AVIE ON THE WARPATH

    RIP OFF TOILETRIES

It is not only baking sundries that have been targeted by money hungry supermarkets,and no doubt manufactures. Have you tried recently to purchase an Elvive Shampoo and Conditioner all in one? If you have I hope you had better luck than we have. For months now we have only been able to purchase the shampoo and conditioner separately. Waitrose, Tesco's Sainsbury's and Morrison’s no longer stock the two in one.

It would appear that these “wash and go” products have washed and gone! The reason for this seemingly senseless situation will become perfectly clear when you check out the price,the two in one was almost half the price of purchasing both products,and I believe the cheat goes deeper still.

When the combined shampoo and conditioner does eventually return the price will have been hiked up to match the cost of the individual products. The suppliers will be hoping that we shall have forgotten the original price of the combined product. I would also be prepared to wager that when it returns it will be “New and Improved”. This is code for more expensive and less of it., you just wait and see.

How many of you have noticed the incredible shrinking chocolate bar, the smaller packs of tissue that profess to contain the same amount as the larger boxes...........I could go on.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are being systematically ripped of .our pockets are being picked at every turn. In the so called Supermarket price war it is we the consumers who always end up worse of.

Take the appalling misnomer “”Value”often applied to food items. The Value Beefburger which when cooked shrinks to the size of a fly squat and gives off enough grease to fry chips.

Value mince,minced what exactly? Take a close look and you will find that it contains only minced veins and connective tissue. Cheap, yes, good value for money,certainly not!

The chances are that if you have resorted to purchasing this awful stuff it is because money is tight,and here is the rub. You are being led to believe that you are getting a bargain when in reality you are being sold a mass of trash that is not even good enough to make in to dog food,I kid you not.

I have spent much of my life on a tight budget and I speak from experience when I tell you that there is another way.

A good home made soup can cost pence and with the addition of some home made bread, “ soda bread is cheap and quick to make” is as filling and certainly healthier than the gristly burgers.

Noodles, pasta and rice are cheap and in dishes made with these ingredients far less meat is used .Add to that the fact that a stir-fry will cool in minutes and there is another saving.

A little good meat and lots of cheap vegetables in a hearty stew served with mashed potato can be a treat rather than a make do meal.

Don't let these sharks cheat you out of a decent meal and here is a tip to combat the shampoo cheats.

Do not wash your hair twice before rinsing as it says on the bottle once is quite enough, I have been doing this for years and although my hair is very long it is shiny and manageable with no split ends, it is rather grey these days. Oh well, I could always boil up some nettle roots with rosemary and make a home made dye............perhaps not!