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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.

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Shoe Repairs And Several Other Things When I Was 7

Shoe Repairs And Several Other Things When I Was 7
My Dad repaired most of our shoes believe it or not, I can hardly believe it myself now. With 7 pairs of shoes always needing repairs I think he was quite clever to learn how to “Keep us in shoe Leather” to coin a phrase!

He bought several different sizes of cast iron cobbler’s “lasts”. Last, the old English “Laest” meaning footprint. Lasts were holding devices shaped like a human foot. I have no idea where he would have bought the shoe leather. Only that it was a beautiful creamy, shiny colour and the smell was lovely.

But I do remember our shoes turned upside down on and fitted into these lasts, my Dad cutting the leather around the shape of the shoe, and then hammering nails, into the leather shape. Sometimes we’d feel one or 2 of those nails poking through the insides of our shoes, but our dad always fixed it.

Hiking and Swimming Galas
Dad was a very outdoorsy type, unlike my mother, who was probably too busy indoors. She also enjoyed the peace and quiet when he took us off for the day!

Anyway, he often took us hiking in the mountains where we’d have a picnic of sandwiches and flasks of tea. And more often than not we went by steam train.

We loved poking our heads out of the window until our eyes hurt like mad from a blast of soot blowing back from the engine. But sore, bloodshot eyes never dampened our enthusiasm.

Dad was an avid swimmer and water polo player, and he used to take us to swimming galas, as they were called back then. He often took part in these galas. And again we always travelled by steam train.

Rowing Over To Ireland’s Eye
That’s what we did back then, we had to go by rowboat, the only way to get to Ireland’s eye, which is 15 minutes from mainland Howth. From there we could see Malahide, Lambay Island and Howth Head of course. These days you can take a Round Trip Cruise on a small cruise ship!

But we thoroughly enjoyed rowing and once there we couldn’t wait to climb the rocks, and have a swim. We picnicked and watched the friendly seals doing their thing and showing off.

Not to mention all kinds of birdlife including the Puffin.The Martello Tower was also interesting but a bit dangerous to attempt entering. I’m getting lost in the past as I write, and have to drag myself back to the present.

Fun Outings with The camera Club
Dad was also a very keen amateur photographer, and was a member of a camera Club. There were many Sunday photography outings and along with us came other kids of the members of the club.

And we always had great fun while the adults busied themselves taking photos of everything and anything, it seemed to us. Dad was so serious about his photography that he set up a dark room where he developed and printed his photographs.

All black and white at the time. He and his camera club entered many of their favourites in exhibitions throughout Europe. I’m quite proud to say that many cups and medals were won by Dad. They have been shared amongst all his grandchildren which I find quite special.

He liked taking portraits of us kids too, mostly when we were in a state of untidiness, usually during play. Dad always preferred the natural look of messy hair and clothes in the photos of his children.

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Quinoa Nutritional Value: Best For People Who Want To Lose Weight

With every food we buy, whether processed or not, it is imperative to know what you are or what you’ll be eating – meaning the nutritional value that you get from your meal. Food or dining is not simply a form of entertainment or filling one’s stomach; it’s also about caring for your health and physique.For sure you have heard or read of Quinoa, the super food, many times already; or even if this is your first time. I’m sure you’re still excited and curious to know what it contains that people are branding it super food and mother of all grains. In this article, you’ll learn of not only the nutritional value in 1 serving of Quinoa (1 cup = 170 to 185 g), but also some of the real value (benefits) you get from Quinoa Nutritional Value based on a 2000 calorie diet.Quinoa Nutritional Value – Calories (185.5 kcal)Calorie is the main source of energy that you get from the food you eat. 6 calories is enough to sustain your skeletal muscles and bones and brain’s activities throughout the day! If you eat 1 serving of Quinoa in every meal of the day, you are already sustaining your body the energy it needs to function all day long.Quinoa Nutritional Value – Total Fat (4g)This makes Quinoa really interesting for weight losers. Of course, you cannot escape from taking in fats, forever. In fact you should not totally avoid them because they are needed for body maintenance – brain development in children, and growth support and energy. Fats are also for soft skin and shiny hair. Not to mention, fats are also needed by the body when producing hormones.Quinoa Nutritional Value – Cholesterol (0mg)Oh yes, you’re seeing it right. 1 cup of Quinoa does not contain cholesterol. Cholesterol is like fat in terms of health benefits. But don’t fret you already have the fats you need, you won’t need additional which will come from cholesterol.Quinoa Nutritional Value – Sodium (13mg)Nutritionists and doctors advise us to take 1500mg or less sodium a day. So hurray! You can eat 3 servings of Quinoa (1 for each meal) a day together with another one of your favorite dish, without consuming so much sodium (just make sure the other dishes you’re pairing Quinoa with contains 500mg of sodium each).Quinoa Nutritional Value – Carbohydrates (29g)Carbohydrates from Quinoa are good carbs. They are slow releasing, making your craving for junk foods lower. In a 2000 calorie diet, you should be taking in 250g of carbohydrates. In one cup of Quinoa, you are almost getting the right proportion of carbohydrates per calories your body needs. The level of carbohydrates is also ideal for diabetics in correcting the level of their blood sugars.Quinoa Nutritional Value – Protein (8g)Each day, you’ll need around 40-50g of protein. The good thing about protein from Quinoa is that it has a balanced composition of all the essential amino acids that are needed by the body to alleviate diseases and disorders. It is known to combat anxiety, control ADD in both the adultQuinoa Nutritional Value – Calcium (66mg)2500mg of calcium a day is safe, as per scientists and doctors. No one has overdosed in calcium yet, in fact, most of us are calcium deficient. But nonetheless, we don’t need this much calcium. Eight ounce glasses of milk per day, then you are already getting enough calcium. 1 ounce of milk contains about 35mg of calcium. This means you are already getting almost double the amount of calcium in an ounce of milk when you eat 1 cup of Quinoa. Hmm, talk about healthy!Quinoa Nutritional Value – Iron (3.93mg)Iron is the chief component of our red blood cells. It is necessary for producing hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the one that carries oxygen throughout our body. The amount of iron that a pre-menopausal woman needs is 18mg. A post-menopausal woman needs 8mg, same with men; breastfeeding women need 1 more mg; pregnant women need a lot of iron (27mg)! If you eat Quinoa, you are already sure you have 1/6 or 1/3 the iron you need.Quinoa Nutritional Value – Vitamin E (1.2mg)Vitamin E is very abundant in grains and green leafy vegetables; and just a trivia, Quinoa is a quasi-grain. It is really a vegetable, just like spinach. We need at least 15mg of Vitamin E a day. Vitamin E protects us from harmful free radicals because it is an antioxidant. Quinoa already makes sure you get a dose of some Vitamin E already.Quinoa Nutritional Value – Zinc (2mg)Usually, zinc is found in meats, and not in grains. Imagine eating a grain that already provides you with zinc, that’s something rare. Zinc provides stronger immunity, helps heal wounds faster and promotes good eyesight when you age. The usual amount of zinc that a person needs is 15mg daily.Quinoa Nutritional Value – Fiber (2.51g)Ok, you already know Quinoa is not really a grain. But who cares? It contains fiber anyway. You need around 15-30 grams per day. Fiber is the nutrition that is helping our body increase bowel movement – making you burn those fats faster and easier. Another trivia is that fiber lowers women’s risk of developing breast cancer by a huge percent.