Don't ya just love a bargain !!!

I just love getting a bargain - who doesn't? On Saturday I ended up babysitting Madyson so decided it might be fun to take her to town - BIG mistake - mummy hadn't remembered the buggy when she dropped her off. At almost 3 she likes to be a big girl so I decided to walk - BIG mistake number 2! Anyhow to cut a long story short I was very relieved when I finally met up with mummy and handed her back - lovely as she is it's still nice to hand her back. Despite bumping into several people I know in town who thought she was such an angel; she is really hard work at this age and asserts her Independence every chance she gets.

Anyhow after handing her back I found myself in the middle of town on a busy Saturday so I decided to check out a few charity shops. First stop was the Cancer shop and I got a really cute little red bag for only £3.75. It's made by Kookai (means nothing to me) but the sales lady assured me it was a good name in bags and my daughter later confirmed this when I showed it to her. I just think it's cute - red (my favourite colour) sweet little handles, a touch of pink, lovely floral print inside, lots of pockets to organise and even a matching purse!

While I waited at the counter to pay for it I noticed the pink 'breast cancer' pens for only .99p that would match with the bag so I had to have one of these as well. I am a firm believer in things like: 'every bit helps' and 'do what you can' so I try to do my bit whenever I can. I just purchased a whole bunch of post it notes to do a little Christmas gift item for the girls at work so I might get a pen to go with them and keep the theme all pink and girlie, what fun would that be!


Afterwards I stopped at the sewing stall on Bury market to buy buttons. I only bought the colours I needed but I love that I can buy as many or as little as I like and this stall is there on a Wednesday as well so I can catch it mid-week too. If you haven't checked out this stall you should - again I am a real believer in supporting local/small business whenever I can.

This was my second bargain

We have a stall that sells magazines. Ok so they may be a bit behind in date and not the latest on the shelves in the newsagents but at 3 magazines for only £2 who cares. They aren't in plastic like so many are these days so you can have a really good look through and choose just the ones you want. I plan to make copies of the ideas I like and pass them on to a crafting friend. It's taken awhile for the guy to get craft magazines on his stall but I will definitely be checking back now that he has. Think of all the money saved that I can spend elsewhere like more new stamps!


Finally I bagged the best bargain of all. It was so good I didn't really know what I had until I got it home. It came from another charity shop and I almost didn't buy it!

Doesn't look like much does it? I spent ages ummmming and aaarrhhing over whether or not I should buy yet another wooden box (I have several). I opened it up a couple of times and finally decided for £3.25 it would probably be one of those things that if I didn't buy it I would most definitely regret it when I got home. I chatted with the sales lady (very nice older lady) and decided I could always give it away if I didn't want it.

NO WAY AM I GIVING THIS AWAY !!!!!!!!!!

This is what the insides look like and I still wasn't too excited about this box but wait and see what happens when you stand it up while it's open!



It becomes the most perfect stamping station!



I was figuring I could use it for storage and take it with me when I go crafting but when I opened it up and laid the lid back flat I suddenly realised the whole thing would stand up on a table or against a wall and had all these lovely compartments just perfect for ink pads. The dividers on the top (in the lid) take stamp sets, card blanks, pens, clear blocks and anything else I need to store in them beautifully. Everything in it so far came out of 3 big plastic tubs - there are ink pads behind ink pads all colour ranged which is easier than ever before and I still have room for some more. HOW COOL IS THIS BARGAIN !!!!!

I bought a really lovely handle while in America last year so I will get Dave to add the handle and a latch so I will still be able to take it with me when I go crafting.

DON'T YA JUST LOVE A BARGAIN !

I love things to be neat and organised if they can and since I'm lousy at this, I need stuff like this to help me do it. I plan to paint and then decorate this beauty with some really pretty papers just as soon as I find some I like. Most likely it will be after Christmas but I will definitely post a picture when it's done.

The day was rounded off perfectly by the last bargain. Dave has been wanting a shed on the allottment for a good year now and we just don't seem to get around to it but we did a bit of work on Saturday afternoon and decided to stop by B & Q on our way home. We not only found a good sized shed at a great price but we got 20% discount which made it even cheaper than the one in our back yard. Considering it's bigger I think that's definitely a bargain and I was really glad at least one of them was for someone else. Dave now has a new project and an even better reason for getting work done down on the plot which can be a bit hard, cold and even boring sometimes. I confess I am the most selfish person I know but it is nice when it's not all about me!

Again it doesn't look like much but when it's up and functional it'll make such a difference and anything that makes working the plot easier has to be a good thing right?