relatives found it strangely quaint, and my grandmother backed me up with the sentiment, 'back in the depression we didn't have all of these plastic bags, we wrapped things in reused paper and twine or a reused burlap sack, but we were so poor we barely had anything to wrap or carry anyway!'
I'm not sure how much of this statement was exaggerated, but she enjoyed asking if we were taking along our bags each time anyone went out the door, with a wink to me. It's all good fun so they will enjoy to receive these as gifts.
Sidenote: When I was home two years ago for the holidays I was still in the autopilot 'I live in Germany therefore I take my shopping bags with me' mode. Most of my relatives found it strangely quaint, and my grandmother backed me up with the sentiment, 'back in the depression we didn't have all of these plastic bags, we wrapped things in reused paper and twine or a reused burlap sack, but we were so poor we barely had anything to wrap or carry anyway!'
I'm not sure how much of this statement was exaggerated, but she enjoyed asking if we were taking along our bags each time anyone went out the door, with a wink to me. It's all good fun so they will enjoy to receive these as gifts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)