Thurles Information

Take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves” my dear old Grandmother used to warn me.

Shoppers, particularly the elderly, do not always have the time to compare prices and with this in mind, we decided to undertake our own ‘Independent Survey‘ of our four top Supermarkets here in Thurles, to find out the actual price differences on six basic food items.

Hereunder is the ‘state of play’ found on Wednesday 8th September 2010.

Own Brand Bread: White Sliced Pan.
Lidl @ €0.79, Tesco @ €0.95, Dunnes Stores @ €1.09, Aldi @ €1.09.
Cheapest: Lidl.

Aldi Wins by 25%

Own Brand Milk: 2 litres.
Tesco @ €1.49, Dunnes Stores @ €1.49, Lidl @ €1.49, Aldi @ €1.49.
Cheapest: No difference.

Own Brand Butter.
Aldi @ €1.09, Tesco @ €1.79, Dunnes Stores @ €1.79, Lidl @ €1.79.
Cheapest: Aldi.

Cereals – Cornflakes.
Aldi @ €0.85, Lidl @ €1.59, Tesco @ €2.19, Dunnes Stores @ €2.19.
Cheapest: Aldi.

Own Brand Tea Bags
Tesco @ €1.39, Lidl @ €1.49, Aldi @ €1.69, Dunnes Stores @ €2.19.
Cheapest: Tesco.

Own Brand Eggs
Lidl @ €1.11, Aldi @ €1.49, Dunnes Stores @ €1.59, Tesco @ €1.85.
Cheapest: Lidl.

Note: Customer Service and Hygiene in all four stores – Excellent.

Based on this survey of six items your check-out receipt, yesterday, from these four leading quality Supermarkets would have read as follows:-

Aldi – €7.70 (Cheapest),Lidl -€8.26,Tesco –€9.66,Dunnes Stores -€10.34 (Most Expensive).

According to my aging calculator the difference between most expensive and cheapest is:- €2.64 or almost 25%.

This weekly saving for a person living alone, over a one year period, amounts to €137.28 or possibly the cost of a two months electricity bill or €22.72 short of paying your annual TV licence.

As I said to the wife “Boys didn’t me ould granny know her onions, what?”

If you have experienced good value in shops recently, why not share with our readers?  We would love to hear from you.

This information hereunder may be of help to those of you attempting to make some savings on your necessary winter fuel bill this Christmas.

Currently, peat briquettes are retailing in your local shops at an average cost of €3.85 per bale.

However, direct from the factory the price is considerably less at around €3.03 per bale.

Briquettes

So if you can get your hands on a car trailer and travel direct to the Bord Na Móna factory outside Littleton village you can make quite considerable savings.

The average small domestic car towing a small trailer can accommodate 40 bales of briquettes with out any great problem.

So let’s do the sums:

Retail Price: €3.85 x 40 = €154.00.      Factory price: €3.03  x 40 = €121.20.

Total savings made on 40 bales of Briquettes: €32.80.
Keep in mind that if a carbon tax is introduced in Wednesday’s budget, the price of a bale of briquettes could increase by as much as .55 cents per bale.

The door to door selling of timber is also now on the increase in most housing estates in the town. Most of this timber is sold in bags and the buyer can not always be sure of the type of timber and if it will give off sufficient heat.

Hereunder is an old poem which explains the heat and other values associated with Irish timber products.

Beechwood fires are bright and clear, if the logs are kept a year.
Oaken logs burn steadily, if the wood is old and dry.
Birch and fir logs burn too fast, blaze up bright and do not last.
Chestnut’s only good they say if for long is laid away.
But ash new or ash old, is fit for a Queen with a crown of gold.
It is by the Irish said that Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread.
Poplar gives a bitter smoke, fills your room and makes you choke.
Apple wood will scent your room, with an incense-like perfume.
But ash wet or ash dry, is for a King to warm his slippers by.

See Update for 2011 fuel prices.

See Update for 2012 fuel prices.