Free stuff.

I don't know if anyone has noticed but I have a section at the bottom of the page which lists free things I have aquired, things I have either found, or been given, or have asked for. Sometimes you can be lucky and find something that someone has thrown away, I'm always looking in skips and ask the owner first before I help myself. People might offer you something because they have no further use for it, I've had a look at freecycle but there doesn't seem to be many people in my area, and it would defeat the object if I had to travel miles to collect an item.

I am cheeky enough to ask for something if I want it, I always say, if you don't ask you don't get. They have two choices of answer, either yes or no. The other day I saw a couple of friends, they were telling me about their new allotment which is just a piece of land at the moment, they want some pallets to make a compost bin. I managed to get three pallets for them by knocking on doors and asking. When I took them to their house I said, 'They are doing some block paving just up the road, why don't you go and ask if you can have the pallets the blocks come on?' They said, 'We're not used to that, like you are,'

Last year I wanted some free compost so I went to the council run compost plant with six bags and my spade. The attendant said, 'Take your car round that corner, I'll be there in a minute.' Three men came to help, they could only give me three bags, instructions from the boss, but I thought that was better than nothing.

One day I was out walking and spotted a heavily laden apple tree in someones front garden, I knocked on the door and said if they didn't need all those apples could I have some free please. The man was very nice, he went inside and fetched me three carrier bags, and helped me fill them, boy was that a heavy load to carry home.

Free stuff is so much better than having to pay for it. I didn't look in my loft untill I had been in the house several years, what a surprise I had when I climbed up onto the chair on top of a table, and shone a torch inside. I pulled down several black bin bags full of ladies clothes, and all in my size, what a lucky find. I kept a lot of them and passed some to a charity shop. My friend emigrated just over a year ago, she very kindly gave me several bags of clothes, I probably wont have to buy any for a very long time.

I have got no qualms about people knowing I like free stuff. I am not too proud to ask for something, it all adds to the fun of life.
Daily spend - £4.04 Tesco. inc. Bag of potatoes 10p.
Bag of sliced carrots 5p. Two apple turnovers 20p.
Wholemeal loaf 12p. Lettuce 6p. Choc cookies 23p.