Dear LPG readers,

The best way to shop is to go out there yourself. Nothing beats a gentle squeeze to check the juiciness of an orange or the ripeness of a pear before you buy it, and everyone’s idea of optimum ‘buy ability’ will always be different.   

There will always be the things that even your children can’t buy for you.  Even with all the skills that you have taught them over the years and that they have acquired for themselves. I still value my freedom when shopping because they never get it right.  There is also the fact that, if they take you shopping, so many of them think that they know what is better for you than you do, which can be annoying and can often lead to in-shop mini-disputes as they accompany you round the shopping aisles.  

I have always tried my best to get there myself, but this has been a stormy year. If you are like me, when the weather is not good, reawakening your online shopping skills is the way to go when buying those bulkier and heavier tinned and boxed items we all need.  

I can’t be the only shopper who now needs a walking stick to get down the road, and if it is raining, I still think that an umbrella beats a hood when it comes to keeping your glasses drip-free and visually functional.   If you throw a shopping trolley or bag of your essentials into the mix, even with a bus and all the added walking that the shopping precincts have forced upon us over recent years, going to the shops is no joke.   So, as I get older and since lockdown taught me to shop online, I do a bit of both.  

I want to remind readers about all the worthwhile tips that people have taken the time to mention in some of your older posts.  I recently read one aimed at all those shoppers who don’t bother with the store loyalty cards (►►►) where the writer takes the time to remind us about those grocery items which nearly all of the grocery chain-stores now offer at a discount if you have that card with you.  

My children set up my online shopping account with one of the well-known grocery shops, and it works well. However, I noticed something on one online shopping day not so long ago. My loyalty card is not registered with my online shopping account, which means I am missing out on all those little discounts we all get when we produce the bit of plastic at the till.  

So, I want to urge all online shoppers to check and ensure that their shopping loyalty cards are registered, and that those discounts are considered when you are at the online checkout.  I found quite a bit of internet information, including that some cards (such as the Nectar card) can be used to your advantage with more than just your Sainsbury’s shopping.  I hope LPG will share some of the online tutorials about what you must do.  They nearly all start by telling you how easy it is, but I would never suggest you try it yourself unless you know exactly what you are doing.  That is what your IT savvy children, grandchildren and younger relatives are for, and it will give them something constructive to do the next time they visit.  Failing that, I suggest calling the online shop’s customer help line.  

Although many are available, and some say that the best way to save is not to spend, we all have to eat in spite of all the  rising prices. I need to coin a Tesco phrase: ‘Every little helps!’

DS, Bellingham

DS shares a little information she found…    

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