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Aldi My local supermarket in Shankill recently closed down. I have been forced to go elsewhere for groceries etc.

I have found Lidl and Aldi to be invaluable for some basic items . . . You can't beat the farmer's markets for fresh veg and fruit. You may have to pay a bit more but the quality and flavour is generally way above the supermarkets' fare. As well, you get to have fun looking around all the other stalls and you can usually get a decent snack for lunch or some bakery goodies to take home as a treat. Best of all, you often get to talk to the people who have made/grown the items and can swap tips, get recipes and so on. It's way more sociable than the supermarket! - Trisha D

Magazine prices

The thing that really annoys me about British magazines is the subscriptions: check out how much it costs to subscribe to Empire - much more per issue than to buy it from the store. - Joe

Grrr . . . This excuse of sterling-euro conversion rate changing giving rise to hugely inflated magazine prices has always got to me. The fact is that the sterling-euro conversion rate rarely moves outside a band of .66 - .70 (looking at the data since Jan '03). Also, making the VAT change to Irish VAT rates on the cover price of £2.50 (€3.59) adds 10 cent! Finally, bear in mind that the UK price already includes distribution costs . . . It's just ridiculous. - Brian

3G modems

These so called 3G broadband ideas look great, especially for people who don't have much choice and where each supplier available is looking for a home phone. Why can't we just get broadband without the home phone? I don't use it at all. I use Skype, so don't need a home line. - Eddy

3G modems are always going to be slower than any fixed line you can get. Having said that, my NTL line is no faster than my 3G modem between 5 and 8 in the evening. In fact my N95 is quicker when I have 3G coverage. - Patrick

© 2007 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times