What Are The Greatest Changes In Shopping In Your Lifetime

What are the greatest changes in shopping in your lifetime? So asked my 9 year old grandson.

As I thought of the question the local Green Grocer came to mind. Because that is what the greatest change in shopping in my lifetime is.

That was the first place to start with the question of what are the greatest changes in shopping in your lifetime.

Our local green grocer was the most important change in shopping in my lifetime. Beside him was our butcher, a hairdresser and a chemist.

Looking back, we were well catered for as we had quite a few in our suburb. And yes, the greatest changes in shopping in my lifetime were with the small family owned businesses.

Entertainment While Shopping Has Changed
Buying butter was an entertainment in itself.
My sister and I often had to go to a favourite family grocer close by. We were always polite as we asked for a pound or two of butter and other small items.

Out came a big block of wet butter wrapped in grease-proof paper. Brought from the back of the shop, placed on a huge counter top and included two grooved pates.

That was a big change in our shopping in my lifetime… you don’t come across butter bashing nowadays.

Our old friendly Mr. Mahon with the moustache, would cut a square of butter. Lift it to another piece of greaseproof paper with his pates. On it went to the weighing scales, a bit sliced off or added here and there.

Our old grocer would then bash it with gusto, turning it over and over. Upside down and sideways it went, so that it had grooves from the pates, splashes going everywhere, including our faces.

My sister and I thought this was great fun and it always cracked us up. We loved it, as we loved Mahon’s, on the corner, our very favourite grocery shop.

Grocery Shopping
Further afield, we often had to go to another of my mother’s favourite, not so local, green grocer’s. Mr. McKessie, ( spelt phonetically) would take our list, gather the groceries and put them all in a big cardboard box.

And because we were good customers he always delivered them to our house free of charge. But he wasn’t nearly as much fun as old Mr. Mahon. Even so, he was a nice man.

All Things Fresh
So there were very many common services such as home deliveries like:

• Farm eggs

• Fresh vegetables

• Cow’s milk

• Freshly baked bread

• Coal for our open fires

Delivery Services
A man used to come to our house a couple of times a week with farm fresh eggs.

Another used to come every day with fresh vegetables, although my father loved growing his own.

Our milk, topped with beautiful cream, was delivered to our doorstep every single morning.

Unbelievably, come think of it now, our bread came to us in a huge van driven by our “bread-man” named Jerry who became a family friend.

My parents always invited Jerry and his wife to their parties, and there were many during the summer months. Kids and adults all thoroughly enjoyed these times. Alcohol was never included, my parents were teetotallers. Lemonade was a treat, with home made sandwiches and cakes.

The coal-man was another who delivered bags of coal for our open fires. I can still see his sooty face under his tweed cap but I can’t remember his name. We knew them all by name but most of them escape me now.

Mr. Higgins, a service man from the Hoover Company always came to our house to replace our old vacuum cleaner with an updated model.

Our insurance company even sent a man to collect the weekly premium.

People then only paid for their shopping with cash. This in itself has been a huge change in shopping in my lifetime.

In some department stores there was a system whereby the money from the cash registers was transported in a small cylinder on a moving wire track to the central office.

Some Of The Bigger Changes
Some of the bigger changes in shopping were the opening of supermarkets.

• Supermarkets replaced many individual smaller grocery shops. Cash and bank cheques have given way to credit and key cards.

• Internet shopping… the latest trend, but in many minds, doing more harm, to book shops.

• Not many written shopping lists, because mobile phones have taken over.

On a more optimistic note, I hear that book shops are popular again after a decline.

Personal Service Has Most Definitely Changed
So, no one really has to leave home, to purchase almost anything, technology makes it so easy to do online.
And we have a much bigger range of products now, to choose from, and credit cards have given us the greatest ease of payment.

We have longer shopping hours, and weekend shopping. But we have lost the personal service that we oldies had taken for granted and also appreciated.

Because of their frenetic lifestyles, I have heard people say they find shopping very stressful, that is grocery shopping. I’m sure it is when you have to dash home and cook dinner after a days work. I often think there has to be a better, less stressful way.

My mother had the best of both worlds, in the services she had at her disposal. With a full time job looking after 9 people, 7 children plus her and my dad, she was very lucky. Lucky too that she did not have 2 jobs.

Anti-aging Nutrition – Good Nutrition is the Key!

Anti-aging Nutrition might be the fountain of youth that we have all been looking for. The Baby Boomer generation seems to be constantly searching for the key to looking and feeling younger. On TV as well as magazine advertisements, women are presented with the perfect lotion to help you look years younger. These lotion advertisements all tout that if you start using their product today then that will help to reduce those fine lines on your face in no time. There are also advertisements for makeup that is also expected to help women look years younger. Where does it all stop! Rarely do you hear about good nutrition and how it can be the key to looking younger.How Important is Antiaging Nutrition?Good nutrition is very important. If you want to be healthy and look years younger, then you need to make sure that your body is getting the nutriments needed to stay healthy. A balanced lifestyle would also include minimum stress and exercising regularly. Eating a nutritional balanced diet and exercising is very important if we want to stay healthy and look younger. The majority of us really don’t do all that we can to stay healthy though. Antiaging nutrition is definitely the key to remaining and looking younger.Is Skin Care Products the Solution to Looking Younger?Skin care product advertisements would have you to believe that using their product will help you to look years younger but remember that antiaging nutrition really is the key here. Putting a good quality lotion on your face will of course help but the key to a beautiful radiant complexion is also good nutrition. In other words, a balanced nutritional diet is far more important than any lotion or makeup that you could purchase. Keep in mind though a good sunscreen is very important for protecting you from exposure to the sun. A good sunscreen protection always helps fight against the unavoidable aging process that oftentimes exposure to the sun can cause.Since many skin ailments are caused by poor nutrition, then being on a balanced nutritional diet should address that condition and improve your skin over time. If you are on a balanced nutritional diet, then selecting the skin care products to use should be so much easier because now you will not need to address certain skin care issues. Using a good quality skin care product as well as eating a nutritional balanced diet should guarantee that you will look as young as possible for as long as possible.Is Antiaging Nutrition the Key?Eating a nutritional balanced diet along with exercising will give you more energy, help you to sleep better, think clearer and reduce your risk of developing diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Those benefits along should make you want to consider getting healthier. And if in the process, you can remain and look younger then why in the world would you want to go back to your unhealthy lifestyle. Good nutrition is definitely the key to looking younger for as long as possible. Start today by eating a balanced nutritional diet, living a healthy lifestyle and getting regular exercise. Be fit in your 40s and beyond!

Financing Private Home Care

When the time comes that we can no longer take care of ourselves or our loved ones, we definitely need to be prepared. Life is a long journey and we should be ready for the years when bathing, eating, dressing up or even walking are no longer that easy. Most families nowadays rely on caregivers or care providers to assist and take care of their elderly loved ones or family members who have special medical conditions.However, most families also fear losing all their savings or finances paying for private home care services; that’s why they choose cheaper options that in reality are not that comfortable for the patients themselves. In truth, letting our loved ones stay at home and be taken care of there is a lot more beneficial for them. They will feel much better physically, emotionally and psychologically. The good news is that we shouldn’t be scared nor should we hesitate in choosing private care for our loved ones as there are a lot of ways on how we can finance private home care.1. MedicareMedicare normally covers private home care expenses for a specific span of time. Usually, when a patient has recently gotten out of a hospital or a long-term facility, Medicare provides financial assistance so that monitored care can be continued at the comfort of the patient’s home. However, one should take note of the requirements to avail of this benefit. In most cases, the doctor’s order for home care is necessary as well as other supporting documents. Ask your local representative for detailed information.2. MedicaidMedicaid is just about the same as Medicare only that the former’s qualifications or basis of eligibility relies on a patient’s income rather than age and disability. There are also other differences in terms of health coverage but Medicaid is definitely another good way to help you finance your private home care services. Just also make sure that necessary documents are filed and the doctor’s order is noted to apply for financial assistance.3. Social SecurityWhen you’re getting Social Security benefits, you can set some of the amount aside to aid in paying for your home care. You can supplement your Medicare and Medicaid coverage by letting your saved Social Security benefits pay for those expenses that are not covered by the first two.4. Long Term InsuranceMost long-term insurance policies provide assistance for private home medical care. Although coverage varies among insurance companies, you should remember that most of them has or requires a maturity or elimination period before you can avail of specific benefits.5. Veterans BenefitsIf you’re a U.S. Armed Forces Veteran, you may actually qualify for a Disability Pension Benefit that you can use for your home care expenses. This said benefit is mostly termed or referred to as the “Aid and Attendance Allowance”. You can use the internet to search for more information regarding qualifications or procedures on how to avail this benefit.These are just some of the creative ways on how you can finance your private home care services. Not every one of us may be qualified with all the options provided above but it doesn’t mean that we should set aside our loved one’s comfort and wellness for practicality. After all, families can always pitch in and help each other for another loved one who needs the help.