I had one of those conversations yesterday , in Little Tesco while staring at the uninspiring choice in the markdown bin ..lol
There was a gentleman probably in his late 50s with his little wire basket politely waiting like myself for the trolly bashers climbing over each other .
We looked at each others baskets , mine consisted of everyday value pot noodles and everyday value fish fingers , which for 65p for 10 are suprisingly nice if a bit skinny .
He had everyday cat stars and milk . He said
Did we ever think everyday would come to this?
Then he rifled through the markdowns sighing , we both settled for reduced sausages 65p a pack , tesco cheap Richmond copies but I can chop them and add rice, tomato, spices that are kicking about and with a pack of wraps its tea for 4 adults and a child .
This got me thinking , our food budget hasnt increased in years it cant , but things are getting very desperate , MrBh is having his PIP reassessed that is our only reliable income , it will drop by half because the goalposts have changed again and we will then have endless appeals , without any income in that time and with no help from our GP , this takes at least 6 months , hes his usual blase self about it . Im just frantically gardening , the big problem is now he has this diet plan hes supposed to stick to , his food costs twice as much , im losing weight again and munching iron and multivitamins everyday because i have a huge supply discarded by my health nut daughter , fruit is now off the menu he has to have it each day and hes so damned picky its making life hard . Once the garden kicks in things will be much better , but they dont call this time of year The Hunger Gap for nothing .
The GP suggested Weight Watchers for us both , we can both go it seems free, he needs to lose 10st which would make him the size of an adolescent or a lollipop head , i did laugh according to her chart i should weigh 7st 6 ...in her dreams i think , but if things dont improve she may get her wish, without Weightwatchers.
Oh heck, things are looking difficult for you.
ReplyDeleteThis is the worst time of the year for buying fruit, nothing cheap. Perhaps next year the rhubarb crowns I've planted will give me a stick or two each.
we are overun with rhubarb at the moment , but theres a limit to the amount you can eat without side effects , though its suprising what you can hide it in !! Its to non trendy to feature on MR BHs diet sheets
DeleteI'm appalled that you can be left with no reliable income for so long and that you will then be left with half of what you have been getting.
ReplyDeleteThere is something so bloody wrong with this country...it makes my blood boil it really does-x-
Yes Sheila, it makes my blood boil too, especially when we give untold amounts to foreign aid and our own people are struggling to live. I'm a firm believer in charity begins at home. The powers that be have their priorities all wrong.
DeleteJoan (Wales)
Bl**** h**l. Your other half needs to lose my entire body weight. I am going to hear the rumbling tummies from here. If the rumbling keeps me awake I plan to sue the government and send the money to you :-)
ReplyDeleteDieting isn't cheap and the Dr's etc talk out of their behinds. I know all about the being left with no income, waiting for the (then) cheque to arrive. I feel for your dilemma having been all through it.
ReplyDeleteI don't know the answer but wish you luck with the PIP.
Briony
x
I am wondering about food costs too - I am sure it is going to get expensive soon. Making the fixed and low income (like ours) a bit of a problem. Treats are getting fewer and farther apart!
ReplyDeleteKate sending you good wishes, you are strong person
ReplyDeleteI have just gone through the PIP nightmare. A few days after our son's funeral I got the 'invitation' to claim. On Christmas Eve I got the form. Trying to get letters and filling out a form when so grief stricken has been awful. I did get fair-ish points, but some bits on the report weren't accurate. (mine is for physical problems; though I don't now feel very emotionally stable)
ReplyDeleteThis is a very hard benefit to claim. I'm sure you know all the procedures; so I wish you well. You are watched very carefully at this face to face assessment. I think your husband must already have the benefit, but they are now changing the goalposts relating to the mental health aspect as tribunals were overturning original low point scores. I sent loads of letters and reports, but wrote a rubbish form - be more careful than I was.
I had heard about a wonderful documentary called Fixing Dad and finally got round to watching it. It featured two sons trying to help their dad with his type 2 diabetes and the other problems that go along with it. It tackled his diet and they bullied him into an exercise plan (which may not be suitable for your OH but who knows). They have a website and, if you wish, you can pay for coaching (I am not paying) but use of the website is free and to me it just makes so much sense. Maybe your OH could look into it. Either way good luck and best wishes to you both. Anna
ReplyDeletei watched this when it came out , sadly for MR Bah Humbug his diabetes is caused by one of the drugs he has to take , it isnt helped by his size but even if your a twiglet long term usage causes diabetes end of , they wont change the drug because its cheap and the alternatives are considerably more expensive, hes also stuck on the exercise front , another minor foot op tomorrow and he cant walk far anyway
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