Last weeks only shopping trip was a little different than normal.
I literally only bought one food item and that was from our local garden centre where we went for a coffee. I bought the bread rolls off the food display as we walked out, as they looked (and were) so tasty and fresh, along with a couple of sprays of silk flowers to dot around the Lodge. The book came from Amazon, as I had read some good reviews about it online and was tempted, it was there waiting for me when we got home.
Bread Rolls - £1.80
Flowers - £5.65
Flowers - £ 6.25
Book - £11.99
Total Spend - £ 25.69
The little yellow flowers were to go in my Pug jug, which currently has my first birthday card/freebie stood next to it. I think they add a nice little bit of Spring colour to the shelf.
Later the same day I got an email from Booths telling me that I could pick up a free slice of cake from the café to go with a paid for cup of coffee at anytime during my birthday month. They rarely have any dairy-free options there, but if Alan buys me the coffee he can have the cake. 😁
The blue coloured flowers were added to this jug to refresh the ones that have been in there for the last couple of years.
It was hard to get a good photo in this light but you get the idea.
A final freebie that came last week were the three packs of seeds on my last subscription copy of Kitchen Garden magazine. It's been a good year of gardening magazines, but to be honest with me wanting to read more of my books I was struggling to find the time to read through it, so I won't be renewing my gift subscription.
It has reminded me though, that it's time for me to sow a few seeds to pop on the windowsill. For now I'll just be sowing some courgette, spinach and kale seeds to be getting on with, as I only have half of my smaller raised bed available for planting in. The onions are nowhere near ready for harvesting yet, although the garlic won't be far off.
Sue xx
Nice flowers Sue, some artificial ones can look very cheap and obvious, but those don't. Are you still thinking about a narrowboat, Sue? I remember you hankering after a small one on the canal nearby a while back. Some nice freebies for your upcoming birthday. xx
ReplyDeleteYes, some silk flowers are very artificial looking aren't they, I do try to avoid them. I used to sell silk flowers and bouquets in my little shop so I know what to look out for. The better ones are a bit more expensive but when you think about how long they last it's worth gritting your teeth and buying some occasionally.
DeleteI'm not thinking about a narrowboat for us. I did like that tiny one 'My Newt', which actually sold last year, but when we came off the narrow-boating holiday the year before, Alan had completely changed his mind about wanting to renovate and live on one. So it was good that I paid for a week's holiday instead of letting Alan just buy one wasn't it!! I would quite like it still, but if I had to choose between a narrowboat and a caravan, the van would always win. I have gone in for a competition to win a narrowboat though ... but I guess the odds are VERY low. :-)
I know I've mentioned it before, but we lived on a narrow boat for a while - a big adventure - yes - but a surprisingly expensive and at times tough way of life, I would think a caravan a lovely idea.
ReplyDeleteThose flowers are really nice. Oh, Yes , Happy Birthday 😍
Alison in Wales x
I should imagine it was a great adventure, but yes it is hard word getting to such a simple way of living isn't it. I should imagine on a par with smallholding and being self sufficient ... but on water. Being back in a caravan would be my absolute dream.
DeleteOh yes ... it's not my birthday until the 19th, but seemingly the freebies are already rolling in AND my birthday pictures have just arrived. :-)
Happy Early birthday to you - my daughter shares the same birthday. She was 30 last year , but only three weeks earlier Tony had died , and she refused to mark her birthday - we were just too numb to do anything . This year, as she waits to complete on the purchase of her first house, we will celebrate- I paid for a ticket for her to see Taylor Swift in May - and am still recovering from the £250 price tag
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely birthday month
Please review the book - it looks interesting and reminds me of some happy times on narrow boat holidays
Siobhan x
Thank you.
DeleteThat first birthday without your Dad, along with all the other firsts for both you and your daughter are the absolute hardest thing aren't they. I remember being so upset when the first Father's Day without my Dad came around. I felt like everyone else still had theirs and mine was gone. It does get slightly easier, as both my Mum and I can confirm, but it's only easier in that you learn to deal with it and to cope. You never really lose the pain, and it can still hit you unexpectedly like a ton of bricks many years later.
Wow ... £250 for a concert ticket, I hope Taylor puts on a good show and sings her bloody heart out for that!!
They look very pretty. They make some good artificial flowers nowadays. xx
ReplyDeleteThey do don't they, there's some really good ones. I used to sell hydrangeas in my shop, they were very realistic, but expensive. I wish I had kept some for myself.
DeleteThe yellow flowers in the jug look very pretty and cheerful!
ReplyDeleteThey add a touch of lovely Spring colour to my shelf, it was beginning to look a bit brown and dreary on there.
DeleteHappy Birthday when it comes! How lovely to be getting so many freebies and treats.
ReplyDeleteI bet Jon would love that book, Narrow Dog to Carcassonne is one of his favourites. His parents used to take him on narrowboat holidays when he was a child - although it was Dudley and Wolverhampton as opposed to France!
I had to smile at those bakery products being called "Barms", e used to trade in Stockport regularly and the locals would think we were strange calling them "baps". xxx
Thank you, it's going to be a long birthday month, but I'm hanging on to 63 right until the last moment. ;-)
DeleteOh yes, barms ... one of the best things about moving back to Lancashire is people calling our bread rolls/baps/buns barmcakes again. A chip barmcake from the chippy is a wonder to behold.
I'm a big fan of a strategically placed artificial flower spray!
ReplyDeleteI found a little cream silk rose spray on the road, put it through the dishwasher and it now sits in a green glass bottle on the kitchen windowsill, a continuous source of pleasure.
Haha ... I love the idea of the rose spray going through the dishwasher. 😀
DeleteFaux flowers are so good now aren't they. I bought some larkspur type flowers from Amazon and I love them. You are doing so well with your low spend.
ReplyDeleteThey are really good, and if you think about it for a one off spend of an amount similar to buying a nice bouquet, you get flowers that last for years. 🙂
DeleteThose are lovely faux flowers.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
They are pretty aren't they. 🙂
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