Things you thought you needed but don't

Look at that, still no paragraphs, what a pain to go through it all again. Sorry, no pics on this one, all words.

I have got a pretty good idea about what I need to buy to give myself a good standard of living. To be comfortable, and enjoy life, and not to feel any hardship at all because I can't afford to fill my trolley up to the brim, is truly liberating. Just because I look after the pennies, saving a few here and there, does not mean I am depriving myself, on the contrary, I feel blessed that my needs are simple and my pension is enough.

There is a lot of info about what we should all be buying to stretch our money a little bit further, but not a lot about what we shouldn't be buying. I sometimes wonder if some people have the foggiest idea about what they need and what they don't need. People get into a routine with their shopping, buying something because they have been getting it every week since the year dot, without actually thinking about whether they really do need it at all.

I've been studying the shopping leaflets that we get through the door. The supermarkets are expert at using brainwashing tactics to get us to spend more. It doesn't work with me, but there must be millions out there who are falling for their constant barrage of in your face advertising. I thought I would compile my own list of what not to buy, and why, and it's not all food. Some of it is the biggest waste of money ever.

Aquafresh Purifying Mouthwash. £2.25p. I am finding it hard not to swear when I write about this. Why the heck would you want to swill your mouth out with this and spit it down the sink, after you have already brushed your teeth? Lunacy, words almost fail me, don't buy it.

Febreze £2. It says Fabric Refresher on the spray bottle. If your house stinks you are not cleaning it properly. Dont buy this just to mask the smells, stop creating them in the first place, and if you do have a little mishap clean it up straight away.

Oral B Battery Toothbrush £6. It comes with two batteries. So why buy something which uses batteries anyway, what has happend to good old fashioned elbow power. You can clean your teeth just as effectively with a 50p toothbrush which costs nothing to run.

Don't get me started on energy drinks! Twentyfour cans of Hell for £4. There is a big market in these type of drinks amongst youngsters. They are cheap, and I find the empty cans strewn all over the village after the kids have run amock. If someone has low energy they are eating the wrong diet. These drinks are a big con, a poor replacement for real food.

Sugar Puffs £2.08. All cereals coated with sugar or chocolate are bad for you. They are horrendously expensive as well. Try not to get your kids onto them in the first place, says this grumpy old woman, ha ha.

Look at this, a jar of Hartleys jam and a white sliced loaf, for £2. Heart attack food if ever I saw it. If you have to eat jam at least put it on wholemeal bread, not the cotton wool excuse we have for white.

Comfort Concentrated 5 litre, 142 wash, £4.49. Why does anyone need a fabric conditioner, is it not enough that the clothes are just clean? Why do we have to send even more chemicals through the sewage system only for it to cost millions to remove it before it comes back through the tap again. What a waste of money. No doubt some people might say they like the smell, well my answer would be, get used to a clean smell, ie no smell.

Actimel £3.99 for 12. What did we do before this stuff came along? Was the food rotting in our guts before these little beggars came along and sorted it out? Some food experts would say this is a complete waste of money, we don't need it and I tend to agree with them. I have never touched a drop in my life, am I unhealty? No of course not, I eat the right food. A big con, in my opinion.

Have you seen the new smaller size yogurts they have brought out, you don't get much in a small pot anyway, now it has shrunk even further, making more packaging to dispose of. Muller Snacksize with a fruit corner, eight for £3.29. Christ, I almost choked on that one. Don't buy it, it's a rip off.

Hey, look at this, a six pack of Evian Water for £3.69. Are people still daft enough to buy that. I used to, but saw the light, now it's a fill up from the tap.

Here's a good one not to buy. Plug in stinky difusers, only £6.13 each. For Gods sake, if someone farts in the bathroom open the window. Please please don't buy one of these.

Fancy a Patio Heater for £89.99? I thought not, you've got more sense, than to burn money. If it's cold, go indoors.

There's loads more, but I would be all day writing this. I bet you know a few, so I'll let you add them to the list. What not to buy. Stuff you don't need, don't want, dont care if it disappears from the shop shelves forever, and you never see it again.