After a week where we had to get the car repaired, when it accidentally got petrol in its diesel engine and I had to pay for physiotherapy on my back, we found ourselves counting how much we have left until December 1st, definitely no Black Friday shopping for us !
I did use the Tesco vouchers we got to order a year's subscription to 'Kitchen Garden' magazine. We have had this magazine before and as well as motivating us to cultivate the garden it also comes with free seeds, which have added up to a substantial bonus over the year. Sort of a free gift with extra free gifts !
I got a few yellow-stickered bargains last Friday night and will try again tonight, but have a very small budget of £10 for this week's shopping so we'll see whether the reductions are large enough to make it worthwhile spending precious pennies on them !
I also went to a jumble sale last weekend, which I was really looking forward to, but they wanted 50p a book and £1 for each item of clothing so apart from paying the 50p entry fee, I left with nothing ! A very frugal visit ! That's the second time I've been to a jumble sale and thought the prices were too high. The library that day were selling off stock at 5 books for £1 which was much better value, but I didn't buy anything there either, just got 5 books and 3 magazines for free !
MrShoestring and I ordered a Christmas present for each other from Amazon, he wanted a soldering kit, which I would never have thought of, so we combined the order and saved on postage. It does spoil the surprise somewhat, but we also buy/make something we don't know about, so there is still some surprise element. After more than 15 years of giving him a Christmas jumper he finally confessed two years ago that he didn't like any of them, so we agreed that we would ask one another for ideas rather than trying to guess ! The money saved on postage will buy the little surprise !
I washed out some plastic bags for re-use and I have made a menu plan to 1st December to use up food we already have rather than buying the usual staples on Friday. This should mean I can keep the grocery bill within budget and inspite of unexpected expenses will finish the month with a little bit in the bank, if we are careful ! We did get a couple of cinema vouchers in the post from the Nielsen shopping survey so might go to the cinema tomorrow as a treat !
I hope that you had a good week !
I'm sorry you've had such an expensive week but it sounds like you've come through it well and with sound plans. I hope you enjoy the cinema. My holiday gifting is done, and on budget, and I was given an extra plate to take home after Thanksgiving dinner, so that stretches my bi-weekly shop a bit. No Black Friday here, just a trip to the park.
ReplyDeleteLovely that you had some leftovers from Thanksgiving ! Enjoy the trip to the park !!
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