New to me clothes.

Good afternoon. This is what I bought last week at the charity shop. The same shop as I got the new rucksack. Six items of clothing for only £6. I enjoyed the rummage through the baskets. Remember the old days of Rummage Sales in Village Halls. Most of our clothes when we were growing up were hand me downs from relatives, or Rummage Sale bargains. Years ago you could pick up items for a bob or two. Now it's £1 each. 

Pants. Are they for indoors or outdoors? I don't think it matters nowadays. 

A granny cardy. easy to throw on when you get a bit chilly. The stripy sweatshirt is a lovely warm fleece. Perfect for me. I love it. 

Two posh tops. They will go with anything.

I love a bargain. I haven't been in a clothes shop for ages. The only exception is Go Outdoors for my walking gear. 

Talking of walking, I will get a bite to eat and spend the rest of the day rambling around the lanes. 

Thanks for popping in. Enjoy your Sunday. Toodle pip.   ilona

A bargain.

 

I've had an enjoyable day out in Lincoln today. There was something I wanted from the camera shop, so I made it into a day out rather than go there and back in a couple of hours. 

I struck lucky. I told the man in the shop that I needed a long selfie stick because holding the camera out in front of me was making my arm ache. He suggested this, it extends in three places and can adjust to any length you want. It has a soft grip handle, and the head will tilt and can be locked in place. 

I said, that will be great how much is it? He said a couple of quid, it's second hand. WOW, what a bargain. 

I walked around Lincoln for three hours and took some photo's. It's too late to sort them out now, I will put them on tomorrow. 

Now I'm starting to yawn, it won't be long till I will be in bed. Thanks for popping in. Catch ya tomorrow. Toodle pip.   ilona

Useful stuff.

The other day when I was in Barton with my friend, we had a look in the new Lidl store there which has recently opened. It's very conveniently placed at a junction where two major roads meet, just south of the Humber Bridge. Easy access off a roundabout, I think they will get a lot of people calling in as they are passing. 

I don't normally go to Lidl here in the town, because Aldi is nearer for me, and they are much the same, with similar prices. 

I wasn't in the mood for food shopping, but as we had been to two other places we decided to make it three and take a look. 

I found this little bargain. twelve bobbins full of cotton for £1. Those plastic bobbins are about £2 or so for a small packet of empty ones, so this is a good buy. 

I picked up this as well, also £1. I normally use felt tip pens or pencils to mark out shapes on my fabric, this will be better.

Sometimes it pays to look in the centre non food aisles of Lidl and Aldi, occasionally there is some useful stuff there.
Toodle pip.  ilona

Yellow stickers at M & S

Oh no, not another yellow sticker video. Aha, but this one is a bit different, I did my shopping at Marks and Spencer. No I haven't lost my marbles, you know I never set foot in there as their prices are not my kind of prices, cheap, ha ha.

I had a gift card from my best friend carol, for my birthday, so I thought it was about time to spend it. She gave me strict instructions to get myself a treat, something I normally wouldn't buy. I knew it would be impossible to do that if I wandered around the whole shop. There are plenty of nice things that everyone would consider a treat but I couldn't bring myself to buy them because I don't need them. So I stuck to the food hall. I definitely do need food.

The experience was quite fun actually. I was there ages perusing the fresh food chiller cabinets, following the ladies around as they were reducing the prices with a second sticker. There wasn't lots of bargains to be had, but I was determined to only buy yellow stickers. The food is expensive in the first place, and even with money off, it was still more than I would pay anyway. But never mind, I wasn't paying for it, this was my birthday treat from carol.

If you want to know what I bought check out the video. I didn't spend all the voucher, I still have £10 left for another time.



Toodle pip.  ilona

What!!! Only 50p.

I was out early today, needed to get to the dentist at 8.30am, an emergency appointment, I broke a back tooth on Saturday. The car was frosted up, I'm not used to this, scraping ice off the windows lark. I usually wait until the sun comes round and it melts naturally. Traffic was busy, got caught up with those going to work, just made it in time. 

The lovely Jim was ready for action, a repair should do it, but if that doesn't hold a crown might be needed later on. I shall do all I can to be gentle with this new filling, hopefully it will last a few years. Cost, £21. 

While I was there I went to the sewing shop and booked myself on three workshops. Patchwork similar to what I did before only a different design. Free motion machine embroidery, I missed the last one, and creative hand embroidery. Looking forward to those. 

While I was out and about I thought I would look for some bargains. Found these crackers in the bargain box at the Cash and Carry, 20p each.

Two cartons of Almond milk from Poundstretcher, 25p each.

Reduced salad in Morrisons. I thought surely the yellow sticker is a mistake, only 5p. It definitely  was only 5p, so a good bargain. I looked at lots of items while I was in the store, to compare prices, and found that the things I normally buy are a bit more expensive there. I don't go very often because it's the other side of town, even if it was nearer I doubt I would do much shopping there.

This has got to be the best money saver. Browsing Poundstretcher I came across this organic coconut sugar, it looks identical to what I bought the other day at Aldi, different label. There was no price ticket on the shelf so I asked an assistant. She came back and said 50p. I was amazed, what, only 50p! Yep, it went through the till at 50p. I bought six, maybe I should have got more. There is another store in the town so maybe I will see if they have it in.

On the way home I picked up some scrap vinyl and some wood from the two places I visit on the industrial estate. I'll deliver this to the Scrapstore tomorrow.   ilona

Cheap lighting, snap it up now.

Now is the time to buy Christmas lights. The shops want to get rid of their excess stock because it's taking up valuable space. There are bargains to be had. Christmas lights aren't just for Christmas. I found a bargain yesterday.

The sticker on the box said £4, as did the shelf label, original price £5. There was also another stack nearby which looked the same but was priced at £2. What's the difference? These had a clear cable, the cheaper ones had a green cable, but I wanted the clear cable.Oh well will have to pay more for what I want. Surprise surprise, when I went through the checkout it scanned at £2, great, I said nothing, a bonus for me. I find Wilko's prices generally more expensive than other shops, so it was nice to get a bargain.  

Picture taken with a flash.

And without.

The clear glass £1 vase I bought from a car boot sale about six months ago, intending to cover it with fabric. A project that never got started.

Now, where to put it. It looks very nice in a dark corner of the living room. It would also look nice in the bedroom, or the kitchen, anywhere really.

If you've got some of these led lights and a large glass vase or bowl, of any shape, round or straight and tall, give it a go, but it must be a large size. Don't squash the lights into a small space. The cable trailing out the back can't be seen. I like it.   ilona

Thank goodness for yellow stickers

I've just found out that there are going to be some changes with my utilities supplier, Ebico. They are re jigging the tariffs and I have to decide which way I am going to have to go. I will look into the options available. This is a bluddy pain in the backside. It's been running very smoothly for the time I have been with them, now there is a hiccup. Makes me want to say stuff 'em and go off grid. 

Thank goodness for yellows stickers. This is my haul from Friday night. 

Mini carrots, lemon houmous, onion houmous, organic houmous, grapes, broccoli sugarsnap peas, iceberg lettuce, baby Brussels sprouts, mixed veg, gem lettuce, scones, spring onions, prepared fruit, raspberries. This will keep me going for a while. 

Back on the fruity breakfasts.

ilona

Costa? No thanks.

My dad drank tea, my mum drank coffee, and I didn't like tea, so I went down the coffee route. We always had Nescafe in our house, but I remember mum getting parcels from Germany which had coffee beans in them. My uncle Henry sent the parcels which contained an assortment of foods which mum couldn't buy in England. We were excited when they arrived because there were scrumptious  cakes and biscuits which we didn't have in the shops here, so it was always a treat.  

Mum had a percolator. I remember her taking the beans to a shop to be ground because we didn't have the means to do that. The aroma of coffee drifting through the house was divine. She gave me some to try but it was too strong and gooey for me, so I stuck to Nescafe. 

I am still not a fan of very strong coffee, though I like to try one or two different ones now and again. I don't have a fancy machine to brew up some of the expensive stuff, I keep within my budget and try different, affordable, instant coffee. There are quite a few on the market to try these days. 

Although I really like coffee I have not fallen into the trap of stopping for a coffee when I am out. Coffee shops are everywhere, far too many in my opinion. I can't see the attraction of sitting out on the pavement sipping coffee. Perhaps it's nice to meet friends for a natter, but I am usually alone, and  I don't feel a desperate need for a coffee while I am out. As for walking around clutching a cardboard cup in my hand, a definite no no. 

So, how much is a cardboard cup of coffee? I don't know, maybe a couple of quid, or maybe more. Sure, they taste nice, but my version is a lot cheaper. Eight mugs for £1. Think I bought these from Aldi, maybe a discount store. That's not important, this is not a sponsored post. I really like the taste of these, but I add a little extra coffee granules to perk it up a bit. 

I'd be interested to know what brand of coffee you like best. Do you sit inside or outside a Costa, do you walk around with it in your hand, or do you enjoy your favourite coffee on a budget at home. Tell me which ones I should try next, not too expensive of course, and not something that needs an extra gadget cluttering up my kitchen worktop.

Off to Scrapstore now with Angela. Toodle pip.  ilona

Lucky with the yellow stickers

I had a trip to my home town yesterday, to check out the exhibition in the library which is due to finish just before I start mine. I was surprised to see that there were only four paintings on the display boards. Apparently the person who booked it couldn't go ahead with it, and a friend had permission to hang their pictures instead. So I wasn't able to pick up any hints and tips on how another artist would set out their work. Not to worry, I have a pretty good idea of how I want my display to look.

I had a wander round the town while I was there. Sat in the park and ate my sandwich, did a bit of people watching. It was quite busy because it was market day. I noticed that there were hardly any empty shops in the shopping centres. Burton has grown so much since I lived there.

I called in to see Auntie Pat for a cuppa before I set off back home. She has a lot of de cluttering to do, I will be able to help her with that. I took away a box of cookery books intending to donate them to a charity shop here. I stopped at Tesco to pick up some shopping, and put the books on the charity table there. Seemed the easy thing to do.

I was lucky with the yellow stickers. There were more people than usual milling around the trolley, I dived in among them, and managed to get enough for me. Some people were greedy and taking lots of the same thing.  Here's a little video.

We had a short shower ten minutes ago but now the sun is out. It's turned cooler needed to put extra clothing on for my walk. It's the weekend, yipeeeee. Every day is a weekend for me :o)  ilona

A small pot of paint goes a long way

Hello and good morning. Thank you to Jean for the question about my paint. 

You always seen to have plenty of paint for projects, where does it all come from? I know you buy test pots, and mention free paint, but with all your summer house painting and projects, you must spend a lot. So what is your secret of never ending paint, and how do you get "free" paint? Jean.

Yes, it must seem like I spend a lot of money on paint, I always appear to have some on hand. Flis is right, friends gave me some half tins of paint for the summer house, so that was free, I also used some of my small pots. This is what I have left.

Small tins of Crown, these came from Hull Scrapstore. They were included in my £5 per basket, along with lots of fabric. So they cost very little. 

These Coverplus plastic tester pots came from Woolworths just before they closed, that was a few years ago. They cost 4p each, there was a lot more but I am on the last dregs now.

Got these on a previous visit to the Scrapstore, again as part of a basket, only three left, had about twelve to start with.

Cuprinol, bought a few months back from Wilko. You can see that they were 10p each.

The total sum of what I have left. It's all vinyl silk emulsion or similar, so the brushes can be cleaned in water. I don't have as many colours left to play with now, so I will be keeping my eyes open when I go in  diy shops that sell paint, and look for anything that is reduced.

I treat all my shopping in the same way. As well as food being reduced, shops sometimes clear out excessive stock to make way for new. It's a case of being alert, not walking around in a dream, and scouring the shelves for any offers. The word 'reduced' is imprinted in my brain, if I spot something I want to know what it is, and if it will be of any use to me.

There is a reduced section in The Range, a big department store that has an extensive selection of arts and crafts items. I very rarely find anything in there, they don't knock much off, but when I am in the shop I take a look just in case. It's like the reduced dry goods (food) in Tesco, nothing much there, but on occasions they have dented tins which are marked down to very cheap.

If I go in any shop my eyes scan the shelves, the bins, and around the till area, searching for the words Reduced, or Offers, or Sale. All these little savings add up and it means that I get to keep my money in my purse and save up a little nest egg for spending on treats. It's the fun of beating the system for me, like a tug of war between me and them. I know more or less what I am prepared to pay for things. If the price is too high I walk away.

Paint is very expensive, my whole house could do with a lick of it, but I am not prepared to spend the money because it's not a priority. I might tart it up a bit if I find some cheap enough, but I don't enjoy painting whole doors and walls inside a house. The summer house was different, I could slap it on, it didn't matter that it wasn't perfect.

Anyway, I've got tho go, Heidi needs to have a tablet, that's if I can find her, she went out earlier but might be back in now. Garcia has been in for his breakfast, he scoffed it down that quick, he brought it back up again, yuk. Mayze is lounging on the dining room table aka the painting/sewing table. It's going to be a hot one today. I shall go and see Stan in the mobile library later to change some books.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Mucky boots.

Hello. Fancied something different for my breakfast this morning, rather than the usual bran flakes, ground nuts, seeds, and fruit, and a banana. Twas half a tin of Value baked beans, 12p, two scrambled eggs, 28p, and two slices of seeded bread, 14p. Filled me up a treat, had a late lunch because I was still full at 1pm. 

Weather is still a bit murky, though not raining. I got my walk done before lunch today, and went a different route. The farmers are getting in the sugar beet. Two tractors trundling up and down the track and tipping them onto this pile.

I watched for a few minutes. I had a job once driving tractors through an auction, it was hilarious. I like tractors. I like JCB's as well. I had a go once at driving one at the JCB test site at Ashbourne in Derbyshire, they don't half bounce around. I imagine the suspension must have improved a lot since then.

Clever how that machine scoops up the roots and discards the tops of the plants. Wouldn't mind having a play with that monster. 

Coming back for another load, best get out the way.

 Oh heck, stuck up to the eyeballs in mud.

Moving on. Money saving tip. Are you coming to the end of your toothpaste? I bought the Colgate for 50p ages ago from Poundstretcher, it was on offer. It has lasted a while, I only put a squidgen on my brush, hate having a frothy mouth. Anyway, the new tube is a Tesco Value one, only 25p. It might be cheap but it has all the ingredients needed to clean teeth, and is accredited by the International Dental Health Foundation. I have used it in the past, it's perfectly fine, and the minty taste is not too strong, which I like. Give it a go, no need to pay silly prices for toothpaste.

Think that's about it. I'm making some more shopping bags, always something to do.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip.

Does she ever stop talking!

Hello. Some smashing stories on yesterday's post, worth going back to see if any more have been added since you last looked. Thanks to all those who shared their inspiring stories of things not going according to plan, and how you have found a new direction. I applaud you all. 

The talk I did for the the WI last night went down really really well. One lady came to me afterwards and said what a rotten day she's had, and my talk was just what she needed. I was chuffed. The ladies were lovely, must have been about sixty of them. The more the merrier as far as I'm concerned, the larger the audience the easier it is for me. I get my feedback by watching their reaction to my stories, that tells me where I should be going next. Whether to speed it up or slow it down. If they miss something they can always come and ask me later. 

I move about a lot, wandering up and down, using a lot of gesticulation. No point in standing there like a plank. My aim is to enlighten them about the joys of a frugal life, my good life on a pension, and  to make them laugh. I want them to go away chuckling to themselves. That certainly happened last night. 

I take some props with me in bags, then after the stories, I get them out and lay them on the tables, explaining a bit about my arts and crafts. I donated the last two of my shopping bags to the raffle, now I need to make some more, ha ha. After tea, the ladies come and have a closer look and ask questions. I hope I have inspired some of them to think about using recycled materials when they do their own crafting. 

There isn't a photo of me from last night, but I have found this old one from a few years ago when I did a talk at the Arts Centre at Caister. Showing the bag I made from Judo belts.

I popped to town yesterday to pay some bills into the bank, and to get some of Heidi's favourite cat food. She likes Sheba in the mini pouches. £1.50 from B & M. I had a look in the Age UK charity shop while I was passing. They sometimes have some lovely picture frames in there. No frames, but a rack full of recently donated jackets. Worth a look. Wow, spoilt for choice here. I chose these two. I really need to throw out some of the rags I am walking around in, ha ha. 

Nice eh! Good condition, hardly worn, zip up to the chin, pockets, just the job. The best part is they are only £1 each. I know, amazing isn't it. So lucky to have a £1 charity shop in our town. 

That's it folks. I've just remembered I should have picked up some magazines from Paul's house on the way back from the Jade dog walk. I had better go and get them now. My head would fall off if it wasn't screwed on.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Lucky find

Hello. Just a short one tonight. I've been nattering on the phone tonight for absolutely ages. Nephew rang and it must have been almost a year since I last spoke to him, so there was a lot of catching up to do. He has a busy life with a full time job, a long commute, and three young children. I could hear them in the background. It went quiet when they went to bed.

I've been wanting another short break away somewhere before the clocks change and we have shorter days. I've searched for the right accommodation, at the place I want to be, at a price I want to pay. It's taken ages and flippin ages. At last, I found somewhere. I fancied a bit more luxury this time, not a hostel, but not so silly expensive. A nice-ish hotel. Have a look here. What do you reckon, good innit. 

Look what I found in Wilko yesterday. I was checking cat food prices, and saw a shelf with REDUCED on it, worth a look. Tester pots of paint at 10p each. Might as well stock up, you never know when you might need it, always comes in useful for those little crafty jobs. 

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Car boot bargains

Hello again. I found a few bits and bobs at the car boot sale. Some new projects for me to play around with. This mirror frame looks a bit scruffy but no worries, I will tart it up. It was a bargain at 30p. I might take the mirror out and put a picture in it. 

You'll never guess how much this table lamp was, it's smaller than the brown one and the shade is a bit battered. The woman was starting to pack up and she was putting things in a big box with a label on saying everything 10p. Yep, it was 10p, and it's got a bulb in it and working. I will give it a makeover.

Another 10p bargain. Curtain rings. Not sure what I will do with them but there will be something.

Anyone for tennis? No, I am not going to take up a new sport. £1 for this. I fancy weaving something through the mesh, maybe make a picture.

Heaven knows what these are, but they are solid wood and heavy. £1 for four. I'll think of something. 

Cute and colourful beads, you can never have too many of them. 50p for these.

I've got plenty of projects to keep me going now.

Thank you to those who have sent in their mileage for the walking challenge. We only have three months left to do. Some have already passed the 1000 miles, so well done. You can decide if you want to stop now, or carry on to the end of the year. I am off on another walkabout soon, so I'll get some more miles in there.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Big shopping spend

Hello my little bloggerettes, Howz ya diddlin? This morning I went to Crafty Club and spent the two hours cutting out felt flowers for the next artwork. I need lots, it will take a while. 

Looking back at yesterday, I went and had a nosy at the car boot sale at the football ground. Not a lot of stalls there, although it was sunny it was quite cold. Also, too many traders, it was more like a market. I only buy from genuine booters. I got a bit of a shock, I spotted a pair of boots and instantly recognized them. I had donated them to the Age UK charity shop only two weeks ago. The cheeky stall holder is obviously a trader. I was so surprised I forgot to ask how much he wanted for them, he would have bought them for £1. I asked him where he got them from, he pretended it wasn't his stall, and said, 'I don't know where he got them from'. I donate things to charity shops because I think someone might have a use for it, not so someone can come along and make money from it. I suspect that a lot of people might do this trick though.  

 I picked up this set of curtains for £1.50, they are very long, thick fabric, and in good condition. My first thought was, would make lovely shopping bags, of course. I'll wait a while before I cut them up, just in case any other brilliant ideas come to mind. 

Tiny purple beads, they will come in useful. £1.

I've been to town this afternoon. A few bits from the discount stores, Wilko have an offer on the Ultima dry cat food so I picked up four bags. They also had a large bottle of milk for 30p, about to go out of date, so I nabbed that. Last port of call was Aldi. I haven't shopped here for a while, have been buying food from Tesco. I am not a creature of habit, I don't do a weekly shop. I pick up bits here and there as I am passing. I thought I would do an itemized list for you, so you can see what a normal shop is like when I pay full price.

2 cartons soya milk 59p each
Bottle chardonnay £3.89
5 foils of dog food 27p each
1k gran sugar 39p
2 tins baked beans 23p each
1kg bananas (8) 68p
Frozen peas 69p
Potatoes 79p
Onions 55p
2 packs ex mature cheese £1.59 each
Salted peanuts 99p
Dry roasted nuts £1.05
Butter 75p
Broccoli 37p
Cucumber 39p
Tomatoes 57p
Low fat yogurt 45p
2 bags walnuts £1.29 each
Brazil nuts 99p
Quiche £1.19
Soft cheese 49p
2 packs cream crackers 40p each
Spinach £1.29
Sliced ham for the kids 79p
Strawberries £1.35
Med FR eggs 79p
Mushrooms 89p
Farmhouse seeded loaf 85p
Bran flakes 88p
Total £30.62

I shop at Aldi about once a month, it's conveniently close to the town. They don't have everything I want, so I shop around. This is quite a big shop for me, the strawberries and wine are treats. The cheese and crackers will last four weeks, maybe more. I don't need to go shopping for a week to ten days, but if I am passing any supermarkets I will always pop in to see if there are any reductions, which will help me to stretch a normal shop out to last longer.

I'll wrap this up now. Need to take the dawg out and then do my three miles.
Thanks for popping in. We'll catch up soon. Toodle pip.