Friday 15 March 2013

Good buys for me and the cats.

Evening all. Looks like I'm setting up shop here at Tightwad Towers, ha ha. A nice pile of tinned fruit was purchased today. We have three Poundstretecher stores here, they didn't have any more of this the other day when I got three tins, so today I went to the town centre store and found they have a stack of it, so I bought another twelve tins. That's my fruit juice sorted for a while then. £2.28 for this little lot. I grab it while I can, to save some money.  
If I was to buy 12 cartons of  Tesco Value orange juice at 65p per carton, it would cost £7.80, so a tidy sum saved there, all for the inconvenience of opening a tin and zapping the fruit with a blender. It tastes fabulous as well, with bits of real fruit in it. 
I have discovered that my cats like this Feline Fayre food. It's not always a good idea to try cats with new food, but if you do, it's best not to bulk buy it untill you can be sure they like it. B & M have been selling this for 25p a sachet, but today I found some for 19p at Home Bargains, which is a good price, so I bought a few of them.  
This Whiskas is what I saw the other day when I didn't have the means of carrying it, so today I took my car and stocked up. Mind you, I didn't get these from Pets at Home, I actually found them cheaper in The Range. Just goes to show, you've got to know your prices. These were £10 for 48, which works out far cheaper than buying a single box of twelve. Heidi likes this one so that's her sorted for a while.
I wrote about this cat litter a long time ago, as I was dead chuffed that I had found it because it was cheaper than the supernarkets own brand. First of all this was £1.29 in Home Bargains. Then I found it in Poundland, now Poundstretcher have it in for 99p. Again, it's all about knowing your prices.
Now this is worth a try. I found some big jars of peanut butter at two for £1 in B & M. As you can see my normal Value peanut butter is 62p for a smaller jar. So, I don't know what this is like yet as I haven't tasted it, but I will often try a different brand if it appears to be better value than what I usually buy. I am always flexible to new ideas. No harm in trying if it could save you a few pennies.
I remembered that it's time to get the seed potatoes chitting in readiness for the forthcoming growing season. I chose three varieties for my three beds. There are eight in a packet for 99p each. Hopefully the crops won't be as poor as they were last year, and I should get enough spuds for the Summer and Autumn.
My lunch today was wholemeal pasta, and scrambled egg with spinach. Twas very filling.
More new boot wearing today, they are starting to feel quite comfy now, so hopefully they will be fine on the long walk.

20 comments:

  1. Hi MQ, haven't been by in a while, so wanted to say hi! Your blog is very timely, as I am stocking up onvarious bits as I see them too, trying to cut back where we can. My faves are things like baby snacks (healthy-ish ones), peanut butter, meat, cereals etc. I found that Aldi do a brilliant passata (500ml) which is way better than the Sainsburys tinned tomatoes I was getting - so less money, less packaging, and more product! Soon as i see things likee that I stock up. I will check out more of your budget shopping posts for inspiration! Stop by my Savings Now blog anytime, right now it'd help if you have any tips for a toddler approaching the terrible twos' ha ha...

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  2. Scrambled eggs with pasta. Now there's an idea! x

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  3. Seeing the tins of grapefruit reminded me of Dad. He liked a good bargain and when he died we found in his "store" cupboard 30 odd tins of grapefruit he didn't like grapefruit but they were a bargain. the same with value baked beans spaghetti and tomatoes. He would go past skips and always come back with a lump of wood which "would come in useful" it never did lol but he enjoyed life just like you do Iiona :)

    Sue R

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  4. I like to stock up on things we use regularly. Recently I found Colgate toothpaste, 30p cheaper than I can get it in the supermarket. It's exactly the same but has a screw cap instead of the flip cap type. Who cares? It tastes much better with that 30p in my pocket.
    I have a couple of cupboards for my bargains.

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  5. I wonder what clever way you will reuse the handles from those cat litter sacks! ;)

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    1. Never thought about that, Quinn :o) I refill empty sacks with dirty litter and put them in the general rubbish wheelie bin, so they do get a second use.

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  6. We love scrambled tofu with spinach...not keen on peanut butter,but LOVE almond butter.
    Jane x

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    Replies
    1. I would like to try Almond Butter, haven't seen any, I will look for it.

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    2. Emma here, you can get cashew butter too, I think you can get it in the supermarkets.

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  7. Good morning from House fairy
    Well Ilona, you did well with the bargains.
    The cats will be pleased with more food.

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  8. Some brilliant bargains there. I can see why that lunch was filling, scrambled eggs AND pasta, very filling but also very yummy.

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  9. Love the cat bargains, especially the litter, wonder if its okay, some cheap litter is a bit dusty.

    briony
    xxx

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    1. Hi Briony. Some bags can have more dust in than others. It can be very dusty, or it can have very little dust, pot luck really. I don't mind taking that chance because my cats do not throw it everywhere, they are quite gentle with burying their solids. When they piddle they just get out afterwards, no scratching. If you had a litter box with a cover it wouldn't be a problem, you might get a few paw prints on the carpet.

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  10. Ruth here.
    Excellent post, Ilona-i love to hear about your bargain hunts!

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  11. Good morning Debbie here. The peanut butter is great, not quite as thick as the value stuff so spreads easier. I've taken to stock piling anything that is cheap. It gives me a strange feeling of satisfaction when I see a well stocked cupboard. I'm lucky enough to have a laundry for extra storage too. Poundstretcher is a 15 minute drive from me, but is very close to B&M, so might have a trip over. Have a great day.

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  12. Love your bargains. Of course, like I said before, never see any bargains like that here where I live. It's very rare for me to get a real sale on something I use. Your meals always look very appetizing. Glad that your new boots are working out for you. Happy walking and look forward to seeing where you've been off to.

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  13. you always find the best deals Ilona...having a buy one-get one sale on things I normally buy is the biggest thrill around here!

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  14. Hi Ilona. You are so great at finding all these bargains. I just never seem to see them - except when the special offer has just finished!!! Yes, well done with the new boots. Lots more lovely comfy walking ahead for you. Ann x

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  15. Wendy here
    Loved looking at all your bargains.
    Very interested in another way to
    use spinach, we are going to try it
    with scrambled eggs soon. I am totally
    addicted to watercress so try to add
    that to lots of things.
    Wendy (Wales)

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  16. I try to shop around for cat food as it's so expensive full price. Our 2 didn't like the Feline Fayre though.
    Love from Mum
    xx

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