On Not Getting Trouted.

I came home on Thursday night after doing a particularly frugaltastic bit of shopping and I felt like this.

Weird, because I'd gone to Morrison's

However, after reviewing my post, seeing some bills that I forgotten all about and not budgeted for, I felt like this.

Yes, I'd put my bags down. They do mask a lot of problem areas.

One of my revenue streams has dried up, and now I have a few extra associated costs - just as we are approaching the most expensive month for us, August, which includes a lot of travel and hotels and temptation.

IwillbuynomorebooksIwillbuynomorebooksIwillbuynomorebooksIwillbuynomorebooksIwillbuynomorebooks

And July isn't a cheap month either.

Oh blimey!

So there's nothing for it, but to try our utmost to cut corners where we can. But there's a catch... we cannot cut corners as far as health is concerned, and our diet must be tip-top to enable me to shed a bit of excess pud, and OH to be event-ready. Him being an athlete and all that.

OH is the fella on the left. When he next sees a finish line, it will be after a much, much, longer race. Eek! Yep, they're holding hands. No, I don't know who the other fella is.

Did you see The World's Best Diet last week? What an eye-opener! As different as the world's healthiest diets were from each other, though, it seemed clear to me where each improved on the typical British diet, including mine. Apparently, the typical British diet consists of three principle ingredients: potatoes, flour and vegetable oil. The three principle ingredients of my diet are flapjacks, cider and any cake going. But that's not better just because flapjacks have super-healthy oats in them, boo.

Will this frugal-ish floozy be able to change her sweet, cheap ways?

Until yesterday, I'd managed to spend mere pennies and got a substantial amount of food in, thanks to some voucher-tastic shopping. As much as I hate the gutter press, as a past-recipient of mucky Murdoch money for my work in publishing, I can't be proud. So it was with just a few qualms that I bought a newspaper that informed me that Jade, 22, has mammary glands, bully for her. I hope they give her some comfort in her dotage, or at least a cranny for secluding her Murray mints. In the newspaper was a voucher for £5 fruit and veg which I happily trundled to Morrison's, along with a couple of other vouchers I wanted to use. I'd heard online about people buying up several copies, being made to leave the shop and come back rather than put through different baskets as different transactions... and it was the first time I'd heard the expression 'trout', a particularly derisive term applied to a checkout assistant - usually female - who hates money-off coupons and tries to find any way they can of not putting it through. Well, my vouchers got queried, but it was no 'trout', just a lovely, polite young girl who wasn't used to vouchers and had been through a bit of a baptism of fire learning the job on a big voucher day. But we were soon able to sort things out with her supervisor and with a spend of just £1.12, I got all this!

mushrooms; YS grapes; multi-grain bread mix; cola; cassava; apples, spuds; turmeric root; peppers; melon; lettuce

We managed to have access to a car yesterday to buy enough cat food and non-food shopping for July and beyond, also, we have in some treats from the Northampton Food Festival. We have spent just under a third of our July budget, so the challenge is on to keep spending as low as possible for the rest of the month.

So, not to dwell on the negatives, here's all the fun stuff I've done this week:

Dawn O'Porter can sod off learn a lot from Vintage Vixen.

Seriously... there is no need to spend so much money on your clothes, lady! Personally, I am always rocking the vintage with clothes that are chazza'd; schwinged or hand-me-upped. As yet another building collapsed last week on top of underpaid garment workers in Chenai, the benefits of buying vintage mean that you can go some way to avoid being complicit in exploitation and corporate manslaughter, as well as avoiding perfectly good clothes ending up in landfill. However, I think it's rather unfortunate that Dawn Porter's programme This Old Thing focuses so much on rich Londonistas who would rather pay £500 for a dress from the 80s than be thought of as cheap. That's not going to sway the opinion of someone who'd happily pay high street prices and buy often, rather than save up and invest in their going out-out outfit. Please can you think of us lesser mortals, Dawn?

Last week, I ended up buying a new outfit from the high street as I needed to avoid wearing black, red, or white for a wedding, I was not confident with what I could mix and match from my current wardrobe, and I'd wavered over some options available in the charity shops. In the end I found this dress in Dotty P, which was entirely made in the EU. Joy! Already in the sale, I haggled it down from £32 to £13 as it was missing the belt and had a small pull. Trying to think like Vix, I accessorised up with DM Dolly shoes in pink and white (£20 from the outlet stall years ago), a silver bolero (£3 in a New Look sale) and my hair slide and clutch from my own wedding. My brooch was made by Lauren of Skulls and Robots for my birthday. My hair started out Goldfrapp-crazy but had calmed down by this point - a mix of ragging on the bottom and pin-curling on top.

Eyes on the Prize

You know those little trader magazines that pop through the door - the ones you probably put straight in the recycling bin? Well, I scanned through the last one and spotted a competition to win 4 tickets to see Horrible Histories at the theatre. I didn't win... but I was next on the list when the winners couldn't take the prize. Yay! I offered the prize to my brother and has family but was able to take the 4th ticket. A great night out - and winning the prize saved us £64. It was an incredibly tight production for the tiny cast of 4, with a few props, and scenery all done as a computer-animated background, which is 3D for the second half. It was so well done, and really, really funny. Age-appropriate, of course. Here is Boudicca with the Romans, who 'beat up' her kids...

Boudicca was awesome - a great singing voice, very expressive and great comic timing

My nephew, who is 5, took off his 3D glasses as there were rather a lot of skulls and bats flying into his face, which he found a bit disconcerting. Great for kids who like spooky and gory. And for not-so-grown-up aunties.

Lovin' Northampton

Yesterday, we were spoilt for choice with good stuff in Northampton. First, OH and I went for a healthy march up to Delapre Abbey where we hoped to learn about the Battle of Northampton.

Medieval people. Sitting about. That's getting medieval on yo' ass!

We went round the exhibition, and an expert was due to lead a walk which we were interested in, but we realized we would miss the battle demo, so we gave it a miss. But with mot much else going on, we decided to head into town to go to the Northampton Food Festival instead in the beautiful Guildhall, totally free entry.

First, we went to a no-cooking cooking demo by Ondine Hartgroves, who despite the venue restrictions, was able to demonstrate how to make ceviche cod, and made us tortilla biscuits to eat that with, and seared beef salad wraps for which she made a gorgeous, fresh and fragrant salsa verde.

We sampled various lovely local ales and ciders.

And we met these lovely people from Beckworth Emporium, happily only  a cycle ride away from us, and an outlet for many local producers, as well as nursery, winter ice-rink, and theatrical venue. They are staging a production of Pride and Prejudice on Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd August. Oh, Mr. Darcy!

I have also been doing some baking, which will feature in a follow-up post.

Fame, Fame, Fatal Fame

Tuesday lunchtime, I got interviewed for the Helen Blaby's show (Follow the link to listen again about 37 minutes in). Helen was interested in what bargains could be had round and about and I happily chatted away.

Then Helen asked me what the best bargain I'd had was - ever.

All I could think of was chocolates and turkey. Could you tell it was lunchtime?! Were these the best bargains I'd ever had?

Why didn't I tell her about my gorgeous £35 wedding dress?

.. or how about that I was only charged labour costs for the jewel bouquet due to the generosity  of my friends collecting pieces for me. My purple chiffon - £2 from the market and pressie feathers from another friend.

As I write, I'm wearing a very sunny dress (given to me for nowt by my friend the stunning and amazing comedian Leanne McKie - she's given me loads of clothes, lovely lady) and some bargain £20 DM dolly shoes from the factory outlet shop in Wollaston, saving probably £40 on the full price. Similar outfit to here in fact (only I am a squidge slimmer now). Most of my wardrobe is from the chazzas.

Then there was the stunning break I arranged to propose to OH in an Elizabethan manor house (because he's a sucker for romance), with afternoon tea, a ghost walk around Stratford upon Avon in the evening, a few hours in the spa and pool and a trip to Warwick Castle (including the tower) the next day? Thanks to Top Secret Rooms, buy one get one free ticket from collecting crisp packets and a perusal of the local 'what's on' site, I bagged all this and the man for £88.

Late Rooms.com

How about all those fabulous trips to the theatre over the last year for between nowt and a tenner for me and OH? And how about paying NOTHING to go and see X-Men First Class and Anchorman 2 at the Picturedrome, NOTHING to go see The World's End at Cineworld (with chocolate wrappers) and just £3.50 for the pair of us to go see The Lego Movie on the Kids' Sunday Matinee (incidentally, it's awesome, very funny).

Some of the cool stuff to be had out there for little or nowt is for everyone and anyone to find. I would say, only take advantage of the stuff you know you will appreciate if it's a material object, there's a limited quantity, or if there's a cost. But if you're talking about a thing to experience, potentially a good memory for the future, why be a stick in the mud? Just go for it!

Speaking of which, here are some from this weekend. I went to see my university friends in Southampton. After we bid goodbye, I tried to get back to the train station. I got stupendously lost, but hey, Southampton has some cool historical stuff dotted about the city centre, from sections of the old city wall and castle, to the elaborate gate, gun dock, and a memorial to citizens who died in a terrible fire in the 1830s. Good exercise, taking in the sights. Also good for clearing hangovers. not that I get such things...

Big gate thing

Great Fire Memorial - or recycled church, if you will.

Castle gate, with gun docks

What was not so good for a hangover was the continued session that resulted from going to Northampton Music Festival the following day.

The festival site was the whole town

Surprised to see Avril Lavigne get such a low billing... perhaps that's why she didn't show. Maybe it was the shame from that awful Hello Kitty thing.

The view from the beer garden - which could be the title of a future biography, I like to think.

Two-string shoebox guitar and tea-chest combo at All Saints - I think this was Kenneth J Nash.

I believe this was Hannah Graham at BBC (Black Bottomed Club - Northampton College) stage, not Avril Lavigne.

These guys were pretty good - I think they were The Celebrities.

Brighton beach? No! It's the Summer Terrace at NN Cafe

King's Gambit - I'd always wondered what they sounded like. Folksy gutsy music. Very good.

Alan Lynn of NN Cafe creates a masterpiece of a salad with turkey, pear and blueberries.

Whilst many band members looked like extras from Mumford and Sons, the keyboardist of Sean Grant and the Wolfgang resembled Sherlock's arch villain Jim Moriarty.

Cousin Avi. A bit Jamiroquai/Maroon 5. Not really my thing, but the crowd loved them. Well, we can't all like Mumford and Sons, can we?

What an awesome weekend - prepare for repeat at the Northampton Food Festival on 4th and 5th July - free, with free tasters and voucher giveaways for local restaurants and shops. I hope there's some left on Saturday as that's the only day I can make it down.

Food-wise, I've been very lucky lady. Vouchers found on moneysavingexpert.com have got me a free Danio yoghurt, and a free sushi roll this week.

Taken on the bus. It's okay, I had the duck.

And I was lucky to get free tickets and a lift to the Good Food show last weekend, where I picked up some bargains and free goodies. Just like the shops, if you go round on the last hour on Sunday to make your purchases, the stall holders throw in some extras or make things even cheaper.

We had free Super Theatre tickets to see Tom Kerridge and Michael Caines.

Great displays in the Garden Show

This was part of an RHS garden commemorating the First World War.

Bansai!!!!

My nephew, taking part in a free craft session to make a candle from real beeswax.

The haul! Mostly freebies. Total spend £7.60. The bag contains 2 fresh kippers for £1.60. Awesome.

Other freebies I've had this week include 2 free style magazines (I know, I'm stylish enough, right?), one for filling in a survey online, another was just left on a bus as litter. I'm not proud. I finished the free book I had from Galaxy chocolate - Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn - and it was really good, I  recommend it. A nice blend of self-harming Southern Gothic, freaky families and a murder mystery to boot. Think Tim Burton does The Killing.

So, anyway, in this blog, which is essentially an exercise in over-sharing, it seems I am perhaps not sharing enough. You may be here looking for advice in grabbing bargains, but reading about what I have managed to find after the fact may be as useful to you as extra dentures would be to Luis Suarez. Even though I do hunt down more bargains than Tim Wonnacott (what do you mean "who"? The antiques fella. No, not the orange one, the one who dresses like Peter Davidson era Doctor Who), I am pro-mimalist spending; pro-local industries, pro high-street, pro-ethical shopping and all for paying the creator their due. These things do not always go hand in hand with being a bargainista.

Ah well, I can but try.