Lulu loves to shop. She does not buy a lot of stuff - but she just loves to shop and compare. The only comparing I do is the prices to what stuff costs back in Tallahassee. Last time we were here - it took $1.30 to get 1 pound. Prices were then relatively the same in the USA and UK. Due to the poor state of the US economy because of actions taken by our leaders - it now takes $2.00 to get 1 pound.
When Lulu shops here she says things like, "It only cost 2 pounds." Like clockwork my response is, "That is $4.00 dollars - our real money." I hate to be such a cheapskate - but being raised on coal miner's and teacher's pay - I like to know the price of everything up front. If a store does not mark its prices - I am out the door. I hate someone sizing me up - and trying to figure how much they can squeeze out of me.
Yesterday - I discovered that I left the battery charger for my camera at home in Tallahassee. Since one of my main reasons to be over here is to take pictures - I needed a battery charger for my camera's special battery. What further compounds my problem is that over here things are made to operate 220 volts and back home they are 110 volts. So off I went shopping at 5 PM Monday. I went to several camera shops - and to my surprise most of them had battery chargers I could use. The price was the killer. Back in Tallahassee - a charger was $30. Here I was getting prices that exceeded $100.
Finally - I found a store that had one for $60 - so I swallowed hard and opened the wallet. My 10 pound notes looked like play money. I handed the guy 3 of them. Instead of thinking $60 - I justified 30 pounds. The notes felt like 30 pounds as I lifted them from my wallet.
To my luck - this charger worked on both 110 volts and 220 volts. It also would operate in a car from a 12 volt outlet - I rationalized that this justified the price.
Just an hour later - 6 PM - we were going to a faculty party at a pub. There would be free drinks and food there - and at least I would not have to buy supper - thinking back to the 30 pounds I spent on the battery charger.
It was a great party - there were several bottles of wine and everyone was drinking freely since no one had to drive home. It would have been a long 5000 mile drive across the Atlantic to Florida. On the wall - I saw a sign with a label that matched the label of the wine we were drinking. The sign said 8 pounds a glass. That is $16.00 to us bean counters. Within 1 hour of purchasing the $60.00 battery charger - I could make it up with 4 glasses of wine at 8 pounds or $16 each - a total of $64.00.
I am not a big drinker - in fact I seldom drink - usually just to be social because there are just a few sugary drinks that taste good to me. But this time I was on a mission.
4 glasses of wine made the party even better. The calculator in my head kept score. Lulu and I were both a little tipsy on the way home. But somehow the trailing spouse felt better now - knowing that the battery charger didn't cost him a thing.
Picture - This is the Buckingham Palace - one of the queens many homes. The queen personally made over $30 million last year. No wonder things cost so much here.
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