“Having Rose Vouchers has changed the whole way I do things. I go out walking more now to pick up the vouchers, then head to the market in town. I cook more from fresh, instead of saying, “I can microwave this or put it in the oven”. I get my son more involved with making meals too.
It means I don’t drive to the supermarket as much as the market is closer to me. It’s really good. I was quite surprised at how many stalls took the vouchers, so you can decide which one to use. I shopped at the market before, it’s great I can use my Rose Vouchers with the stalls I want. It’s good that any money spent at the market goes to local traders rather than the supermarket.
I prefer shopping at the market. If you can’t find what you need at one stall, you can go to another and see everything they have. If at the supermarket I can’t find something and ask someone, I have to wait while they check, which can be difficult with a two-year-old. It makes a big difference not having to wait about.
I buy more variety of fruit and veg now I have the vouchers. Seeing all the fruit and veg displayed nicely lets me see what I want to try. I can offer my son different fruit and veg to try and wait and see what he likes.
I also have Healthy Start vouchers. I found out a bit late about Rose Vouchers, as my health visitor told me about them when my son was 18 months old. The Rose Vouchers have been a lifesaver. From my point of view, if you get the word out to more health visitors, more parents will benefit. I don’t want other mums to miss out.
Having Rose Vouchers helps me to budget for different things. You know how much money you’ve got for food. Every bit of money I save by using the vouchers gives me more for something else. It means I don’t have to worry as much – I can put petrol in the car. It’s made a lot of difference for me and my son.”