81.5p. a jar - a bargain?

Like many who make jams, jellies, chutney and other preserves, I hoard suitable jars - in fact I thought most people did. Seems not.

Yesterday, I had a 'phone call from a friend who was delighted to tell me that, having driven 25 miles to an out-of-town shopping centre, she'd ' ... finally been able to find a shop selling jam jars'. I won't name names, but in this shop she bought 12, 1lb jars for £6.99 and then 12 lids (which they sneakily sell separately), for £2.79 - a grand total of £9.78 for 12 empty jars! Of course, had she gone to her local supermarket, about 5 miles away, she could have bought their 'Value' marmalade at 27p. and got her 12 jars for a mere £3.24 (lids included). And she thought she'd got 'a bargain'

 

:cnfs:Surely that should read "Valueless" gunk at 27p :lollol:

 

I known the place....its beside a Lake...:dh:

 

Crazy!

I hoard jam jars. If I end up with too many, they go in the recycling bin so no harm done.

I find Sainsbury's value peanut butter just as good as the higher priced ranges. Although I prefer to make my own

 

Of course, the problem with buying the 'value' product for the jars is disposing of the contents. It has to go into 'hazardous waste'.

 

No such thing as too many jars SG :confsd:

What you really have is a shortage of fruit! :hehe::hehe:

 

Same said friend came round earlier today, bearing a jar of home-made 'mixed fruit' jam. Mmmmmm. Not quite sure what she's mixed the fruit with, especially since it's a sort of pale pinkish colour and clearly nowhere near being set. It's not a total disaster though, it does have a very pretty label and a blue and white gingham 'hat'. And the jar? Well, dare I say it, but to me, it looks pretty much how you'd expect a 1 lb jam to look and not a bit of gold embossing anywhere. :hehe:

 

Did you point out the error or her ways or were you too polite and let her go along happy in her ignorance ? :lollol:

 

87p for an empty jar !
I'll have to change my Avatar - I'm losing my hair just thinking about it.

 

Oh! Ever the diplomat, since she was so pleased with her first jam making effort, that I smiled sweetly, accepted gratefully and said that now she was 'into' jam making she'd be hoarding jars along with the rest of us. :hehe: Time enough to raise the issue of the questionable contents at a later date! Perhaps she likes her jam in liquid form - who knows!

 

Can you not persuade your friend to join this forum? :hehe:

 

Whenever I see jam jars for sale, I can't resist having a look at what the price is - day-light robbery is what it is!

I go away wondering how some people think they are getting a bargain, when I do like most of us here do, save empty jars. I also have my s-i-l saving for me as she doesn't make any jam or anything.

As to thin, runny jam - I know several people who proudly show theirs off and even give us a jar as a special present. I'm also polite and just gracefully accept. I do not go for dunking my toast in the jam jar, much prefer to spread the jam on and have it stay there. Obviously, they are not following the recipe and just doing their own thing. I find that some recipes permit you to alter/add/take away, but jam making is definitely not one of them.

One of our neighbours always makes runny jam (from frozen store-bought fruit), gives it away as Christmas presents in packets of 3 jars and supposedly everyone is crazy about it. I wonder if they are all very polite or just liars?

 

I suppose there are worse things you could get for Christmas. I seem to remember a radio programme in which people were encouraged to 'phone in and name their worst ever present. One lady said she was once given a hairbrush ... with hairs in it!

 

Not Pubic I hope:euw:

 

I also thought that everyone hoarded empty jars and bottles like me and also hoarded empty plastic containers.
Not the case though because I too have come across friends who wil happily take away doggy-bags from me but never return the containers so now I pack diggy-bags in those saved up empty plastic containers. The I don't ahve to wonder when I will get my good glass dishes back.

As for jars, some friends have got used to me now and will always bring some empty jars with them and go away with a full jar of jam in return. :-) No one has taken to giving me jars of jam yet though, I suppose I must keep them all supplied anyway. :-)